Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren first had the idea for making her debut film when she read about the suicide of a 16-year-old trans boy in the Basque Country where she lives. What struck her about the case was the hopeful note that the teenager left behind, imagining a kinder, more accepting world. “He said he was making this decision to shine some light on people in his situation, for visibility. He was accepted by his family, but he was suffering a lot. It’s very sad.”
Solaguren is speaking via Zoom from her apartment in San Sebastian. Her film, 20,000 Species of Bees, premiered in February at Berlin, where – in the biggest surprise of the awards night – its lead actor, nine-year-old Sofía Otero, scooped the Silver Bear prize, making her the youngest ever winner. Since then, it’s been all-go for Solaguren. Next week, she takes the film on tour to Iceland, then it’s Toulouse followed by London; after that Japan. Sounds exhausting, I say. “Everything in October!” she beams. “But all the travelling can be a bit overwhelming.”
