‘El ser querido / The Beloved’ by Rodrigo Sorogoyen to join the Made in Spain section

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s latest feature, El ser querido / The Beloved, joins the Made in Spain programme. Starring Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo. The film, recently released in commercial theatres, participated in the Official Selection at the last Festival de Cannes. The addition of this film completes the Made in Spain programme, a section featuring 25 titles and showcasing a selection of the year’s Spanish cinema, with productions to have had their release or not in Spain, to which the San Sebastián Festival offers a springboard for their international dissemination.

In the film, written by Sorogoyen and Isabel Peña, Bardem embodies an acclaimed and controversial film director estranged for years from his daughter, played by Luengo. For his latest project, the filmmaker casts her in a role under the pretext of helping her stalled acting career, reopening old wounds that had never really healed.

El ser querido is a Movistar Plus Original, co-produced with Caballo Films and El Ser Querido AIE—and with Le Pacte in France—in association with Canal+. It features funding from the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) and Creative Europe MEDIA, and support from the Catalan Institute of Cultural Enterprises (ICEC) and the Community of Madrid. Tengo dudas de si, excepto Media, hay que traducir by the face el nombre de las instituciones.

Rodrigo Sorogoyen (Madrid, 1981) joined Peris Romano to co-direct his debut feature, 8 citas (2008). With Stockholm (2013) he bagged three awards at Málaga and one Goya, while Que Dios nos perdone / May God Save Us (2016) won the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay in San Sebastián and the Goya for Best Actor. He once again competed for the Golden Shell in 2018 with El reino / The Realm, which harvested seven Goya awards. Madre / Mother (2019) received the Best Actress Award in the Orizzonti section at Venice. As bestas / The Beasts (Perlak, 2022) participated in Cannes Premiere and scooped nine Goyas, including Best Picture and Director, as well as the César for Best Foreign Film. He has also directed the series Antidisturbios / Riot Police (Official Selection out of competition, 2020) and Los años nuevos / The New Years, plus an episode of Apagón / Offworld (Official Selection out of competition, 2022).

El ser querido / The Beloved

Rodrigo Sorogoyen (Spain)

Country(ies) of production: Spain - France

The acclaimed film director Esteban Martínez is a legend both for his films and for his past marked by violence and excess. For his new project, he offers his daughter Emilia a role under the pretext of helping her with her stalled acting career. Living together on set will foster a closeness they haven’t shared for years, but it will also reopen old wounds that never healed.