EXCLUSIVE : With two days to go until the opening of the Venice Film Festival, Deadline can reveal a teaser for Argentinian director Luis Ortega’s competition title Kill the Jockey. Nahuel Pérez Biscayart stars in the absurdist comedy as a legendary jockey whose self-destructive behaviour is beginning to outshine his talent and threaten his relationship with his girlfriend Abril (Úrsula Corberó). On the day of the most important race of his career that will clear him of his debts from mobster boss Sirena (Daniel Gimenez Cacho), he has a severe accident, disappears from the hospital and wanders the streets of Buenos Aires.
Free from his identity, he starts to discover who he is truly meant to be. But Sirena wants him found, dead or alive. Kill The Jockey will world premiere in competition at Venice this week and then heads to Toronto where it makes it North American debut in the festival’s Centrepiece section.
Ortega also co-wrote the script with Rodolfo Palacios and Fabián Casas. Buenos Aires-born actor Biscayart, who divides his time between his native Argentina and France, is best known internationally for his performances in 120 Beats per Minute, and My New Friends . Corberó’s credits include Netflix’s Money Heist and she is soon to be seen in Sky series The Day of the Jackal .
The production brings together a raft of Latin America’s top producers. The film is produced by Rei Pictures’ Benjamín Domenech, Santiago Gallelli and Matías Roveda ( The Settlers , The Rescue , Zama ); Ortega and Esteban Perroud via their production label El Despacho; Infinity Hill’s Axel Kuschevatzky and Cindy Teperman ( Argentina 1985 ); Warner Music Entertainment’s Charlie Cohen and Exile’s Nando Vila and Paz Lázaro. Executive producers include Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro, Isaac Lee, Ron Broitman, Federico Frágola, Phin Glynn, Delfina Montecchia and Martín Fisner.
The film is co-produced by Piano, El Estudio, Snowglobe, Jacinto Films and Barraca, in association with VIX, Pampa Films and Gloriamundi, together with Dim Films and Fundación Ernesto Sábato. Protagonist Pictures is handling sales..
