Spanish director Ian de la Rosa‘s debut feature “Iván & Hadoum,” which world premieres in Berlin’s Panorama section, began with a single striking image borrowed from an unlikely source: the 1987 sci-fi thriller “Predator.”
“That moment with the thermal camera in the greenhouse was one of the first images that came to mind, even before the first draft of the script was written,” director De la Rosa told Variety. “It came about as a result of a class I attended in my master’s degree in film research. We were asked to analyze the thermal vision of the alien character in the science fiction film ‘Predator.’ That’s when I thought how nice it would be to be able to see each other as human beings just as we are inside, being able to see the colors we carry within us without being influenced by what our bodies look like or what society labels or judges them to be.”
The Spain-Germany-Belgium co-production, starring Silver Chicón and Herminia Loh, follows Iván as he falls in love with new colleague Hadoum in fruit and veg filled industrial greenhouses of southern Spain. Iván’s pursuit for promotion threatens their burgeoning relationship.
“First and foremost, we wanted to tell a classic love story with characters who are anything but classic,” De la Rosa observes. “From that initial intimate layer, the socio-economic dimensions that affect the characters emerge naturally and ultimately become the real obstacles to the relationship between the two protagonists.”
Sold by Indie Sales and produced by Spain’s Avalon alongside Pecado Films and Vayolet Films, in co-production with Germany’s Port-au-Prince Films and Belgium’s Saga Film, the project emerged from European co-production networks. “The first thing we won with ‘Iván & Hadoum’ was the Eurimage Coproduction Award in Berlin two years ago so the project was born as a copro,” Avalon producer Stefan Schmitz tells Variety, “Ironically, afterwards we didn’t win Eurimage, which was a serious problem.”
For De la Rosa, who earned a 2022 best short Goya nomination for “Farrucas,” the class dynamics proved more central than immigration themes. “I don’t think immigration is the central conflict in the love story,” he stresses. “Rather, the conflict that clearly affects them is a class conflict: the need to climb the social ladder at any cost, to try to rise above everything and everyone. In that sense, Hadoum’s line sums up a structural reality that goes beyond a specific place and connects the intimate with the social.”
That line – “They exploit you the same everywhere. Only the scenery changes” – encapsulates the film’s broader social commentary while maintaining its intimate focus.
The casting of leads Silver Chicón and Herminia Loh proved serendipitous. “It was one of those coincidences in life where it seems like all the stars align and it becomes clear that it has to be them,” De la Rosa says. “During the two months prior to filming, we worked intensely with them, rehearsing and building the characters together. It was an immersive process that allowed us to generate the intimacy and chemistry that can later be seen on screen.”
He adds: “Their life experience was fundamental in giving the story emotional truth. Thanks to their generosity and absolute dedication to the project, an atmosphere of trust and commitment was created that was key to the work and to the emotional credibility of the film.”
The financing came together across multiple territories, and has attracted strong broadcast partners. “The Spanish and the Belgian part came together quite smoothly,” Schmitz explained. “Our Andalusian partners at Pecado Film managed to obtain support from Canal Sur and the Junta de Andalucia and, on the national side, ICAA, TVE, Movistar Plus+ joined the project without major hiccups. Saga Film worked incredibly well with us in Belgium and the only struggle was to adjust our finance plan to the German situation. We were very lucky to have Arte coming on board but sadly no other finance could be raised in Germany.”
Despite the complexity of multiple partners, De la Rosa maintained his creative vision. “My approach to the project didn’t change,” he said. “What did change was that new possibilities opened up for filming in better conditions. The international co-producers always cared for and respected my vision of the story and the place where it takes place.”
For Avalon, “Iván & Hadoum” represents continued success at Berlin, marking their fourth production to premiere at the festival after “Summer 1993,” “Matria” and “Alcarràs.” “Ian is a filmmaker who has a long career ahead of him. Nothing is ‘in your face’ but he never fails to move you.” Schmitz said.