France’s Moving, Switzerland’s Golden Egg: Linked by SXSW-Winning Director

French production company Still Moving has partnered with Switzerland’s GoldenEggProduction to co-produce “Tropical Malaise” (“Malestar tropical”), a drama set in Colombia and directed by Jorge Cadena. Cadena’s short film “Flores del otro patio” won a Special Jury Award at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival.

“Tropical Malaise” is among the 14 projects featured at the 2024 Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum at San Sebastian.

Produced by Gabriela Bussmann and Yan Decoppet of GoldenEggProduction, the film is currently in the financing stage and is planned to start shooting in early 2026.

The screenplay is co-written by Jacques Toulemonde, known for his work on Ciro Guerra’s Oscar-nominated “El abrazo de la serpiente,” along with Jorge Cadena, Juana del Río, and Li Aparicio Candama.

The narrative of “Tropical Malaise” is deeply rooted in the reality of contemporary Colombia, addressing social, political, environmental, and gender (LGBTQIA+) issues. The story revolves around a group of queer activists who team up with indigenous communities near Colombia’s largest open-cast coal mine. Together, they engage in an intense struggle to defend their existence and protect their land from environmental destruction and cultural loss.

The film features actors from Jorge Cadena’s acclaimed short “Flores del otro patio,” including León David Salazar, Eudes Rosado, Rubén Barrios Rodríguez, Saray Nohemi Rebolledo Ospino, and Andru Suárez Rojas.

“Jorge Cadena’s visual language, enriched by vibrant Caribbean landscapes and extravagant, pop culture-inspired costumes, along with its infectious activism, promises a unique work that resonates on a universal and contemporary level, transcending Colombian borders,” said producers Bussmann and Decoppet.

“Tropical Malaise” has received development funds from Media Desk Switzerland.

Launched in 2012, GoldenEggProduction works with filmmakers who provide singular perspectives on contemporary society. Their recent projects include Maxime Rappaz’s “Laissez-moi” (“Let Me Go”), which opened Cannes’ ACID section, and European Film Award nominees “Flores del otro patio” and “Putin’s Witnesses” by Vitaly Mansky.

Founded by Juliette Lepoutre and Pierre Menahem, Paris-based Still Moving has produced titles such as “Tiger Stripes,” which won the Grand Prix at the 2023 Cannes Critics Week; “Rule34,” a Golden Leopard winner at Locarno in 2022; and “Mediterranean Fever,” which took the best script prize at Cannes’ 2022 Un Certain Regard.