Feelsales Nabs International Sales Rights to Mariana Rondón’s ‘Zafari’

Spain’s Feelsales has clinched international sales rights to “Bad Hair” helmer Mariana Rondón’s latest pic, “Zafari,” ahead of its San Sebastian Festival World Premiere on Sept. 22. Its trailer debuts exclusively in Variety.

The Venezuelan-born filmmaker last won the Golden Seashell at San Sebastian for her 2013 drama “Bad Hair” (“Pelo Malo”), which picked up multiple awards in other festivals worldwide.

Set in a dystopian world devoid of water, food and hope, the arrival of a hippopotamus at the Caracas zoo pits two neighbors, Edgar (40) and Ali (40), against each other in a dispute over the care of the animal and of the community pool at their residential building. As electricity and food becomes ever scarcer and the heat unbearable, Ana (35), Edgar’s wife, seeks solutions to their harsh daily life, discovering that succumbing to the wild world is her only way to escape a reality without a future.

“We describe it as dystopian because, although it seems to refer to Venezuela, we aim to provide a broader view of Latin America today,” said Rondón.

“Feelsales won us over with their enthusiasm for the film and the fact that it’s mostly comprised of women,” said Rondón and Sudaca Films founding partner, Marité Ugás.

Previously known as a distributor of documentary features and short films, Feelsales “took a key step in its evolution by expanding its catalog to incorporate fiction feature films in 2022, focusing particularly on auteur cinema with high commercial potential and the ability to connect with broad audiences worldwide,” said its managing director, Luis Collar.

Rondón’s fourth feature is primarily a Peruvian production via Sudaca Films, with six other countries on board. These are Paloma Negra films of Mexico, Klaxon Cultura Audiovisual (Brazil), Still Moving (France), Quijote Films (Chile) as producers while Selene Films (Dominican Repúblic) and Artefactos SF (Venezuela) are co-producers.  

The drama was filmed mainly in the Dominican Republic with interiors shot in Peru, said Ugás.

Rondón and Ugás are both directors and screenwriters and tend to alternate the role of producer in each other’s projects. Their filmography includes: “Contactado” (2020), “Bad Hair” (2013), “El Chico que Miente” (2011),” Postales de Leningrado” (2007) and “A la Media Noche y Media” (2000).

In addition to its venture into fiction filmmaking, Feelsales has broadened its scope by providing distribution services at film festivals and incorporating projects in development, including television series.

It forms part of The Circular Group, a consortium that brings together companies in production, distribution, and talent management. Its presence in key film and TV markets establishes it as a comprehensive agency attuned to the industry’s evolving needs.