Festival films depict sheep-ranching culture

Trailing of the Sheep Festival attendees will have an opportunity this weekend to see screenings of two films about the history of the sheep business, its people and animals. “Away to Me, Ewe Can Run but Ewe Can’t Hide,” directed by Andrew Hadra, will be screened at the Sun Valley Opera House in the Sun Valley Mall on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. The cost is $10. Doors open at 6 p.m. The film is a feature-length documentary that takes its audience on a visually spectacular journey across the world, following three national champions as they prepare for and then compete in a major international sheepdog trial. “The relationships captured onscreen between the handlers and their canine partners will touch you, and the drama and beauty of the competition will leave you spellbound,” states a news release. “At its heart is a loving nod to the timeless and special bond between man and dog.” Hadra said the special bond between man and dog has been in place for at least 15,000 years. “Whether as a working partner, a sporting partner, a pet or any combination thereof, there’s a reason why the dog has stood the test of time as ‘man’s best friend,’” he said. “We are excited at the chance to bring the extraordinary relationships between the handlers and their dogs and the excitement and motion of the competition to life for you.” “Basques in the West,” a feature film by Brent Barras, will be screened Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Sun Valley Opera House. Cost is $10. Barras spent three years shooting and producing “Basques in the West,” about a cultural group from northern Spain and France that immigrated generations ago to the West. “I’ve always been fascinated by the Basques’ colorful history and rich culture but also by the strength of the people’s ties and their commitment to passing that culture through each generation,” he said. War, a dire economy and an unstable political situation drove thousands of Basques from their homeland, between Spain and France. The Basques headed to the western United States, and, in particular, Minidoka County. “They immigrated between the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s because of the oppression of the Spanish and Franco,” Barras said. “They were bombed by Hitler in 1937. The movie shows photographs of the bombed city of Guernica. It was awful. We have interviews of the survivors.” “Basques in the West” is described as “one hour of captivating scenery, historical and geographical references, and poignant interviews, all artistically filmed and beautifully integrated to create a spellbinding storyline.”...more