French company Still Moving has teamed up with Swiss company GoldenEggProduction to produce “Tropical Malaise” (“Malestar tropical”), a drama project set in Colombia directed by Jorge Cadena, whose short film “Flores del otro patio” won the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival.
“Tropical Malaise” is among 14 projects being launched on the market at the 2024 edition of the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum in San Sebastian.
“Tropical Malaise,” produced by Gabriella Bosman and Yann Decoupet at Geneva-based GoldenEggProduction, is in financing and is scheduled for early 2026.
Co-writers include Jacques Toulmonde, co-writer of Ciro Guerra’s “El abrazo de la serpiente” and director of Netflix’s “Historia de un Crimen – Mauricio Leal”; and Colombian-born, Swiss-trained Cadena, along with Juana del Río (“Jules en Contra”) and co-writer of “Flores del Otro Patio” Lee Aparicio Candama.
Deeply rooted in Colombian reality, Tropical Malaise addresses contemporary societal issues, exploring social, political, environmental and gender (LGBTQIA+) themes.
The film follows a group of gay activists who team up with indigenous communities near Colombia's largest coal mine. They embark on a powerful and inspiring struggle to defend their right to exist and protect their lands from environmental degradation and cultural loss.
Joining the cast are actors who starred in Jorge Cadena's feature short “Flores del otro Patio,” including Leon David Salazar, Judis Rosado, Ruben Barrios Rodriguez, Saray Nohemi Rebolledo Ospino, and Andrew Suarez Rojas.
“Jorge Cadena’s visual language, rich with vibrant Caribbean landscapes, extravagant costumes inspired by popular culture, and full of infectious energy, promises a unique work that resonates on a global and contemporary scale, transcending Colombian borders,” said producers Bosman and DeCupit.
Tropical Malaise received development funding from Media Desk Switzerland.
Launched in 2012, GoldenEggProduction collaborates with filmmakers who offer unique perspectives on contemporary society. Recent titles include Cannes opener ACID, Maxime Rabaz’s Let Me Go, and EFA Award nominees Flores del otro patio and Putin’s Witnesses by Vitaly Mansky.
Still Moving, founded by Juliette Lepoutre and Pierre Menachem, is based in Paris and has titles including Tiger Stripes, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes Critics’ Week 2023; Rule34, winner of the Golden Leopard at Locarno in 2022; and Mediterranean Fever, which won the Best Screenplay award at Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2022.
