San Sebastián Title ‘Surfacing’ Acquired by New York’s Visit Films

New York-based indie sales outfit Visit Films has acquired international distribution rights to Cecilia Atán and Valeria Pivato’s pensive second feature “Surfacing” (“La Llegada Del Hijo”) ahead of its global debut on Sunday as part of the San Sebastián Film Festival’s prestigious New Director’s Competition.

“We have had the privilege of helping launch films in San Sebastián for many years and are so pleased to be working on ‘Surfacing.’ Atán and Pivato have crafted a delicately balanced film that threads the fine needle of emotional subtlety and full-blooded passion.  It exists as an example of the duality of human existence and will be a thrilling watch for audiences,” Visit President Ryan Kampe said in a statement. 

The Argentine directors previously worked on 2017’s “The Desert Bride,” (“La novia del desierto”) which screened at Cannes as part of its Un Certain Regard section, going on to stun audiences as part of the Horizontes Latinos program at San Sebastian before nabbing the Argentine Film Critics Association’s silver condor plaudit for Best Debut Feature.

Once again pivoting from established and rigid gender norms, in “Surfacing,” Atán and Pivato manage a simmering account of Sofía (Maricel Álvarez ), a woman torn between the love and loyalty she’s meant to dole out to her misguided son (Angelo Mutti Spinetta) and the happiness she’s found while being apart from him during his incarceration.

“With this film, our second, we further explore the questions about motherhood, a role society has expected women to embrace since time immemorial, that we asked in our first joint production, ‘The Desert Bride,’” Atán and Pivato said in a statement.

“Our film explores the limits Sofía must confront on her journey. Her body becomes the battlefield where two opposing forces—mother and wife—vie for dominance, reflecting a present in which countless societal commandments still dictate our lives,” the directors further relayed.

“We trust in the film’s ability to provoke questions and spark imagination, freeing us from polarized thinking and opening the door to alternative perspectives. Our intention is to offer a fresh take on the dialogue cinema opens as a form of artistic expression about the world in which we live.”

The melancholy nature of the narrative is elevated by moody and evocative surroundings that effortlessly coax high onscreen emotion from the wayward characters. Filmed at singular Buenos Aires locations, like the antiquated Chacarita Cemetery, the directors pay slight homage to a city also yearning to come to terms with the duality that exists beneath its facade.

“The Chacarita Cemetery, particularly its unique Underground Pantheon, became the central visual anchor of the film’s aesthetic. This space, with its noble architecture, wide hallways, nooks, and contrasting lights and shadows, offers a dramatic chiaroscuro effect throughout the day. The contrast between its underground, humid depths—where pigeons hide—and the sprawling, sunlit park above symbolically reflects the dichotomies our protagonist faces. The park, filled with life, starkly contrasts with the somber expectations of a cemetery,” the duo explained.

“This interplay of contrasting spaces influenced many other creative decisions, from location scouting to the photographic style, which mirrors the internal contradictions of our protagonist. We crafted each frame to emphasize this tension, composing visuals where bright, clear spaces meet dark, shadowy corners that suggest hidden elements—echoing Sofía’s inner struggle. The pain, absence, and internal conflict she experiences are powerfully manifested in the film’s imagery.”

Greta Fernández and Cristina Banegas round out the cast of this Spanish-Argentine co-production between Fernanda del Nido at Spain’s Setembro Cine (“Neruda,” “A Fantastic Woman”), Juan Pablo Miller at Argentina’s Tarea Fina S.L.R (“The Sleepwalkers,” “Alemani”) and Cristina Zumárraga at Spain’s Tandem Films S.L  (“Close Your Eyes,” “Rosa’s Wedding”) with the participation of RTVE and funding from the ICAA, ICEC, INCAA and support of the Ibermedia Programme and Europa Creativa MEDIA. The film will be released in Spain by Madrid-based Bteam Pictures in March 2025.