Gaua
Fleeing her husband, Kattalin encounters three old women exchanging idle gossip that soon transmutes into sinister supernatural stories. As each tale is told, Kattalin finds herself becoming intimately entangled within their dark events.
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Thursday, May 14, 2026
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Saturday, May 16, 2026
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Director Paul Urkijo Alijo returns to SIFF with Gaua—an intoxicating witch's brew of macabre historical fantasy, folk tale horror, and carnal passion. Set during the 17th Century in the Navarre region, the Spanish Inquisition scours the Basque Mountains for witches to persecute. Late one night, Kattalin flees her abusive husband, soon becoming lost in the deep forest, a malevolent presence in pursuit. Safety comes when she encounters a trio of women washing clothes by the river. Each one shares a bevy of village gossip, but in succession their idle chatter turns sinister, weaving a web of dark fables that implicate the righteous and the wicked alike. And as each weird sister tells their tale, Kattalin finds herself becoming intimately entangled with the events recounted. All the while, a looming conflict between the villagers, Church Inquisitors, and the elder beings of the forest draws perilously nigh. With his third feature film, Paul Urkijo Alijo cements his reputation as one of contemporary cinema's great fantasists—a magician of nightmarish narratives rendered in shadowy expressionist visuals that recall Goya and Mike Mignola in equal measure.
—Dan Doody
- Director: Paul Urkijo
- Principal Cast: Yune Nogueiras, Ane Gabarain, Elena Irureta, Inake Irastorza, Xabi "Jabato" Lopez
- Premiere Status: North American
- Country: Spain
- Year: 2025
- Running Time: 96 min.
- Producer: Ander Sagardoy, Ander Barinaga-Rementeria, Xabier Berzosa
- Screenplay: Paul Urkijo
- Cinematographers: Gorka Gomez
- Editors: Elena Ruiz
- Music: Maite Arroitajauregi, Aranzazu Calleja
- Website: Official Film Website
- Filmography: Irati (2023), Errementari (2016)
- Language: Basque
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- International Sales: Filmax