Shudder Acquires Jayro Bustamante’s Orphanage Fable ‘Rita’ Ahead Of Fantasia Film Festival Debut
deadline.comEXCLUSIVE: AMC Networks’ genre streamer Shudder has acquired the fantasy pic Rita from Jayro Bustamante, the writer-director behind its Golden Globe-nominated La Llorona, ahead of the film’s Fantasia Film Festival world premiere.
Starring Giuliana Santa Cruz, Bustamante’s fourth feature will release on the platform on November 22. Rita follows a 13-year-old of the same name, who while fleeing a neglectful household, is placed in an oppressive state-run orphanage.
Rita’s arrival provides a glimmer of hope to the girls inside, who share a prophecy that an angel will appear to release them.
Encouraged by one another, the girls plan an escape to claim their freedom and expose the orphanage’s abuses of power. Based on the true story behind one of Guatemala’s most harrowing tragedies — the orphanage fire of 2017, which took the lives of 41 girls — Rita shines a light on the brave orphans whose fight for survival inspired a nationwide outcry for justice and reform.
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