Rotterdam-Bound La Parra Swooped On by Begin Again Films, Which Shares Clip of Eerie

 Posted on March 17, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  875 words  |  Aldo Pusey

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Begin Again Films, based in Madrid, is gearing up for a strong start to 2024, having acquired international sales rights for “La Parra,” a film directed by Alberto Gracia. 

The title has been selected to compete in the main Tiger Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), marking its debut in one of the year’s earliest festivals. Gloria Bretones and Belén Bernuy, co-founders of the sales agent and distributor, have built around a focus on promoting auteur-driven works, particularly those from Spanish filmmakers.
“We have been following Alberto’s career as an artist and filmmaker for a long time, and we knew that this film would be very special. We are not wrong.” said Gloria Bretones.

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“The story told in ‘La Parra’ could have happened in any city in the world with the same problems. It is a local story, from Alberto’s personal perspective, and at the same time, it is universal,” she explained.

“La Parra” centers around Damián, who finds himself in a TV game show where loyalty is the key to success. The film’s intriguing synopsis reads: “They put a nametag on his shirt. When the program goes to commercial, the story begins. Once upon a time in a big city, a middle-aged man named Damián lived paycheck to paycheck. After receiving news of his father’s death, he returns to his hometown, Ferrol. Despite being away for over 20years, Ferrol, now in ruins, continues to ensnare its visitors.” It is described as an eerie sitcom, and film noir with autobiographical elements.

Alberto Gracia, a Galician filmmaker, made his debut with “The Fifth Gospel of Kaspar Hauser” in 2013. This film, which portrayed a German child raised in a horse stable, won the Fipresci Award at IFFR. His follow-up film, “The Wandering Star,” also premiered at Rotterdam and scooped the Deluxe Prize Nuevas Olas at the Seville European Film Festival. His latest stars Alfonso Míguez (“Eye For An Eye,”) and is produced by Filmika Galaika and Tasio.

Begin Again Films has a history of successfully showcasing films in various festivals, helping to build its theatrical release, which it also handles. A notable example is “21 Paraiso,” which premiered at the Seville Film Festival in 2022 and was released in Spanish theaters last month.

Often cited as a member of the New Galician Cinema, whose originality is its main commercial asset, Gracia was selected in 2018 as one of Variety’s 10 Spanish Filmmakers on the Rise.

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