Filmox has acquired international rights to the Spanish thriller “Nina,” a new feature written and directed by Andrea Javrieta (“Ana By Day”), one of the top titles in the main competition at this week's Malaga Film Festival.
Based on the play of the same name by José Ramón Fernández, Anton Chekhov's „The Seagull,” „Nina” tells the story of a woman, an actress, who returns to her hometown on Spain's rugged northern coast. To avenge a famous writer. As she encounters past acquaintances, including a once-close childhood friend, and confronts dark memories, she begins to question whether revenge is the only way forward.
“Nina” stars Goya-winning actress Patricia López Arnaiz (“Ane is Missing”) as the title character and San Sebastian Silver Shell winner Dario Grandinetti as the writer of Pedro Almodovar’s “Talk to Her,” Pedro (inspired by Boris Trigor’s character).
speaks VarietyJavrieta says she identified with the context of Fernández's story — the return to town and the broken dreams of the two lost characters.
“When I was trying to make my first film 'Ana By Day', I read it and saw very clearly that the germ of my next story was there. However, inspired by the original characters of Chekhov's 'The Seagull', there was something I didn't recognize: in both works, after being systematically mistreated by Trigorin/Petro in the city, Nina returns to her native place. She revealed that she is still in love and that suffering has made her a better actress. That's where I decided to give the story another twist and ask myself: What if Nina really is back for revenge?
„'Nina' is an ambitious film, based on its mise-en-scène, which strikes a balance between realism and formal stylization,” Javrieta points out. „It draws inspiration from classic films and westerns and other poetic films in which images speak louder than words.”
He adds: „My biggest movie references are classic westerns, especially Nicholas Ray's 'Johnny Guitar' and King Vidor's 'Duel in the Sun'. Both have a strong influence of melodrama and very strong female characters. Also Park San Wook and his 'Lady Vengeance' '.I can talk about Douglas Sirk, in the use of colors and staging, about Hitchcock's 'Vertigo', about Juan Antonio Bardem's 'Calle Mayor'… In short, 'Nina' is a movie that is purely cinematographic and especially towards the classic genre. Cinema. „
„Nina” is produced by BTeam Prods. (“Schoolgirls”), Iconica Productions (“The Motive”), Irzoin (“The Endless Trench”) and Lhasaie Productions (“Ana by Day”) ICAA, the Basque Government, the Autonomous Region of Madrid and the Government of Navarre.
„Jaurieta's stylish and exciting revenge thriller is a rare combination of a highly personal, striking voice-over and a gripping, highly entertaining cinematic experience for a wide audience,” says BTeam's Alex Lafuente. „We are delighted to present the film in Malaga for the first time and to be supported internationally by our colleagues at Filmox.”
Iván Díaz, Head of International at Filmex, added: „We are delighted to be working with the BTeam, which always brings us projects from very interesting directors, many of whom are recently women. It is also a pleasure to work with other production companies, all of whom are friends of ours, and mostly of quality cinema coming out of Spain. are behind.
We believe that 'Nina' will be a special project, especially with its very unique and interesting aesthetic, which our customers shared after seeing the first advertisement at EFM in Berlin. The cast really shines in this disturbing story, which we're sure will travel well internationally.
„Nina” is being screened as part of Malaga's Spanish Screening Industry event.
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