Barcelona-based Filmax has acquired the world sales rights to “The Art of Return” – a Spanish production by first-time director Pedro Collantes nurtured through Venice’s renowned Biennale College film workshop initiative.
The boutique distributor will also handle the Spanish distribution for this coming-of-age drama, which focuses on a young actress (“Holy Camp’s” Macarena García) returning home to Madrid after six years in New York.
The action takes place over a 24-hour period in the protagonist’s home city, where she has a series of encounters that cause her to reassess her life.
Set to make its debut Sept. 8 at the Venice Film Festival, the film was co-written by Collantes and the Spanish screenwriter Daniel Remón (“Out in the Open”), who is also making his feature debut as a producer on this production.
Executive producers are Tourmalet Films’ Mayi Gutiérrez Cobo (“Stockholm”) and the producer and line manager Manuel Fernandez-Arango “(Destronados,” “Regression,” “Alicia en al Paraiso Natural”), with cinematography by Diego Cabezas.
Director Collantes – who is also credited as the film’s editor – has a glittering track recording in short films, where he was shortlisted for a Cesar in France for his short “Ato San Nen.”
“The Art of the Deal” is the first Spanish project to be selected for the Biennale College Cinema di Venezia, which finances and shepherds micro-budget works with potential to travel from development through distribution.
The College has backed previous low-budget features including U.S. features “Memphis” and “The Fits” as well the U.K.’s “Blood Cells.”
Ivan Diaz, head of international at Filmax, praised the way Collantes’ film was able to come to fruition within the framework of the Biennale College program.
“The result is a film that has both spark and authenticity and one which we believe will be well received by international buyers and audiences alike,” he says.
Recent Filmax acquisitions have included two of Catalan Films’ Cannes Market offerings this year, David Victori’s “Cross the Line” and Cesc Gay’s “The People Upstairs.”