Uruguayan production company U Films has boarded Ignacio Lasierra Pinto‘s debut feature, “Perseidas.” The film made waves after a successful pitch at last November’s Ventana Sur when it unveiled an all-star cast led by Spanish Academy Goya-winning actor Macarena García (“Blancanieves,” “La mesías”).
Today, at the Málaga Film Festival, a co-production agreement was signed between U Films and the previously established Spanish producers of “Perceidas,” Lago&Laporta and Imval Producciones. The group described their partnership as “an organic international co-production that strengthens the ties between both countries and allows us to continue advancing this very special project.”
U Films was founded by Virginia Hinze and Lucía Gaviglio in 2012. The company’s mission is to develop projects with a special emphasis on international co-productions and independent distribution.
Securing a Uruguayan co-producer was always a point of emphasis for the “Perseidas” team. The bi-continental film tells the story of a famous Spanish chef who returns from Uruguay to Spain to attend her mother’s funeral. The story explores the paths to reconciliation through family and focuses on reflecting on the prejudiced behaviors that still exist in small towns.
Lasierra, who also wrote the “Perseidas” screenplay, is a celebrated short filmmaker who served as first assistant director on Pilar Palomero’s “Schoolgirls,” a 2021 Spanish Academy Goya-winner for best picture.
The signing of a new co-production agreement in Málaga is significant in that it acknowledges the crucial role festivals have played in the film’s development process. “We are deeply grateful to the San Sebastián Film Festival and Marché du Film for selecting us for the Proyecta section of Ventana Sur, a recognition that has been key to our growth,” explained Lago&Laporta producer Inés Laporta. “And today, at the Malaga Film Festival, we close the circle with the signing of this agreement, marking a new milestone for ‘Perseidas.’”
“Perseidas” is the feature debut for Laporta and her Aragon-based label Lago&Laporta. She’s joined by her partner Aurora Lago Villalón and by veteran producer Luis Ángel Ramírez from Imval Producciones.
“I fell in love with ‘Perseidas’ immediately when I first discovered it at the Project Incubator of the Advanced Technology Center of Aragón,” Ramírez previously told Variety. “It’s artistically ambitious and commercially attractive due to the universal nature of its story and the personalities of its director and producers. The project has grown since and has been strengthened by an incredible cast, which will be the centerpiece of a film that is about its characters and their emotions. ‘Perseidas’ follows in the footsteps of films that have positioned Spanish cinema as one of the most influential artistic references of the moment.”
Shooting of “Perseidas” is scheduled for late 2025 and early 2026, with the film set to debut later that year.
