Films

Basque Country, 17th century. In the midst of a witch hunt during the Inquisition, Kattalin flees her abusive husband and becomes lost in the forest at night. When she encounters three elderly women by the river, she becomes entangled in their tales of witchcraft, secrets, and forbidden desires until she realizes that she too is becoming part of this web of legends. As their stories intertwine, they reveal a community dominated by religious repression, gender-based violence, and fear of everything that falls outside the established order. Directed by Paul Urkijo Alijo, “Gaua” is a period Basque folk horror with a dark, dreamlike atmosphere, where witchcraft, forbidden love, and sexual liberation intertwine with Basque history and mythology. It’s the director’s third feature, which continues the tradition of filming in euskara, following “Errementari” and “Irati”, which won the Audience Award at MOTELX 2023.