Spain’s International Sales Scene Sees Some Upside
variety.comFilm Factory founder Vicente Canales. “Now, either a film works, and sells pretty much the world, or it doesn’t work at all.” Yet Spain’s top sales agents remain broadly optimistic about the future.
For one thing, some films do still do business, led by new titles from star auteurs that have A-festival play, such as Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Cannes premiere “The Beasts,” which had sold 327,386 tickets in France, grossed €4.3 million ($4.7 million) in Spain and is on track to sell over half the world.
There are also what Canales calls “event” films. One example: “Close Your Eyes,” the first feature in 30 years from Victor Erice (“The Spirit of the Beehive”), has recently closed France with Haut et Court. “Genre travels, and even thrillers have a chance, if suffused by auteurist vision,” says Latido Films CEO Antonio Saura, citing major territory pre-sales on Daniel Calparsoro’s “All the Names of God,” a terrorism actioner.
Likewise, “Irati,” a Basque Country period epic laced with fantasy and local lore, is “still selling very, very well,” says Ivan Díaz, head of Filmax Intl., which is selling the film.
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