Spanish producers Batiak Films and Elora Posthouse have boarded Maria Paz Barragán’s immigration horror feature “Tenants” as co-producers. The Madrid-set feature will be pitched at this year’s Ventana Sur Proyecta sidebar by its Peruvian lead producer, Final Abierto.
An example of Latin America’s maturing and constantly diversifying genre scene and the region’s increasingly strong industry ties to Spain, “Tenants” tells the 2003-set story of Edwin and Maria, two immigrants from Lima, Peru, who relocated to Madrid in search of a better life. With minimal resources, they move into the only house they can afford, only to discover that it is inhabited by racist spirits who want to subjugate the couple.
A Madrid-based Peruvian immigrant herself, Barragán says: “‘Tenants’ is a horror film with a social theme, specifically focused on the reality of many immigrants. The story is set at the end of the 20th century, when immigration in Spain began to increase, reaching one of the highest rates worldwide. One of the most prominent nationalities of immigrants at that time was Peruvian. Although the project seeks to tell a story set in the past, where the cultural shock is greater, if we were to set it in the present, it would be just as valid.”
Barragan will direct and has teamed with Spanish writer Jordi Farga (“The Debut”) on the film’s screenplay. Norma Velasquez, president of the Association of Producers and Cinematographers of Peru, and Clara Santaolaya, founder of Batiak Films, are producing.
“When the idea of ‘Tenants’ came up, I did not hesitate for a second to join,” says Velasquez. “Exploring the horror genre is something that has intrigued me for some time, and what better way to do it than with great and talented friends like María Paz and Jordi, and even more in the cities that have seen us grow in different ways: Madrid and Lima.”
“Tenants” is currently in advanced development, with a script being fine-tuned now that the full production team has been assembled. The plan is to finish the final draft of the screenplay and shoot in the winter of 2025.
As a project, the film has turned heads at festivals and markets around the world, winning awards and grants including the Fund for the Production of Fiction Feature Films of the Ministry of Culture of Peru 2023 – which covers 40% of the film’s proposed budget; a quartet of prizes at FantasoLab; the Ibero-American Fiction Project Development Course; and Iberseries Platino. The San Sebastian Film Festival sponsored the film’s appearance at Ventana Sur.
Batiak Films is an emerging force on the Spanish indie scene, with several high-profile short films and features in its catalog. This year, the company produced “Lo carga el diablo,” which screened in competition at the Miami Film Festival, and “The Human Hibernation,” a FIPRESCI winner at the Berlinale.
Elora Posthouse has done work for all sorts and sizes of productions in Spain, from big brand ads for Real Madrid, Disney and Papa John’s to high-end series for Movistar+ (“Buen trabajo”) and Prime Video (“El pueblo”) to feature films, such as Jesús del Cerro’s “En otro lugar” and Juan Francisco Viruega’s San Sebastian player “Amenece.”
