Basque Cinema is having a moment. Thanks to unique locations, generous tax incentives and a booming production sector, Spain’s northern autonomous
Basque Cinema is having a moment. Thanks to unique locations, generous tax incentives and a booming production sector, Spain’s northern autonomous community has become a more attractive home than ever for film and television productions.
At the San Sebastian International Film Festival, which kicks off on Friday, there are 38 Basque productions selected to screen at the nine-day event. Three features are in the festival’s competition strand including Los Domingos from writer-director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, Alberto Rodríguez’s Los Tigres and Masapalomas from Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi. Meanwhile, She Walks In Darkness, produced by J.A. Bayona and his producing partners Belén Atienza and Sandra Hermida, will screen out of competition along with Asier Altuna’s Karmele.
“Just by looking at our lineup, you can see that the Basque industry is stronger,” says San Sebastián festival director José Luis Rebordinos. “There are a lot of young producers emerging in the region as well as an attractive tax rebate and because of that, a lot of producers from Spain, Europe and the U.S. are looking to shoot there. It really feels like it’s a special moment in Basque production and it will be interesting to see how it grows as other locations become more expensive for production.”
Indeed, tax incentives are always an attractive way to boost film production within a particular region, and the Basque Country has been positioning itself in recent years as a competitive destination for local and international productions. Its Bizkaia region now has one of the most enticing tax breaks in all of Spain, offering a tax credit of up to 70%. The Basque Country as a whole offers a 60% rebate if more than 50% of production expenses are incurred locally.
Last year saw a raft of international productions shoot in the region, including Lasse Hallström’s Amazon-MGM Studio production The Map That Leads to You and Christopher Hool’s Spicy Will from Studio 33. Meanwhile, Catherine Zeta-Jones’ upcoming revenge thriller Kill Jackie shot in the Bilbao and around the region earlier this year.
At Berlinale in February, the region launched its modern initiative Film Basque Country, which aims to attract, guide and support international productions looking to shoot in the Basque Country.
‘She Walks In Darkness’
“Basque cinema has a long tradition of big films and directors and the films that we have produced have traveled internationally,” says Los Domingos producer Marisa Fernández Armenteros of Buenapinta Media. “The Basque Culture Department started to support Basque creators years ago and that support to young talents has been crucial. Through the support of the [public broadcaster] ETB Basque, regional funds, tax incentives and the investment that TV broadcasters and streamers make in the Basque Country, the development in the film industry and the region confirms growth, variety and diversity.”
She continues: “In terms of production, the Basque Country has a long filming tradition and therefore you can find some of the best crews and Heads of Department. There are amazing landscapes and locations, and the tax incentives have made Basque productions become much more competitive.”
Fernández Armenteros co-produced Los Domingos with Nahikari Ipiña’s Basque-based outfit Sayaka Producciones. The story follows a youthful woman named Ainara who is at a crossroads while exploring career possibilities, much to her family’s concern.
“Los Domingos’ appeal to be a Basque co-production was pretty organic,” says Fernández Armenteros. “The story is set in Bizkaia, the director’s hometown, and it’s the second feature film that we’ve produced with Alauda. Both films are set in Bilbao and portray a Basque family.”
The main challenge for the film, says Ipiña, was finding and securing technical crews in advance because interest in the region is so high at the moment. “And of course the northern weather can also be challenging,” Ipiña says.
Producer Marian Fernandez Pascal, founder of Basque-based production banner Txintxua Films, agrees. “At the moment, we have several teams filming at the same time in this small area, so we have to rely on human resources and suppliers from other areas of Spain to provide services to everyone.”
But for Fernandez Pascal, who produced political thriller series Intimidad with Netflix, she has seen how the region has grown in terms of talent across the last decade. “There has never been so much and so much diverse production. There really is a lot of Basque talent at the moment.”
The San Sebastian International Film Festival runs September 19-27, 2025.
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