Fandango Sales picks up explosive Locarno premiere The Chilean
Fandango Sales picks up explosive international sales rights to Sergio Castro-San Martín's political thriller "The Chilean" ahead of its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, boarding the 1976 period drama about an exiled Chilean miner before festival buyers converge on Switzerland. Set in Turin, the story follows Aldo Marín as he flees Chile's regime and meets Luciana, a doctor who performs illegal abortions — but his talent for building bombs threatens his attempt to rebuild his life.
Key Takeaways
- Fandango Sales boarded "The Chilean" before its Locarno world premiere, positioning the distributor on a high-profile festival title.
- Camilo Arancibia stars as Aldo Marín alongside Sara Serraiocco, Gaetano Bruno, Andrew Bargsted, and Lorenzo Richelmy.
- The film is produced by Dispàrte, Equeco, and Cinédokké in association with Redibis Film.
- Director Castro-San Martín says every scene moves toward an inevitable explosion, with "everything on the verge of detonation."
- The acquisition lands as Locarno's 79th edition prepares major world premieres in August 2026.
Why did Fandango Sales board "The Chilean" before Locarno?
Variety reports that Fandango Sales has taken on Sergio Castro-San Martín's "The Chilean" ahead of its world premiere at Locarno. Boarding a festival-bound title before debut gives sales agents a chance to build international interest while critics and buyers are focused on the Swiss event.
For distributors tracking streaming and TV alerts, the deal signals continued appetite for politically charged period dramas with global festival pedigrees.
What is "The Chilean" about?
Set in 1976, the film follows Chilean miner Aldo Marín as he flees Chile's regime for Turin, where he meets Luciana, a doctor who performs illegal abortions. His attempt to rebuild his life is threatened by a talent that is also his curse: building bombs.
While inspired by Juan Cristóbal Guarello's book "Aldo Marín, Carne de Cañón," Castro-San Martín shifted the story's focus. In the book, the protagonist dreams of returning to Chile to assassinate Pinochet; in the film, Aldo's goal is simpler and more universal — reuniting with his wife and son.
Castro-San Martín told Variety that exile naturally leads to one of today's most pressing social issues: immigration, a theme that permeates every layer of the film.
Why does the director call the film explosive?
Castro-San Martín described Aldo Marín Piñones as a "ticking time bomb," and said the same of his film. "Every scene moves quietly towards an inevitable explosion, like a spark slowly traveling along a fuse," he told Variety. "Everything is on the verge of detonation. We know something is going to happen — we just don't know when or how."
The director also noted that Aldo's burden is one of accumulation: anger, grief over exile, and betrayal. That shared anger, reflected in Luciana as well, ultimately leads him to break a promise he made to himself.
How does "The Chilean" fit into Locarno's 2026 lineup?
"The Chilean" will have its world premiere at Locarno alongside other major titles landing distribution deals ahead of the festival. Hong Sangsoo's "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes," for example, will also premiere at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in August after Cinema Guild acquired North American rights.
Castro-San Martín said his greatest challenge was making a period film that felt "deeply rooted in the present," avoiding propaganda while revisiting the forced exile that triggered massive migration waves from Chile and Latin America — a feeling he argued is resurfacing today, if not in the streets then in the digital sphere.