Latin American distributor Cineplex has acquired North and South American sales rights to "La Residencia," the new film from Panamanian filmmaker Mariel García Spooner and her follow-up to the hit "Algo Azul."
The dramedy has just participated in Sanfic Industria's WIP Iberoamericana section, a competition of films from Latin America, Spain and Portugal screened in post-production at the industry arm of Santiago de Chile's Sanfic festival.
"La Residencia" follows three women friends in their mid-sixties who join forces to jointly face their money troubles and reinvent their future by creating a social club for seniors.
Cineplex managing partner Diana Dudek, who works alongside co-founder and general manager Elba McAllister, said the company has a long relationship with the director. "We have known Mariel for several years and have been working with her since her first film, 'Algo Azul.' We like her way of telling entertaining, relatable stories with a deeper underlying message," Dudek said. "With 'La Residencia,' from the moment we read the screenplay, we immediately connected with the story of these three friends who, at a more mature stage of their lives, decide to reinvent themselves and move forward together."
The project's development trajectory includes participation at Málaga WIP, after which it won the Latino Film Institute Work in Progress finishing fund at Laliff 2026, presented in collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios. Barcelona-based Only Postproduction also boarded the film to support its color grading, following a connection established during Mafiz.
The cast is led by Colombian actresses Xilena Aycardi and Marcela Carvajal, alongside Panamanian performers Diana Abouganem, Massiel Mas, Diego de Obaldía, Miguel Melfi, Beatriz García and Gregory Manrique.
"With 'La Residencia,' I tell the story of Cecilia, Rocío and Martina from a close and human perspective," García Spooner said. "They are three friends who begin to question what they want for their future and how to remain independent while everything around them is changing. The film explores friendship, the fear of growing older and above all, the possibility of starting over without losing who you are."
García Spooner's Panama-based Hello October produced the dramedy. The company's credits include her debut feature "Algo Azul," which was theatrically released in 11 territories and played on HBO Max and Amazon's Prime Video, as well as "Tumbadores," which is on Prime Video.
Now picture locked, "La Residencia" is in the final stages of post-production ahead of its festival launch. "The film has the potential to resonate with international audiences. We are delighted to be working with Mariel again, and we are confident that we will find the right partners to bring this film to audiences across different international markets," Dudek said.
Cineplex also picked up Colombian and Latin American rights to another Sanfic WIP title, "The Cry of Serankwa" by Yull Nuñez. The distributor's other recent acquisitions include the documentary "Yuma" and Klych López's "Irreparable," which world premieres at the Tallinn Black Nights film festival before its Latin American premiere at Argentina's Mar del Plata festival, according to McAllister. Starring Marcela Valencia and Marcela Mar, that film follows two estranged sisters whose reunion triggers long-harbored resentments.
