| Abstrakt: |
This article focuses on the controversy created in Spain by a motion picture documentary, "The Basque Ball: Skin Against Stone," directed by Julio Medem. Medem said he wanted to start a healthy "dialogue" with his new documentary, which chronicles the violent three-decade conflict between the Spanish government and Basque separatists. Well, he certainly got people talking: Spain's Culture minister publicly condemned the film; a journalist and a professor Medem interviewed tried to get their appearances cut out, loudly objecting to what they called the film's pro-Basque bent. Medem interviewed some 70 people -- usually against the stunning backdrop of Basque country -- and by focusing on those caught in the middle of the conflict, he provides a more nuanced view of Basque nationalism. We hear not only from Daniel Mugica, who bitterly describes his father's assassination by ETA, the terrorist wing of the Basque movement in 2001, but also Anika Gil, who alleges she was stripped and tortured during her five-day detention by Spanish police in May 2002. |
