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In 2009, nine production companies were operating in the Canary Islands using Zec preferential tax rates for being established here. Flash forward 15 years, there are now 31 companies doing live action. Below, some of the Canary Islands pacemaker production companies, and titles to track:

Anaga Media Productions

The Canary Islands’ newest kid on the block, founded in June 2023 by two U.S.-raised Venezuelans: Gisberg Bermúdez, director of hit chiller “Whistler: the Origins,” and actress-turned-producer Malena González, now based out of Tenerife’s San Cristobal de La Laguna. There it hit the ground offering production services on “Bruha,” which shot in November, directed and co-written by Bermúdez for Elizabeth Avellán. Currently in post, it stars Clara Rosager McCaul Lombardi, Jeff Fahey and González. Now developing “Black Lotus” which will be Anaga’s first production. Interested in both international co-production and offering production services, say González and Bermúdez.

Buendía Estudios Canarias

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Ventana Sur’s Blood Window genre sidebar, one of the earliest dedicated genre events in South America and undoubtedly now one of the region’s most important events for all things horror, fantasy and science fiction, has shared the 15 titles which will pitch in this year’s official selection for feature projects.

Some of the titles were already known, as they won their right to participate at other events from around the world, while others are newer proposals in early stages of development. This year’s selection features as wide a breadth of projects as ever with traditional horror flicks and ghost stories joined by lo-fi and high concept science fiction proposals as well as several fantasy titles.

Blood Window is also spotlighting four features at this year’s event: “Before the Body,” representing Spain’s Molins Horror Film Festival; “Conceivable,” which was selected by Korea’s Bifan; Biff-Brussels Intl.

London-based Matchbox films has bagged the U.K., Ireland and Australasian rights to Boaz Yakin’s all-singing, all-dancing gender-fluid romance “Aviva,” from Tbilisi, Béziers and London-based producer/distributor Alief Film.

The film is scheduled for distribution in those territories from the first quarter 2021.

Closed on the eve of the AFM, the deal follows Alief’s earlier U.S. sale of the film to Outsider Pictures and Strand Releasing in April. Outsider released the dance drama virtually in the U.S. in June on fledgling Hollywood movie service Row8.

Strand has also announced a mid-December release date for the film’s distribution for electronic sell-through/transactional video on demand, DVD and BluRay.

Shot on location in Paris and New York, “Aviva” revolves around a pair of transatlantic lovers, Aviva and Eden, whose characters take on both male and female forms at different moments during the narrative.

Young Parisian Aviva is played...

“Spy Kids” and “Predators” producer Elizabeth Avellan has acquired remake rights to supernatural thriller “The Whistler,” pacting with production-distribution Alief which is world premiering “Zana” at Toronto.

Gisberg Bermúdez, who co-wrote, directed, co-produced and edited the original movie, will now helm the English-language adaptation.

Aiming to launch an English-language franchise, Avellán will produce the remake through her company Eya Productions; Bermudez’s La Rue Films and Alief co-produce.

“The Whistler” is set to open in U.S. theaters on Sept. 6 via Dark Star Productions. This will be followed by a VOD release via Uncork’d Entertainment. The original feature is described by Alief as “‘The Conjuring’ meets ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’” in an “elliptical” retelling of the myth. It was inspired by a Venezuelan/Colombian folklore bogeyman whose presence is announced by his whistling. In Bermúdez’s Spanish-language original, a father seeks to unearth the origin of the Whistler...

London-based Matchbox Films has snapped up U.K. rights to Venezuelan supernatural thriller “The Whistler” from London and Tbilisi-based film production-distribution company, Alief.

Closed at the Efm, deal comes in the wake of the drama’s Best Ibero-American Feature Award at the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre Fantastic Film Festival in December and best cinematography, original score and screenplay awards from the Caracas Cinematography Critics Circle in January.

In director Gisberg Bermudez’s retelling of a popular Venezuelan-Colombian myth, a father seeks to unearth the origin of the Whistler’s curse in order to halt the gradual possession of his daughter by the avenging entity.

Alief has already closed deals for “The Whistler” with Sbp Worldwide for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay; Star Films for Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia; Uncork’d with Dark Star for the U.S. and Canada, and Tema Distribuciones for Spain.

The film had its Latin American theatrical roll out on Dec.

In a nod to the increasing popularity and bankability of genre pics, Venezuelan horror movie “The Whistler,” by Gisberg Bermudez, is unspooling across multiple South American territories, starting in December.

Argentine distributor Sbp and Peruvian exhibitor-distributor Star Films/Cine Star, two of the larger studio product buyers in the region, have joined North American distributors Uncork’d and Dark Star Pictures in acquiring theatrical rights to “The Whistler.”

Uncork’d and Dark Star picked up all North American rights during Afm and plan to release the supernatural thriller in the summer of 2019.

Spain’s prestige indie genre label, Tema Distribution, acquired all rights to the film on Nov. 22.

Based on South American folk lore, “The Whistler” refers to a phantasmagorical figure which terrorizes a village during the night, feeding on the entrails of its victims. In Gisberg’s retelling of this popular legend; a father races to unearth the origins...

Indie distributors Uncork'd Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures have picked up Gisberg Bermudez's Venezuelan horror film The Whistler for release in North America.

Co-written by Gisberg with his sibling Gisyerg Bermudez, The Whistler is inspired by a South American folk tale involving an evil spirit that feasts on children, the drunk and the unfaithful. In the Bermudezs' retelling, a father struggles to discover the origins of the Whistler's curse to save his daughter from being gradually possessed by the supernatural creature.

Uncork’d and Dark Star Pictures plan a platform release for The Whistler in the second quarter of 2019,...

Indie distributors Uncork'd Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures have picked up Gisberg Bermudez's Venezuelan horror film The Whistler for release in North America.

Co-written by Gisberg with his sibling Gisyerg Bermudez, The Whistler is inspired by a South American folk tale involving an evil spirit that feasts on children, the drunk and the unfaithful. In the Bermudezs' retelling, a father struggles to discover the origins of the Whistler's curse to save his daughter from being gradually possessed by the supernatural creature.

Uncork’d and Dark Star Pictures plan a platform release for The Whistler in the second quarter of 2019,...

The 18th annual San Antonio Film Festival will run for a solid week, June 18-24, at several locations around the city and will feature, as it always does, an expansive and impressive lineup of documentaries, thrillers, dramas and a ton of short films.

The fest kicks off on the 18th with the Canadian culture clash comedy French Immersion, directed by Kevin Tierney, followed by a block of homegrown short films from all over the great state of Texas. The next night’s programming, the 19th, pays tribute to San Antonio’s neighbors to the south with two feature films from Mexico, the drama Burros by Odin Salazar Flores and the documentary Die Standing Up by Jacaranda Correa, as well as a block of short films.

Some of the feature-length documentaries include Stephanie Hubbard’s Christian theme park quest Bible Storyland (watch the trailer); James Lane’s expose of the Oklahoma...