LaZona Pictures, the distribution label of Gonzalo Salazar-Simpson’s Madrid-based LaZona group, has acquired Spanish rights to the lavish Polish biopic “Chopin, Chopin!” (“Chopin, a Sonata in Paris”). The film is handled for international sales by Paris’ Playtime.
Directed by Michał Kwieciński, this $17.5 million budget biopic chronicles the life of composer Frédéric Chopin. Produced by Poland’s Akson Studio (“Katyń,” “Warsaw 44”), the film stars Eryk Kulm (“Filip”) as the prodigious pianist-composer, with Lambert Wilson (“The Matrix Resurrections”) portraying King Louis-Philippe.
Set in the 19th century, the drama follows Chopin’s arrival in Paris at the age of 21 and his rapid rise as the city’s romantic idol. The narrative shifts as illness refocuses his obsession toward composition. The film boasts high-end craft talent including cinematographer Michał Sobociński (“The New Look”), production designer Katarzyna Sobańska (“Cold War”), and writer Bartosz Janiszewski (“Wataha”).
Since 2003, LaZona has produced Spanish top hits such as Enrique Urbizu’s thriller “No Rest for the Wicked” and Emilio Martínez Lázaro’s comedy “Spanish Affair,” the highest-grossing Spanish film ever in Spain. In 2023, LaZona expanded its scope by launching a new film distribution operation, LaZona Pictures, which will be led from 2024 by former Latido Films executive Óscar Alonso.
Speaking at Valladolid’s Seminci, where LaZona’s co-production “Subsuelo,” by Fernando Franco, premiered as part of the festival’s main competition, Alonso said, “For us, ‘Chopin, Chopin!’ is the first true European ‘super-production’ on the slate—a statement of intent to keep growing, step by step, but also to take bolder swings at films with wider audience potential.”
Positioning “Chopin, Chopin!” as a “rock-star portrait of the Romantic era,” Alonso revealed that the Spanish release, scheduled for the first quarter of next year, will include partnerships with opera houses, conservatories, and music schools to extend the film’s reach beyond core arthouse circuits.
LaZona Pictures has been ramping up since last year with a curated line of arthouse and crossover titles. With “Chopin, Chopin!,” the company has begun early conversations with streaming platforms and broadcasters to complement a planned theatrical rollout.
The film has already secured top-tier festival exposure and is lining up further key screenings, underscoring its positioning as a prestige event title. Alonso commented, “It’s the kind of ambitious European cinema that doesn’t come along every year. We’re confident it can resonate with classical-music lovers and a much wider audience drawn to grand, emotionally charged storytelling.”
**Closing Film at Seville European Film Festival**
“Chopin, Chopin!” will screen out of competition as the closing night gala title at the upcoming Seville European Film Festival, which runs from November 7 to 15.
One of LaZona’s biggest hits to date as an indie distributor has been “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” a Venice Silver Lion and San Sebastian Audience Award winner. Co-distributed in Spain with Caramel Films, Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s film was one of the year’s most celebrated international titles and also screened at Valladolid as part of the Constellations sidebar.
https://variety.com/2025/film/global/lazona-pictures-spain-chopin-chopin-playtime-1236567933/
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