Overview
Latido Films is a Madrid-based international sales agent founded in 2003 by three of Spain's top independent production companies: Tornasol Films, Zebra Producciones, and Continental Producciones. The company sells Spanish-language and European films to distributors worldwide, operating out of offices at Calle de San Bernardo 20 in central Madrid. Latido employs 11 people and is led by Antonio Saura, who took the top post in 2015 after heading European acquisitions and co-productions at TF1 International.
Latido closed over 30 territory deals across its slate at AFM 2024 alone, spanning arthouse dramas, genre thrillers, comedies, and documentaries. The company has expanded beyond traditional sales into remake rights, a growth axis that has generated deals in the US, India, Italy, and Israel. Javier Fesser's Champions (Campeones), one of Latido's signature titles, grossed $23.1 million in Spain, sold to more than 50 territories, and spawned an Indian remake starring Aamir Khan that opened on 1,000-plus prints and entered India's 2025 top 10. An Italian remake is in production with Ascent Film.
For Spanish and Latin American filmmakers seeking international sales representation, Latido is one of the primary targets in the Spanish-language market. The company acquires at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance, and through ongoing relationships with production companies across Spain and Latin America.
Distribution Model
Latido operates as an international sales agent, not a theatrical distributor. The company licenses territory-by-territory distribution rights to local distributors worldwide. Latido attends Cannes, Berlin (EFM), Toronto, AFM, the Hong Kong FILMART, and the Malaga Festival Spanish Screenings to present its slate to buyers.
The company has expanded its model beyond traditional territorial sales into package deals. At AFM 2024, Latido closed a 15-title package deal with Brazil-based Encripta for Latin American all rights, covering Aire, The Enchanted, La Mif, Sica, Tobacco Barns, and Chinas. Package deals allow Latido to move catalog titles alongside newer acquisitions.
Latido also operates a remake rights division, licensing adaptation rights separately from theatrical distribution rights. This creates a parallel revenue stream that does not compete with theatrical distribution in existing territories.
Example Titles They've Released
Latido's catalog includes some of the most commercially successful Spanish-language films of the past decade:
- Champions (Campeones, 2018) - $23.1 million in Spain, sold to 50+ territories, Indian remake with Aamir Khan opened on 1,000+ prints
- The Beasts (As Bestas, 2022) - $7.5 million in Spain, $2.1 million in France, 9 Goya Awards including best film and director
- The Platform (La Plataforma) - global Netflix phenomenon after Latido sold international rights
- The Realm (El Reino) - Goya wins, sold to China, Australia, and the UK
- Deaf (Sorda, 2025) - Berlinale Panorama, sold to Curzon (UK), Lucky Red (Italy), Condor (France), Piffl Medien (Germany), and China
Deal Structure Reputation
Latido operates on a sales commission model typical of international sales agents. The company takes a commission on territory deals it closes with local distributors, with commission rates varying based on the project's market readiness and the level of sales effort required. Territory distributors pay minimum guarantees (MGs) to Latido, which remits to producers after deducting its commission and recouping any advances.
The remake rights division operates separately. Latido licenses adaptation rights to producers in other territories, with revenue shared between the original producers and Latido. The Champions remake deals demonstrate this model's potential: the Indian version opened on 1,000+ prints and entered India's 2025 top 10, while an Italian remake is in production with Ascent Film.
Latido also structures package deals for multiple titles and territories, as demonstrated by the 15-title Encripta deal for Latin America. These packages move catalog titles alongside newer acquisitions, generating revenue for producers across a broader slate.
Typical Acquisition Profile
Latido acquires Spanish-language and European films across arthouse, prestige, genre, comedy, and crossover categories. The company has deliberately expanded beyond pure arthouse into elevated genre, comedy, and crossover titles. As CEO Antonio Saura has noted publicly, the market has polarized: buyers want either A-level festival titles or high-concept genre films, with universal family dramas as the exception because older viewers still go to theaters.
Latido does not typically handle films without festival or market visibility. Filmmakers with completed features should approach through their production company or via festival industry screenings rather than cold submissions. The company acquires through:
- Festival premieres at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance, and Rotterdam
- Direct submissions from Spanish and Latin American production companies (Tornasol, La Claqueta, Morena Film, and others have multi-picture relationships)
- Market screenings at AFM, EFM, and the Spanish Screenings at Malaga
The company's contact email is miren@latidofilms.com and phone is +34 915 488 877.
Recent Slate and Acquisition Activity
Latido's 2025 and 2026 sales activity demonstrates continued deal momentum across an increasingly diverse slate:
- Re-Creation, a judicial drama from six-time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan, sold to Syldavia (Spain), Limelight (Australia/New Zealand), Beta Films (Bulgaria), Sky Digi/Legendary Enterprises (Taiwan), Outsider Filmes (Portugal), and Spentzos Films (Greece), with Anuvu taking worldwide airline rights
- Deaf (Sorda), Eva Libertad's Berlinale Panorama breakout, sold to Curzon (UK), Lucky Red (Italy), Condor (France), Piffl Medien (Germany), Madman (Australia), New Select (Japan), and Wise Media (China)
- Homo Sapiens?, a dark comedy anthology from Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat, sold to A Contracorriente Films (Spain), Danaos (Greece), and New Cinema (Israel)
- All the Names of God, an action thriller starring Luis Tosar, sold US all rights to Myriad Pictures
- Aire, the Dominican Republic's Oscar submission, sold to Palace Films (Australia), Smile Ent (South Korea), Pandastorm (Germany), AV Jet (Taiwan), and Beta Film (Bulgaria)
- Blue Lights of Benidorm, a crime-thriller from two-time Goya winner Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde, world premiered at Malaga 2026 with Latido handling international sales
- 9 Moons, Patricia Ortega's new feature produced by La Claqueta, set for EFM 2026 market premiere
Remake Rights as a Revenue Stream
Latido has positioned remake rights as a parallel growth axis alongside traditional territorial sales. Under Therapy, a dramatic comedy by Gerardo Herrero, closed Indian remake rights with Alliance Media and Entertainment, following earlier deals in the US and Israel. Champions delivered the company's biggest remake success: the Aamir Khan-led Indian version opened on over 1,000 prints and entered India's 2025 top 10, while an Italian remake is in production with Ascent Film. Homo Sapiens? is generating remake interest in multiple markets based on strong local performance.
This strategy matters for filmmakers because remake rights represent a revenue stream that does not compete with theatrical distribution in existing territories. A filmmaker whose film sells remake rights retains the original film's distribution value while earning additional income from derivative rights.
San Sebastian and the Spanish-Language Market
San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF) is the most important annual festival platform for Spanish-language cinema. The festival's Golden Shell and other prizes generate critical attention that directly supports international sales value. Latido's consistent San Sebastian presence and relationships with the festival's programming and industry teams give it early access to the most important Spanish-language films in the annual cycle.
For Spanish and Latin American filmmakers premiering at San Sebastian, Latido is among the most natural sales representation contacts. The company's cultural fluency and market relationships make it a more effective advocate for Spanish-language cinema in international markets than a generalist European sales agent.
Spain is also a natural first theatrical market for Latin American films. Linguistic proximity and cultural connections support Spanish distribution that would require subtitling in other European territories. Latido's relationships with Spanish distributors including A Contracorriente Films, Golem, Alta Films, and Avalon give it the ability to facilitate domestic Spanish distribution alongside international sales.
What Filmmakers Should Know
Latido is a realistic representation target for Spanish and Latin American filmmakers whose work has festival credentials in arthouse, prestige, or genre categories. The company has deliberately expanded its slate beyond pure arthouse into elevated genre, comedy, and crossover titles. Filmmakers should approach Latido through a festival premiere, a production company relationship, or market screening rather than a cold submission.
The key trade-off: Latido's commission-based model means the company only earns when deals close, which aligns incentives but also means Latido prioritizes films with clear commercial potential. Films that are purely experimental or lack festival validation will struggle to attract Latido's attention. Filmmakers should have a festival strategy in place before approaching the company.
Watch: Trailers and Interviews
See Also
For how Spanish and Latin American co-production financing connects to international sales, see Distribution Deals Explained. For the San Sebastian International Film Festival's role in the Spanish-language film industry calendar, see the Film Festivals Directory. To model potential international territory revenue for a Spanish-language film, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For how remake rights fit into a film's overall revenue structure, see What Does a Distributor Keep?.
