'The Count,' the New Film by Pablo Larraín, Will Be Screened in the Official Competition of the Venice International Film Festival
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The film, written by Pablo Larraín and his regular collaborator Guillermo Calderón, will premiere on Netflix during the second half of 2023.
The Venice International Film Festival announced today that El Conde, Pablo Larraín's first film for Netflix, will be part of the Festival's official competition in its 80th edition to be held between August 30 and September 9, 2023.
El Conde is a dark comedy/horror that imagines a parallel universe inspired by the recent history of Chile. The film portrays Augusto Pinochet, a symbol of world fascism, as a vampire who lives hidden in a ruined mansion in the cold southern tip of the continent. Feeding his appetite for evil to sustain his existence. After two hundred and fifty years of life, Pinochet has decided to stop drinking blood and abandon the privilege of eternal life. He can no longer bear that the world remembers him as a thief. Despite the disappointing and opportunistic nature of his family, he finds new inspiration to continue living a life of vital and counterrevolutionary passion through an unexpected relationship.
About the story, Pablo Larraín said: “I have spent years imagining Pinochet as a vampire, as a being that never stops circulating through history, both in our imagination and nightmares. Vampires do not die, they do not disappear, nor do the crimes and thefts of a dictator who never faced true justice. Together with my collaborators on the film, we wanted to show the brutal impunity that Pinochet represents. Showing him head on for the first time so the world can feel his true nature: see his face, smell his scent. For that, we have used the language of satire and political farce, where the General suffers an existential crisis and must decide if it is worth continuing his life as a vampire, drinking the blood of his victims, and punishing the world with his eternal evil. An allegorical reminder of why history needs to repeat itself in order to remind us of how dangerous things can become.”
The film has a cast with an outstanding career among which are Jaime Vadell (Tres tristes tigres, No) and Gloria Münchmeyer (La luna en el espejo, 42 Days of Darkness) who will play the central couple of this black comedy with historical elements, in addition to the actors Alfredo Castro (Tony Manero, Tengo miedo torero) and Paula Luchsinger (Ema, La Jauría).
About presenting the film worldwide at the Festival, Pablo said: “I am delighted to return to Venice, a true historical temple for world cinema, with this film that has been in the making for years and that finally sees the light thanks to the immense work of hundreds of Chilean technicians, artists and actors, with the support and trust of Netflix, a great partner for contemporary cinema.”
El Conde will be available on Netflix during the second half of 2023.
Director: Pablo Larraín Producers: Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue Production: Fabula Script: Pablo Larraín, Guillermo Calderón Cast: Jaime Vadell, Gloria Münchmeyer, Alfredo Castro, Paula Luchsinger
About Fabula Founded in 2003 by brothers Juan de Dios Larraín (producer) and Pablo Larraín (director/producer), Fabula is a film, television, advertising, audio series, and production services company, recognized for having won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (2018) with “A Fantastic Woman”; For hits multiple Academy Award nominations for “Jackie” (2016) and “Spencer” (2021), including Best Actress nomination for Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart. In addition to Golden Globe nominations with "El Club" (2015) and "Neruda" (2016), in the "Best Non-English Language Film" category. Among its works, it stands out the production of more than 30 films; 3 audio series, one of them with two seasons, more than 900 advertisements and 6 series that include: “42 Days of Darkness”, “El Refugio”, in addition to the two seasons of “Miss 89 ", "Prófugos ", "La Jauría” and “El Presidente”. Among its most recent projects is the documentary "The Eternal Memory", awarded at the last edition of the Sundance Festival, as well as the first part of the action film trilogy "Sayen" released on Prime Video.