The Blind Ants premieres at San Sebastián, sets Spain release
Igor Legarreta's The Blind Ants (Inurri Itsuak) had its world premiere on Sept. 18 at the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival, reported Variety. It is Legarreta's third feature film. Spanish audiences will not wait long. It opens in theatres there on Oct. 9.
The story is set in the Basque Country in 1930. An English ship runs aground off Biscay carrying tons of coal. The festival synopsis adds detail: at night, the people of Algorta, in Bizkaia, flock to the wreck, according to the San Sebastián Film Festival.
The film is based on a book by Ramiro Pinilla. Legarreta previously directed All the Moons, reported Variety. Blind Ants was also shown earlier in Locarno's Spanish Previews, a showcase of upcoming films from Spain.
The cast is led by Urko Olazábal, Itziar Ituño, Josean Bengoetxea, Miren Gaztañaga and Carlos Santos. Short cast. Strong local roots. All five are well known to Spanish-language viewers.
In San Sebastián, the 101-minute film played in Zinemira, the section dedicated to Basque productions. The festival lists it as a Spain-Belgium production and as the opening film of that section, according to the San Sebastián Film Festival. It is competing for the Irizar Award for Basque Cinema, the festival's prize for films made in the Basque Country.
Distribution in Spain is through Buena Vista International Spain. The producers are Lamia Producciones, Lamia Films, Lazona Zinema, Lazona Producciones, Buendía Estudios Bizkaia, Bruja del Norte AIE and Sideral Cinema, with co-production by Belgium's Caviar Antwerp. Playtime, the company that sells distribution rights to buyers outside the home market, handles international sales.
What makes this stand out is the chain behind it. A Basque novel. A regional shoot. A hometown festival launch. Then a nationwide release two weeks later.
