SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ACQUIRES PEDRO ALMODÓVAR’S ‘MADRES PARALELAS’ STARRING PENÉLOPE CRUZ, AITANA SÁNCHEZ GIJÓN AND MILENA SMIT

NEW YORK (April 23, 2021) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all rights in North America, Australia and New Zealand to Pedro Almodóvar’s MADRES PARALELAS. Written by Almodóvar, the film stars Penélope Cruz, Aitana Sánchez Gijón, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Julieta Serrano and Rossy de Palma. Shooting began last month in Madrid.

The film is produced by Agustín Almodóvar and Esther García through Almodóvar’s production company El Deseo. This marks the 13^th collaboration between El Deseo and Sony Pictures Classics. It also reunites the filmmaker with longtime collaborators Cruz, Serrano and de Palma.

MADRES PARALELAS is a drama that centers on three mothers, portrayed by Cruz, Gijón and Smit. The film expands Almodóvar's previous depictions of womanhood by turning his focus on imperfect mothers, in a departure from his prior work exploring mothers and motherhood.

Sony Pictures Classics recently released Almodóvar’s short film THE HUMAN VOICE, starring Tilda Swinton, in theaters alongside a digitally restored re-issue of WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN.  It will be available to stream on HBO Max starting April 30^th.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS   

Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992—which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world.  Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 39 Academy Awards® (35 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 181 Academy Award® nominations (155 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. 

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