Filmax Swoops on ‘Irati’ Director Paul Urkijo’s Next

Filmax, still a byword for genre from Spain, has swooped on international rights to “Gaua,” the new film from Paul Urkijo, whose “Irati,” a Basque sword and mace epic beginning in 778 and sluiced by local legends, won Sitges’ main Competition Audience Award in   2022, establishing Urquijo as one of Spain’s most exciting younger genre auteurs.  

As Screen Anarchy pointed out, Irati “puts women front and center” in a story “grounded to a place and time that is unique and real,” while sweeping audiences up in “amazing sights, monsters, gods, and legends.
Urquijo looks set to pick up on all these elements in “Gaua,” revealed Sunday at the Sitges FanPitch, Spain’s most important showcase for genre projects.

Scheduled to shoot in January-February next year and be presented at November’s American Film Market with a screenplay in English, it is set in the Basque mountains, in 17th century Spain. It begins with Kattalin fleeing her husband, escaping from her farmhouse at night. Wandering in deep forest, she senses a presence pursuing her. She eventually comes across three women recounting superstitions and village gossip as they wash their clothes. Kattalin will eventually form part of this hearsay.

“‘Gaua’ is a dark, fantastic and historical film, which combines elements of suspense and mythology, in order to immerse us in a universal story of love, vengeance and empowerment in the Basque Country of the 17th century, during a time of Inquisition, witches and superstition,” Filmax said in a statement.

“Gaua” is produced by top Basque outfit Irusoin, behind “Marco,” which played Venice Horizons last month, as well as Disney+ series “Cristobal Balenciaga,” Spanish Oscar entry “The  Endless Trench” and “Flowers,” the first Basque-language film to play in main Competition at San Sebastián. 

Producers also take in Ikusgarri Films, Gaua AIE and Catalonia’s Vilaüt Films (“Alcarràs”). “Gaua” will be made with the support of Basque pubcaster EITB, Spanish state TV RTVE, the Basque Government, Vitoria-Gasteiz Town Hall and Diputación Foral de Álava.

““Since I was a little boy, I’ve been fascinated by the stories related to the night and also legends about spirits, demons and witches that originated from the witch-hunts in the 17th century, but which today are more associated with figures of female empowerment,” said Urkijo. ”With ‘Gaua,’ I want to take this universe to the big screen in the most spectacular, unsettling and epic way, offering the audience a terrifying, yet beautiful portrayal of the nocturnal legends that make our oral tradition so special.”

“After years of friendship, ‘Gaua’ is the perfect project to start our working relationship with Paul on. With ‘Irati’ and ‘Errementari’, he has proven that a film can be both art-house and have great audience numbers. His local stories are both authentic and universal, and capable of overcoming any linguistic or geographical barrier,” said Ander Sagardoy, who produces at Irusoin, along with Ander Barinaga-Rementeria and Xabier Berzosa. 

He added: “For everyone at Irusoin, he is an extremely talented filmmaker, who has a unique ability to be able to tell stories that are fantastical and mythological, ambitious and real. We also share his sensibility and belief that through the telling of these stories, we are able to bring our Basque culture and language to the rest of the world and that is something that is really very exciting for us.”

“Irati” wracked up major territory sales for Filmax such as Germany (Splendid) and Italy (Blue Swan) and went on to become the highest-grossing Basque language film ever in Spain, notching up €956,938 ($1.05 million) at theaters last year.   

Urkijo’s sophomore outing, “Errementari: The Devil and The Blacksmith.” was produced by Alex de al Iglesia, scoring a worldwide sale to Netflix.

“There’s nothing more gratifying than accompanying a talented director like Paul from the very start of his career. We have shared a special affinity with Paul since we were lucky enough to work on his first film, ‘Errementari.’”

“Paul is a visionary, a director with one of the biggest personalities in European genre cinema. His work is always attractive and original and doesn’t disappoint fans of genre films, or those interested in Basque folklore and culture,” he added. “That is a unique, interesting and powerful mix. And the fact that this project is coming from our friends at Irusoin is sure to make the journey even more exhilarating.”