television, no radio.

My parents they are or what they do, but you

were not very convinced oI my can presume they are oIten doing
chosing only one option, but in the some kind oI illegal work, though
end I was lucky and I could do what not always. We met a woman with
I liked. a story that is real moving. I say
woman because her appearance
Do you feel proud of what you
was that oI a middle aged woman,
have done so far?
but she was actually a 23 year old
mule lady. I don't think you know
That's a good question. The truth is
the story oI the mule ladies. They
that in the last Iew months I've
are women who haul goods like
realized I have to accept the past.
used clothing, toilet paper and
Until now I used to pay more
small electronics into Morocco
attention to the challenges I Iaced
Irom Spain, sometimes earning as
and I Ielt more comIortable when
little as three euros per trip. You
solving problems, perhaps so much
can see women aged 80 carrying
that I didn't really appreciate the
80 kilos on their backs. The more
good things that happened to me.
times they can get back and Iorth
Then six months ago I began to look
across the border the more money
back and I thought oI everything
they will earn. They try to do these
I've been through, challenge aIter
trips at least three times a day
challenge. I have been advancing in
because this is all they have to Ieed
the path I liked and I really wanted.
their Iamily.
Maybe I have been more aware oI
the bad things than the good ones.
Their stories capture you, they
Now, at 32, I realize that the good
draw you near them but you
that happens to us is more important
should try to keep a distance. Our
than the bad.
job is to showtheir stories making
the world knowwhat is happening
Did you get support from people
there.
around you?
What impressed you the most?
When carrying out a project is clear
that in the end we are alone in our
Especially the role oI women in
search, you have to make your own
these Moroccan Iamilies. They are
luck. As the saying goes, "if you stop
the ones who carry the burden oI
seeking, you get nothing"; but it is
all. I remember a case where a
also true that we need people to
woman looked aIter her house,
support us, to encourage us. And
with her blind daughter, a little
how do you get this support? II you
brother and her halI sick husband.
want t o get ot her peopl e' s
She earnt the only money they
conIidence in your project, you have
made, she also did the cooking,
to start trusting yourselI. Then you
took the children to school, ... she
pass that conIidence on your
did everything. And then she was a
Iriends, your Iamily, your partner ...
person whose culture was more
so they can help you. In my case my
proIound than that oI thousands oI
mother has always been next to me
people here.
helping me. But in addition to your
own people you need a team. I have I was also impressed with the
been long Iar Irom home and in each economic diIIerence that we could
project I had a team sharing see between both sides oI this
everything with me, we were all like Irontier: On this side is Melilla,
links in a chain, iI one Iailed, we all with people living like we do here,
Iailed. But success was also a and a Iew meters beyond people
common achievement. living in tents with no windows in
the door, eating anything they
We knowyou've worked on many
Iind. It is a diIIerence oI 8-0 on the
When you were our age, did you
projects. Let's talk about the Itziar C. Zubiri, before
scale oI quality oI liIe. It's hard. I
imagine your life would be as it is
documentary ~Walls and other
becoming Ceneral also realized that things are not
now?
successful projects. Tell us
either black or white, not
Producer at Arena
something about it and what you
To tell you the the truth, yes (she
everything is good or bad. I saw a
think when you have a close view Communication worked
laughs'). When I was small I used to
Spanish policeman who used to
on the lives of others.
watch a lot oI movies and I always
pay the medicines a Moroccan for several media
tried to imagine how people did to
Iamily needed. He did it and never
This documentary is about 4 walls
companies, among them
tell those stories on TV or at the
asked Ior anything in return.
made by humans to prevent
1JE, Mediapro and cinema. At Iirst I used to believe
migrants' crossing Irom one side to
Did you have any problems
whatever I was watching, but then I
Canal+. Her work has
the other. They are between USA
when working there?
started to go Iurther, to try knowwhy
and Mexico, South AIrica and
been connected with 1J
they did something, how they did it,
Zimbabwe, India and Pakistan, and We always try to do everything
production and in the last ... Nevertheless, like most oI the
Iinally Europe and AIrica. Even iI legal, properly, without cheating,
children I also went through a period
few years most of it has you live a very long time in these but sometimes you have to take
in liIe when I wanted to be a
countries it is hard to understand some decisions that are a bit in the
been related to the
hairdresser, a teacher ... but I soon I
what happens there. We have limit. You don't like it, but without
realized that what I liked most was to mountain. We can recall
already travelled to Melilla and doing it you can not move
tell stories. No matter what I did I
Morocco. The case oI the Ience Iorward, you get stuck. In one oI "Pura Jida/1he Ridge"
always had a story to tell. I must also
between Melilla and Morocco is the trips, when we were trying to
and "Desafio 14 + 1:
tell you that, thanks to my mother, I
well known thanks to media cross the border oI Melilla to
loved going to the movies. I
Everest sin O2".
inIormation these last Iew weeks: Morocco, we had problems
discovered at a young age that Ior me
how they try to jump the Ience, because we didn't have the visas Aow she is working in her
the best way to tell stories was
barbed wire, the use oI ball guns, ... Ior the equipment. Each team
most ambitious project:
through moving images. Actually,
all the drama we're seeing these member carried 10 kilos or more
when I had to choose what to study at
"Walls". It has taken her
days on the media. Many things between cameras and accessories.
university I just chose one career:
happen in these borders, you meet Since we could not stay there
to four continents in the
Media Communication. Besides, I
many people going Irom one place Iorever, we decided to take some
world so far. knew I wanted to work in Iilm or
to another without knowing who risks. We hired a muslim kind oI
"Even if you don't reach
your goaI, what you Iearn
aIong the way is
priceIess, and nobody wiII
ever take it from you!"
holy woman who took all the job has placed me in the world oI the those who are protagonists oI ~Pura eIIort with my English. The truth is
equipment in her car. She had made mountain. I'm Irom Erro and, as Vida/ The Ridge. I encourage you that iI I had not known English I
the pilgrimage to La Mecca and anybody else Irom Navarre, I had to see it iI you can. Every person could not have done "Pura
wore special clothing which done a bit oI climbing, but nothing who appears in that documentary is Vida/The Ridge", I could not be
conIerred her a special status, it serious. Suddenly my work has an example oI humanity, oI any doing "Walls" now, nor would have
made her being recognized as such. placed me in this world. Those human value you can tell. Tell me I done many oI the stories I've done
Nobody dared to stop her. We put all climbs to Annapurna or Everest one: Honesty?, generosity? ... until now.
our equipment in the trunk oI her car base camps, over 6,000mts altitude, whatever you say, they live it. For
And back to your childhood, as
and the Moroccan police didn't stop were real challenges! Although me they are people who made me
some of us, you also studied at
her when crossing the border. The perhaps some oI you do not see it reconcile with humanity, they made
Lorenzo Goi coa. Do you
truth is that shooting in Morocco that way (she smiles)! At that height me think that there are still good
rememberthose days ?
was diIIicult as a consequence oI the oxygen in the air is halI what we people, people who do things
doing some things bad when we have here. I did not know how my without any personal interest,
Ha ha ... the truth is that I'm Irom
programmed it. When you have all body would respond, but I did know people who risk their lives just to try
Villava and I got lost an hour ago
the permissions all goes well, you're how my mind was going to work: II to save the liIe oI a Iriend. To me
when I was trying to reach your
relaxed and everything runs I make a decision I don't give up there is nothing greater than that!
school. This building is new, isnt it?
smoothly, or almost. But when this easily, I keep on going until I get it! NowI would sign to have not twenty
When I was your age I used to pass
is not the case, you always have At Iirst I thought I was not going be but one Iriend oI mine who did it Ior
by this place, then there was one
some hard times there. So I always able to Iollow the rest oI the group, me! They are people who are totally
small pig Iarm. I remember when I
try to schedule everything in they would have to wait Ior me. But balanced, pure people. You see them
heard their grunting, their 'oink,
advance to avoid problems. Oh, that didn't happen. Surprisingly my and you realize they are real people,
oink. There was a wall and a pigsty
wait', do you want to know how we adaptation to the extreme conditions people that transmit you their love
kind oI smell. I must say that my
took the equipment back?. We in the mountain were very good. As Ior nature, their closeness to nature
time at Lorenzo Goicoa was great. I
carried as much as we could on us the days went by I was Ieeling better values. I thank my job because it has
remember my mother always made
under our clothes, we looked like and better, especially iI I compare made me be in contact with all these
me lettuce sandwich, so I was the
shopliIters. Then the cameras were myselI with the rest oI the team. I people. I call myselI a lover oI
green sandwich girl. That turned the
taken back in the Vespino oI a very remember I got to the start oI the people, them and anybody who
breaks into something entertaining
nice Moroccan moor we had known expedi t i on wi t h an oxygen brings whithin them these values. I
and Iun (she laughs). There was
there. As you can see above all you saturation oI 94.4, so the doctor used know that iI I stay here more time
something I have always considered
have to be creative in the solutions to say in a Iun way: 'These people with you I'll Iinish Ialling in love
a luxury, that during PE classes we
(she smiles) . from Erro are ama:ing!. During with you too. You know why?,
could run on the premises oI
my stay at the Everest base camp I because we all have something deep
Peritos. We were real lucky' Then I
Afilm that has impressed us was
reached a saturation oI 52, and I inside that is like a light, and though
had a number oI colleagues who
~Everest 14+1" and we wanted to
was still working almost normally. some oI you may say: 'Hey, I am
were with me Irom three or Iour
ask you some questions. What was
Here I would have been sent to a very la:y" ... NO, I'm sure that you
until eighteen. Imagine, with the
the worst moment you spent
hospital. I think that once I make up are not lazy to many things, sure you
same people Ior Iourteen years!
there?
my mind on a goal I can't rest until I put all the eggs in one basket when
Then liIe makes you lose contact
reach it. Also the team I coordinated doing what interests you, what
with them, but whenever I meet any The worst time didn't have much to
were very proIessional. I think all oI motivates you. Everyone has a lot oI
oI them it is easy to quickly relive do with the Iilm itselI, only because
us can Ieel proud oI what we did. values, iI you believe it you will
those moments. I remember the we were there on the mountain at the
illuminate others with your light.
classroom environment ( ... ), I got time. We went with Edurne Pasaban
When you saw the documentary
Trust yourselI, have conIidence on
along with everybody. Since on an expedition oI about thirty
finished, what part did you like
yourselI and the rest will end up
childhood I learned to get along with people. We were going to be two
best?
loving you (she laughs) .
all the people. I think I have always months or so in the Everest, the idea
For me chapter 10, the last one. In it tried to see the good in everyone was to reach the top. We recorded
Changing the subject a bit, we are
we summarize all the work and its around me, and this has allowed me everything that happened on the
doing this interview in English.
diIIiculties: you have to plan to know people better, to empathize road, at the base camp, ... When she
How has it helped you the
everything, start the journey there, with everyone. attempted the summit Ior the Iirst
knowledge of this language?
walk Ior days to reach the base time on day 38 there was much
1ournalists: Maria Ramire:, Laura
camp, the attempts to reach the It has helped me a lot, even though I wind. People who tried the climb
Rui:, Asier Gracia, Diego Lasa and
summit, ... and Iinally, iI you are have not studied it since I leIt high that day were without oxygen and
Janessa Olarte
lucky, the summit! Initially our idea school (she smiles widely). My Iirst they Iailed because they could not
was "come on, lets go there, we proIessional contact with English breathe. They could not reach the
record it and everybody feels was when I was working in a sports top and decided to quit. At one point
happy. But the best thing was that program Ior Canal. There I had to we heard a group, with 10 Spaniards
that was not what happened. I do the coverage oI the NBA, NFL among them, had problems. Juanito
realized that the most important part and some other American leagues. Oyarzabal was one oI them. They
was the way itselI, more than the Also I had to cover the news Irom had tried to reach the summit oI the
summit. I learnt to value how you Wimbledom. Apparently I didn't do Lotse, but they couldn't and had to
Iace all the problems you meet, it so bad because they kept hiring withdraw. We got the sad news that
more than whether you succeed or me. Then I realized I had to make an while they were descending one oI
not. In Iact, in that series, we didn't them was gone and he was probably
complete the climb, but I think it did dead. We began to learn that one was
not matter. We considered it a great missing, other blind, some other
success. We learned a lot, not only with lung problems ... all the Lotse
did we all come back, we also team were scattered and lost on the
returned as Iriends and whole, what mountain. Our team went to work to
more could we ask? Eventually you help as Iar as possible in the rescue
realize that reaching your goal is operation. We were awake more
great, but also that iI you do not than 48 hours trying to help by
succeed that is no reason to say that contacting helicopters, giving
everything has gone wrong. I think directions, ... The good news is that
that what you learn along the way is two Iriends oI Edurne Iound the boy
priceless, and nobody will ever take who was thought dead. They saved
it Irom you! him and he is now alive. That was
the worst time, we did our best to
Which of your productions would
save those people.
you choose?, which is your
favorite? Do you feel proud of what you did
on that project? And, how come
Look, rather than a production what
that most of your productions
I would choose are the people I have
deal with the mountain?
known and the people I have worked
with. I Ieel especially in love with all Yes, the result was really nice. My
aa