Having fought in the First Carlist War, Martin returns to his family farm in Gipuzkoa only to find that his younger brother, Joaquín, towers over him in height. Convinced that everyone will want to pay to see the tallest man on Earth, the siblings set out on a long trip all over Europe, during which ambition, money and fame will forever change the family’s fate. A story based on true events.

Direction: Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño

Script: Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga, Andoni De Carlos

Production: Xabier Berzosa

Co-Production: Iñigo Obeso, Fernando Larrondo, Iñaki Gomez, Koldo Zuazua

Cinematography: Javier Agirre Erauso

Editing: Raúl López, Laurent Dufreche

Production Design: Mikel Serrano

Costume Design: Saioa Lara

Make-Up: Ainhoa Exkisabel, Olga Cruz, Gorka Aguirre

Sound: Xanti Salvador

Original Score: Pascal Gaigne

Visual Effects: David Heras

Cast: Eneko Sagardoy, Joseba Usabiaga

Original Title: HANDIA

Original Language: Basque

Film Production Country: Spain

Website: www.handiafilm.com/

Social Media: @Handiafilm

Statement of the Director/s
On a night in 1863, a group of unknown men broke into a cemetery in the small Basque town of Altzo. They were looking for a coffin, but not just any coffin, one in particular, and they knew they had found it because of its size: the coffin was enormous, much larger than the rest. In fact, it was twice as large. When the intruders managed to pry the lid open, what they found was an even greater surprise than they had anticipated: the coffin was empty. Not a single bone.

Miguel Joaquín Eléicegui had died one year earlier, and while he was only 43 years old, he had lived quite a life. Such a life that still today, a century and a half later, he is still considered one of the most legendary real-life characters of recent Basque history. This could be due to his extraordinary physique, but also because of the mystery surrounding both his life and his death. Little is known of either, which has made Miguel Joaquín's figure fertile ground for rumors and gossip. One of life's great ironies, since his death to date his legend has continued to grow in people's imaginations, truly becoming a myth who would later be known forever as "The giant from Altzo."

Miguel Joaquín grew up in a very conservative rural environment in a core of a large family (nine siblings). Shortly after reaching the age of twenty he developed a deadly illness which had an unexpected effect on his young body: he started growing out of control. And he never stopped growing until the day he died. He grew gradually in size until he reached, at the end of his life, the height of eight feet. This made him the tallest man of his time. And for this reason, the humble man from a small town would later be received by the royal families of Spain, Portugal, France and England.

But beyond the annals of history, what makes this character most attractive is his introspective quality. In particular, one of his most remarkable attributes is the fact that he never stopped growing. How would Miguel Joaquín handle this phenomenon? We want to put ourselves in the shoes of a boy who one day found out that his size was going to gradually increase and see how he manages such an experience. How what at first was pleasing news slowly became frustrating, troublesome and later distressing with the awareness that his growth was not normal. We want to experience this alongside him and feel the tension and astonishment with which Miguel Joaquín and those close to him manage such a situation. Will he ever stop growing?

We believe that there's something about his plight that any audience can understand. Obviously few people have experienced something similar to what the super giant went through, but anyone can understand the anguish of realizing that something we you don't like growing within you. In Miguel Joaquín's case it was his size, while someone else it could be greed, a grudge, envy, madness or anger. The Giant from Alzo's story is therefore an interesting starting point from which we can explore the uncontrollable hidden forces in the most remote corners of the human psyche.

But besides the introspective character, there's another aspect that attracts us to this story: it's potential to show the process of how a legend is created and spread. Respecting what we know about him, we want our Miguel Joaquín to be a blank canvas. A man who, without actually doing anything, provokes a series of events. Because Miguel Joaquín, despite his lack of charisma, is capable of generating a myth around himself which reaches the present day, simply due to the fact that he's huge.

We're talking about a community or a society's unrelenting need to fabricate legends, to create heroes it can believe in and admire. Like the quote from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance": "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

The fact that all people need myths is unquestionable. At this very moment, although we're unaware of it, in every corner of the world new myths are forming that will play a role in the future. And apparently all of these myths have one thing in common: they come from the need to understand the world beyond the present.

Society builds its myths depending on the circumstances and necessities at the time. And in this sense , the historical context while Miguel Joaquín was alive is very interesting. He lived during the Carlist Wars, a series of civil wars in Spain during the 19th century. Basically the traditional and liberal worlds were fighting to the death. The Basque people were seeing their old privileges slowly disappear and in that context, in order to preserve those privileges, the Basque Country was itself being mythologized, as a people of honor, closely tied to the land and nature, and its small villages became its greatest symbol. We believe that Miguel Joaquín will help us reflect upon not only how a myth was created about a giant man, but also about a people. And about how sometimes a sweeter version of a story can prevail over the real event itself.

We would also like the film to transport the audience to a world totally different -on an emotional and human level- from the world we live in today. A world in which family relationships are marked by an inflexible hierarchy, in which family members are practically considered as manual labor to help support the family financially. Where people are without a notion of the meaning of individual freedom. Personal sacrifice comes before everything else. Affection and freedom of expression aren't even considered basic features of humanity. It's a "decidedly dark" time, yet it wasn't so long ago.

What we're saying is this film distances itself from the idyllic, pastoral references to the Basque Country (following the Basque myth) and brings it closer to what it actually was: a rugged land held back by beliefs and rituals that limited the ability of its own people to be free and enjoy life. A time that also fits perfectly with the growing sense of bitterness experienced by Miguel Joaquín through the course of his life. We intend to show a more critical, uncomfortable point of view of this period. And along those lines, the film will relay the coldness and extreme restraint that emanated from society itself. A contemplative look, to a certain extent distant, which will help the audience empathize with the difficulties faced by the main character.

We take a closer look at the giant and the people around him while recreating the circumstances and customs in their country at the end of the 19th century, following the trail of special films like "Cows" or "Tasio," without forgetting the tension created between the intimate and the epic in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" or "Ryan's Daughter."

Although it's purely a Basque story, Aundiya can be linked to universal myths like Frankenstein, King Kong, or Joseph Merrick in "The Elephant Man." The same paradox is presented in each case: the very condition that makes these characters extraordinary and gives them notoriety later becomes their curse, their stigma.

That's why we want to explore this paradox with a character of our own. "The Giant from Altzo," an individual we know very little about even here in the Basque Country because his life was surrounded by more rumors and gossip than certainties. But his enigma reaches far beyond his death. Because all that we know is that when someone opened his coffin that night in 1863 intending to make money off selling his bones, his remains were nowhere to be found. Where did they go? Even today, we still don't know. Although some continue to claim that his bones are in the basement of the British Museum in London… true or legend?

We consider this outstanding material that can be used to build a universal story based on a completely local event. We definitely believe that Miguel Joaquín Eléicegui's story has the strength to transcend our borders. Because what this story represents has happened and will continue to happen in most of the societies around us.

Biography of the Director/s
Aitor Arregi co-directed the animated feature films "Glup" (Goya for Best Animated Film nominee in 2004) and "Cristobal Molón" (2006) and the feature-length documentaries "Sahara Marathon" and "Lucio" (premiered at San Sebastian Festival and nominated for the Goya for Best Documentary in 2007). Jon Garaño directed the feature films "80 egunean" (2010) and "Loreak" (2014), a contender in San Sebastian, nominated for the Best Film Goya and selected to represent Spain at the Oscars Academy Awards.

Filmography of the Director/s
Jon Garaño:
• Loreak (Flowers): Director and scriptwriter. 2014
• 80 Egunean (For 80 days): Director and scriptwriter. 2010

Aitor Arregi:
• Lucio (Documental): Director y scriptwriter. 2007
• Glup (Animation Film): Director. 2004
• Sahara Maratón (Documentary): Director. 2004

Awards Won
- Special Jury Prize San Sebastian International Film Festival
- 10 Goya Spanish Academy awards (13 nominations)
- Best Film 27th Noir in Festival di Como e Milano (Italy)
- Best actor (Eneko Sagardoy) Punta del Este Int. Film Fest
- Premios Platino - Best Film and Education Values

World Sales:
Film Factory
Vicente Canales
Lincoln 11, 2o 4a
Barcelona, 08006, Spain
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +34933 684 608

Press:
Nuria Costa
Zuatzu 3, Edificio Urgull 6-7
San Sebastian, 20018, Spain
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 696 179 881