Dominga Sotomayor’s La Perra has turned a Cannes prize into a 12-territory distribution footprint. Paris-based sales outfit Lucky Number closed the deals after the film’s Directors’ Fortnight premiere and Palm Dog Award win at Cannes.
Where the film has sold
The sales map stretches across Europe and Latin America. Distributors include Nour Films in France, Stadtkino in Austria, Neo Films in Greece, A-One Baltics, Beta in Bulgaria, Nitrato in Portugal, Best Film in Poland, Babilla Cine in Colombia, Mirada in Mexico and Argentina, Day For Night in the U.K., and MCF Megacom in ex-Yugoslavia.
- Europe: France, U.K., Austria, Greece, Baltics, Bulgaria, Portugal, Poland, ex-Yugoslavia
- Latin America: Colombia, Mexico, Argentina
- Next window: international poster and trailer ahead of the Brazilian premiere at Mostra de São Paulo
The spine of the story
Set on a remote island off Chile’s coast, the film stars Manuela Oyarzún as Silvia, a woman who makes a living harvesting seaweed. When she takes in a stray puppy named Yuri, the animal awakens a long-suppressed desire for motherhood. After the dog disappears, Silvia has to confront a childhood trauma. The cast also includes David Gaete, Selton Mello, Paula Luchsinger and Paula Dinamarca.
Why a 12-market sale matters
For sales agents and distributors, the deal list is a useful signal: a Spanish-language independent drama with no mainstream genre hook can still build a multi-territory footprint on festival credibility and a memorable award. The Palm Dog is often treated as a playful sidebar, but here it becomes part of the film’s marketable identity.
The production story strengthens that pitch. La Perra was produced by Brazil’s RT Features, led by Rodrigo Teixeira, whose credits include Walter Salles’ Oscar-winning I’m Still Here, Call Me by Your Name, Ad Astra, The Lighthouse, Bergman Island and Frances Ha. Chilean banner Planta, known for Federico Luis’ Cannes Critics’ Week winner Simon of the Mountain, co-produced.
Sotomayor’s track record adds another layer. She won Rotterdam’s Hivos Tiger Award in 2012 for Thursday Till Sunday, premiered Mar in the Berlinale Forum in 2015, and became the first woman to win Locarno’s Leopard for best direction with Too Late to Die Young in 2018.
What comes next
The film has already played Karlovy Vary, Melbourne, San Sebastian, Busan, BFI London Film Festival and Viennale. Lucky Number is now pushing the next phase around the Brazilian premiere at Mostra de São Paulo. With 12 territories on the board, the test moves from finding buyers to helping local distributors turn festival heat into release plans.
Source: Variety
