La Luz, the new film written and directed by Fernando Franco (winner of the Goya Award for Wounded) and starring Alberto San Juan, will be released in Spanish cinemas on 5 June, distributed by Buena Vista International. The film is one of the highlights of the Spanish agency Latido Films catalogue for the Marché du Film at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The story follows a parish priest beloved by his congregation who, when threatened with the exposure of a dark past, makes a decision that will shake the very foundations of the institution that once protected him.

La Luz (which will premiere at the Marché on Wednesday 13 May at 2 pm), Franco tackles the sensitive subject of how the Church has handled cases of paedophilia, told through the perspective of a repentant abuser. The cast includes Pedro Casablanc, Miguel Rellán, María Galiana, Luis Callejo, Nacho Sánchez and Ramón Barea, among others. This psychological drama is a Spanish-Belgian production by Morena Films, Ferdydurke Films, La Luz la Película AIE and Potemkino, funded by the ICAA, supported by Europa Creativa MEDIA and featuring the participation of RTVE, Movistar Plus+ and Canal Sur.

Other standout titles in the Latido Films catalogue include Carte Blanche, a war thriller directed by producer Gerardo Herrero (Raqqa: Spy vs Spy); The Harvester, by David Pérez Sañudo (read more),  starring the highly acclaimed actors Antonio de la Torre and Patricia López Arnaiz; the comedy Arriba tutto (Spain/Italy), by Javier Mota, with Karra Elejalde, Olivia Molina and Diego Anido; and To Die Is Not Always Good Business by Claudia Pinto (read more).

Spanish films that premiered at the latest Málaga Film Festival also appear in the catalogue, including Runner, Laura García Alonso’s debut feature; Still Afloat, also Gonzaga Manso’s feature film debut, starring veteran actor Saturnino García; 9 Moons, a Spanish-Belgian co-production directed by Patricia Ortega; Ladies’ Hunting Party (Spain/France), by Pedro Aguilera, featuring three acting powerhouses: Carmen Machi, Rossy de Palma and Blanca Portillo; Blue Lights of Benidorm, a drama by Ángeles González-Sinde; and North to Paradise, a Spanish-French co-production by Dani Sancho addressing the issue of immigration from Africa to Barcelona.

Rounding out Latido’s Cannes line-up are European-backed films such as: Girl And Wolf, a Spanish-Portuguese animated adventure directed by Rod Espinet, who adapts his own graphic novel for adults, featuring the voices of Anna Castillo and David Verdaguer; Dreadful Mother, a horror film by Alicia Albares, part of the fourth Fantastic 7 (read more); MU-KI-RA (Spain/Colombia), a family-friendly animated film by Estefanía Piñeres Duque; and Homo Sapiens?, a black comedy that became a major hit in Argentina and co-produced with Spain by the ever-biting duo Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat.