Thing 7: Handia

On Tuesday night, we went to the local theatre to see the  movie Handia, or Giant, a 2017 Basque film directed by Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño.  The film premiered at the 2017 San Sebastien International Film Festival, where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize, and it is now nominated for a 2018 Goya in thirteen different categories.

The event was hosted by Association Zabalki, a twenty year-old film society, based in Hasparren.  January 18  was a special showing, as the film was not able to be shown during the usual Basque film festival Zinegin, due to San Sebastien IFF rules.

Hasparren is a small town in the north, interior, Pays Basque.  The cinema, Haritz Barne (Inner Oak) is a single-screen theatre with full price tickets for 6€ and reduced-priced tickets (students, unemployed, seniors, -14) for 4.50€.

The film's story is based on the life of Miguel Joaquín Eleizegui Arteaga, a man who was afflicted with gigantism and was known as the "Giant from Altzo."

The distributor, Gabarra Films, is a Bayonne-based company who, in partnership with the Basque Cultural Institute, released the film in 2017.  The distribution company's goal is to distribute two or three films a year; this is Gabarra Films' seventh release.

Shown: (1) Ticket Stub, paper, black and white; (1) 4-fold program, multi-color printing (blue, black, white, grey), Basque and French, (10) color photos.  This program and the below photographs were distributed to support the film's release on January 24th.

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