They Shot The Piano Player: A Captivating Film Celebrating Latin Music and History

In the promotion of 'Forgotten We'll Be' in 2021, Fernando Trueba, in conversation with the film's producer, Dago García, shared the first details of 'They Shot The Piano Player,' which is already being released this year.

Recently, it was announced that Sony Pictures Classics acquired the rights for distribution in North and Latin America.

The Spanish filmmaker mentioned that while David Trueba was adapting Héctor Abad's novel, he himself was working on the animation 'They Shot The Piano Player,' which he developed with Javier Mariscal, with whom he directed the unforgettable 'Chico y Rita' (2010). 'It's a story that has a lot to do with Latin America because it's the story of a Brazilian pianist who disappeared in the seventies in Argentina, but it's also a film about Brazilian music and it has a political aspect as well. I hope it will be a beautiful film to watch and listen to,' he commented in the aforementioned conversation.

The official synopsis states that the film follows a New York journalist who embarks on an adventure to uncover the reasons behind the disappearance of a young and virtuoso Brazilian pianist. The plot refers to musician Francisco Tenório Jr, who, along with Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho, the latter's guitarist, had traveled to the Argentine capital on a tour when he disappeared without a trace on March 18, 1976. He left his hotel in the early morning to take a walk and was intercepted by men who took him away. It would later be discovered that they were part of Operation Condor, a campaign of political repression against opponents that spread throughout the Southern Cone. This all happened one week before the start of the dictatorship, when the pianist was 34 years old, had four children, and a pregnant wife.

Sony Pictures Classics has announced that their release plan is scheduled for the full awards season, and in addition to distribution in North America, they have acquired the rights for Latin America, India, Turkey, the Middle East, Southeast Asia (excluding Taiwan and South Korea), and even airlines within these regions.

'They Shot The Piano Player,' set against the backdrop of the bossa nova musical genre, features actor Jeff Goldblum as the narrator of the story. It is also described as 'a celebration of the origins of the world-renowned Latin music movement Bossa Nova,' and the animated feature 'captures a fleeting time of creative freedom at a turning point in Latin America's history in the 60s and 70s, just before the continent was engulfed by totalitarian regimes.'

In recent statements to The Hollywood Reporter, Trueba said, 'This film has been my 15-year investigation into the life of a musical genius whose life was unjustly taken away by the military coup back in the 70s. I am delighted to celebrate his legacy with the luminous animation of my accomplice Javier Mariscal. We can't wait for the world to discover his life and his music.' 'They Shot The Piano Player' features music by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, João Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes, among others.

Sony Pictures has not specified the theatrical release date for the acquired territories, but in Spain, their distributor, BTeam Pictures, has confirmed that it will arrive in theaters on October 6.

Image Credit: BTeam Pictures

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