{"id":30287,"date":"2026-08-06T21:42:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=30287"},"modified":"2026-08-06T21:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:42:21","slug":"bendita-film-sales-picks-up-toronto-title-the-fortunate-isles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=30287","title":{"rendered":"Bendita Film Sales Picks Up Toronto Title &#8216;The Fortunate Isles&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/bendita-film-sales\/\" id=\"auto-tag_bendita-film-sales\" data-tag=\"bendita-film-sales\">Bendita Film Sales<\/a> has acquired international rights to \u201cThe Fortunate Isles\u201d (\u201cLas islas afortunadas\u201d), a 15th-century period drama directed by <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/helena-giron\/\" id=\"auto-tag_helena-giron\" data-tag=\"helena-giron\">Helena Gir\u00f3n<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/samuel-delgado\/\" id=\"auto-tag_samuel-delgado\" data-tag=\"samuel-delgado\">Samuel Delgado<\/a>, ahead of its world premiere in Toronto\u2019s Discovery section.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cThe Fortunate Isles\u201d marks the second feature from Gir\u00f3n and Delgado, whose debut, \u201cThey Carry Death\u201d (\u201cEles transportan a morte\u201d), premiered at Venice International Critics\u2019 Week in 2021 before receiving a Special Jury Mention at San Sebasti\u00e1n\u2019s Zabaltegi-Tabakalera sidebar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe Spanish-Greek co-production is produced by Spain\u2019s El Viaje Films and La Banda Negra, with Greece\u2019s Asterisk* as co-producer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSet in the Canary Islands following the French-Norman conquest of the archipelago\u2019s eastern islands, the film unfolds as a new colonial order takes root under the Spanish Crown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tF\u00e1tima, an enslaved woman, lives under an elderly, decadent French marquis who controls the island\u2019s only source of fresh water. When villagers rebel and the well runs dry, she sets out across the barren landscape in search of water \u2014 and a chance of survival for the entire community.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The_Fortunate_Islands_02.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The_Fortunate_Islands_02.jpg 2047w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The_Fortunate_Islands_02.jpg?resize=150,81 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The_Fortunate_Islands_02.jpg?resize=300,163 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"556\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">\u2018The Fortunate Isles\u2019 Courtesy of Bendita Film Sales<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cSet in a forgotten corner of our colonial history, which Greek mythology once placed Paradise, \u2018The Fortunate Isles\u2019 evokes a world of drought and conquest, where the fates of enslaved people, settlers and survivors converged in the violent birth of a new social order whose legacy continues to shape our present,\u201d Gir\u00f3n and Delgado said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tNewcomer Luisa Ahl Laabiad leads the cast as F\u00e1tima. Lou Castel, known for Marco Bellocchio\u2019s \u201cFists in the Pocket,\u201d and longtime Claire Denis collaborator Gr\u00e9goire Colin (\u201cBeau Travail\u201d) co-star.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWe were immediately drawn to the singular world Helena and Samuel have created,\u201d said Bendita Film Sales CEO Luis Renart. \u201cRooted in a little-known chapter of Canary Islands history, the film turns scarcity, conquest and rebellion into a striking and deeply contemporary story about power, solidarity and collective survival.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201c\u2018The Fortunate Isles\u2019 speaks powerfully to the present moment, exploring urgent questions of resource scarcity, power and exploitation while offering a deeply humane vision of another possible future, one grounded in solidarity, collective care and resistance, all within the directors\u2019 most narrative-driven film to date,\u201d said Marina Alberti at Santa Cruz de Tenerife-based El Viaje Films.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe film is produced by Jos\u00e9 Alay\u00f3n, Jairo L\u00f3pez, Jos\u00e9 Miguel Vi\u00f1a and Jamie Weiss at El Viaje, alongside La Banda Negra\u2019s Samuel Delgado. Alberti serves as an executive producer with Asterisk*\u2019s Vicky Miha and La Banda Negra\u2019s Helena Gir\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tShot in the Canary Islands and post-produced in Athens by Greek co-producer Asterisk*, \u201cThe Fortunate Isles\u201d is spoken in Spanish, French and Arabic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe project received public backing from Spain\u2019s ICAA, the Canary Islands government, the Greek Film Institute and Creative Europe MEDIA slate funding. During development, it was selected for Mexico\u2019s Catapulta Ficunam, Greece\u2019s Oxbelly Screenwriters Program, Spain\u2019s ECAM Forum and the D\u2019A Film Lab.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tGir\u00f3n and Delgado have collaborated for more than a decade on films exploring history, mythology and materialism. Their shorts \u201cNeither God Nor Santa Mar\u00eda\u201d and \u201cBurning Mountains That Spew Flame\u201d both screened at Toronto, while \u201cPlus Ultra\u201d premiered at Locarno.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Helena_Giron-Samuel_DelgadoJose_Alayon.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Helena_Giron-Samuel_DelgadoJose_Alayon.jpg 3637w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Helena_Giron-Samuel_DelgadoJose_Alayon.jpg?resize=150,82 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Helena_Giron-Samuel_DelgadoJose_Alayon.jpg?resize=300,165 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Helena_Giron-Samuel_DelgadoJose_Alayon.jpg?resize=125,70 125w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"562\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">Samuel Delgado and Helena Gir\u00f3n Courtesy of Bendita Film Sales<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bendita Film Sales has acquired international rights to \u201cThe Fortunate Isles\u201d (\u201cLas islas afortunadas\u201d), a 15th-century period drama directed by Helena Gir\u00f3n and Samuel Delgado, ahead of its world premiere in Toronto\u2019s Discovery section. \u201cThe Fortunate Isles\u201d marks the second feature from Gir\u00f3n and Delgado, whose debut, \u201cThey Carry Death\u201d (\u201cEles transportan a morte\u201d), premiered&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/The_Fortunate_Islands_01.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}