Based in Buenos Aires Mateo Bendesky’s comedy “The Unexpected Joker” (“El Metodo Tangalanga”), a popular comedy made by renowned Argentine producer Diego Dubcovsky under his production company, Varsovia Films, has been acquired by FilmSharks.
The movie will be shown in Latin America in January 2023 under Disney’s brand-new theatrical distribution arm, Star Distribution.
The Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina had the comedy’s world premiere, where it first attracted the attention of several sales agencies. Deal is just one of several to come out of Ventana Sur, which the pandemic forced to move online but is now back in full force as a live event.
Previously, Dubcovsky and FilmSharks worked together on the Berlinale Panorama films “The Tenth Man” (“El Rey del Once”) and “The Mystery of Happiness,” both of which were directed by Daniel Burman, a former business colleague of Dubcovsky’s at BD Cine. Leading Latin directors like Anahi Berneri, Walter Salles, and Burman, whose film “Lost Embrace” won two top prizes at the Berlinale, are among those he has produced extensively.
“We are happy and proud that FilmSharks is handling the representation and marketing of our new comedy; we know that the picture is in the greatest hands,” stated Dubcovsky.
Guido Rud, the founder and CEO of FilmSharks, said, “We are thrilled to work with the skill of director Mateo Bendesky and the magic hand of a brilliant producer like Dubcovsky. We have also acquired the remake rights to the comedy.
On behalf of FilmSharks, a deal was negotiated at Ventana Sur by Dubcovsky, Federico Pascua, and Santiago Migdal.
“I had the privilege of distributing several of Dubcovsky’s works, and I could not have more regard and admiration for him. On this new, inventive, and hilarious movie, I adore working with him again,” said Pascua.
It’s always wonderful to discover an Argentinean gem as creative and original as this title and to represent it internationally, said Migdal.
The story of “The Unexpected Joker,” which takes place in the 1960s, centres on shy corporate worker Jorge Rizzi, whose life takes a hilarious turn when he takes part in a hypnosis session that causes him to lose control and unleash his alter ego, the untamed and sexy Doctor Tangalanga. He first utilises his new abilities to encourage his friend Sixto while he recovers, and then he seduces Clara, the front desk agent at the sanitarium where Sixto is being treated. But before long, everything starts to go crazy.
Leading Argentine actors Martin Piroyansky (“Permitidos,” “Porn & Ice Cream”), Julieta Zylberberg (“Wild Tales,” “The Tenth Man”), and Alan Sabbagh (“The Tenth Man”) are featured in “The Unexpected Joker.”
