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The Spanish film industry is back in force at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Ten Spanish co-productions are screening throughout the festival, including Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door in Special Presentations and Nacho Vigalondo’s Daniela Forever starring Henry Golding and Beatrice Granno, which is opening the Platform competition.
Daniela Forever is a Spain-Belgium co‑pro, produced by Vigalondo and Nahikari Ipiña’s Sayaka Producciones, with Wrong Men from Belgium alongside Spain’s Señor & Señora and Mediacrest; XYZ Films is handling international sales.
The film tells the story of a man who enrols in a clinical trial for a drug that will allow him to reunite with his lost lover through lucid dreams. Ipiña says Vigalondo’s international profile “was instrumental in landing a key sales agency like XYZ and therefore the casting of Henry Golding”.
Also selected for Platform is the world premiere of They Will Be Dust by Carlos Marques-Marcet. It is about a woman (played by Spanish star Angela Molina) who is diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour and takes a last trip to Switzerland to decide how and when to end her life; Chilean actor Alfredo Castro co-stars. Spain’s Lastor Media and Italy’s Kino Produzioni (who previously teamed up for Carla Simon’s TIFF 2022 title Alcarràs) produce with Switzerland’s Alina Film; Latido Films handles international sales.
Mike Leigh’s TIFF world premiere Hard Truths, produced by the UK’s Thin Man Films and Spain’s The Mediapro Studio, is an exploration of modern family life. It stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who worked with Leigh on Secrets & Lies; Cornerstone Films handles sales.
Spanish companies are also involved in two films screening in the Centrepiece section: The Exiles (Los Tortuga), directed by Belen Funes, and Kill The Jockey by Luis Ortega. The Exiles, sold by Film Factory Entertainment, is the second feature by Funes, part of the new wave of women directors in Spain. Produced by Oberon Media and La Claqueta in Spain and Chile’s Quijote, The Exiles stars Antonia Zegers and focuses on a mother-daughter relationship complicated by unprocessed grief and financial strife. A Contracorriente Films is distributing in Spain and Film Factory Entertainment is handling sales.
Kill The Jockey by Argentinian director Luis Ortega, which premiered in Competition in Venice before arriving in Toronto, is a co‑production involving Argentina, Mexico, Denmark, the US and Spain. It stars Nahuel Perez Biscayart and Ursula Corbero, and sales are handled by Protagonist Pictures.
Two debut features produced by Spanish partners screen in Discovery. The Party’s Over by Elena Manrique is co-produced by Spain’s Gloriamundi Producciones, while Linda is a Spain-Argentina co-production directed by Argentina’s Mariana Wainstein. La Claqueta and Perdicion Films are the Spanish partners.
In Galas, Peter Cattaneo’s The Penguin Lessons is a co-production between the UK’s 42 and Spain’s Nostromo Pictures. It shot on location in the Canary Islands and Catalonia.
Following a launch in Cannes Premiere in May, Alain Guiraudie’s rural drama Misericordia will have its Canadian premiere at TIFF in Special Presentations. It is co-produced by Albert Serra and Montse Triola’s Barcelona-based Andergraun Films, with France’s CG Cinéma, Scala Films and Arte France Cinéma, alongside Rosa Filmes in Portugal.
Business matters
Aside from the packed screenings schedule, TIFF is a valuable opportunity to open doors to future international partnerships. Industry activities at the Cinema From Spain pavilion are hosted by Spanish film body ICAA (Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts) and ICEX Spain Trade & Investment.
“TIFF and the American Film Market [in November] are the two key events in North America. Both need to be in the diary of a producer that wants to make it in America,” says Carmen Jordan, creative director of creative industries at ICEX. “The North American market is difficult but if you make it there, you make it anywhere.
“Toronto attracts a lot of Latin American producers,” she adds. “For Spain this is very interesting because we like being a bridge between Europe and Latin America.”
Cinema From Spain looks to attract the international industry to the country. “They will find out how easy it is to do business in Spain,” says Jordan. “They will learn about our incredible locations, infrastructure, top-quality studios, post-production companies and our commitment to sustainable production.”
Industry activities at the Cinema From Spain pavilion include international co-production forum ‘Do it the Spanish way!’ on September 6. It showcases projects in development from five companies.
ICAA and ICEX are hosting the Spanish Fiesta at the Malaparte rooftop at the TIFF Lightbox on September 7. The invitation-only event is a chance to further network with Spanish industry players.
On September 9 the spotlight will be on the advantages to shooting in Spain. A panel ‘Everything under the sun and… more!’ will bring together representatives from Spanish government agencies and producers to highlight how the local audiovisual ecosystem is evolving and how competitive financing and tax incentives are making Spain a top destination for international shoots.
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