Los Angeles-based Outsider Pictures, a US distribution center for Spanish-language cinema, has acquired North American rights to three 97th International Academy Award nominations.y Academy Awards: “Memories of a Burning Body” from Costa Rica, “Saturn Returns” from Spain, and “Queens” from Switzerland (Renas) directed by Peruvian director Claudia Reineke.
In addition, the film received the Directors’ Fortnight title at Cannes, “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed” by Argentinian director Hernán Rosselli, and the Toronto award-winning “They’ll Be Dust”, starring Chile’s Alfredo Castro and Spain’s Angela Molina.
“I think Outsider’s recent acquisitions reflect the exciting and challenging cinema being made in Latin America and Spain. These may not be star-led films or huge commercial blockbusters, but like most independent cinema, they are labors of love, films,” said the founder of Outsider Pictures. “An emotion that the filmmakers worked hard for, and any company would be proud to distribute.” CEO Paul Hudson.
The docudrama “Memories of a Burning Body” is the second time that Costa Rican director Antonella Sudasasi will represent her country at the Oscars, after her acclaimed first film, “The Ants’ Awakening.”
In “Memories…” the anonymous voices of three over-60 women narrate their troubled pasts as the actors reenact the events they describe, one more horrific than the next, as they grow into womanhood in an oppressive era.
“‘Memories of a burning body’ is the conversation I never had with my grandmothers. It’s the collective cry of women who dare, despite the taboo, to talk about their most intimate secrets. Growing up in a Catholic and conservative Latin American community, almost everything was taboo,” Sudasasi said. “Because of misinformation, they had to find answers for themselves about their bodies, and about their diverse and ongoing transformations.”
“The heroines have the courage to speak up. They may not show their faces, but their voices definitely scream. “For me, understanding their stories means understanding my place in the world, and how and why we got here,” she added.
“This film is an ode to all the creative women in the universe, who gave birth to us, cared for us, and invited us to ask questions so that things are different today for us,” she said, adding: “It is really exciting.” That an intimate and very personal film from Costa Rica can resonate with audiences all over the world. I believe that there is no more beautiful appreciation than that of the audience.
Queens, a co-production between Switzerland, Peru and Spain that premiered at Sundance, addresses the topic of immigration and the strain it puts on family ties.
There are two musical dramas in Outsider’s latest picks, Isaki Lacuesta’s “Saturn Return,” which revolves around the making of the third album by the popular Spanish band Los Planetas, and “They Will Be Dust,” also sold by Spain’s Latido Films, where he directs Director Carlos Marquez Marcette. (“10,000 Kilometers”) boldly uses music and dance to address the issue of the right to die.
“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed” offers a glimpse into the lucrative world of “quinilla,” also known as the lottery, in Buenos Aires. In it, the Filipito family runs a secret lottery in a small housing project. Maribel registers the bets, while her mother, Alejandra, handles operations nearby. Recent raids, rumors of police dismissals and cash deals have destabilized the region.
“Outsider has acquired 15 films this year but not all of them will be released in theaters, and the challenge post-coronavirus is to discover more exhibitors who will show the films and find marketing hooks and money to entice audiences, which is becoming increasingly difficult for Outsider.” Hudson pointed to smaller distributors.