Albert Pintó, a director on Netflix global blockbusters “Money Heist,” “Berlin” and “Nowhere” is re-teaming with producer Álvaro Ariza at Esto También Pasará, Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia and Film Factory on “Lions in Winter” (“Leones en invierno”), described as a “high voltage thriller.”
Now in post-production, the film marks a follow up to their joint picture “Barren Land,” release in 2025.
Luis Zahara, star of “Barren Land” and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beast,” will lead an all-star Spanish cast in “Lions of Winter.”
The partners are joined by María Luisa Gutiérrez at Bowfinger International.
“Lions in Winter” is produced by Ariza, a producer alongside Gutiérrez on both big Spanish breakout “Undercover,” a Goya best picture winner which has grossed €9.7 million ($11.3 million) in Spain, and “Un funeral de locos,” which scooped €3.0 million ($3.5 million) at Spanish theaters.
Gutiérrez – also behind all Spanish No. 1 movies at the Spain’s box office in every year from 2019 to 2026 save for 2023, thanks in large part to the “Father There Is Only One” film saga – will serve as executive producer on “Lions in Winter.”
Sony distributes in Spain. Film Factory will bring “Lions in Winter” to market at next week’s Cannes Film Festival.
Written by Juma Fodde, best known for his screenplays for Gustavo Hernández, such as on “The Whisper” and “Lobo Feroz,” “Lions in Winter,” “Lions in Winter” begins with a tragic crime, whose perpetrator attempts to hide his tracks, including his relationship to people in power and organized crime. The father of the victim – his daughter – who thought he had left behind a life marked by violence, decides to seek justice on his own, crossing red lines from which there is no return.
“If there is anything more dangerous than a father defending his children, is a father who no longer has any children to defend,” the film’s logline runs.
“This is an ambitious and highly demanding bet. Every day of the shoot was a challenge, action sequences which pushed us to the limit and a character-driven story inviting reflection,” said Ariza. “I had to have the best team and cast, and be accompanied by Albert Pintó. Without him, I would have thought twice about making the film.
‘Lions in Winter is, above all, a thriller diving deep into the most unsettling: the different ways of confronting loss and and an uncomfortable truth that silence always finds a crack to pass through,” Ariza added. “The film doesn’t look for easy answers, but tackles a persistent idea: Violence, however much it seems justified, only engenders more violence.”
Pintó added: “‘Lions in Winter’ is, when I comes down to it, a film about morning and violence, the weight of the past and the impossibility of crossing certain lines without suffering harm. A film which looks squarely at broken, imperfect and deeply human characters, and asks an uncomfortable but key question: When we reach the worst moment in our lives, are we really the person we think we are?”
“Lions in Winter” also stars Roberto Álamo (“God Save Us”), Luis Callejo (“The Captive”) José Manuel Poga (“Burning Body”), Inma Cuesta (“The Bride”), María Romanillos (“Olympo”) and Amaia Aberasturi (“Akelarre”). It also features in special collaborations Ana Wagener (“The Invisible Guest”), Irene Escolar (“La Ruta”), Nicolás Furtado (“Bandidos”) and Jordi Molla (“Bad Boys II”).
The film is produced with the participation of Prime Video, RTVE and CreaSGR, in association with Mogambo, and the support of Comunidad de Madrid, the Madrid regional government, and the ICAA Spanish film agency. It shot for seven weeks in Madrid and the Canary Islands.
Released last year, “Barren Land” grossed €1.6 million ($1.9 million) and gleaned some positive reviews. This energetic and vibrant thriller from Cadiz stands out both for its formal brilliance and its careful portrayal of a change of guard in the trafficking underworld,” Spanish film-TV publication Fotogramas announced.
variety.com
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