Pure inspiration
Land, sea and air. Mammals in danger of extinction, gigantic cetaceans and almost mythological birds. Amazing deserts, breathtaking cliffs, fairytale forests and ancient seas.
These are some of the wonders that we will see in Natura Bizia (“Nature alive”), a spectacular documentary that opens this Friday, April 16 in cinemas. From the coasts of Lekeito or Barrika to the Bardenas Reales passing through the Irati Forest or the Urkiola Natural Park.
Its creators are Lexeia Larrañaga (direction and writing of the script together with Amador Prieto) and Alex Gutiérrez (production, photography and editing). They both explain to us that the idea of making a film about Euskadi and Navarre “It comes from two nature lovers who want to show the general public the natural wealth that these lands harbor. The climate and geographical location of these territories mean that there are very varied ecosystems, where the wealth of biodiversity is very high".
The natural beauty of Euskadi and Navarra made into a film
"We have from the Cantabrian Sea to the almost desert of the Bardena, passing through forests and high mountains of the Pyrenees. And many species of animals live in them, many of them very close to us. And without having to go to Africa. It is worthwhile for the general public to know the wild and natural heritage that these lands harbor”, they tell Traveler.es
During the film we will witness sequences that are quite complicated to achieve, such as the exchange of prey between the azores, cetaceans or the European mink.
land, sea and air
“Filming all species of animals in the wild is not easy, it takes many days of filming. And the European mink, being the most endangered mammal in Europe, has been one of the most difficult species to film. There are very few individuals in the territory, it has nocturnal preferences and is rarely seen during the day. To all this we must add that it is a very fast animal, and following the focus well with the camera is very complicated. But with patience and many days of filming we have been able to shoot some very beautiful images of the life of this precious mustelid”, confess the filmmakers.
Lexeia Larrañaga and Alex Gutiérrez during filming
“On the other hand, cetaceans have also been very difficult to film. The sea is infinite and locating them is not easy. Even so, we have been able to film something unprecedented until now, a very intimate moment in the life of some cetaceans. Finding the prey exchange area of a pair of goshawks It has also been something that until now had not been seen. And we wanted to film this moment in the best possible way to be able to tell the viewer how the goshawks act during the breeding season”, they add.
A film about the wild life of Euskadi and Navarra
The person chosen for the narration in Spanish was José María del Río , a highly experienced dubber whose voice will sound familiar to us not only from La2's tabletop documentaries (including the series A bird's eye view), but also from films like American Beauty (dubbing Kevin Spacey) or programs like Cuarto Milenio.
“For us, he is the best dubber that exists in the field of nature documentaries, and being able to count on his participation for the Spanish version has been an honor. We were clear from the beginning that we had to contact him to offer him the job, and the surprise was when he agreed to voice the documentary. He is a person who has a lot of experience, and working with such professional people is a real pleasure”, they enthuse.
Living nature
Nature documentaries are not usually released in cinemas. A bet that also faces the exceptional circumstances we are experiencing. The good side is the desire to travel and see green that many of the spectators surely have.
In any case, the authors of the film face the premiere with optimism: “When we started thinking about Natura Bizia three years ago, we knew that it would be nice to go to the big screen and show the extraordinary nature that we have close to our homes in the best possible way. It's not something you do a lot of, but we think nature deserves it."
"We are at a time when everything related to the natural world is looked at with more attention and with a little more interest, and we believe that there may be a place for it, in that approach that as a society it seems that we are beginning to do. "We hope that it is a movement that is here to stay, and that we all live understanding and understanding the world in which we live in a better way, and that this work is one more grain of sand," they add.
Natura Bizia premieres on April 16
Natura Bizia will also be a series shot simultaneously with the film which will premiere in a few months on the regional channels ETB1 and ETB2.
Its authors tell us that its chapters will take us “through different geographical areas of Euskadi and Navarra. We will learn more about the existing nature in each of them. The presenter and mountaineer Alberto Iñurrategi will be the one to guide us through all these places".
"And different specialists from the natural world will also participate to explain to us first-hand the problems that exist in these places and the work that is being carried out to preserve them or to conserve some species”, they reaffirm.
An exciting journey into our nature