Official Competition Trivia | 25 facts about the movie

«Official Competition» Is a 2021 comedy film directed by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, from a screenplay by Duprat, Cohn and Andrés Duprat.

Let’s find out more about the movie!

1. Official Competition is a 2021 comedy film.
2. It was directed by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn.
3. The screenplay was written by Duprat, Cohn and Andrés Duprat.
4. It stars Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez.
5. The plot is about an aged multimillionaire, Humberto Suárez, seeking to leave a legacy decides to finance a motion picture directed by eccentric Palme d’Or laureate Lola Cuevas.
6. The screenplay is adapted from an award-winning novel about a man who is unable to forgive his brother for killing their parents in a drunk-driving accident.
7. The two brothers are to be played by stage actor Iván Torres and celebrity actor Félix Rivero, whose differing methods cause them to clash during rehearsals.
8. In January 2020 casting was announced featuring Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz, Oscar Martínez, Pilar Castro, Irene Escolar, Carlos Hipólito, José Luis Gómez, Nagore Aranburu, Koldo Olabarri and Juan Grandinetti with Gastón Duprat & Mariano Cohn directing from a screenplay penned alongside Andrés Duprat.
9. Cruz and Banderas had only shared onscreen time before during two minutes of Pedro Almodóvar’s 2013 film I’m So Excited!
10. The film was produced by The Mediapro Studio, with the participation of RTVE, TV3, and Orange España.
11. Principal photography began in February 2020.
12. In March 2020, production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
13. Shooting resumed in September 2020 and the wrap was announced in October 2020
14. Official Competition had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on 4 September 2021.
15. It will also screen at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2021.
16. Buena Vista International will distribute in the film in Spain.
17. Protagonist Pictures handled the international sales.
18. Star+ acquired distribution rights for Latin America.
19. In the case of Argentina, the film is scheduled for a 17 March 2022 release.
20. IFC Films purchased the theatrical release rights for the United States.
21. Partially filmed in the “Teatro auditorio” of San Lorenzo de el Escorial.
22. The movie within the movie is based on a novel by Daniel Mantovani, the main character in The Distinguished Citizen (2016), played by Oscar Martínez. Mantovani even tells the story at the beginning of the movie.
23. Nagore Aramburu’s debut.
24. Among Felix’s awards that get destroyed by Lola, there’s also a Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Ironically, Penelope Cruz won a Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her work in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Madres paralelas”, with both movies competing at the same Venice Film Festival in the official competition.
25. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 67 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website’s critics consensus reads, “Its premise may resonate most with hardcore film fans, but Official Competition‘s tight focus and sharp humor have a universal appeal.”