Spain’s Federation, Chile’s Alma Films and Dominican Republic’s Larimar Films have boarded director Chris Gauthier’s “Echoes” ahead of the film’s presentation at the upcoming Costa Rica Media Market. The film, produced by Gauthier’s Reclaimed Entertainment, will be shot primarily in Spain, with principal production expected to take place in late 2027.
This strange period romance is set on a colonial sugar plantation in the Dominican Republic. There, historian Catalina and her girlfriend Salome discover an artifact that transports them back to the 17th century. There, the two learn of a forbidden relationship between two women who look exactly like them, Yara, a slave woman, and Leonor, the governor’s daughter. To escape this new reality, the duo must face the weight of their heritage and decide whether their love can break the cycle or are doomed to remain trapped forever.
Gauthier has previously written for HBO and developed projects for studios including Sony, Universal, Stage 13 and Film 4. Her projects are also distributed by HBO Max, Hulu, and DUST. The director won the Fantastic Lab Award at the Cannes Fantastic Pavilion and was named one of Netflix’s rising directors. Echoes was selected as a finalist in this year’s Fantastic Lab Central America and Caribbean category, coordinated by Costa Rican film commissioner Maricela Zamora and Grupo Morbido CEO Pablo Guiza. Launched in partnership with Grupo Morbido at the inaugural Costa Rica Media Market last year, the call attracted 55 projects from across the region.
Speaking to Variety ahead of a screening of Echoes in Costa Rica, Gauthier said the initial idea for the film came from the realization that despite having worked in Hollywood for more than 15 years, he had never written a screenplay in his native language. “I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, but all the work I sold or produced was in English,” she added. “It felt like a gap I needed to face. Once I decided to write my next screenplay in Spanish, the rest fell into place surprisingly naturally.”
The director recalls that he had previously developed an anthology series inspired by the East Asian legend of the Red String of Fate, the idea that two soulmates are connected by an unbreakable red thread.
“Each episode was about the same two actors meeting at different times in history, falling in love, and ultimately being torn apart for some reason,” she points out. “This was one of those projects that kept hitting a wall. I kept hearing things like, ‘It’s too expensive,’ or ‘No one wants period pieces.’ Whatever the reason, I just couldn’t let it go.”
Asked about setting the film on a sugar plantation, Gauthier said it was “some of the most haunted places in the Americas, whether you believe in ghosts or not.” “These are places built on slavery, exploitation, and unimaginable violence, yet they are often photographed as beautiful ruins or treated as historical curiosities. I wanted to restore the emotional weight of these spaces and ask what it actually means to love, desire, and survive within them.”
“We also felt it was essential to set the story in the Dominican Republic, as that is where many of the colonial projects in the Americas began,” she emphasizes. “Dominicans have inherited that history, even if we often refuse to acknowledge it. For me, Gothic horror and magical realism are not just stylistic choices; there are ways to make that inheritance visible.”
It was also important to Gauthier to center queer Afro-Caribbean women in the story. “We’ve always existed, but we’ve rarely been allowed to occupy the emotional center of a story,” she says. “Especially when it comes to genre and period dramas. I felt that that absence was worth interrogating. I wasn’t interested in rewriting history. I was interested in revealing the lives of people that history didn’t choose to preserve.”
“Echoes” by Kryzz Gautier
Regarding the blending of genres in “Echoes,” Gauthier says that for her, genre “has never been about escaping reality,” but has always been “a way to approach reality.” “Caribbean history is so full of violence, erasure, and inherited trauma that I felt that realism alone was hardly enough. Gothic horror gave me a cinematic language to externalize those things.”
“At the same time, this genre has an incredible ability to sneak difficult conversations into spaces where viewers don’t necessarily expect them,” she continues. “Sometimes you go into a horror movie thinking you’re coming for entertainment, and suddenly you’re faced with colonialism, homosexuality, sadness, or inherited violence. That’s always been exciting to me.”
As for how he chose his co-producing partners for the project, Gauthier said they all “share the same vision and ambition for the film.” The film will be the director’s sixth project with Cristóbal Güell of Chilean production company Alma Film, who she says is “like myself, passionate about championing stories by and about Latinos” and has “an extraordinary ability to connect the right people and bring ambitious projects to fruition.”
Following “Echoes” participation in the industry program of the San Sebastian Film Festival, the Spanish Federation also participated. “As approximately 70% of Echoes will be shot in Spain with a primarily Spanish cast, we needed a partner with both world-class production experience and access to Spain’s best creative talent. Vanessa and Juan have an exceptional track record both in Spain and abroad and brought exactly that.”
“Echoes reflects Kryzz’s vision: an intimate story that explores identity, heritage, and the weight of the past with a contemporary feel,” said Federation CEO Juan Sola. “The Chilean, Dominican Republic and Spanish co-production provides the ideal framework to bring to life a film with clear international potential.”
For Larimer Films, Gauthier said he knew from the beginning that he needed “a great Dominican partner with deep knowledge of the local industry, film law, incentives, staff and logistics.” “Over the past 15 years, Larimer has become one of the leading production companies in the Dominican Republic, with an incredible portfolio of both local and international productions. For a film this personal, I honestly couldn’t imagine putting it in better hands.”
“We joined Echoes because it brings together contemporary romance, historical drama, and paranormal activity without losing emotional truth,” says Antonio Alma, president of Larimer Films. “This work is culturally specific, visually ambitious, and universal in the questions it raises about love, memory, freedom, and belonging.”
Elsa Trull de Alma, a producer at Larimer Films, says, “We’re always looking for stories that emotionally connect with the audience.” “From our first conversation, I could feel the extraordinary amount of time, dedication, and passion that Kryzz put into Echoes.”
