Film Movement has announced the acquisition of U.S. distribution rights for Pedro Martin-Calero’s unsettling horror feature debut “The Wailing” (“El llanto”), a standout during its world premiere at last year’s San Sebastian Film Festival.
The announcement was made by Michael Rosenberg, president, Film Movement and Vicente Canales, managing director of Film Factory Entertainment, the film’s sales agent.
The film, a Spain-Argentina co-production, earned Martin-Calero the Silver Shell for best director at San Sebastián and was nominated for the Spanish Academy Goya Award for best new director. It is set for a theatrical release in 2025, followed by digital and home entertainment releases.
In the film, three young women separated by decades and thousands of miles are terrorized by the same ethereal threat that nobody, not even they, can properly see. The entity manifests more like a trick of lighting than anything corporeal. In each case, when the women attempt to confront the presence, they hear the same horrific wailing.
Martin-Calero co-wrote “The Wailing” with Isabel Peña (“The Beasts,” “The Candidate”), an extremely accomplished scribe who frequently works with Rodrigo Sorogoyen. The film was produced by up-and-coming Madrid label Caballo Films, backers of partner Sorogoyen’s films, including “The Beasts” – co-written by Peña – which won the Spanish Academy Goya award for best picture in 2023 and a French best foreign film Cesar.
The film’s non-linear narrative has drawn praise from critics in Spain and abroad. Film Movement’s Rosenberg says of his company’s latest pickup: “For his first feature-length film, Pedro really turns the horror genre on its head, creating something that is wholly original, deeply thought-provoking and rich with atmosphere. Between the superb turns from the trio of female leads and surprising narrative twists and turns, North American audiences are sure to leave the theater thinking about ‘The Wailing’ for a long time.”
In addition to “The Wailing,” Film Movement has acquired a range of international films, including Sean Devlin’s “Asog,” Sook-Yin Lee’s “Paying for It” and “Julie Keeps Quiet,” which debuted at Cannes.
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