Diego Martínez-Ulanosky’s Caponeto, the Mexico-based company behind Netflix original “Unstoppable,” Disney’s “Soy tu Fan” and Sundance player “The Virgin of the Quarry Lake,” is teaming with Argentina’s Ajimolido to co-produce film project “No es un río” (“Not a River”).
The project adapts the same titled novel penned by acclaimed Argentine writer Selva Almada, which made the 2024 International Booker Prize shortlist.
In development, the film project has been selected to play at September’s San Sebastián Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, which runs Sept. 22-24.
Martínez-Ulanosky will direct, write and produce alongside Livi Herrera at Caponeto and Alejandro Israel at Ajimolido.
Described by Martínez-Ulanosky as “a lyrical Western about brotherhood and the ghosts we carry,” “Not a River” follows a teenage boy joining two old friends of his late father for a fishing weekend on the river island where his dad died.
“While the locals watch in silence, two young women appear, blurring the line between memory and reality, and drawing the men into a reckoning with rivalry, unspoken desire, and a past that refuses to stay buried,” the synopsis reads.
The novel received widespread critical acclaim for its powerful and unique exploration of masculinity and male bonds and has been translated into more than 30 languages.
“When I first read ‘No es un rio’ I was haunted by its silences and its raw take on wounded masculinity. I’m developing a film that spans from the ’60s to the ’90s, where memory, guilt, and nature collide with a present full of unspoken words. At its core, it’s a story about identity, grief, and the things men leave unspoken,” Martinez-Ulanosky says.
After co-producing two successful adaptations of major Latin American novels — Venice player “My Tender Matador” by Pedro Lemebel and Sundance’s “The Virgin of the Quarry Lake” by Mariana Enríquez- Caponeto and Ajimolido reunite to bring to the screen one of the most celebrated works by a Latin American female author in recent years.
“Being selected for the San Sebastián Co-Production Forum with ‘No es un río’ is a huge step. Acquiring the rights to the original novel was a real challenge, but every effort has been worth it,” Caponeto’s Livi Herrera says.
“As a producer, my focus has been on building the right creative and financial partnerships to bring Diego Martínez Ulanosky’s vision to life. This forum offers the perfect platform to connect with collaborators who share our passion and can help us take the film to its next stage,” she adds.
Founded in 2009, Caponeto focuses on bold feature films, series, unscripted, and branded content. Recent movie highlights include Laura Casabe’s “The Virgin of Quarry Lake,” a Spanish-Argentine-Mexican co-production based on a story by Mariana Enríquez, which premiered at Sundance 2025 and won the Grand Prize at Bafici
The Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum’s upcoming edition forms part of the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival, which takes place Sept. 19-27.
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