Spain’s Filmax Nabs AFM-Bound ‘Balandrau: Where the Fierce Wind Blew,’ Described as a ‘Real-Life Tragedy That Impacted a Whole Country’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Spain’s Filmax has pounced on the international sales rights to true survival tale “Balandrau: Where the Fierce Wind Blew,” in the run-up to the AFM.

Drama is inspired by actual events that took place in the Catalan Pyrenees and is based on the book “Les Tres Nits del Torb i un Cap d’Any” by Jordi Cruz.

Based on a screenplay by Danielle Schleif (“Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea”), the drama focuses on the events that began on Dec. 30, 2000 when a group of mountaineers began their ascent of Balandrau (8,200 ft/ 2,500 m). What started as a clear, sunny climb quickly turned catastrophic as an unexpected blizzard struck – triggering one of the most severe storms ever recorded in the Pyrenees, the mountain spine of southern Europe.

“Balandrau…” marks the directorial feature debut of Fernando Trullols, who has worked as an assistant director in over 25 films and whose First AD credits include J.A. Bayona’s “A Monster Calls.” Álvaro Cervantes (“Deaf”), Bruna Cusí (“Frontier”) and Marc Martínez lead the cast.

Guille Cascante, producer at Goroka Contents, added: “After directing a documentary about the Balandrau tragedy, which was nominated at the Gaudí Awards and became one of the most-watched in TV3’s history, we felt that this story still had so much to offer. Its impact motivated us to take it to the big screen, exploring new layers and offering different perspectives and we knew that Fernando Trullols was the perfect person to turn our vision into a compelling reality.”

“We’re extremely happy to have this film on our AFM slate. Its great combination of survival thriller and emotional elements result in a very commercial film that we’re sure will appeal to clients in many territories,” said Ivan Díaz, Filmax head of International, who will be presenting a promo reel during the market. Filmax aims to theatrically release the drama in Spanish cinemas by February next year.

The Barcelona-based company has been busy picking up a number of films and series. In September, it picked up musical comedy “Every Side of the Bed,” Basque exile drama “Karmele” by Asier Altuna and Basque-language thriller series “Mouths of Sky,” which debuted, like “Karmele,” at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

By Variety - See full article here

BALANDRAU