06/03/2023 - The Spanish director's debut feature film is shooting in both capitals, with a plot written by him and Isabel Peña, and starring Ester Expósito

(l-r) Co-screenwriter Isabel Peña, director Pedro Martín-Calero and actress Ester Expósito on the set of El llanto (© Manolo Pavón)

Since mid-February, Pedro Martín-Calero from Valladolid has been shooting his first feature film El llanto. He is a filmmaker known for his video clips and short films that are visually powerful, such as No morirás (2013) and You Are Awake (2016). Its intriguing plot is written by the director and Isabel Peña, a key creative member of the production company Caballo Films and acclaimed for her screenplays co-written with Rodrigo Sorogoyen, such as The Beasts [+see also:
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interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
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film profile] (winners of the Goya awards for best original screenplay), May God Save Us [+see also:
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The film, which will be shot over seven weeks in Madrid, Buenos Aires and La Plata, stars the Madrid actress Ester Expósito (known for the series Elite and her first feature film Venus [+see also:
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The synopsis tells how the story of how something is haunting Andrea (played by Expósito), but no one, not even she herself, can see it with the naked eye. Twenty years ago, ten thousand kilometres away, the same presence terrorised Marie (Ollivier). Camila (Villa) was the only person who could understand what was happening to her, but nobody believed them. Faced with this oppressive threat, all three hear the same horrific sound: crying.

The producers say that "from the very first minute we were captivated by the striking script and the clarity with which Pedro approaches how he conveys this story. Because even though it is his first feature film, he is far from being a first-time director. We had been following his career for quite some time, knowing the potential of a unique visual and narrative universe. With El llanto we are certain that it will be a new voice to be reckoned with on the European audiovisual scene."

El llanto is a Spanish-French-Argentinian thriller produced by Caballo Films, Setembro Cine, Tandem Films, Tarea Fina, Noodles Production and El llanto AIE with  the participation of RTVE and Prime Video, and with funding from ICAA, CAM and Madrid City Council. The film will be distributed in Spanish cinemas by Universal Pictures International Spain and Film Factory will manage international sales.

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)