You can add Pedro Almodóvar to the list of filmmakers not entirely happy with the rise of streaming in the movie industry. The Spanish filmmaker was among a group of filmmakers who signed a letter calling for a levy that would make streaming services re-invest part of their turnover in European countries back into independent cinema. Now, the director is turning down offers from streaming services to release his next feature film, “Parallel Mothers.”
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In an interview with Screen Daily, Almodóvar’s brother and co-founder of production company El Deseo, Agustin Almodóvar revealed that “Parallel Mothers” won’t be a Netflix Original. When asked about audience habits in 2020, Agustin Almodóvar said “for those of us who love seeing films on the big screen these are worrying times, as the threat of the theatrical window cracking comes closer and closer. However, we think theatrical exhibition should be fought for,” the producer said. “Old-school as we are, we are planning Pedro’s next feature for the theatrical circuit despite several offers for it to be original content from streamers.”
That next feature is “Parallel Mothers,” or “Madres Paralelas,” which will see Almodóvar team up with Penélope Cruz for a film that will likely explore motherhood and family in some capacity, a recurring theme in Almodóvar’s films.
When asked about “Parallel Mothers,” Agustin Almodóvar said his brother Pedro already finished the screenplay, and they are “completing the technical crew and rest of the cast, ready to start shooting in March.” Additionally, Almodóvar is working on a 20- to 30-minute “Almodóvar-style” western short that will be made right after “Parallel Mothers.”