AKERBELTZ, LAS BRUJAS Y EL INQUISIDOR

Akerbeltz, the Witches and the Inquisitor

España. 2010. Color. 11 min. Animación. 35mm.
  • Film Director: César Urbina Vitoria.
  • Scriptwriter: Ángel Urbina.
  • Sound: Jordi Civit.
  • Producer: Ángel Urbina; César Urbina Vitoria.

The gloomy dungeon of the Santo Oficio gaol in Logroño (Spain) is packed with prisoners accused of witchcraft. The sound of mystical chanting drifts out through the bars.
It is a desperate cry for help that travels through valleys and mountains until it reaches the hamlet of Zugarramurdi.
The petty jealousies and scheming actions of its inhabitants, combined with the unthinkable cruelty of the methods used to torture confessions from people, have put an end to the local way of life, one based on the respect for and worship of nature and one that has no place in the new world order the inquisition aims to impose.
A young boy wakes up suddenly in the middle of the night with the realisation that time is running out for the women that looked after him so lovingly.
The boy goes to the cave where the witches used to celebrate their Black Sabbaths by singing, dancing and worshipping Aberbeltz and invokes the forces of nature to help him rescue the women from their unhappy fate.
And so begins a journey against the clock to save, not just the women, but also a world that seems to be nearing its end.



César Urbina Vitoria

He was born in Sabadell 23 March 1974. He studied Ciencias de la Información Imagen y Sonido at the Complutense University of Madrid and in the Dams Univertisy of Bologna. He worked in TVE and Telemadrid and he was part of a production company called Drop Star. He is director and partner of his own production company, Iralta Films, that he created together with Ángel Urbina ten years ago. He directed and edited several commercial and documentaries such as 'El deseo y la realidad', 'Scenario Gran Vía' (assistant) or 'Vivir Bailando'. Also, he directed some short films as 'Akerbeltz: las brujas y el Inquisidor', 'Vino en Polvo', 'Dionisio y Estela' & 'Bombón', winning several prizes in festivals.