France's Urban Factory and Mexico's Fidelio Films have joined forces to back Colombian filmmaker Mauricio Leiva-Cock's psychological thriller 'Los Eastman', which has been selected for the Fantastic Round Robin at Cannes' Fantastic Pavilion.
Project Discovery and Support
Urban Factory's Frédéric Corvez revealed that they discovered the project during Colombia's BAM Producers Meeting, where partner Florencia Gil was a mentor. Corvez noted the project's ambition and approach, highlighting its rare and exciting nature. 'Mauricio masterfully uses elements of horror to portray and expose toxic class struggle — which, in my view, lies at the very heart of the genre,' Corvez said.
Plot and Inspiration
Set during a pandemic, the drama follows a housekeeper trapped by her wealthy employers, leading to a violent revenge. Inspired by a newspaper article discovered by Leiva-Cock and co-writer Diego González Cruz during COVID, the film starts as a social drama and evolves into a psychological thriller and horror, culminating in what the creators call Social Gore.
International Interest and Collaborations
The project underlines the growing international interest in elevated Latin American genre cinema blending political commentary, suspense, and social critique. Leiva-Cock, along with partners Sebastián Hernández, Juan Manuel Betancourt, and Daniela Echeverri of Cuatro Ojos, emphasized the significance of their relationship with Urban Factory, which began at Colombia's BAM Producers Meeting. Leiva-Cock said, 'This is a real example of how programs led by Proimágenes and the Ministry of Culture can have a tangible impact on the development and internationalization of Colombian projects.'
Leiva-Cock also expressed excitement about France's involvement, noting the importance of closing the deal during the Fantastic Pavilion at Cannes. Having David Figueroa Garcia and Mauro Mueller of Fidelio Films aboard makes sense given Leiva-Cock's extensive work in Mexico, including as head writer on 'Falco' and 'The Head of Joaquín Murrieta' for Prime Video.
Key Contributors and Future Prospects
Hernández is an editor for 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' Season 2 and Laura Mora's 'The Kings of the World'. Betancourt is a VFX supervisor on 'Memory' by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and 'Horizonte'. Echeverri, the lead producer on 'Los Eastman', served as an EP on 'Anhell 69' and produced the Berlinale-winning short 'Uli'.
'Los Eastman' participated in programs like Sitges FanPitch and Sanfic Mórbido Lab, earning multiple awards. Last year, it won 13 awards at the BAM Production Meetings and will be present at BAM 2026 in July as one of the selected fiction projects. The 79th Cannes Film Festival, where 'Los Eastman' was featured, runs from May 12 to May 23.
Source: https://variety.com/2026/film/global/urban-factory-los-eastman-mauricio-leiva-cock-1236749064/
