José Julián Bakedano

The documentary is a kind of master class on the pioneer of Basque-language films and the founder of Lekeitio’s Euskal Zine Bilera. Benito Ansola talks to J. J. Bakedano about the secrets of his major productions. In the space of 20 years he produced some twenty films, including documentaries and fiction shorts.

In 2025, the Basque Government, EITB and the Filmoteca Vasca set about recovering and restoring four medium-length films made completely in the Basque language in the mid-80s. The process, long and delicate, included a trip to the L'Immagine Ritrovata lab in Bologna. The documentary, an own production by EITB, follows the peregrination of the four directors and the restoration process completed in Italy. Because it's important to tell these stories too.