Austria-based sales firm Square Eyes has boarded worldwide rights on David BIM’s feature debut To the West, in Zapata.
The film will have its world premiere in the Burning Lights competition at Visions du Reel in Switzerland next month.
Documentary To the West, in Zapata follows a family living in Cuba’s Zapata swamp during the Covid pandemic, where the father must secretly hunt crocodiles in order to feed their sick child. It is produced by BIM with Lia Rodriguez for Cuba’s Ventu Productions.
It is a first feature for Havana-based filmmaker BIM, who is also director of the FICCLAB feature film development programme at the International Film School of Cuba. He has been working on the film for eight years, with the project winning the best work-in-progress prize at the 45th edition of French documentary event Cinema du Reel in 2023.
“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and intense social unrest, I was forced to make this film alone, with no company other than Landi and Mercedes,” said BIM. “My intention has been to witness the daily and painful separation of a family as the only viable mechanism to stay united.”
Square Eyes founder Wouter Jansen described the film as a “touching, at moments thrilling and visually arresting observational documentary.”
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