– The Costa Rican-Argentinian director’s new movie homes in on an eight-year-old who spends his days with his aunt while his mother battles a serious illness
Silent Birds by Sofía Quirós Úbeda (© Sputnik Films)
Italian world sales outfit Luminalia has acquired international sales rights to Silent Birds, the second fiction feature by Costa Rican-Argentinian filmmaker Sofía Quirós Úbeda, whose debut feature, Land of Ashes, premiered in the Cannes Critics’ Week in 2019.
The film is being produced by Mariana Murillo and Cecilia Salim for Sputnik Films (Costa Rica) and Murillo Cine (Argentina), in co-production with Vulcana Cinema (Brazil), El Viaje Films (Spain), Staer (Norway) and Promenades Films (France).
Set in an arid, rural town, the movie follows eight-year-old Oliver, who spends his days with his aunt Paloma while his mother battles a serious illness. As grief and uncertainty reshape the family dynamic, the boy clings increasingly to his aunt, projecting onto her the fantasy of a new mother figure.
The cast includes Oliver Macluf Vargas, Isabella Noorifard Ulate, Wendy Chinchilla and Julio Briceño Mena. Behind the camera, Francisca Sáez Agurto serves as the DoP, while the editing is handled by Valeria Racioppi Gómez. The creative team also includes production designer Richard Tavares, costume designer Mariana Seropian, sound designer Tiago Bello, and composers Jonay Armas and Wissam Hojeij.
Quirós Úbeda has described the project as “a raw yet luminous story, where pleasure, childhood and the vital pulse of birth envelop the characters. A story that reconnects us with the vitality that springs from grief.” The filmmaker added that she began writing the screenplay in 2020, when her mother fell ill and she had to take care of her younger sister.
Luminalia head Tommaso Priante said: “We had been following Sofia’s work for a long time, and when we finally had the chance to meet her and the whole team, there was a great energy from the very beginning.” He added that Silent Birds “manages to hold many different elements together and contains multiple cinematic languages; it is intimate while also full of joy.”
The producers commented: “We are truly excited to begin this journey alongside a sales agent like Luminalia, accompanying the film’s releases across different territories.” They further described the Italian company as “an ideal partner for Silent Birds – not only because of the team’s experience with sensitive projects like ours, but also because of their dynamic and innovative vision within the world of international sales and film festivals.”
During its development, Silent Birds participated in initiatives including the Berlinale Talents Script Station, La Fabrique Cinéma and the San Sebastián Co-Production Forum, where it received the ARTE Award. The project also secured backing from Ibermedia, TorinoFilmLab’s co-production fund, Aide aux cinémas du Monde, and several national and regional funds across Costa Rica, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Norway and France.
