Chile’s Sebastián Freund of Rizoma Films and Argentine thesps Ernesto Alterio (“The Passenger”) and Soledad Villamil (“The Secret in Their Eyes”) have boarded the upcoming feature by Argentine filmmaker Alberto Lecchi, “A Distant Place” (“Un lugar lejano”).
Rizoma Films (“Papa al rescate,” “The Same Blood”) joins lead producer Twins Latin Films of Argentina and co-producers Filmakers Monkeys (Spain) in the drama that participates in the Iberseries & Platino Industria Co-Production Forum in Madrid.
Penned by Gerardo Pranteda, the story revolves around a pianist and a history teacher as they struggle for a second chance at love before a shattering illness impacts the musician’s grip on reality.
“We are excited to make a film that shows how love, memory, and bonds can offer comfort and hope even in the most difficult moments. It also addresses frontotemporal dementia, a condition rarely explored in cinema, providing an empathetic and sensitive perspective,” said Lorena Quevedo, CEO & producer at Twins Latin Films.
Based in Córdoba, Argentina, Twins Latin Films’ most recent productions are “Almamula,” which had its world premiere at the Berlinale last year, and Rodrigo Guerrero’s “Salvajes,” both streaming on Prime Video.
Rizoma was a co-producer on “Salvajes, which will debut on Prime Video on September 24. “It was an incredibly gratifying experience,” said Freund. “When Lorena invited me to participate in ‘A Distant Place,’ I felt that it was not only the theme of the film— a love story, the complexity of human relationships, a rare mental illness, the importance of second chances—compelling, but also the committed talent involved – including the young Chilean actor, Clemente Rodríguez, [“El Conde”], Chile’s Sergio Armstrong [“Neruda”] as the director of photography and editor Andrea Chignoli [“No”], alongside Spanish co-producer Néstor López of Filmakers Monkeys – that allow us to envision a tremendous international project with the potential to cross borders and debut at a class-A festival,” said Freund.
Founded in 2009 by Quevedo and Pablo Di Patrizio, Twins Latin Films’ co-production business model has led it to collaborate with France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Chile to date.
The Iberseries Co-Production Forum is the next stop in the project’s development journey, which follows its prize win at the recent Guadalajara Film Festival’s Co-Production Meeting. “We’re evaluating the possibility of adding a Mexican producer and we’re still open to partners from other territories,” said Quevedo.
“From a production standpoint, it presents an opportunity to create a work of high artistic value that touches on universal emotions, enabling the creation of an organic co-production among Ibero-American countries, tailored to their markets and audiences,” she added.
Principal photography for “A Distant Place” is slated for June 2025 in Madrid, Córdoba and Mendoza in Argentina and Santiago, Chile.
Iberseries & Platino Industria takes place Oct. 1- 4 in Madrid.
