Peruvian animation studio Tunche Films has partnered with global animation major Toonz Media Group to co-produce Kayara through its Spain-based Fortoon Island, following the worldwide success of Tunche’s Ainbo – Spirit of the Amazon. The CGI film is set amidst the Inca civilization and, like Ainbo, follows an adventurous female lead.
“It is, indeed, a privilege for Toonz to partner with Tunche Films for this very ambitious project which has its roots firmly placed in ancient, indigenous wisdom and modern, progressive values at the same time,” said Toonz Media Group CEO P. Jayakumar. “Apart from bringing on screen a strong female character, Kayara also provides us the unique opportunity to collaborate in a truly international project that brings together teams from diverse cultures across the world.”
Carlos Biern, the Group’s President of Animation Production & Co-Production, added, “Kayara is the story of a heroine who changed the role of women in many ways. Her epic journey follows situations and characters that can be easily identified by today’s audience, even though the story is set 500 years ago. We are very honored to bring it to life in our Spanish speaking animation industry, together with the award-winning Tunche studio.”
Kayara centers on a young Inca woman who aspires to join the Chasqui Messengers — an elite, male-only league of official messengers in the Incan Empire. In her quest to be the first female Chasqui Messenger, Kayara courageously overcomes arduous obstacles, while also discovering the ancient stories of her land and her people.
Directed by César Zelada (Together It’s Possible), the movie has attracted Beverly Hills-based international sales company Cinema Management Group (CMG) as executive producer and sales agent. CMG was instrumental in bringing Toonz and Tunche together, and has already licensed the film extensively around the globe to blue-chip distributors.
“We worked with Dutch co-producers on Ainbo and the cultural exchange between our Peruvian team and the Dutch was very helpful to our creating an indigenous story with a worldwide appeal,” noted Zelada. “We are looking forward to an exciting synergy in working with the Spanish based team with Toonz.”
Edward Noeltner, President of CMG, said, “After the positive experience of working with Toonz on animated feature The Canterville Ghost and the good collaboration we’ve had with Tunche Films on Ainbo, we are delighted to have brought these two exceptional teams together for an exciting new production.”
CMG has already pre-sold Kayara to 15 international distributors including Le Pacte (France), WW Entertainment (Benelux), Praesens (Switzerland), Front Row (Middle East), Rialto Distribution (Australia/New Zealand) and CDC (Latin America) among others. The family feature is set to release in 2024.
