José Antonio Sistiaga (4 May 1932, San Sebastián, Spain) is a Spanish Basque artist and experimental filmmaker best known for his feature-length hand-painted "direct" film, ... era erera baleibu izik subua aruaren ... (1968–70). He lives in Ciboure (France) and works in San Sebastian (Spain). Early works During the Spanish Civil War, as a son of a republican Basque, José Antonio Sistiaga had to escape from Bilbao with part of his family to Bordeaux (France) after the bombing of Guernica in April 1937. In 1955, he settled in Paris where he met the Andalusian painter Manuel Duque, executed his first paintings in Paris, in the context of the Informal painting movement. His early works (black paintings) date from 1959: abstract, non-geometrical, they could be compared to Henri Michaux's or Jean Fautrier's works, despite the fact that Sistiaga never heard about these artists at this moment. Back in Basque Country, Sistiaga met the sculptor Jorge Oteiza. In 1963 he created a workshop for free expression dedicated to children, influenced by alternative pedagogic method of Celestin Freynet ; he collaborated in that direction with artist Esther Ferrer for a project based in Elorrio. During these years (60's) Sistiaga had a real interdisciplinary artistic strategy and interest between alternative teaching, performances, contemporary music and cinema. In 1966, he formed along with other Basque artists the influential avant-garde group Gaur. This collective gathered the following artists: Jorge Oteiza, Rafael Ruiz Balerdi, Eduardo Chillida, Remigio Mendiburu, Néstor Basterretxea, Amable Arias, José Luis Zumeta and José Antonio Sistiaga. Sistiaga focused his pictorical and graphic works on energy, movement, gesture: his works on canvas or paper seem to be seismographs of sensibilities and emotions. Alternative teachings, conferences and performances Sistiaga discovered in Paris the artistic alternative workshop dedicated to children created by Arno Stern: L'Académie des jeudis. Stern searched to reveal the original creativity of the children, far from the artistic education. Sistiaga will create similar workshops when he will be back in Spain (San Sebastian) with the help of artist Esther Ferrer: La Academia de los jueves, which will be active from 1963 to 1968. In Parallel, he was in touch with Celestin Freinet, who created the Methode Freinet of teaching, based on development of the child from his own capacities. Sistiaga organized exhibitions of children creations in the Basque Country, sometimes with his own works Experimental cinema After seeing in Paris a Norman Mac Laren's