MTV Documentary Films has acquired The Eternal Memory, which screened in the world documentary competition section of the Sundance Film Festival. MTV is planning a theatrical release and robust awards campaign later this year.
Maite Alberdi, who directed the Oscar-nominated doc The Mole Agent, is behind the movie that follows veteran Chilean TV journalist and political commentator Augusto Góngora and actress turned arts and culture minister Paulina Urrutia who have been together and in love for 25 years and now must contend with Augusto’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
The synopsis for the feature reads: “Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and his wife has since become his caretaker. As one of Chile’s most prominent cultural commentators and television presenters, Augusto is no stranger to building an archive of memory, having been responsible for that herculean task following the Pinochet dictatorship and its systematic erasure of collective consciousness. Now he turns that work to his own life, trying to hold on to his identity with the help of his beloved.”
The Hollywood Reporter‘s Sundance review of the film notes, “The same grace and compassion evident here were distinguishing factors of The Mole Agent’s treatment of aging and elder care.”
Alberdi, Juan De Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín and Rocío Jadue produced the doc, which is next set to screen during the Berlin Film Festival. Executive producers are Marcela Santibañez, Daniela Sandoval, Nicholas Hooper, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Chandra Jessee and Rebecca Lichtenfeld.
“I am so happy that The Eternal Memory has found its home at MTV Documentary Films, which in recent years, has believed in the artistic innovation of documentaries and has released documentaries that I greatly admire,” said Maite Alberdi. “Working with Sheila Nevins is an honor, and I admire what she has built in the documentary industry.”
“The gift of love that lasts is revealed in The Eternal Memory. One cannot be cynical in Maite’s verité film – a remarkable achievement that allows us to observe what remains as memory fades. We reconsider the value of a long life lived and consider in our own lives the eternal reach of comfort and caring to an otherwise merciless end,” said Sheila Nevins, Executive Producer, MTV Documentary Films.
Submarine and United Talent Agency Independent Film Group brokered the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
Mia Galuppo
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