Arauda Ruiz de Azua’s San Sebastian and Goya’s Best Picture winner Sundays (Los Domingos) have been jointly acquired by Outsider Pictures for U.S. distribution.
The announcement of the deal comes just weeks after Sundays dominated the 40th Spanish Academy Goya Awards in Spain for Best Picture, Director, Actress (Patricia López Arnaiz), Supporting Actress (Nagore Aramburu) and Original Screenplay.
The film grossed 4.9 million euros ($5.8 million) in Spanish theaters for distributor Bteam, making it the third-biggest Spanish release of 2025, but “Sundays” had already been sold by Le Pacte to half of the world’s major film markets by December last year.
But a U.S. deal is still a major milestone, especially when, as in this case, it comes with a commitment to at least a theatrical release this fall in at least 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets, including New York and Los Angeles.
Sundays, which was also ranked as one of Film Affinity España’s top 10 Spanish films of all time, focuses on 17-year-old Ainara, who attends a religious school in a city in northern Spain and begins with her begging her aunt Maite to persuade her father Iñaki to let her go to a closed order sponsored by the nuns of the local Betinas convent.
Maite, a glamorous modern woman, and Iñaki, the owner of a failing restaurant business, believe that the only question regarding Ainara’s future is what she will study at university. They are concerned when they learn that Ainara is seriously considering accepting life as a nun.
Above all, as Luis de Azua has observed, “Sunday” emerges as a study of failed family relationships, plagued by intolerance and in which key members of the family view the mission of the ainara through the lens of self-interest (inaki) or egocentrism (maite).
Neither exhibits a sense of empathy, an important quality for many modern film directors and television creators. A sense of empathy was achieved, especially by Luis de Azua himself, in making Ainara’s religious mission psychologically believable, with greater understanding from the local priest Isabel than from Iñaki or Maite.
Outsider Pictures’ Paul Hudson has signed a U.S. deal with Le Pactet’s head of international sales, Romain Lancler.
“I was looking forward to seeing Sundays because I had gotten the previous film Lullaby directed by Arauda Ruiz de Azua. This movie stays with you long after you’ve seen it, never preaching to the audience and staying true to the characters,” Hudson said.
“We are thrilled to partner with Outsider Pictures and Paul Hudson to bring Sundays to U.S. audiences this fall,” Lancrell told Variety. “This great film already has strong connections with audiences around the world, and we’re thrilled that American moviegoers will have the opportunity to see it in theaters,” he added. “We very much hope that the great success this film has enjoyed thus far continues in the United States.”
Co-produced by Movistar Plus+, Spain’s largest pay TV and SVOD operator, Sundays is a huge testament to Movistar’s commitment to producing so-called “event director” films, and is produced by Buenapinta Media (The Mole Agent), Encanta Films (Wounded), Sayaka Producciones (Daniela Forever), Colosé Producciones (Society of the Society”). Snow”), Think Studio (“Mirage”), Los Desencuentros Película.
Goya’s win for “Sundays” was a remarkable 12-month feat for Luis de Azua. Last year, Luis de Azúa won the top prize at Europe’s largest television festival, Seriesmania, for “Cueller,” achieving an astonishing double crown in the same year.
“Sunday”
