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Preceded by the short film, Joseba Cruz.
Many years ago, Juan Mari Arzak was just a Basque youth working in his family’s kitchen, helping out his mother with her catering business out of their central Donostia San Sebastián home. When he asked her permission to run a small restaurant out of the family home, she tried to dissuade him from the harsh realities of the business but the young chef was undeterred, building a menu on the rich heritage of traditional Basque cooking and sourcing ingredients directly from local farms long before it became trendy. With patience and the possibilities inherent in a post-Franco nation, New Basque Cuisine was born, making the young chef the toast of Europe and putting him in the company of celebrities and royalty. Now a kindly grandfather in his late-70s, Juan Mari is looking for his next passion, handing over the legendary three-Michelin-starred restaurant to his daughter Elena, voted World’s Best Female Chef in 2012, and carrying forth with the same child-like wonder that made him a household name. With rich archival footage and testimonials from fellow luminaries such as Joan Roca of El Celler de Can Roca and celebrity chef Karlos Arguiñano, Arzak Since 1897 is a loving, mouth-watering portrait of an unforgettable bon vivant, still with a twinkle in his eye and looking forward to his next great adventure, from director Asier Altuna Iza.
Hace muchos años, Juan Mari Arzak era un joven vasco trabajando en la cocina de su familia, ayudando a su madre con el negocio de catering desde su hogar en el centro de Donostia-San Sebastián. Cuando él le pide permiso para gestionar un pequeño restaurante en la casa de su familia, su madre trató de disuadirlo explicándole la dura realidad de este negocio, pero el joven cocinero no se desanima; diseña un menú basado en la rica herencia de la cocina tradicional vasca y consigue los ingredientes directamente de las granjas locales, mucho antes que esto se pusiera de moda. Con paciencia y con las posibilidades inherentes en una nación post Franco, nació la Nueva Cocina Vasca, convirtiendo al joven en un chef admirado en toda Europa y colocándolo en compañía de celebridades y realeza. Hoy en día, Juan Mari es un abuelo afable con más de 70 años, pensando en su próxima pasión: entregar el legendario restaurante de tres estrellas Michelin a su hija Elena, que fue votada como la Mejor Chef Femenina de 2012 y seguir adelante con el mismo asombro infantil que hizo a Juan Mari un nombre muy reconocido. El documental hace uso de magníficas imágenes de archivo y testimonios de colegas famosos como Joan Roca de El Celler de Can Roca y del famoso chef Karlos Arguiñano, Arzak Since 1897 del director Asier Altuna Iza, es un retrato apetitoso e inolvidable de un bon vivant que con un brillo especial en sus ojos anticipa su próxima aventura extraordinaria.
Director Biography
Asier Altuna (Bergara, Gipuzkoa. 1969) has directed, together with Telmo Esnal, the short films Txotx (1998) and 40 Ezetz (1999), in addition to the feature films Aupa Etxebeste! (2005), which competed in New Directors and obtained the Youth Award in San Sebastian, and its sequel Agur Etxebeste! (2019), premiered last year at the Basque Cinema Gala. As a solo director, Altuna has directed four short films and has participated in San Sebastian Festival’s Official Selection with Bertsolari (2011, out of competition) and Amama (2015), winner of the Irizar Award. In 2018 he contributed with a segment to the anthology film Gure Oroitzapenak, screened in Zinemira. ARZAK since 1897 participated in the Lau Haizetara Documentary Co-production Forum in 2018. (courtesy San Sebastian Film Festival)