Latin Quarter Distribution Acquires World Rights to Uruguayan Crime Thriller 'Maltrato Animal'

The deal was closed after a screening at Locarno's First Look, a pix-in-post competition focused on rough-cut screenings of emerging and established talent from a territory around the world, this year Uruguay. Presented in Locarno by the Agencia del Cine y el Audiovisual del Uruguay (ACAU), the film, currently in the editing stage, is set against the backdrop of Uruguay's 2002 economic crisis and explores a generation shaped by that pivotal moment in the country's history. Bankrupted by the financial crisis, a Montevideo veterinarian is pushed to desperate straits and doesn't have enough money to eat.

In order to survive, he enters a clandestine network of illegal breeding operations and pharmaceutical peddling. In this downward spiral, an unexpected encounter potentially opens a new chapter in his life. Produced by Dell'Acqua and German Ormaechea, the film was shot over a four-year period — one week each year — with the support of numerous Uruguayan technicians and rental companies.