Chile’s Catalina Saavedra, a Sundance Acting Special Jury Prize winner for “The Maid,” and a Film Independent Spirit Award nominee for “Rotting in the Sun,” is attached to star in Natalia Luque’s “A Decorous Woman” (“Señorita de Buena Presencia”), lead produced by Chile’s Parina Films and one of the highest profile projects to be showcased at next week’s 2025 Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event (MAFF).
In further news, “A Decorous Woman,” set up at Parina Films, represented by Rodrigo Díaz, and France’s Tomsa Films (France), headed by Thomas Lambert, has just been boarded by Madre Content. A Latinx company, Madre was launched in 2023 by distinguished Chilean filmmaker Francisca Alegría (“The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future”) with offices in Chile, Uruguay and the U.S.
Madre will co-produce “A Decorous Woman,” which has also tapped a grant from the Chilean Audiovisual Fund 2024 in its Feature Film Production category, securing 30% of its budget, Díaz told Variety.
Breaking out after “The Maid,” Saavedra also played next to Tilda Swinton in Julio Torres’ SXSW 2023 debut “Problemista,” produced by Emma Stone. She scored last year a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for supporting performance in “Rotting in the Sun,” directed by “The Maid” helmer Sebastián Silva.
In “A Decorous Woman,” Saavedra will play Maria Marta, a 55-year-old hairdresser in Chile whose copes with her loneliness when her only daughter moves abroad. immersing herself in the gossip and stories told by her clients. After learning her daughter will not return to Chile, however, she is forced to stop fantasizing about others’ lives and find comfort in unexpected places.
“Catalina is a magnificent artist. She has a quality of embodying the roles she plays with such commitment that you can feel how they live within her skin, transmitting the characters’ emotions and experiences beyond the screen, connecting with the audience in a way that’s not easy to achieve,” said Díaz.
“She is also a versatile actress who seamlessly navigates both drama and comedy – two genres central to the film and integral to Marta Maria’s experience,” he added.
“A Decorous Woman” marks the feature debut of Columbia U and BAFTA Newcomers Program alum Luque, whose 2023 Chilean village abortion short “So They Say” played Palm Springs Shortfest, as well as the Telluride Film Festival, Hamptons Film Festival and GuadaLAjara Film Festival, winning Jury Honors and Student Selects recognition at the Columbia Film Festival. It was also shortlisted for the BAFTA Yugo Student Awards and went on to score last year a CCAS Prize at the Cinélatino, Rencontres de Toulouse.
“The film explores intergenerational bonds among women and their influence during a pivotal moment in the protagonist’s life,” Luque told Variety. “Set in a hair salon – an epicenter of gossip and storytelling – it combines elements of drama and comedy to portray experiences that resonate intimately with women’s perspectives.”
“The film is a journey to the heart of motherhood, where caring and nurturing are in the epicenter. The protagonist must confront the absence and rediscover herself as a woman,” added Díaz.
At Mafiz, Málaga’s industry forum, Díaz and Luque aim to meet with Spanish producers, international sales agents, distributors and film funds representatives.
“I am driven by films – and art in general – that explore the intimate universe of women. Natalia’s debut feature is a film that depicts a complex character through a journey of self-discovery and self-recognition beyond society’s expectations,” said Díaz.
He added: “The film is also an invitation for the audience to reflect on the ‘decorous women’ in our lives – our mothers, aunts, grandmothers and beyond who have seen their life experience repressed, with limited opportunities for development outside the roles they are expected to fulfil.”
