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Ur Artean (Between water)

Jesus María Palacios, Iñigo Jiménez
27' / 2015 / Spain
Spanish
English subtitled

A portrait of the last inhabitants of Santa Clara Island in San Sebastian. In September 2014, Santa Clara lighthouse celebrated its 150th anniversary, yet for the last 45 of these years, it has been uninhabited. Who were the last people to live there? For twenty years, the lighthouse-keeper José Manuel Andoin and his mother, María Torralbo, dwelled in isolation and harsh conditions on this island just 500 meters off the city of San Sebastian. "Ur Artean" is the story of the enigmatic relationship between a strong-willed mother and her mild-mannered son, who, in a now-forgotten chapter of his life, had been an Olympic champion.

Director's Biography

Jesus Mª Palacios has an undergraduate degree in Audiovisual Communication and Humanities from the University of Salamanca and a diploma in Tourism from the University of Deusto. In 2009 he moved to Barcelona to pursue a Master’s Degree in Creative Documentary. It was there that he made his first documentary, Figura amb Paisatge, which was broadcast on Catalan television (TV3). Later on, in 2012, he made the short film Casa Vacía, which was chosen for the Kimuak 2012 catalogue (a selection of the best Basque shorts). Ur Artean is his latest short film and he recently took part in the collective production Distatziak.
Iñigo Jiménez holds a diploma in Social Education and an undergraduate degree in Teaching from the University of the Basque Country. He has worked in the social sphere since 2006. Passionate about true, fictional and untold stories, writing and film are two instruments that have enabled him to recount some of these life tales. Ur Artean is his first short film.