Lights On snags Colombia’s Locarno-bound debut feature
Boutique Italian sales agency Lights On has picked up international sales rights to Colombian director Manuel Ponce de León’s debut feature “In All My Journeys I Am Returning,” ahead of its Locarno world premiere. The italybased lights snags colombias deal marks Lights On’s fifth straight year in Locarno’s Filmmakers of the Present competition.
Key Takeaways
- Lights On acquired international sales rights to Manuel Ponce de León’s debut feature ahead of Locarno.
- The film world-premieres in Locarno’s Filmmakers of the Present competition.
- Set in early 19th-century Colombia, it follows a Swedish couple along the Magdalena River.
- The 79th Locarno Film Festival runs August 5–15, 2026.
What did Lights On actually acquire?
According to Variety’s exclusive report, boutique Italian sales agency Lights On has taken international sales rights to “In All My Journeys I Am Returning” (“Todos mis viajes son viajes de regreso”).
The title is the first feature from Colombian filmmaker Manuel Ponce de León. Flavio Armone, co-founder and managing director at Lights On, called it an “exceptionally bold and distinctive first feature” expected to resonate with audiences worldwide.
For readers tracking festival-to-platform pipelines, more deal alerts live in our Streaming & TV Alerts hub.
Why does the Locarno bow matter?
The drama is set for its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in the Filmmakers of the Present competition. Lights On is returning to that section for a fifth consecutive year.
The 79th Locarno Film Festival runs August 5–15. The sales pickup comes ahead of that bow, giving the agency a window to present the film to international buyers during the festival.
What is the film about?
Set in early 19th-century Colombia, the story follows a young Swedish couple navigating the Magdalena River in search of a fabled gold mine. As they move through a war-scarred landscape, time fractures and memory overtakes reality.
Ponce de León shot the drama in sepia tones with long-time collaborator Angello Faccini along the Magdalena River, using the colonial-era town of Honda as a base. Dialogue is in Spanish, Swedish, French and Polish. Camila Bejarano Wagner and Fredrik Lundin star, with French indie actor Denis Lavant in a pivotal role.
Who is behind the production?
The film is produced by Ponce de León’s Los Niños Films with Daniela Rocha Giraldo, Ana Winograd and Héctor Ulloque producing alongside him. The director studied filmmaking in Berlin and art history and philosophy in Colombia, citing poet León de Greiff as a lasting influence.
“This film has been a long and deeply personal journey and I am very happy to have found a team that understands its sensibility,” Ponce de León said of partnering with Lights On.