Karas Elejalde: A veteran actor leaning into shorts, festivals, and a lifelong love for cinema
With a career spanning over 80 acting credits, Karra Elejalde, born in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 1960, positions himself as a champion of short films and the festivals that showcase them. He views festivals as essential platforms for emerging filmmakers, a belief reinforced as he prepares for two upcoming releases and a summer shoot: Kepler Sixth Bby Alejandro Suárez and The Sound of the Sun, a Carol Polakof series. At the Alicante Film Festival, Elejalde received the Honor Award, a recognition that aligns with his ongoing commitment to nurturing fresh talent through the festival circuit.
Is the timing of this award meaningful for you?
Receiving the honor prompts a humble reaction more than any claim to the ultimate value of one’s work. Awards rarely mirror the complete scope of an actor’s career, and such distinctions are rarely bestowed on performers in their twenties. Elejalde emphasizes his enduring advocacy for festivals that celebrate both long and short formats. If a script resonates and time allows, he accepts; his sincerity stems from the belief that the film world needs schools and festivals as its principal training grounds. Early in his career, he watched shorts like Bajo Ulloa, authored by Julio Medem, and later supported the first features of directors who are now established. For him, short films opened doors for new voices and served as the training ground for future talent. Attending a festival is, in his view, a political act of support, a moment to demonstrate the importance of these venues to the industry. He feels a deep sense of pride, perceiving his participation as both militancy and gratitude.
Does collaboration with names like Alejandro Amenábar and Nathalie Poza feel routine?
Elejalde notes that such collaborations amplify his ambitions. Working with admired figures like Amenábar and Poza sustains a drive to pursue more projects, especially when the connections stem from shared experiences on the same film. He hints that continued collaboration hinges on mutual respect and the ongoing pull of compelling projects, suggesting that the journey is as important as the destination.
What memories stand out from his portrayal of Unamuno?
The work on that project demanded rigorous endurance, including extended makeup sessions and long shooting days. Elejalde recalls arriving on set well before dawn, having already endured hours in makeup as the character aged and carried physical strain. He emphasizes the collaborative nature of acting, noting that success hinges on lighting, direction, and the support of the team. An actor never works in isolation; preparation, collaboration, and skilled management all shape the final performance.
How does Elejalde view reliability in the craft?
He jokes about being a natural deceiver, a trait honed since youth. The essence of acting, he explains, is the art of making audiences believe there is something that is not there. Mastery rests on convincing storytelling rather than an individual bravado. The willingness to embrace deception within performance is part of what keeps the craft alive for him, a reminder to question every line and moment offered on screen.
Does he prefer comedy over drama or vice versa?
While his filmography includes a blend of genres, Elejalde believes his comedic work is as substantial as his dramatic roles. He points to titles like Eight Basque Surnames, Airbag, and Marian Year as evidence of his versatile filmography. He argues that comedy, though harder in its own right because it lacks the rigid structure of drama, still requires the same discipline. The medium constantly challenges expectations, and timing can change in an instant, demanding a keen sense of tempo. He sees comedy as an equal test of craftsmanship, one that benefits from a practice that stays rigorous and honest.
He reflects on working with early-looming directors
Elejalde recalls being a formative presence for many rising directors, from Álex de la Iglesia to Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Nacho Vigalondo, Balagueró, Calparsoro, and Medem. He notes that he acted in more than twenty debut projects, witnessing how those early shorts matured into significant careers. Festivals and schools, in his view, were the springboard for these talents. Although he does not see many of them often these days, he remains confident in their continued success and the varied paths their careers have taken.
What marks the turning points in his own career?
Elejalde explains that taking risks and choosing diverse roles helped him grow. He avoids staying in a single lane and believes in exploring different directions to discover what defines him as an artist. The moment he moved beyond comfort zones, including accepting roles offered by prominent directors like Alejandro Amenábar, became pivotal. He reflects on the variety of opportunities that shaped his career, including breakthrough roles that broadened his horizons and collaborations that pushed him to improve. Ultimately, his approach is to view every new offer as a challenge, an opportunity to learn and stretch his capabilities.
Kepler Sixth B and the envisioned future for the character
In Kepler Sixth B, Elejalde embodies a senile elder and a father figure, exploring questions of memory, aging, and belonging. Rather than fearing the next phase, he welcomes roles that push him toward more expansive horizons, envisioning a space where a Quixote-like spirit emerges in unexpected ways. The goal is to keep a spark of curiosity alive, balancing humor, drama, and a dash of the surreal in his choices.
Views on politics and public discourse among cinema audiences
Regarding political discussions around cinema, Elejalde maintains his own perspective without stepping into public evaluations of elections. He embraces a progressive outlook on social coexistence, yet he avoids prescriptive commentary on political outcomes. He believes the will of the people and the decisions of politicians shape the cultural landscape, and he respects those forces while choosing to focus on his craft and the stories he helps tell. Elejalde argues that while athletes and performers are questioned about personal beliefs, actors should remain free to interpret their work and share it on their own terms.
In sum, Elejalde’s career reflects a steadfast commitment to supporting new talent through festivals and education, a readiness to tackle a wide range of roles, and an enduring belief in the power of cinema to train, surprise, and connect audiences across generations. His work remains an ongoing conversation with the industry, the next generation of filmmakers, and the viewers who continue to seek meaningful stories on screen. This perspective is attributed to his decades of experience and his ongoing collaboration with a vibrant and evolving European film scene. (Source attribution: Alicante Film Festival materials and interviews with Elejalde.)