Spanish Comedy King Santiago Segura’s ‘The Night My Dad Saved Christmas’ Nabbed by Filmax (EXCLUSIVE)
02.09.2023 - 16:47
/ variety.com
Emiliano De Pablos Barcelona-based indie studio Filmax has nabbed international sales rights to Joaquín Mazón’s “The Night My Dad Saved Christmas,” starring Spain’s king of comedy Santiago Segura (”Father There Is Only One”) and Ernesto Sevilla (“I Can Quit Whenever I Want”). A Spain-Mexico co-production, the film teams Spain’s tax incentive structure La Navidad en Sus Manos AIE with three of Spain’s most successful film production companies: Nadie Es Perfecto, Esto También Pasará Producciones and Bowfinger International Pictures.
The family comedy, scripted by Francisco Arnal and Daniel Monedero (“1,000 Miles from Christmas”), is set in the days leading up to Christmas, when Santa – played by Segura – has an accident on his sleigh, right in the middle of Madrid, and ends up in hospital, where he will have to stay until after Christmas. Fortunately, Salva, the guy he’s sharing a room with at the hospital, is willing to step in and take on his all important Christmas work.
Santa will have no choice but to watch on as two protagonists, father and son, try to save Christmas and recover the close connection they once shared. The cast is completed by young actor Unax Hayden (“Irati,” 10,000 Species of Bees”), Pablo Chiapella (“Full of Grace”), María Botto (“Malnazidos”) and Emilio Gavira (“Rainbow”).
Mexican co-producer is SDB Films, in association with BTF Multimedia and AF Films. Madrid-based Mogambo (“1917,“ “A todo tren 2“), a tax rebate consultancy, production services and co-production house co-founded by Ignacio Salazar-Simpson, is also on board of the film, backed by public broadcaster RTVE, paybox Movistar Plus+ and Crea SGR, the Madrid City Council and Spain’s ICAA film institute.