TIFF World Premiere: FORASTERA, Lucia Aleñar Iglesias’ Feature Debut Picked Up By Alpha Violet For World Sales
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Carl Roberts 
Lucia Aleñar Iglesias’ Atmospheric Debut Feature FORASTERA Set to World Premiere in TIFF. Alpha Violet Picks Up International Sales Rights
Paris-based sales company Alpha Violet has picked up the international sales rights to FORASTERA. Los Angeles-based Spanish filmmaker Lucia Aleñar Iglesias’s atmospheric and powerful narrative feature debut. Following the announcement of the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Discovery section this September. Alpha Violet will present FORASTERA to buyers in Toronto.
Lucía Aleñar Iglesias’ eagerly anticipated follow-up to her short film of the same name. It was selected for the Cannes Critics’ Week in 2020. The film stars the Spanish up-and-comer Zoe Stein (Manticore), alongside legendary Goya award-winning actor Lluís Homar (Broken Embraces, Bad Education, Eva), as well as Núria Prims. Marta Angelat, Martina García, and the Swedish actor Nonni Ardal (TV series Gaslight, Evil).
THE PREMISE
Written and directed by Aleñar Iglesias. The Spanish-Italian-Swedish co-production FORASTERA follows Cata (Zoe Stein). A young woman whose family vacation is dramatically disrupted by the absurd and violent death of her grandmother, an act to which she is the only witness. As the strange summer unfolds, Cata begins to inhabit the role of her grandmother. Or rather, this new role inhabits Cata. Blurring the lines of reality and her family’s perceptions.
FORASTERA was produced by Tono Folguera of Lastor Media. Bàrbara Ferrer and Cesc Mulet from La Perifèrica Produccions. Ariadna Dot of Vilaüt Films, and Marta Cruañas of Presenta from Spain. With Olivier Guerpillon and Marta Reguera of Sweden’s Fox In The Snow, and Giovanni Pompili of Italy’s Kino Produzioni. Agnès Piqué shot the film in Mallorca, while Paola Freddi took charge of the editing. Anna von Hausswolff and Filip Leyman composed and produced the original score.
VIRGINIE DEVESA
“Lucía Aleñar’s first feature FORASTERA is a perfect gem for our editorial line. Her exploration of loss and memory is so deep that I am certain the film will resonate greatly among viewers. We are thrilled to unveil FORASTERA at TIFF Discovery and to work with a brilliant team of producers,” said Virginie Devesa of Alpha Violet.
MARTA CRUANAS AND ARIADNA DOT
“It’s been a pleasure to accompany Lucía in her leap to feature film, continuing to explore grief and identity. It’s a story crafted with such bold mise-en-scène, yet with a subtlety that constantly reminds you that something is off. What starts as a summer ends in disquiet. A movie that seduces you with beauty, but slowly burns and unsettles,” said producers Marta Cruañas and Ariadna Dot.
LUCIA ALENAR IGLESIAS
Aleñar Iglesias developed the feature with the Critics’ Week Next Step programme, participated in La Résidence through Cannes Cinéfondation, and received the ArteKino award during MIA Market. Her short of the same name premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week in 2020 and toured major international festivals, including Curtas Vila do Conde. Les Arcs, Oberhausen, among others, and was nominated for a Gaudí Award. Born and raised in Madrid, writer and director Aleñar Iglesias holds a BFA in Film from NYU and an MFA in Screenwriting from Columbia University. She had also worked in the casting department for the Safdie Brothers’ Good Time and line-produced for Academy Award winner Peggy Stern.
Forastera will receive its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
