Mexico's Sula Films has boarded Tatiana Huezo's fiction feature "Galerna," days after the film won the Egeda Platino Industria Award at the San Sebastián Festival's WIP Latin America competition showcase. The prize carries $34,466 (€30,000), paid to the lead producer of the winning film.

Sula Films joins Pimienta Films, the production house behind "Roma," as a co-producer of Huezo's second fiction feature after "Prayers for the Stolen" ("Noche de fuego"). Producers Alejandro Sugich of Sula Films and Nicolás Celis of Pimienta Films struck the co-production pact during the festival.

The deal marks the companies' second collaboration after Amat Escalante's "Lost in the Night," which premiered in the Cannes Première section in 2023. Sugich and Celis plan to build on the partnership through future filmmaker-led projects with international reach.

"The film's positive reception is incredibly encouraging and gives us a much-needed breath of fresh air as we work to finish it during such challenging times for film financing," Celis said, thanking the festival and Egeda. He added: "I'm happy to announce that 'Galerna,' another beautiful and powerful Tatiana Huezo film is on its way."

Huezo built her international reputation on documentaries, led by "Tempestad" and "The Tiniest Place," both produced by Pimienta Films. The company also produced her fiction debut, "Prayers for the Stolen." Both "Tempestad" and "Prayers for the Stolen" went on to become Mexico's official submissions for the Academy Awards.

"Galerna" follows two casting directors who travel into remote Mexico to find natural actors for a science fiction film. Moving through isolated regions, they encounter a country that both welcomes and unsettles them, forcing a confrontation with their own fears and prejudices.

Spain's Elastica Films, whose credits include "Creatura," "Alcarràs" and "Romería," boarded the project at an earlier stage. Ilse Salas ("The Good Girls") and Ariel-nominated Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez ("Fauna") star. Ernesto Pardo, Huezo's long-time collaborator and partner, serves as cinematographer.

Pimienta Films ranks among the most prominent production companies in Mexico and Latin America, with credits including Amat Escalante's "Heli" and "The Untamed," the Oscar-winning "Roma" and "Emilia Pérez."

Sugich, who founded Sula Films, also serves as VP of Entertainment at the International Quorum of Film Producers. His producing credits include "Almost 30," "The Salvadors" and "I Promise Not to Fall in Love."

With two of Mexico's leading production houses now aligned and San Sebastián's industry vote of confidence secured, "Galerna" heads toward completion positioned as one of the most closely watched Latin American fiction features in the pipeline.