Uruguayan satire When I Existed heads to Tallinn with a retiree declared dead

When I Existed will have its world premiere on 18 November in the Critics' Picks Competition at the 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in Estonia, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film is the feature debut of writers and directors Alejandro Damiani and Martín Avdolov. It is a Uruguay-Spain co-production, described as a social satire driven by black humour, the dry, dark kind of comedy that finds laughs in grim situations.

The story follows Silvio Bertolini, a retiree in Montevideo who has spent 40 years at work. He is declared dead by mistake. Now he has to fight the bureaucracy to correct the error and win back his life and his pension.

César Troncoso leads the cast. He is joined by Silvia Kutica, Néstor Guzzini, Maruja Bustamante, Mónica Gonzaga and Mirella Pascual. Manuel Branaa is the cinematographer, and editing was shared by Dan Avram, Martí Rocca, Damiani and Avdolov.

Federico Cetta produces for El Cielo Cine. The film is co-produced with Spain's Doce Entertainment, led by David Matamoros, and Uruguay's Metropolis Films, led by Andrés Rosenblatt. Moon Ideas, run by Matías Burgos, is an associate producer. Support came from ACAU, FONA, MVD Filma, MVD Socio, FIC and Ibermedia.

Sales are being handled by m-appeal, the company that will take the film to buyers. Sales agents like this one are the people who decide which films reach cinemas and streaming services in other countries. The Hollywood Reporter also premiered the film's trailer exclusively.

Tallinn's festival, now in its 30th edition, opened at the Alexela Concert Hall. The organisers presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to Priit Pärn, an Estonian animation director, Sven Grünberg, an Estonian film composer, and Hilmar Oddsson, an Icelandic filmmaker. The programme also includes twelve films nominated for this year's European Film Awards, according to PÖFF's own website.

Festivals like Tallinn are where a film first meets an audience, and where the business around it starts to take shape. For When I Existed, the next stop after the premiere on 18 November has not been announced.