2012 • 9' • French
Director(s): Gil Kébaïli, Norbert Evangelista • Producer(s): Grand Angle Productions • Coproducer(s): France Télévisions • Format(s): HD
On the border between the Departments of Les Landes and the Pyrénées Atlantiques. Astride Gascony and the Basque Country. 5 kilometres from the ocean and a mere 30 minutes from Spain, lies Bayonne.
The Adour separates Gascon territory from the slopes of the Pyrenees. It’s a river that is vital to Bayonne, but which they had to put back on its proper course. A page of history related with the ritual wisdom that embodies the story. Albert, an 83 year-old teacher, is inexhaustible on the subject and has turned his home into a veritable museum. An encounter that produces a report of infinite tenderness.
Before the French Revolution, Departments didn’t exist. The carving up of the Pyrénées Atlantiques brought together ancient communes and provinces, one of which was cut up without forethought: the Basque Country, now recognised as a linguistic entity. The French part stretches to the Spanish border. It crosses the Ruhn, a summit offering views that rival those from the air. To climb the mountain there’s a picturesque transport: the little train, driven by a Basque of purest stock. A friendly confrontation to which only the nosy-parker reporter filming from the air knows the secret.
