Pragda CEO Marta Sanchez frames the acquisition as a strategic expansion beyond educational markets into 'socially conscious thriller[s]' that offer North American audiences access to suppressed Chilean history through exceptional cinema.
Insiders note Pragda's aggressive move marks its first all-rights U.S./Canada grab—a significant bet on politically charged Latin American content in an election year where audiences are hungry for historical perspective on authoritarian regimes.
The film swept Guadalajara Film Festival in April 2026 and won four awards at Malaga including Audience Award. Lead Nicolás Zárate took the Silver Biznaga for his performance as Captain Jorge Silva. The Red Hangar had its world premiere at Berlinale's Perspectives sidebar in February 2026.
The Red Hangar's international sweep signals a hunger for unflinching historical cinema—and with Pragda's first all-rights North American acquisition, Chilean filmmakers are betting big that American audiences want the receipts on Pinochet's darkest chapter.
Chile's most buzzed-about debut filmmaker just pulled off a global takeover. Juan Pablo Sallato's stark black-and-white thriller "The Red Hangar" ("Hangar rojo") has sold to Pragda for its first-ever all-rights acquisition covering both the United States and Canada, Variety reports—a landmark deal that underscores growing appetite for Latin American cinema tackling the region's most traumatic historical wounds. The film didn't sneak into the market quietly.
"The Red Hangar" swept April's Guadalajara Film Festival after making its world premiere at February's Berlin International Film Festival in the Perspectives sidebar, where international sales agent Premium Films immediately partnered with subsidiary MPM Premium to snap up worldwide rights. Since then, it's been a relentless acquisition train: Spain (Festival Films), Italy (I Wonder), Greece (Weird Wave), Poland (Cinobo), and Chile (Storyboard Media) have all signed on the dotted line.
Set during the first three days of Chile's 1973 military coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende, "The Red Hangar" excavates a chapter the country has spent decades suppressing. The film follows Captain Jorge Silva, a former Air Force Intelligence chief coerced into transforming his academy's facilities into a detention and torture center—earning it the grim moniker "Red Hangar." Based on Fernando Villagrán's book "Shoot the Flock," the drama centers on Air Force officers and enlisted soldiers who opposed the coup and faced brutal punishment from their own institution.
It's the kind of material that doesn't win friends in diplomatic circles, but apparently wins festivals: before Guadalajara's sweep, the film collected four awards at Malaga including Audience Award honors. "When a client falls in love with a film within the first few minutes of viewing, all that remains is to trust their strategy and vision," said Natalia Isotta, head of Ibero-American sales and worldwide festivals at MPM Premium, speaking from Cannes where she's handling business this week.
The critical response has validated that passion: critics have praised its format choices, cinematography, and performances—particularly lead Nicolás Zárate's understated turn as Captain Silva, which earned him the Silver Biznaga at Malaga. For Pragda CEO Marta Sanchez, the acquisition represents something bigger than a single film purchase. "'The Red Hangar' represents exactly the kind of cinema we wanted to bring into our new line of business beyond the educational market," she said, calling it "a socially conscious thriller that combines tension, a contemporary perspective and an especially timely subject matter." The film has confirmed screenings across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia as part of its distribution strategy. Co-produced by Chile's Villano Producciones alongside Argentina's Brava Cine and HD Argentina, Italy's Rain Dogs, Berta Films, and Caravan—with participation from TVN Italia—the project exemplifies the cross-border collaboration increasingly defining prestige international cinema.
