Films Boutique Picks Up Albert Serra’s ‘Afternoons of Solitude’

Films Boutique has picked up international rights to Albert Serra’s documentary “Afternoons of Solitude” (Tardes de Soledad) ahead of its world premiere in the competition section of the San Sebastian Film Festival.

The film marks the third collaboration between Serra and Berlin-based Films Boutique after “Liberté,” winner of the Special Jury Prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard in 2019, and “Pacifiction,” which premiered in Cannes competition in 2022 and went on to earn nine nominations and two wins at France’s Cesar.

Further awards for “Pacifiction” included best director and cinematography at France’s Lumiere Awards, as well as 11 nominations at the Gaudi awards with wins for cinematography, production design and non-Catalan language film. The film also received a best film nod from the Guardian and was also elected best film of the year by the Cahiers du Cinéma.

“Afternoons of Solitude” is a portrait of bullfighting star Andrés Roca Rey, which allows the audience to reflect on the intimate experience of the bullfighter who assumes the risk of facing the bull as a personal duty out of respect for tradition and as an aesthetic challenge. “This challenge creates a form of ephemeral beauty through the material and violent confrontation between human rationality and the brutality of the wild animal,” according to a statement.

The film is produced by Serra’s Andergraun Films with Lacima Producciones (Spain), Idéale Audiences (France) and Rosa Filmes (Portugal).

A Contracorriente Films handles distribution in Spain.

The producers are Serra, Montse Triola, Luís Ferrón, Pedro Palacios, Ricard Sales, Pierre-Olivier Bardet and Joaquim Sapinho. The executive producer is Triola.

Cinematography is by Artur Tort, editing by Serra and Tort, and sound by Jordi Ribas.