Emily Mortimer (“Transiberian,” “Match Point”) and writer-director Jim Cummings (“Thunder Road,” “The Beta Test”) boarded Miguel Faus’ feature debut “Calladita,” whose financing is expected to be raised entirely through NFTs and Web3 systems.
It would mark the first time ever that a European film is backed by NTFs (non-fungible tokens) and decentralized web software handled by the crypto community Web3.
Based on the eponymous short film which played at the Palm Springs Short and London Short Film festivals, “Calladita” will offer a character study of its protagonist and, through her eyes, a portrait of the Catalan high bourgeoisie with a mix of realism and satire.
“I’m involved because I’m a big fan of Miguel, who’s short ‘Calladita’ I really loved,” Mortimer said in a statement.
Joining Mortimer, cast members include Spanish Academy Goya Award-winner Antonio de la Torre (“The Endless Trench”) Susana Abaitua (“Patria”) and Paula Grimaldo, who played the lead in the original short.
“Calladita” follows a young Colombian woman who works as a domestic laborer in a summer mansion in Costa Brava. She spends her days cleaning and serving the wealthy owners until one day she meets Gisela, the maid for a neighboring house, with whom she will learn that maybe she can also find her own ways to enjoy the summer.
“’Calladita’ is a beautiful short that needs to be told as a feature film. Miguel is so talented and his mania and spirit of independence is present in all of his filmmaking,” Cummings, who will executive produce, told Variety.
Julie Pacino – daughter of Al Pacino – recently produced “I Live Here Now,” the first fiction feature to be funded entirely through the sale of NFTs. She was able to raise the funds by putting up for sale a collection of 3,365 tokens titled “Keepers of the Inn.”
“We have the honor of adding Julie to our project as an advisor, so obviously she has invaluable expertise,” Faus announced excitedly. She also explained that the project has already closed two distribution deals – in the U.S. with Vanishing Angle and Spain with Syldavia Cinema.
The feature will be produced by Faus (“The Death of Don Quixote”) at Hatari and Ignacio Delgado.
“The most remarkable aspect is the pioneering element. We are very confident that our project will serve as a model for many independent filmmakers around the world and inspire a wave of new talents who don’t have to go through traditional gatekeepers to make their films,” Faus told Variety.
Shooting is scheduled for this summer in Costa Brava, with the “Calladita” NFT collection going on sale March 3.