Ilse Salas to Lead Quijote Films' 'To Die on Your Feet' (EXCLUSIVE)

Ilse Salas, winner of Mexico's Best Actress Ariel Award for "The Good Girls" ("Las niñas bien"), will lead the cast of Quijote Films' wry dramedy "To Die on Your Feet" ("Morir de Pie"), a project pitched this week at the Iberseries & Platino Industria in Madrid.

The film is the second fiction feature from Chilean director María Paz González. Her fiction debut, "Lina de Lima," world premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and won at FIC Valdivia. A journalist as well as a filmmaker, González is also known for her 2011 feature documentary "Hija."

"To Die on Your Feet" is described as a social-critique dramedy about a profession threatened by AI. It follows Cruz, an actress who works as a simulated patient for medical students. One night, she sees a body fall from her building. Instead of helping, she carries on with her life. Security cameras capture her actions. Unable to explain herself, Cruz realizes that her profession has made her insensitive.

Salas is among the most acclaimed Mexican actresses of her generation. Beyond the Ariel she won in 2019 for "The Good Girls," she received Ariel nominations for her performances in Alonso Ruizpalacios' "Güeros" and Abner Benaim's "Plaza Catedral," Panama's shortlisted entry to the 94th Academy Awards.

"Latin American cinema is the cinema I watch, seek out, make and dream about. Our voice needs to reach farther and we are making it heard," Salas said.

The project's development has spanned the globe, passing through programs at festivals in Marseille, Toulouse, San Sebastián, the Berlinale and Discovery TIFF 2029. Hulu, HBO and Mubi have already picked it up for various territories. The Pfeffer del Sur fund of the José Ignacio International Film Festival has also backed the film.

True to Chilean production practice, "To Die on Your Feet" is a six-country co-production. Quijote Films (Chile) leads, alongside Amore Cine (Spain), Sutor Kolonko (Germany), Tarantula (Luxembourg), Bocacha (Uruguay) and MartFilms (Mexico).

"We have spent years developing 'Morir de pie' as an international co-production and having Ilse Salas join as the lead is a decisive step forward," said Quijote Films' Giancarlo Nasi. "She is an actress we have admired for a long time, from films by filmmakers we love, such as 'Güeros' (Berlinale, Tribeca), to outstanding productions for major streaming platforms. Her career demonstrates extraordinary range, an exceptional level of acting and at the same time, a very special connection with audiences. It is precisely that combination of humor, discomfort and emotion that María Paz Gonzalez is looking for in this story."

Quijote, the Chilean production company with the largest number of completed international co-productions — 35 to date, including Chile's first co-production agreements with Ukraine and South Africa — is preparing another milestone: the first Chile–Morocco co-production. The feature documentary "Don't Let the Sun Go Up on Me," co-produced with France's Haut et Court, will be directed by Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir, winner of the Best Director Award in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2023 for "The Mother of All Lies." The project is currently in development and took part in the Venice Production Bridge 2026.

The news comes amid a separate controversy. Chile's Ministry of Cultures revoked the Audiovisual Minority Co-Production fund awarded to "The Smell of Apples," the first Chilean co-production with the African continent, following an administrative observation. The case is under review by Quijote Films' legal team, who are determining next steps.

The dispute coincides with a high-profile launch for the film: "The Smell of Apples," directed by John Trengove ("The Wound," "Manodrome"), world premiered in the Platform competition at TIFF 2026. Platform is the festival's only competitive section, and this year its winning film also receives a direct spot in the Academy Awards race for Best International Feature Film. The film had been a strong contender to represent South Africa in that race, but that country's submission went to "Variations on a Theme" by Devon Delmar and Jason Jacobs.