Variety
By Callum McLennan
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“Rebellion,” from José Luis Rugeles whose “Alias María” competed at Cannes Un Certain Regard and was Colombia’s Oscar entry, has been acquired for international sales by Latido Films.
Latido will be bringing the title onto the market at Toronto.
In the film, Rugeles takes a non-linear approach to the narrative drifting through moments in Arroyo’s life and psyche from childhood through to the end of his life. “Rebellion” explores memory, addiction and Arroyo’s deep connection to the composition of song.
It shows the birth of legendary melodies being recorded obsessively by Arroyo into multiple tape recorders as he layers ideas upon each other. These fragments infiltrate the soundtrack throughout, at times bursting into full band performances of Arroyo’s famous songs. The authenticity of the music is aided by some of the musicians involved having played with Arroyo.
Lead producer Federico Durán of Rhayuela said: “When we talked with José Luis about the film, it was always clear that we, and the audience, would be trapped inside Joe Arroyo’s mind, and we would be living the experience of a psycho-thriller rockstar musical.”
“This film blends really well with our passion for music movies, our love for great movies from Colombia and our continuous support for movies that present a director’s vision’ and can advance storytelling in very creative ways,” added Latido Films head Antonio Saura.
The biopic stars Jhon Naváez (“Pájaros de Verano”) who plays Arroyo. Angie Cepeda (“Encanto”) as Mary, his wife and Martín Seefeld (“Los Simuladores”) who takes on the role of his manager and confidante.
This acquisition grows Latido’s stable of Colombian films which includes Rafael Martinez Moreno’s “The Missed Round” and Jaime Osorio Márquez’s “The Sacrifice.” Imanol Uribe’s El Salvador-set “What Lucia Saw” is co-produced by Colombia’s 64A Films.
Durán expected the film to have appeal beyond Latin America adding “It is essentially a film about an obsessed creator, suffering for his love for music. This is universal.”
“Rebellion” is produced by Rhayuela Films and Leyenda Films in association with Alacrán Pictures, WideAngle Films, HD cinema and with support funding from FDC Colombia, INCAA Argentina and Ibermedia as well as two awards from Mexico’s Guadalajara Co-Production Market.
