Ignacio Lasierra Pinto‘s debut feature “Perseidas,” set to pitch at Ventana Sur‘s upcoming Proyecta sidebar for feature projects, has nailed down an all-star Spanish cast, led by Spanish Academy Goya-winning actor Macarena García (“Blancanieves,” “La mesías”). Joining García are Feroz and Forqué best actress winner Elena Irureta (“Patria”), Feroz award winner Itziar Aizpuru (“Flowers”) and Ana Polvorosa (“The Last Night at Tremore Beach”).
“This cast would be a dream come true for any director,” producer Inés Laporta tells Variety. “Not only are these four actors extremely talented with proven experience, but they also represent a very inter-generational mosaic of the acting profession, of life experiences that pass from one generation of actor to another in an organic way, in a film which is precisely about two generations of women reuniting in search of understanding.”
“Perseidas” turns on Cata, a celebrity chef living in Uruguay who returns to Spain for her mother’s funeral. Upon arrival, she discovers that her mother is actually still alive and that she was deceived into coming back home to attend her father’s funeral. Despite the deep wounds that separate them, Cata must confront her past to reconcile with her roots.
“When we read the script, we completely fell in love with the story and its characters,” says Laporta. “We were particularly moved by the narrative, which addresses the return home and reconciliation between a mother and a daughter from a very emotional perspective.
“We believe that by working from emotional authenticity, a level of universality is achieved that allows emotions, such as reunion and forgiveness, to be expressed in a way that is both emotional and that can touch a chord in any corner of the world,” the producer added.
Several of the film’s scenes will be shot in Lasierra’s hometown of Candasnos, a pueblo of barely 300 in the desert of Los Monegros in Aragón.
“There is a whole generation who grew up as teenagers in the ’90s in these rural areas who were forced to emigrate,” said Lasierra. “Just as happened in the mid-20th century, we left the villages to seek a future that offers more possibilities. I have wrapped the main character of the film in that light.”
Lasierra, who also wrote the “Perseidas” screenplay, is a celebrated short filmmaker whose 2020
“Perseidas” is also 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 at Imval Producciones. The two companies will produce the film together.
“I fell in love with ‘Perseidas’ immediately when I first discovered it at the Project Incubator of the Advanced Technology Center of Aragón,” recalled Ramírez. “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.”
Prior to its upcoming visit to Ventana Sur, the project participated in the Abycine Lanza and VLC Pitch labs in Spain as well as the Mallorca Talent Lab, winning the prize for best feature project at the latter.
Shooting of “Perseidas” is scheduled for late 2025 and early 2026, with the film set to debut later that year.
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