Rotterdam-Bound ‘La Fortaleza’ Picked Up by Reel Suspects for World Sales (EXCLUSIVE)

By Elsa Keslassy

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “La Fortaleza,” Jorge Thielen Armand’s Venezuelan film which is set to compete at Rotterdam, has been acquired by Paris-based Reel Suspects for world sales.

“La Fortaleza” is the first feature film produced by the Blockchain-powered platform Breaker, and is co-produced by Louise Bellicaud and Claire Charles Gervais of In Vivo Films, whose recent credits include “Abou” which played at Cannes’s Critics Week.

The film opens as Venezuela’s economic crisis explodes into riots on the streets of Caracas. It follows a middle-aged man, Roque (Jorge Roque Thielen), as he heads for the Amazon jungle to revive the abandoned lodge he built during happier, healthier days. As the jungle closes in on him, good friends encourage bad habits and whisper promises of finding gold.

“Jorge’s film is extremely powerful and fits perfectly IFFR’s (Rotterdam festival’s) vision of discovering new talents,” said Matteo Lovadina, ’s CEO. Referring to blockchain technology, Lovadina added that “the production team behind the film is working on making our work easier and clearer for all persons involved.”

“‘La Fortaleza’ is an exciting an opportunity for Breaker and Reel Suspects to use our innovative blockchain revenue management technology to manage the collection revenue and the payment of royalties generated from the film’s release
around the world,” said Breaker CEO Kim Jackson.

Jake Craven, Breaker’s VP of content who negotiated the deal with Lovadina, said it “marks one of the first instances where the new technology of blockchain will be used in place of a traditional collection account management service and provide better transparency for the film’s producers and participants.”