FilmSharks has taken the international sales rights for “The Evil That Holds Us” (“Todos Los Smas,” a Chile-Mexican co-production of Nico Postiglione (“Immersion”) set to bow in competition in the upcoming edition of Austin’s Fantastic Fest.
The 1950s Valdivia set thriller is supported by Oro films, whiskey content and frames, and follows Daniel, a boy who recently lost his mother and meets Riedels, the family of his father’s German original work. Sequestered by his cultural disconnect, Daniel finds comfort in Emma. Emma is the girl who unearths Riedels’s dark secrets from him.
Once Emma disappears and the tragedy is hidden, Daniel faces betrayal and decides to seek revenge before leaving.
As a Progress Progress project, the film featured the Cannes Marqueldurd movie showcase Tallinn Black Knight in Cannes in 2024. We benefited from Chilean Fondfoment Audio Visual and Corfo ifi losríos support.
Dopp Benjamin Echazalta (“Gloria”), features were photographed in southern Chile using Catelyn Streebeck (“Milan Protocol”), Tiro Werner (“People vs. Fritz Bauer”), Theodoro Bustos and Fernanda Finsterbusch (“Apps”).
Postiglione’s first feature, “Immersion,” held an international premiere at Tallinn Black Nights, where it won the Juju Special Award. The film was chosen and awarded at even more festivals such as Toulouse, Turin, and Miami.
“Fantastic Fest provides a unique gateway to the American market for genre cinemas with artistic ambitions,” says Dominga Orzer Lynch, producer of Oro.
“We hope that the film Shark’s expertise in connecting this film across territory and bringing genre films to a wide audience is invaluable,” she said.
Postiglione added: “We tried to weave drama, thrillers and even moments of terror. The fantastic fest feels like a proper home for stories that have been rooted in Chilean past.”
Film Sharks Acquisitions executive Sofía Terán Corsini praised the title as a “slow burn gem for psychosis,” and has already attracted the attention of top festivals.