07/02/2012

Night Falls in India, the first fiction feature by Spanish documentary director Chema Rodriguez (pictured), starts shooting in April, the Romanian co-production company Strada Films has told Cineuropa. The director is currently location-scouting in Spain, Romania and India.

The film stars Spain's Juan Diego (Lope [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The 7th Day, Torremolinos 73 [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Romania's Clara Voda (If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ada Condeescu
film profile]). They are Ricardo, a Spaniard in his seventies suffering from a degenerative disease now in its final stage, and Dana, his Romanian housekeeper and nurse. Ricardo decides to start a journey to India, the enchanted country he visited decades before during the best years of his life. His plan is to die on the bank of the Ganges, but as always happens, the journey itself proves to be as important as the arrival.

Produced by Produccciones Sin un Duro and Jaleo Films S.L. (Spain), Strada Film (Romania) and Atmo Independent Films (Sweden) with an estimated budget of €1 million, the project will be shot over several weeks in India, in the Rajasthan state, in and around the city of Dholpur. Alvaro Alonso, Alvaro Suarez and Daniel Mitulescu serve as producers and Alex Catalan (Even the Rain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Icíar Bollaín
film profile], Room in Rome [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Julio Medem
film profile]) is the film's DoP.

According to the film's official website, anocheceenlaindia.com, Rodriguez plans to shoot in April and May, edit in summer and release the feature in 2013, after a possible world premiere in festivals such as San Sebastian, Berlin or Sundance.

Night Falls in India received a grant of €170,000 from the Romanian National Film Centre in April 2011. The film was also received €280,000 from Eurimages.

Director of more than 50 television documentaries, Chema Rodriguez also signed three feature-length docs. His The Railroad All-Stars was selected in the 2006 San Sebastian film festival, winning an Audience Award.