Barcelona-based indie studio Filmax has nabbed international sales rights to Joaquín Mazón’s “The Night My Dad Saved Christmas,” starring Spain’s king of comedy Santiago Segura (”Father There Is only One”) and Ernesto Sevilla (“I Can Quit Whenever I Want”).
A Spain-Mexico co-production, the film teams Spain’s tax incentive structure La Navidad en Sus Manos AIE with three of Spain’s most successful film production companies: Nadie Es Perfecto, Esto También Pasará Producciones and Bowfinger International Pictures.
The family comedy, scripted by Francisco Arnal and Daniel Monedero (“1,000 Miles from Christmas”), is set in the days leading up to Christmas, when Santa – played by Segura –has an accident on his sleigh, right in the middle of Madrid, and ends up in hospital, where he will have to stay until after Christmas.
Fortunately, Salva, the guy he’s sharing a room with at the hospital, is willing to step in and take on his all important Christmas work.
Santa will have no choice but to watch on as two protagonists, father and son, try to save Christmas and recover the close connection they once shared.
The cast is completed by young actor Unax Hayden (“Irati,” 10,000 Species of Bees”), Pablo Chiapella (“Full of Grace”), María Botto (“Malnazidos”) and Emilio Gavira (“Rainbow”).
Mexican co-producer is SDB Films, in association with BTF Multimedia and AF Films.
Madrid-based Mogambo (“1917,“ “A todo tren 2“), a tax rebate consultancy, production services and co-production house co-founded by Ignacio Salazar-Simpson, is also on board of the film, backed by public broadcaster RTVE, paybox Movistar Plus+ and Crea SGR, the Madrid City Council and Spain’s ICAA film institute.
Madrid-based Nadie Es Perfecto has produced Alex de la Iglesia’s “Perfect Strangers,” one of the highest-grossing of Spanish films in the last decade.
Arguably Spain’s most successful production company of the last decade, Bowfinger International Pictures, the prolific production label run by actor-filmmaker Segura and partner María Luisa Gutiérrez, has produced more near 40 films, many of them box office hits, including “Father There is only One” and “A todo tren” franchises.
For its part, Cadiz-based Esto También Pasará, headed by Álvaro Ariza, has a robust portfolio of hit films and series, including “¡Ay, mi madre!” from Frank Ariza, Macarena Astorga’s “The Snail’s House,” “De Caperucita a loba,” directed by Chus Gutiérrez, and more recently Mexican Gabriel Beristain’s “Ya no quedan junglas adonde regresar,” toplining Ron Perlman.
“It is a film that inevitably takes us back to our childhood, to keep dreaming and to not lose our faith. Technically ambitious, narratively very emotional and a perfect experience to go to the movies with the whole family,” said Nadie Es Perfecto founder Kiko Martínez.
“This heartwarming Christmas movie is a gift for the whole family. With its touching story and messages of love and togetherness, it serves as a perfect reminder of what truly matters during the Christmas Season,” share Bowfinger CEO María Luisa Gutiérrez and Esto También Pasará’s Álvaro Ariza.
“The fantastic work of the director shines throughout the film, creating a magical cinema experience that captures extraordinarily well the essence of Christmas. Moreover, overcoming the complexities of production only adds an extra touch of magic to this movie, showcasing the commitment and dedication of the behind-the-scenes team,” they added.
”This is a highly-commercial project that has the potential to be a huge box-office hit in Spain come Christmas, 2023. The combination of Segura and the producers Martínez, Gutiérrez and Ariza is synonymous with success.
“The film is still in post-production, but we know that international buyers will want to have it on their radar, so they can evaluate it with regards to new releases for this Christmas,” said Iván Díaz, Filmax head of international,” he added.
International buyers will be able to watch the trailer of “The Night My Dad Saved Christmas” at Toronto.
