American-Venezuelan producer Elizabeth Abellan, whose credits include iconic films such as Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi, Desperado and Machete, the alien film Predators and the Spy Kids series, has completed principal photography on the supernatural thriller Bonded, a film that Avellan positions as the flagship of the new Canary Islands-based film hub.
Directed by Venezuelan writer-director Gisberg Bermúdez (Whistler: Origins), Bonded stars Oscar nominee Demián Bichir (A Better Life), his daughter Gala Bichir (Now and Then), and his brother Bruno Bichir (Narcos), marking the first time the trio have worked together in a feature film.
The film, which also stars Ingrid García-Jónsson (The Seven Kings Must Die), Malena González (Rabbit), Michael Stobbe (Band of Spies), and a special appearance from Paz Vega (Spanglish, Kaleidoscope), was shot for four weeks in La Esperanza, Tenerife’s forested interior, followed by a week in Austin, Texas. Abelan’s long-standing production base.
Building the Canary and Texas Pipeline
The English-language film is being produced by Anaga Media Productions, a Tenerife company backed by Mr. Avellan, Mr. Bermúdez and Mr. González, and is organized under the Special Zone of the Canary Islands (ZEC), whose benefits include a 4% corporate income tax rate reduction compatible with 45% to 50% tax incentives.
From this base, Mr. Abellan is building a pipeline of partnerships between Texas and the Canary Islands, which already includes Mr. Bermudez’s previous film, the horror film “Return of the Gala,” currently in theaters.
“I had spent my career in Texas, but I wanted to make sure that I invested in the Canary Islands,” said Abellan, whose great-grandparents emigrated from the Canary Islands to Venezuela.
“It was important to us that we didn’t just come here once, shoot, and go home. We wanted to plant roots, build a company, keep coming back, and make this a real hub.”
Elizabeth Abellan of Tenerife, Canary Islands
A time slip thriller depicting sadness
“Bonded” tells the story of a grieving father, Louis Abrams (Demián Bichir), and his troubled 13-year-old daughter, Ruth (Gara Bichir), who seek refuge in a dilapidated farmhouse after Louis’ wife Sara (Vega) is killed in a car accident.
Hoping for solace, they instead discover that the same house is haunted by disturbing spirits connected to a tragedy from 100 years ago, and their own grief becomes intertwined with that of another family from the 1920s, the synopsis says.
“It’s a psychological thriller, but it’s also fantastical,” Abellan explains. “We’re playing with what we’ve learned about quantum physics and how time isn’t actually linear. Two families 100 years apart are brought together by tragedy.”
Through hallucinations and time slips, Louis is drawn into the world of Anna Heller (Garcia-Jonsson) and her seriously ill son Ethan (Nil Gomez), watched over by Ethan’s strict father Isaac (Bruno Bichir) and Rabbi Sholem Minda (Stobbe).
As Lewis attempts to help Anna and Ethan, Ruth’s recurring dreams begin to resonate with Ethan’s visions, suggesting that the children share images across time. The film explores how both families face loss under the framework of the genre.
Training ground for local talent
Anaga Media Productions also serves as a practice facility. Abellan, who has worked with film schools and universities in Texas for years, is now bringing that model to the Canary Islands. Speaking at a recent masterclass at the César Manrique Education Center in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, she highlighted her commitment to local crews.
The masterclass forms part of a wider program that brings together ZEC, the islands’ public sector promotion agency ProExca, Canary Islands schools and the islands’ rapidly growing audiovisual sector, with the aim of linking training centers directly with producers and service companies to help graduates transition into professional filming.
The arrival of Avellan further advances the Canary Islands’ film strategy. Island-trained professionals are finding work in international films in the country with producers who have helped shape the presence of Latinx films in Hollywood for decades.
Return to independent film
Since the pandemic, Abellan has already produced six small independent films, part of a deliberate return to hands-on production and filmmaker-driven projects.
“I wanted to help certain filmmakers with their shoots,” she says. “It’s great for me to be back in true independent film.”
“Bonded” is currently in post-production, and Abellan expects the film to be completed within six months and ready for submission to spring festivals such as SXSW, where she has premiered three different titles so far.
Anaga is based in Tenerife and has a strong lineup of thrillers, genre films and documentaries, making Texas and Latin America natural partners, both financially and in terms of talent.
For studio and streaming executives considering the Canary Islands, Abellan boils down his proposal to one idea: “There are seven islands where you can find almost any place you can imagine, and stages where you can build entire worlds.”
“Also, the culture here is very rich and there are many stories to tell,” she added.
Anaga Media Production: Guisbert Bermudez, Elizabeth Abellan, Malena Gonzalez.
