Cannes Jury Winner Pablo Agüero to Make Animation Debut with Fantasy Feature ‘Gravityland,’ Headed to Ventana Sur’s Animation! Sidebar (EXCLUSIVE)

Spain’s Mil Monos Cine and Argentina’s Cosmic Brew Studios are teaming to produce leading Argentina-born and Spain-based filmmaker Pablo Agüero‘s “Gravityland,” a 2D animated feature project selected to pitch at this year’s Animation! sidebar at Ventana Sur.

In the film, a speleologist – a scientist who studies caves – disappears while investigating changes in Earth’s gravity field. When the planet’s gravity reverses, the specialist’s children decide to climb into the planet’s interior to look for her, understanding that when the world is turned upside down, one must jump into the void to reach the stars.

Agüero is an accomplished filmmaker who has worked in various mediums and genres. His 2006 short “Primera nieve” won the jury prize for best short film at Cannes and his 2008 feature “Salamandra” screened in competition at the French festival. This year, he helmed “Saint-Exupéry” starring Vincent Cassel, Louis Garrel and Diane Kruger and in 2020 he directed the San Sebastian standout “Coven,” which was nominated for nine Spanish Academy Goya Awards, winning five.

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Agüero is also co-writing the screenplay for “Gravityland” with Nicolás Britos, whose impressive resume is mostly made up of live-action titles, although he co-wrote the 2020 Annecy Contrechamp player “Lava.” Britos is also producing alongside Sol Cifuentes (“Diablo Viejo,” “Wixi Against the Binary Lens”) and Maximiliano Monzon (“Diablo Viejo,” “La Vagancia”).

Said Britos, “With Agüero’s unique visual style applied for the first time to animation, ‘Gravityland’ is not only an exploration of impossible worlds but also a chance to bring to life deeply human characters struggling to find their place in a (social and familial) world that has changed beyond recognition.”

According to the film’s producers, talks are underway with an A-list European comic book artist to help develop the visual world of “Gravityland.”

Mil Monos is based in Barcelona and focused on film, TV and transmedia projects. The company has several ambitious projects currently in development, including “Decibel,” an Agüero-led dystopian coming-of-age series selected for the Berlinale’s Co-Pro Series market, and “The Numbered Days,” a Berlinale Talent Project Market selection. The label enjoyed animation success this summer with its Annecy-selected animated short “Wixi Against the Binary Lens.”

Cosmic Brew is a Buenos Aires-based indie studio with experience in VR, AR, video games and CG animation. The company has produced several commissioned animated shorts for internal use by a major global bank.