Alberto Lecchi Iberseries-bound ‘A Distant Place’ Picks Cast, Rizoma

Chilean Sebastián Freund of Rizoma Films and Argentinian filmmakers Ernesto Alterio (“The Passenger”) and Soledad Villamil (“The Secret in Their Eyes”) have collaborated on Argentinian filmmaker Alberto Lecchi’s upcoming feature film, “A Distant Place” ( “Un lugar lejano ”).

Rizoma Films (“Papa al rescate,” “The Same Blood”) joins lead producer Twins Latin Films of Argentina and co-producers Filmakers Monkeys (Spain) in the drama participating in the Iberseries & Platino Industria Co-Production Forum in Madrid.

Written by Gerardo Pranteda, the story centers on a pianist and a history teacher who struggle for a second chance at love before a crushing illness affects the musician’s grip on reality.

“We are excited to make a film that shows how love, memory and bonds can provide comfort and hope even in the most difficult moments. It also focuses on frontotemporal dementia, a condition rarely explored in cinema, offering an empathetic and sensitive perspective,” said Lorena Quevedo, CEO and producer at Twins Latin Films.

The latest productions from Twins Latin Films, based in Córdoba, Argentina, are ‘Almamula’, which had its world premiere at last year’s Berlinale, and Rodrigo Guerrero’s ‘Salvajes’, both streaming on Prime Video.

Rizoma co-produced “Salvajes,” which debuts on Prime Video on September 24. “It was an incredibly satisfying experience,” Freund said. “When Lorena invited me to participate in ‘A Distant Place’, I felt that this was not only the theme of the film – a love story, the complexity of human relationships, a rare mental illness, the importance of second chances – compelling, but also the talent involved – including the young Chilean actor Clemente Rodríguez, [“El Conde”]Sergio Armstrong from Chile [“Neruda”] as director of photography and editor Andrea Chignoli [“No”]together with Spanish co-producer Néstor López of Filmmakers Monkeys – which allows us to imagine a great international project with the potential to cross borders and debut at a Class-A festival,” said Freund.

Founded in 2009 by Quevedo and Pablo Di Patrizio, Twins Latin Films’ co-production business model has led it to collaborate with France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Chile to date.

The Iberseries Co-Production Forum is the next stop in the project’s development journey, which follows its award win at the Guadalajara Film Festival’s recent Co-Production Meeting. “We are evaluating the possibility of adding a Mexican producer and we are still open to partners from other areas,” said Quevedo.

“From a production point of view, it offers an opportunity to create a work of high artistic value that touches universal emotions, allowing the creation of an organic co-production between Ibero-American countries, tailored to their markets and audiences,” she added to.

Principal photography for “A Distant Place” is scheduled to begin in June 2025 in Madrid, Córdoba and Mendoza in Argentina and Santiago, Chile.

Iberseries & Platino Industria takes place from October 1 to 4 in Madrid.