'Ama Lur' is a documentary, directed by Nestor Basterretxea and Fernando Larruquert, that premiered in San Sebastián in 1968, and it is considered the foundation of Basque cinema.
In the foothills of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca lies the medieval village of Alquézar. The film takes a journey through this religious site using images of the Colegiata de Santa María church, the paintings it houses and the capitals in its cloisters. It also draws on images of narrow and steep empty streets, the Semana Santa procession and sculptures of Christ on the cross.
An ethnographic documentary which looks at the relationship between music and work in predominantly rural cultures. It depicts the lives of fisherman, shepherds and farmers and their relationship with music. The film also describes Basque ancestral instruments, with special emphasis on the origin and history of ‘bertsolarism’ (Basque verse singing) as a form of oral communication.
