Where did the idea of restoring the film come from?

The idea of restoring Basque film classics has been around for a long time, the world's leading film libraries do it and it is a way of giving films a new lease of life. The Lumière Festival in Lyon, dedicated to the classics, is one of the places where we have been able to study how these projects are carried out in their various stages. In the case of ‘Tasio’ several factors came into play: it is an unquestionable landmark of Basque cinema, there were no 4K copies available from modern high quality digitisations from the original negative, the film would be 40 years old in 2024 and we could rely on the work and participation of Montxo Armendáriz for the whole process.

How was this restoration carried out?

Firstly, by studying the materials we had to work with, agreeing everything with the company that owned the film (Mercury Films) and with the institution that held the film (Filmoteca Española), presenting the project to our Advisory Board so that the Basque Government would provide the money, and launching a public tender that was finally won by L'immagine Ritrovata from Bologna. Armendáriz travelled to this prestigious laboratory to supervise the whole process and to make sure that his criteria prevailed in the final colour and sound adjustments.

What was the experience in Cannes like?

Our announcement said: we have the best possible restoration of one of our best works in the best possible showcase: Cannes. It is the most important film festival in the world because it gives its films enormous visibility. The fact that its director, Thierry Frémaux, came to introduce the session and congratulated Armendáriz was also noteworthy.

What about the public reception?

It was screened in the Buñuel Hall at the Festival and I think there were a lot of people in the audience who didn't know the film. Being an international audience, it was wonderful to hear that not only did they thoroughly enjoy it, but also that they were looking for connections with other great masters of cinema in their countries: Kurosawa, Ermano Olmi, the Taviani brothers, Pagnol, etc.

What does a film restoration imply?

Bringing a film from four decades ago into the present day, giving it new life and demonstrating that the cinema of the past needs to be part of our present. Our heritage represents the inheritance of beautiful human creations. Cinema is an art that requires special care in its preservation because it suffers from a “tragic evanescence”.

What is the significance of the San Sebastian Festival screening, 40 years after its premiere there?

It is the right place for the premiere of this restoration in the Basque Country. It has an enormous symbolic and historical significance for our cinematography. Of all the films that have been screened so far, this one must be the most emotional.

After Cannes and the Donostia Zinemaldia, what are the next steps?

We have received many invitations. ‘Tasio’ is going to travel a lot and that was the goal.

Will it make it to the cinemas?

For example, in France it will because it already has distribution (Tamasa).

Looking to the future, can you tell us what works of this type Filmoteca has in the pipeline?

We are working on a restoration project for 2025. It is a different kind of project, but it is also an ambitious one. We are in the early stages but hopefully it will be successful. This experience has shown the way forward, and we at the Basque Film Library believe that the internationalisation of our heritage cinema is possible and can be successful. Restorations not only avert the danger of our films disappearing, but also enhance them in an extraordinary way.