The Exiles

Los Tortuga

Delia, a Chilean immigrant working as a taxi driver in Barcelona, is still grieving alongside her college-aged daughter over the death of Julián, the family’s beloved husband and father, who was deeply attached to a small olive grove he cultivated in his village. As financial pressures mount and the threat of eviction becomes imminent, these two women – tied by profound love but often clashing –are confronted with a painful yet liberating decision. This tender and grounded drama, layered like the ancient geological strata of a seismic region, circles around two deeply impactful characters. The family gatherings, the symbolic olive grove, and its association with the late father add a surprising, almost transcendent dimension to a classic narrative of mourning and redemption, delivering emotional depth through the sincerity and directness of its performances.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Belén Funes

Script: Belén Funes, Marçal Cebrián

Cinematography: Diego Cabezas

Editing: Sergio Jiménez

Sound: Diana Sagrista, Abraham F. Apresa

Music: Paloma Peñarrubia

Actors: Elvira Lara, Antonia Zegers

Production: Oberon Media, La Claqueta

Producers: Antonio Chavarrías, Olmo Figueredo

Co-production: Quijote Films, La Cruda Realidad, Los Tortuga La Película

Costumes: Lourdes Fuentes

Production Design: Paula Espuny

Executive producer: Alba Bosch Duran, Sara Gómez

Make Up: Sarah Kceres

Format: DCP

Color: Colour

Production Country: Spain, Chile

Production Year: 2024

Duration: 109'

Contact: Film Factory Entertainment

Belén Funes

Born and raised in Ripollet, Barcelona. Discovering her passion for communication and storytelling, she pursued film direction at ESCAC, graduating in 2008. She later traveled to San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, to complete a master´s degree in fiction writing at the EICTV school. In 2015, she made her directorial debut with the short film Sara a la fuga, which premiered at the Málaga Film Festival and won the Silver Biznaga for Best Director and Best Short Film. In 2017, her second short film titled La Inútil premiered at the Seminci and was nominated for Best Short Film at the Premis Gaudí of the Catalan Cinema Academy. In 2018, she was selected for the Talent Lab at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to develop the script for her first feature film, La hija de un ladrón (A Thief’s Daughter). This debut premiered in the Official Selection of the San Sebastián Film Festival and won the Silver Shell for Best Actress for Greta Fernández. It also received three Premis Gaudí awards: Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Non-Catalan Language Film, as well as the Goya Award for Best New Director. The film has been showcased at festivals such as Palm Springs, BFI London, Thessaloniki Film Festival, and Les Arcs, among others. Los tortuga is her second feature film and it was selected by the SGAE Script Laboratory, Mediterranean Film Lab, and Berlinale Talent Project Market, where was finalist for the VFF Talent Highlight Award.