Alex de la Iglesia Heads to Santiago for 'The Misunderstanding'
Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia will start filming his new comedy in Chile next week, and it will be his first time shooting in the country. He told Variety about the plans at the Santiago International Film Festival, known as Sanfic.
The film is called The Misunderstanding (El Malentendido). Chilean broadcaster TVN reported that the Chile shoot was set to begin on Monday, 9 November. The project had already started earlier in the year. According to its producer, Pokeepsie Films, filming kicked off on 5 October in Madrid.
Variety describes the film as an absurdist comedy. It mixes the chaotic physical humour of the Marx Brothers with the grim mood of a war movie. The story is set in two made-up countries, Lithovenia and Stalovakia, which are close to war. Tensions boil over at a United Nations assembly when a field marshal, Stroheim, storms out.
The title comes from a small mix-up. A compliment, "You look magnificent, strong," is misheard as "You're fat."
The lead role of a clumsy foreign minister goes to Benjamín Vicuña. De la Iglesia met the Chilean actor while developing a film in Argentina. Vicuña is also in the director's upcoming Netflix comedy Felicidades.
Chile is where the production gets its look. Producer Pablo Díaz of Rio Estudios, who is working on the film with Pokeepsie, said de la Iglesia scouted Santiago in June or July and fell for the downtown area. The plan is four weeks of filming in mansions around the city, including the former United States embassy. Crews will also head out of the city to build a battlefield with trenches.
The connection goes back to Sanfic itself. De la Iglesia met Díaz at the festival last year, introduced by Gabriela Sandoval, who runs Sanfic Industria, the festival's industry arm that brings filmmakers and producers together. The 2026 edition was the festival's 22nd, and it screened nine Chilean films in its competition, which carries cash prizes for best film, director and actor.
For Santiago's crews, a shoot of this size means weeks of work behind the camera, from set builders and drivers to location managers. For the cast and crew, the next big date is that first day on set. For everyone else, the film is still a few months from any release, and no platform has announced a date for it.
