Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired North American rights Carlota Pereda’s “Piggy” following its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The film is a feature-length adaptation of Pereda’s Goya award-winning 2018 short film of the same name. It centers on a small-town butcher’s daughter (newcomer Laura Galán) who is routinely ridiculed for her appearance by a clique of mean girls in her rural Spanish village. Magnet plans to release “Piggy” later this year.
Variety‘s Guy Lodge praised the film as an “impressive debut” for Pereda, writing that it “draws its terror from the same well of adolescent female insecurity as ‘Carrie,’ before going its own grisly way.”
In the film, the girl’s usual trip to the local pool is disrupted by the presence of a mysterious stranger and an exceptionally grueling bout of abuse at the hands of her bullies. But, in a strange twist of fate, on the way home she witnesses her bloodied tormentors being kidnapped in the back of the stranger’s van. Now, she must decide whether to cooperate with the police and parents’ questioning about the kidnappings, or take her own, unbridled path — while also discovering the power of desire and belonging, and the distinction between revenge and redemption.
“’Piggy’ heralds a bold, original filmmaking vision,” said Magnolia Pictures president Eamonn Bowles. “Director Carlota Pereda and the fantastic cast have delivered a riveting film that delivers on many levels.”
Pereda said, “Having seen Magnolia Pictures’ logo at the start of many of my favorite films, I couldn’t think of a better home for my first feature, ‘Piggy.'”
Directed and written by Pereda, “Piggy” is a Morena Films production in coproduction with Backup Studio. Merry Colomer produced the film. Pilar Benito is executive producer. Co-producers are David Atlan-Jackson, Jean-Baptiste Babin and Joel Thibout.
The deal was negotiated by Magnolia EVP Dori Begley and Magnolia SVP of Acquisitions John Von Thaden with Pip Ngo of XYZ Films and Carole Baraton of Charades on behalf of the filmmakers. Charades is also representing international rights for the picture. Carlota Pereda is repped by CAA and XYZ Films.
Magnet’s other films include Tomas Alfredson’s “Let the Right One In,” Takeshi Miike’s “13 Assassins” and Gareth Edward’s “Monsters.”
