John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent SAN SEBASTIAN — Paris-based Luxbox has clinched major territory pre-sales on anticipated San Sebastian competition title “Puan,” an original attempt by its writer-directors, María Alche (“A Family Submerged”) and Benjamín Naishtat (“Rojo”) to deliver a state of the nation take on Argentina – and any country in thrall of European ideas – but in a notably lighter tone than most Latin American arthouse fare.
Key first major territory buyers take in Condor for France, whose release lineup has featured major auteurs such as Kelly Reichardt, Casey Affleck, Agnieszka Holland, Paul Schrader, Denis Villeneuve, Michel Franco and Ira Sachs.
With a strong line in Spanish-language titles – “The Permanent Picture” this year, “The Rite of Spring” in 2022 – Barcelona-based La Aventura Cine has closed rights for Spain.
Releasing films by star auteurs in Brazil since 2010 and Spain from 2020, Vitrine has clinched rights for Brazil. “Puan” – affectionate shorthand for Buenos Aires U’s Faculty of Philosophy and Literature – kicks off with a middle-aged man jogging in a leafy park outside Puan, and dropping dead from a heart attack.
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