Estibaliz Urresola, Director of Berlin Silver Bear Winner ‘20,000 Species of Bees,’ to Co-Write Diana Toucedo’s ‘To Live in a Shout’ (EXCLUSIVE)
'To Live in a Shout' is a gripping drama about a UN activist's obsessive search for a missing Syrian friend, risking her career and safety.
Accomplished writer, director and editor Diana Toucedo’s upcoming feature “To Live in a Shout” is currently in development and has received a significant boost with the addition of “20,000 Species of Bees” filmmaker Estibaliz Urresola as co-writer.
The project is one of the hottest set to participate in the upcoming Malaga Festival’s MAFIZ industry sidebar where it pitches at MAFF, the event’s co-production and financing platform.
Described by its producers as a gripping drama, the film tells the story of Lola, a U.N. human rights activist whose life unravels when her Syrian friend Fariya disappears while attempting to enter Europe. Consumed by an obsessive search, Lola risks her career, relationships and personal safety to uncover the truth, ultimately confronting the brutal realities of the migration system she once believed in.
Toucedo has extensive experience in editing over 30 features, including San Sebastian and SXSW player “Tobacco Barns,” Catalan Academy Gaudi Award nominee “Julia Is” and the hit Movistar Plus+ series “Hierro.” As a director, she has helmed several documentary and experimental short films, with her first feature film, “Thirty Souls,” premiering at the Berlinale in 2018.
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Joining Toucedo as co-writer is “20,000 Species of Bees” filmmaker Urresola, whose debut feature won a Berlin Silver Bear in 2023 . She previously impressed with her Cannes Critics’ Week Rails d’Or-winning short “Cuerdas” – which anticipated her large ability to ground universal issues in local collectives. She stands out as one of Spain’s leading up-and-coming auteur filmmakers.
Produced by leading Catalan producer Alba Sotorra, Miramemira and Homemade Films, shooting is planned for 2026.
The combination of Toucedo and Urresola makes “To Live in a Shout” one of the most intriguing Spanish projects of the near future, and Sotorra’s involvement is even more enticing. Barcelona-based and now established as one of Spain’s leading co-production specialists, Sotorra has produced the International Emmy nominated “The Return: Life After Isis,” “Sima’s Song” and “Upon Entry,” nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
Sotorra produces, moreover, with Andrea Vásquez at Galicia-based social-issue cinema focused Miramemira, behind San Sebastian Golden Shell winner “The Rye Horn.”