Studio in Barcelona Filmaxfor a couple of new products on the American film market – a survival thriller “Sloop”, time loop, comedy-thriller “Five more minutes” Origins of Spanish women's football “Another League” – secured the rights to worldwide sales outside Spain of the film “The Son”, which will take place on November 15 at the main international competition in Cairo Film Festival.
As previously announced, Filmax has domestic distribution rights for The Son in Spain and will release it in Spanish cinemas in the first half of 2026.
The Son adapts a Spanish publishing phenomenon, Barcelona writer Alejandro Palomas' illustrated novel Un Hijo, which has been translated into more than 20 languages. “Un Hijo” also received the Spanish National Prize for Literature for Children and Youth.
The world premiere of The Son in Cairo also marks the feature film debut of the respected Seville- and Madrid-based writer, producer and director. Nacho Houseco-writer and director of the 2016 animated film Ozzy.
La Casa is subsequently best known for creating two more cartoons: 2014's Superclaus and this year's Norbert. “The Son,” which he also co-wrote, remains in the world of children not the target audience, but rather its plot.
Co-written by Juan R. Apolo (“When Brooklyn Met Seville”), “The Son” begins with Maria, an inexperienced school psychologist, beginning to suspect that something is wrong with eight-year-old Guille, the new kid at school who just seems immensely and suspiciously happy, hiding a possibly dramatic situation with potentially dire consequences. She decides to decipher Guile's drawings, as well as overcome his father's aggressive resistance to any investigation.
“The book is not intended for a certain age. I haven't read anything about an 'emotional' children's detective story. Something is wrong with Guy, and it's very deep,” Palomas said when the novel appeared in 2016.
“This powerful film explores fear, silence and the fragile bond that develops between a child and the only adult who dares to listen, his school psychologist,” Filmax said in a statement.
The Son stars Macarena García (Mesias, House on Fire), who has quickly become one of the best actors of his generation, and Hugo Silva (Love), who showed off his range in the popular Movistar Plus+ series Marbella.
“My favorite movies are the ones that evoke emotion, and if there is one quality that The Son has, it’s that,” La Casa said. “When I finished reading the novel, I knew I had to make a film out of it. The Son challenges us as adults and also takes us back to that innocence of being children. A childhood that, unfortunately, is becoming increasingly vulnerable in our society.”
“This is a project we have been following for a long time. We know how deeply the novel has touched so many people, and the anticipation for its film adaptation is enormous,” added Ivan Diaz, head of international at Filmax. “The film's recent selection at the Cairo Film Festival is a wonderful recognition and proves that this film has the power to move people around the world.”
The Son is produced by Capitán Araña and Guion Alto, Madrid and Seville labels La Casa, and Veleta Films AIE. It is supported by Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, pay TV/SVOD dinar Movistar+ and Andalusian public television Canal Sur, and is also supported by the Andalusian Regional Government, the Regional Government of Madrid, the Provincial Council of Álava in the Basque Country and the EU Media Program, receiving funding from the Spanish Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO).
