Newcomer Kids Film Tackles Tough Topics

Rodrigo Plá's "The Newcomers" ventures into children's cinema, addressing challenging themes like forced displacement, migration, and environmental exploitation in an accessible manner. The film, which premiered at Locarno's Kids Screenings, centers on three young friends, led by Mateo, who investigate the pollution of their local river. Tiana and her family have found refuge in Mateo's village, only to discover that the pollution they fled has followed them. This adventure, featuring Tiana's dog Nube, becomes a quest to uncover the source of the contamination.

The film adapts the book "They Came with the Wind" by Plá's regular collaborator and wife, Laura Santullo. Plá described the project as a challenge, employing new narrative tools for a young audience while retaining his long-standing concerns for social justice and critical thinking. He noted the unique perspective of giving voice to a child's subjectivity, with Mateo narrating the events as his memory of an epic year of growth and experiences.

Patra Spanou Film has secured world sales rights for "The Newcomers." Meanwhile, Plá and Santullo have three new projects in development: a musical, a dystopian drama, and a black-comedy thriller. Plá, known for his 2007 film "The Zone," consistently explores themes of public versus private tension and social processes through intimate, personal experiences, reflecting his evolving interests at different life stages.