Imagina International enjoys fruitful Toronto fest
The recent Toronto Film Festival proved very fruitful for international seller Imagina International Sales. This is thanks in particular to two auteur films, Gordos [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo
Interview with Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo,…
film profile] (“Fat People”) and Map of the Sounds of Tokyo [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which are currently attracting intense media attention after being shortlisted to represent Spain in the Oscar nomination race (see news).
Daniel Sánchez Arévalo’s Gordos (produced by Tesela and Filmanova Invest) sold to Arsenal Filmverleih for distribution in Germany and Austria and to Archibald for Italy.
The film, which screened in the latest Venice Days, was released in Spanish theatres on September 11 and has so far grossed just under €1m, showing enviable staying power (takings dropped by only 13% between its first and second week on release).
Barcelona-born Isabel Coixet’s highly-anticipated second feature Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (produced by Mediapro and Versátil) met with a lukewarm critical reception. Despite this, it has been bought for Germany and Austria (Alamote), Russia (LeopArt) and Poland (Monolito). Moreover, advanced negotiations are underway with companies from Benelux, Greece, Portugal and Turkey.
Another film that is bringing an unexpected level of success to Imagina is Patxi Amezcua’s 25 Carat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Patxi Amézcua
film profile], produced by Icónica S.A. and Ovídeo (Mediapro’s sister production company). Despite rave reviews and international festival accolades, this thriller set in Barcelona’s underworld went almost unnoticed on its Spanish release (just over 35,000 admissions since its launch on April 24).
However, its presentation in Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema section attracted interest from several companies. As a result, negotiations for a US remake are well underway. This is a second chance for the film to prove its worth, after being wrongly overlooked at the box office.
(Translated from Spanish)
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