Zentropa’s Viking invasion hits Spain
Producer David Matamoros will head Barcelona-based Zentropa International Spain, the Spanish arm of Danish production company Zentropa. This is according to an announcement made on Monday at the San Sebastian Film Festival by Matamoros and Peter Aalbæk Jensen, who co-founded the company with director Lars von Trier.
This move shows Zentropa’s interest in the new crop of Spanish directors. It is no surprise that Matamoros has been chosen to run this well-financed venture (whose budget will be very generous, they revealed), given his experience as a producer (he has just completed Isaki Lacuesta’s The Damned, in competition at San Sebastian) and teacher at the ESCAC Film School, which has turned out directors such as Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage [+see also:
trailer
film profile]).
In principle, projects developed by the Spanish arm will be 100% Spanish and Matamoros will have total creative freedom. However, the producer seemed open to other options in comments made to El País newspaper.
His first feature will be Marçal Forés’ as-yet-untitled debut work, described as a “teenage drama, halfway between Donnie Darko and Elephant“.
The new Spanish subsidiary joins existing companies in Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and France. Since its creation in 1992, Zentropa has produced over 70 films, including four Oscar nominees.
(Translated from Spanish)
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
