THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO is pleased to announce that principal photography is now underway for ‘Laponia’, a feature film produced by Laura Fernández Espeso and Javier Méndez, currently being shot at various locations across Vizcaya.
Directed by David Serrano (‘I'm Going to Have a Good Time’, ‘Football Days’, whose work earned a Goya nomination for Best New Director and who co-wrote the award-winning ‘The Other Side of the Bed’, which won the 2002 Málaga Film Festival’s Golden Biznaga for Best Feature Film) – ‘Laponia’ is penned by Cristina Clemente and Marc Angelet, based on an original concept developed with Jordi Casanovas.
The film brings to screen a wildly original take on the holiday comedy genre. Adapted from a stage production that has seen success in Spain, the United States, Croatia, Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Czech Republic. Among other qualities ‘Laponia’ subverts the conventions of traditional family comedies by tackling everyday moral and ethical dilemmas through sharp irony. With clever, incisive dialogue, the film explores themes such as family dynamics, deception, tradition, and societal expectations—encouraging reflection through humor. ‘Laponia’ is a family film, though not necessarily one for all audiences, and a holiday comedy you might think twice about watching with young children.
Natalia Verbeke (‘The Other Side of The Bed’, ‘The Method’), Julián López (‘Los destellos’, ‘Pain and Glory’), Ángela Cervantes (‘La furia’, ‘El mal invisible’) y Vebjørn Enger (‘The Ash Lad: In Search of the Golden Castle’) lead the cast in this story set on Christmas Eve in the Finnish city of Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland and the reputed hometown and residence of Santa Claus.
After several years without spending the holidays together, Nuria (Ángela Cervantes), now living in Lapland with her husband Olavi (Vebjørn Enger) and their daughter, invites her sister Mónica (Natalia Verbeke), her brother-in-law (Julián López), and their son to enjoy a picture-perfect Christmas in her home in Rovaniemi. Everything seems set for an idyllic celebration—until Nuria’s daughter casually informs her young cousin that the man in red with a white beard who supposedly leaves gifts for well-behaved children doesn’t actually exist, and that Santa Claus is simply a character invented by parents to manipulate their kids. What was meant to be the most magical Christmas quickly unravels into a full-blown family meltdown between sisters, in-laws, and cousins. Over the course of one chaotic night, long-buried secrets surface amid a heated debate over whether it’s better to tell the truth at all costs—or preserve belief, even if it’s built on a lie.
'Laponia' is produced with the participation of Movistar Plus+, RTVE and 3Cat. The Mediapro Studio Distribution will handle international sales.
PHOTO: Standing, from left to right, Javier Mendez y David Serrano. Seated, from left to right, Ángela Cervantes, Vebjørn Enger, Julián López and Natalia Verbeke © THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO. Photo David Herranz
