Cinema Guild Acquires Buenos Aires Fest Winner 'End of the Century' (Exclusive)

Lucio Castro's debut film had its world premiere at the New Directors/New Films festival and is set for a U.S. release later this year.

Cinema Guild on Thursday announced the acquisition of all U.S. distribution rights to Lucio Castro's End of the Century.

The Argentine film made its world premiere at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and MoMA’s New Directors/New Films and won the best Argentine film award at the Buenos Aires Film Festival last month.

Described in Keith Uhlich's review as both a "space-age love song" and "an erotic, time-jumping feature debut," Castro's film follows Ocho (Juan Barberini), a thirty-something Argentine poet on vacation in Barcelona, and Javi (Ramón Pujol), a Spaniard from Berlin. After a missed connection on the beach, their third chance encounter escalates to a seemingly random hookup.

"Lucio's film is beyond genre," said Cinema Guild distribution director Peter Kelly. “It’s a wonderful, complex, thoughtful and entertaining piece of art. Audiences will marvel at its unique structure and engaging characters.”

“We are delighted to partner with Cinema Guild,” said Nathan Fischer, founder of Stray Dogs, the film's sales company. “They take really good care of filmmakers and Lucio will be in great company in their lineup.”

Cinema Guild recently acquired several top Latin American art house films set for upcoming U.S. releases, including Raul Ruiz’s The Wandering Soap Opera and Angela Schanelec’s I Was at Home, But…

A U.S. theatrical opening for End of the Century is expected later this year, according to CinemaGuild's press release.