Nacho G. Vilela will take to the cinema the success of the Chess School of Las Fuentes

Nacho G. Vilela returns to work his home turf 12 years after filming Que se mueren los feos in Alto Aragón and seven years after filming Villaviciosa de al lado In locations also in Huesca and in the south of Zaragoza, a time in which he was accompanied by success both in cinema and on television, until he established himself as one of the best-grossing Spanish directors and of the greatest international importance, using comedy.

The guy from Zaragoza is currently in his city and is looking for interior and exterior designs for a movie based on him. A beautiful story sprouted here: Marcos Fritchen, a small public school in the Las Fuentes neighborhood, with just over 200 students, wins the Spanish School Chess Championship. It is also, in large part, the story of Enrique Sanchez, a retired teacher with a passion for this mental sport, and the coach of the five boys and girls of the fifth and sixth grades who won in 2018 against representatives of 38 other educational centers, including some of an elite nature.

Sanchez had come to Marcos Fritchen when Las Fuentes was a densely populated working-class neighborhood. He started a chess club there 40 years ago that ended up going beyond the school itself, as he was able to share his hobby and use it as an educational tool. Today this club is the biggest in Aragon and continues to produce great players and champions.

The film, inspired by the young chess players and their victories, will be shot by Philella next summer, during the months of June and July. In searching these days for a place to be appointed in Zaragoza—he has been, for example, in the lecture-hall of the university and in the old slaughterhouse, as well as examining the exteriors—, The national “casting” process continued to progress in Madrid, in which more than a thousand children had already participatedTo find the heroes of the movie. The Spanish capital will also contribute sites for it.

The film, like the previous film by this director (in the past year, he presented two feature films, “With Poetry. A Story of Self-Respect”, in Spanish theaters, and “Tomorrow Today”, through Prime Video, all over the world), It involves a major production with the support of regional and local Film Commissions. A “selection” will also take place later in Zaragoza to search for additions, and there will be quite a few Aragonese names that will appear in the technical squad and in other departments.

Another photo session is coming up at home

With this film ready, Nacho G. Villella will return to work next year in the city where he was born in 1967 to do a A new audiovisual production equally inspired by a local storyan event in this case, which he will address with great humour.

The director, also a screenwriter and producer, is distinguished in his artistic career by cultivating comedy anchored in popular culture, from its beginnings on television (‘7 vidas’, ‘Aída’) to cinema, with films, in addition to those mentioned. above. , such as “Fuera de carte” or “Perdiendo el norte” or the two-syllable “Don’t stain Frida”. This formed a real phenomenon in North America, especially in Mexico., with the first film of the saga becoming the third-highest-grossing film in the country’s history. Among other projects, he is currently working on series for the United States and Spain.