Elba McAllister’s Cineplex USA has pounced on the worldwide sales rights to “November” (“Noviembre”), the feature debut of Colombia’s Tomás Corredor, which world premieres at Toronto Film Festival (TIFF)’s Discovery program.
“November” revisits one of the darkest and most complex chapters of Colombia’s recent past, where ideology, violence and power collide in a harrowing descent into tragedy.
“We’re delighted to be representing Tomás Corredor’s debut feature, ‘November’ on the international stage. As Cineplex USA, it’s a privilege to work once more with producer Diana Bustamante and the team at Burning to bring this extraordinary story to audiences worldwide,” said McAllister.
“The film revisits the harrowing events of November 1985, when M 19 guerrillas seized Colombia’s Palace of Justice and a group of ordinary people took shelter in a bathroom as a brutal cross fire raged for 27 hours. It’s a story so unbelievable it feels like fiction,” she related.
She added: “We’re especially excited that ‘November’ will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival’s 2025 Discovery program. TIFF’s Discovery section has launched many visionary filmmakers and we believe it is the perfect platform to announce this unforgettable film to the world.”
“The siege of the Palace of Justice is not only one of the most tragic events in Colombia’s recent history, it is also an open wound and an incomplete truth that we must continue to talk about. That’s why the news of ‘November’ premiering at a festival like Toronto moves me so deeply – because it opens the world’s doors to a local story that, through a lens far removed from the traditional codes of action cinema and its way of portraying war, focuses on remembrance through the experiences of those who endure it firsthand,” said Corredor.
The film’s standout cast is led by Natalia Reyes (“Birds of Passage”) and Santiago Alarcón (“Eva Lasting”) and a robust creative team headed by Bustamante (Burning) and Julio Chavezmontes (Piano.) The screenplay is co-written by Corredor and Argentine screenwriter Jorge Goldenberg.
The co-production involves Burning (Colombia), Mexico’s Piano, Brazil’s Vulcana and Torden Film of Norway.
“TIFF is a festival I love – beautiful films from my career, like ‘Crab Trap,’ premiered there. To be able to debut ‘November’ at TIFF is a powerful beginning for a film that has been full of both gifts and challenges. It brings us closer to an intense cinematic form, one that allows us to see ourselves and our historical wounds from a different perspective,” said Bustamante (“Memoria”), who added that the film tapped the incentives of Colombia, Mexico and Brazil.
The historical drama features key figures from Latin American cinema, including cinematographer Carlos F. Rossini (“The Chambermaid”) and editors Felipe Guerrero (“Dark Beast”), Bruno Carboni (“The Accident”) and Bustamante. The film was shot entirely in Mexico, with post-production carried out between Brazil and Colombia.