Barcelona-based Filmax has secured international sales rights to “Luger,” the feature debut of Spanish filmmaker Bruno Martín.

A darkly comic, action-fuelled thriller, the film is already attracting strong attention across the international movie genre circuit.

“Luger” will world premiere in the official section of Austin’s Fantastic Fest, the largest genre festival in the U.S., whose upcoming edition takes place Sept. 18-25. It will then screen in competition at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival, opening Sept. 26, before making its Spanish debut at the Sitges Film Festival, one of the world’s premier genre platforms.

Produced by José Luis Rancaño at La Dalia Films (“The Elderly,” “The Forgotten Killings”), “Luger” draws inspiration from the high-octane thrillers of the 1980s. The screenplay was co-written by Martín and Santiago Taboada (“Equals”).

Set over the course of one frenetic day in a crumbling industrial zone outside a major Spanish city, the film follows Rafa and Toni, small-time hustlers working for Angela, a lawyer of questionable morals, who finds “quick fixes” for her clients.

The duo’s luck turns when they discover a WWII relic hidden in a client’s car trunk, which is worth a fortune on the black market. But what seems like a windfall quickly spirals into a chain of betrayal, junkyard standoffs and escalating violence.

The cast is led by David Sainz (“The Department of Time”) and Mario Mayo (“I’ll Crush Y’All”), joined by Ramiro Alonso (“The Fury of a Patient Man”), Ángel Acero (“The Last Circus”), Ana Turpin (“Amar es para siempre”), and Martín himself.

For Martín, “Luger” represents a return to Austin’s Fantastic Fest after winning two years ago the Audience Award as producer of Kike Narcea’s action comedy “Os reviento” (“I’ll Crush Y’All”), which also snagged Sitges’ Midnight X-treme Audience Award.

“It’s a low-budget movie, but high in action and laughs, reminiscent of the first Guy Ritchie films,” said Ivan Díaz, head of international at Filmax. “The film is creating great buzz on the festival circuit, while also being very commercial and entertaining.”

By Variety - See full article here

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