Yahoo Lifestyle Spanish Goya Winner Arantxa Echevarría Boards Chile-Vietnam-Spain Co-Production ‘The Meeting’ (EXCLUSIVE)
An unprecedented co-production between Vietnam, Chile and Spain, “The Meeting” has found its director. The project was first announced at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2023.
Arantxa Echevarría, winner of Spain’s Oscar equivalent, a Goya, for her feature debut “Carmen and Lola” and whose €8.3 million ($8.6 million) box office with political thriller “Undercover” (“La Infiltrada”) has made her the highest-grossing female director in Spain’s cinematic history, has boarded the co-production as its helmer and co-screenwriter.
More from Variety
The political thriller details a historical encounter between Chile’s doomed president Salvador Allende, whose downfall heralded the rise of the brutal military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in 1973.
“When I learned about ‘The Meeting,’ I knew that I was the one to tell this story. First because both characters, of vital and historical importance, were tremendously attractive. They both changed the geopolitics of the world, they admired each other and were, in many ways, important to me,” said Echevarría who recalled how she sought to make a documentary with her 16mm camera on her first visit to Vietnam at the age of 23.
“Vietnam captivated me, but the presence of Uncle Ho, the veneration of people towards their leader who fought and defeated the greatest world power, remained engraved in my mind,” she recalled, adding: “Salvador Allende always haunted me with his last speech from the Palacio de La Moneda when he said: ‘The people must defend themselves, but not sacrifice themselves. The people must not allow themselves to be devastated or riddled, but they cannot humiliate themselves either.’”
She joins screenwriters Amelia Mora (“Undercover”) and Héctor Manteca to work on the screenplay based on the original script by Antonio Luco. Chile’s renowned screenwriter Gonzalo Maza (“A Fantastic Woman”) is attached as a script consultant.
The drama is co-produced by Patricio Ochoa of La Merced (Chile), VTV (Vietnam Television), Cristóbal Sotomayor of TwentyFour-Seven (Chile, Spain), Larry Leven (Spain, Goya nominated “Dragonkeeper”) and U.S.-based producer-festival programmer Hebe Tabachnik (“Valentina,” “The Perfect David”).
The project has received key backing from entrepreneur and producer Saga Nydegger (“Papá al Rescate”).
Citing the combined experience of the production houses behind the project and Echevarría as an ideal choice, Ochoa said: “This project is on its way to being one of the most relevant stories brought to film in recent years.”
Sotomayor concurred: “International collaboration is key on telling this story with the cultural and political richness it deserves. The contributing perspectives and visions will enrich the story and make it even more relevant and impactful.”
Celebrating Echevarría’s “unique vision as a director, Tabachnik pointed to the director’s “sensitivity when it comes to fleshing out her characters and her ability to approach stories with truth, with strength, but always with a deep and moving humanity.”
Leven recalled his having shot feature film “Thi Mai” in Vietnam in 2017. “The experience left an indelible memory and a wealth of expertise on the ground. This new project means returning there with none other than director Echevarría, and the phenomenal epic and emotion of this wonderful story,” he noted.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
