Las brujas de Zugarramurdi

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The film

Divorced father José has a stormy relationship with his ex-wife. He decides to bring his young son Sergio along for his next hold-up. A couple of good-for-nothings he barely knows tag along for the crime. They narrowly escape the Madrid police and make their way towards France, but there is one little problem: to cross the border, they must pass through Zugarramurdi, an ancient village inhabited by witches who don’t exactly hold men close to their hearts.

Inspired by true witchcraft trials from the 17th century, LAS BRUJAS DE ZUGARRAMURDI uses the archetype of the witch to explore the relationship between men and women, and injects a hefty dose of caustic irony to the proceedings. Neat supernatural elements, unbridled gore and infectious hysteria define this diabolically efficient horror comedy, an exhilarating social satire where nothing and no one is spared.

The director

Álex de la Iglesia is a former set designer and artistic director who came to light in 1992 with his directorial debut ACCIÓN MUTANTE, financed by Pedro Almodóvar. He quickly became a major player of the Spanish film industry, known for his outrageousness, dark humour, and genre mixing – an arsenal he would consistently use to take aim at tangible issues in society. The NIFFF has shown several of his films over the years, and we are happy to put the spotlight on the absolute blast that is LAS BRUJAS DE ZUGARRAMURDI during our Fantastique 20 20 20 retrospective, in anticipation of our 20th edition.

Selected filmography

1995 – EL DIA DE LA BESTIA

1999 – MUERTOS DE RISA

2000 – LA COMUNIDAD

2002 – 800 BALAS

2004 – CRIMEN FERPECTO

2010 – BALADA TRISTE

2017 – EL BAR