Latin American distributor Cineplex has picked up both North and South American sales rights to “La Residencia,” Mariel Garcia Spooner’s follow up to hit “Algo Azul.”
“La Resdemcia” has just participated in the 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.
Directed by Panamanian filmmaker García Spooner, the dramedy follows three women friends in their mid-sixties who join forces in order to jointly face their money troubles and reinvent their future by creating a social club for seniors.
Said Cineplex managing partner Diana Dudek, who works alongside co-founder-general manager Elba McAllister: “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.”
“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 dramedy’s development trajectory includes it 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. In addition, Barcelona-based Only Postproduction boarded the project to support its color grading, following a connection established during Mafiz.
It stars Colombian actresses Xilena Aycardi and Marcela Carvajal, alongside Panamanian cast members Diana Abouganem, Massiel Mas, Diego de Obaldía, Miguel Melfi, Beatriz García and Gregory Manrique.
Said García Spooner: “With ‘La Residencia,’ I tell the story of Cecilia, Rocío and Martina from a close and human perspective. 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.”
Her Panama-based Hello October company produced the dramedy. Among its credits is Garcia Spooner’s debut feature “Algo Azul,” which was theatrically released in 11 territories and played on HBO Max and Amazon’s Prime Video. It also produced “Tumbadores,“ which is on Prime Video.
Now picture locked, “La Residencia” is in its 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,” said Dudek.
Cineplex also picked up Colombian and Latin American rights to another Sanfic WIP title, “The Cry of Serankwa” by Yull Nuñez.
Cineplex’s other recent acquisitions include the documentary “Yuma” and Klych López’s “Irreparable,” which world premieres at the Tallinn Black Nights film fest and has its Latin American premiere at Argentina’s Mar del Plata fest, said McAllister. Starring Marcela Valencia and Marcela Mar, it follows two estranged sisters whose reunion triggers long-harbored resentments.