Spain’s Sideral to Produce and Distribute Juan Diego Botto Femicide Drama ‘Los Relatos’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Madrid-based Sideral, an integrated production-distribution-sales label which debuted in 2023 at the Berlinale, has announced plans to produce and distribute “Los Relatos” a femicide drama by Miguel del Arco with Juan Diego Botto (“The Room Next Door”), Marta Etura (“Cell 211”) and Ainara Elejalde (Mr. No One”) leading the cast.

Sideral will handle both international sales and distribution in Spain.

Principal photography kicks off in September with Aquí y Allí Films also producing. Its release is targeted for late next year.

“Los Relatos” explores the lasting, painful repercussions of a femicide — even more than 20 years after the crime was committed. It follows Pablo (played by Botto), who returns to his hometown after serving time for the murder of his wife — the very place where it all happened. Only the audience can decide whether he deserves a second chance — ostensibly one his victim will never have.

Said del Arco: “Writing this script has kept me on a constant edge, forcing me to confront deep contradictions. But the act of empathy is precisely what makes us human. Trying to put oneself in another’s place is, I believe, the only way we can move forward as a society.”

Expressing his full confidence in del Arco and his cast, Sideral’s Roberto Butragueño said: “’Los Relatos’ is a bold, necessary project, full of sensitivity.”

The drama explores the emotional and moral complexities that arise when a murderer decides to confront his past rather than vanish into anonymity. It delves into the needs of victims and their families as they seek to reclaim dignity in the aftermath of violence. At its core, the story examines the uneasy coexistence of reintegration and justice, the possibility of forgiving the unforgivable and the pursuit of redemption in the face of irreparable harm.

“What’s truly valuable about this film is the number of questions it raises. We would love for ‘Los Relatos’ to be an accessible proposal for audiences, without giving up on exploring the human issues that generate contradictions, doubts and even rejection,” said Aquí y Allí Films’ Pedro Hernández.

Founded by Butragueño of Elamedia Estudios, Sideral first made its debut presenting feature project “Cheaper Than Stealing” at the Berlinale Co-Production Market two years ago. It launched with a strong slate of 22 titles in either production, distribution or sales. These included Javier Rebollo’s “In the Sultan’s Bedchamber” and “I Have Electric Dreams” from Costa Rican Locarno multiple winner, Valeria Maurel.

Its distribution unit, led by Maria Oliva, has a slew of high-profile pics slated to release, including Michel Franco’s “Dreams” starring Jessica Chastain, and “The Chronology of Water,” starring Imogen Poots, Thora Birch and Jim Belushi.

Other Sideral features in production are Anxos Fazàns’s “Broken Lines” (“Las lineas discontinues”), Manuel Gómez Pereira’s “The Dinner” (“La Cena”) and Igor Legarreta’s “Blind Ants” (“Las ciegas hormigas”).