Luxbox and Amore Cine Board Melina León's 'Portrait Huaco'

France's Luxbox and Spain's Amore Cine have joined Melina León's Peruvian drama "Portrait Huaco" ("Huaco retrato"), bringing European sales muscle and co-production weight to one of Latin America's most closely watched auteur projects.

León debuted with "Song Without a Name" ("Canción sin nombre"), which world premiered in the 2019 Cannes Directors' Fortnight (a Cannes parallel section focused on new auteurs). Her second feature adapts the autobiographical novel of Peruvian author Gabriela Wiener.

The project participates in the 8th Proyecta Co-Production Forum at Ventana Sur, running in Montevideo, Uruguay from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4.

Why the two European companies signed on

Luxbox takes a double role: international sales agent and co-producer. "After the incredible journey we shared with 'Song Without a Name,' I'm thrilled to continue collaborating with Melina, now as both international sales agent and co-producer," said Luxbox's Fiorella Moretti.

She added: "'Portrait Huaco' explores questions at the heart of today's conversations in a truly original way, and I have no doubt it will resonate with audiences around the world." Moretti noted that, as a Peruvian, helping bring Wiener's work to the screen carries special meaning.

For Paz Lázaro, who co-founded Amore Cine alongside Edson Sidonie ("Karnawal") and Juan Pablo Felix ("Mil pedazos"), the draw was thematic. "Adapting Gabriela Wiener's 'Portrait Huaco' means bringing to the screen a work that bridges Latin America and Spain, weaving colonialism, racism, identity and desire with a voice both ancient and radically contemporary," she said.

She added: "For Amore Cine, alongside our fellow producing partners, this is an opportunity to champion a film with international reach that challenges perspectives and reexamines our shared history."

What is the film about?

The story follows Gabriela, who returns to Lima after her father dies. At home she discovers a book by her great-great-grandfather, the Austrian explorer Charles Wiener. Her search into the family past becomes a reckoning with the lingering legacies of colonialism, internalized racism and abandonment.

The two European companies join an established Peruvian base: Mano de Obra Cine, led by Melissa Cordero, and La Vida Misma Films, which produced "Song Without a Name."

Cordero framed the partnership in practical terms. "'Portrait Huaco' combines a distinctly Peruvian perspective with universal themes of identity, memory and colonial heritage," she said. "Under the direction of Melina León, the film seeks to preserve its cultural roots and Peruvian creative leadership while embracing an international scope through strategic co-production partnerships."

What does this change for the project?

In plain terms: financing and distribution reach. A French sales agent on board means the film now has a committed route to international buyers, while the Spanish and French co-producers open European funding channels and access to a wider festival market.

This isn't a first collaboration, either. "Portrait Huaco" marks the second co-production between Mano de Obra and Amore Cine, following "Ofelia," a late coming-of-age drama currently in post-production. That film's co-production roster includes Argentina's Bikini Films, Chile's Quijote Films, Brazil's África Filmes and CUP Filmes, Spain's Potenza Producciones and France's Reality Films.

Cordero laid out her broader strategy: "My near-term strategy is to strengthen Mano de Obra Cine's position as a production company focused on feature films, building strategic co-production partnerships across Latin America and Europe. I aim to combine public and private financing with international partnerships and distribution opportunities to develop a sustainable slate of films with strong creative identities and international reach."

She said she seeks "auteur-driven films with a distinctive cinematic voice and strong cultural identity," as well as genre films that can connect with wider audiences, particularly "stories rooted in Peru and Latin America that explore universal themes, bringing local perspectives to an international audience."

With its Ventana Sur showcase still ahead, "Portrait Huaco" now enters the forum with European partners already attached — a position that significantly strengthens its path from page to screen.