Irati is the historical, medieval, adventure-fantasy story that I’ve always wanted to tell. I’ve always been fascinated by Basque mythology and Irati is an epic homage to that dark and fascinating world of legend. I have taken loose inspiration from the characters that appear in the graphic novel The Cycle of Irati, by J. L. Landa and J. Muñoz, as well as other Basque legends and historical events, such as the battle of Roncesvalles.

The movie is about a young, nobleman named Eneko, who has to prove his courage if he is to become leader of the valley like his father. In order to do this, he will have to enter a strange and mysterious world, one filled with ancient, mythological deities. On his journey, he will be accompanied by a young, local, pagan woman called Irati.

Eneko and Irati belong to different worlds, hold different beliefs and each have their own mission and their own destiny. When their paths cross, their fate will be called into question and they will have to choose between their duty and that which they truly desire.

The film is set in the Basque Pyrenees during the 8^th century. A dark, but fascinating period in the Middle Ages, where the dominant religions (Christianity and Islam) are fighting with one another, causing the pagan belief system, filled with arcane deities linked to nature, to slowly disappear. This is a world in which, as the old Basque saying goes: “Everything that has a name exists”.