‘I’m Still Here’ Producer RT Features Joins Gabe Klinger’s Wine World Dramedy ‘Isabel,’ Urban Sales Brings Film to EFM (EXCLUSIVE)
Brazil’s RT Features, producer of Walter Salles’ Oscar-nominated “I’m Still Here,” is backing “Porto” director Gabe Klinger’s S?o Paulo-set wine world dramedy “Isabel,” which is currently in post-production.
“Porto,” the director’s previous film, executive produced by Jim Jarmusch, was acquired for theatrical distribution in over forty markets after its San Sebastián premiere in 2016.
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“Isabel” tells the story of a woman in her early 50s who wants to open her own wine bar after being the head sommellière for a Michelin-starred restaurant. The feature-length project was shot in December on location in S?o Paulo. Klinger directed “Isabel” from an original screenplay he wrote in collaboration with lead actress Marina Person. Other cast members include Caio Horowicz (“I’m Still Here”) and John Ortiz (“American Fiction”).
In the film, a woman endangers her sanity and relationships to open an independent business, which Klinger alludes is “a thinly veiled metaphor for filmmaking.” Career passion, financial setbacks, and determination play large parts in “Isabel.” “Isabel courts an investor for her project, but a deal never takes shape. Despite challenges, she remains persistent – she must now uncork her dream with no funding,” the film’s official synopsis reads.
“Through this flawed character, I was able to distance myself from the challenges I face in the world of cinema and shift focus instead to an emerging hobby: wine appreciation. Forging friendships in S?o Paulo’s exciting wine community has been a rewarding bonus of this process,” says Klinger.
For Klinger, who hails from S?o Paulo himself, shooting in his hometown allowed him to reflect on two generations of families who have lived in the center of town and claim it as part of their identity. “I see our film as part of a larger reclamation of our beautiful and storied downtown, a discussion piece about goals and personal risks of such efforts,” he states.
Joining Oscar-nominated Rodrigo Teixeira for RT Features on the European side is Frédéric Corvez, co-producing for Urban Factory in association with VideoFilmes. Gill Holland and Michael Richter executive produce; Laila Pas and Jo?o Pedro Pereira-Webber are additional producers. Urban Sales, Factory’s sales division, has taken international rights to the film.
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