KARMELE is a story of sustainability, resilience, and dignity in the face of oppression—a journey woven through culture, music, and art.
Based on the real experiences of Karmele Urresti and Txomin Letamendi and inspired by the novel "Elkarrekin Esnatzeko Ordua" by Kirmen Uribe.
1937. Karmele and her family take refuge in France after being expelled from their home due to the war. There, Karmele is invited to take part in the Basque cultural embassy in exile, which seeks to fight the war through music and dance, and she meets Txomin, a professional trumpeter whom she falls in love with. After living for some time in Venezuela, the couple returns to their homeland to fight against the dictatorship, hoping to reclaim everything that was taken from them.
2025 directed by Asier Altuna, 100 minutes, color, in Euskara with English subtitles
Asier Altuna Iza
Asier Altuna, after the success of his first short film, Txotx (1997), co-directed with Telmo Esnal, went on to make several more short films, television series and commercials. In 2005, he joined forces with Esnal yet again to direct his first feature, Aupa Etxebeste!, with which he landed the Youth Award at the San Sebastian Festival and a Goya nomination for Best New Director. In 2008 he founded, with Marian Fernández, the production company Txintxua Films, with which he has produced several shorts and the documentary feature Bertsolari (2011), and the feature films Amama (2015), winner of the Irizar Award(Best Basque Film) and Agur Etxebeste! (2019 co-directed with Telmo Esnal). In 2018 he participated in the omnibus film Gure Oroitzapenak.