Uruguayan Film “Tonga, el 34 Oriental” to be Featured on Iberia Flights

The documentary Tonga, el 34 oriental, produced by Hoboken Films, can now be seen on all Iberia flights. This is the second Uruguayan production to “board” the airline due to Uruguay XXI’s work to promote the audiovisual sector, together with Claudia Bertolino, the director of the Argentine distribution company Amashort.

In a previous instance, due to Uruguay XXI’s efforts, Bertolino sold the documentary Soñar Robots, directed by Pablo Casacuberta, to Iberia and British Airways. According to the Argentinean, these productions represent Uruguay very well since they tell the adventures of local characters eager to go out into the world.

Tonga is a documentary directed by Carlos Conti. It shows how mixed martial arts competitor Gastón “Tonga” Reyno prepares to face his last competition in the United States and fulfills his dream of appearing on the poster of the competition together with his idols. It is also the story of a warrior who leaves his life for his flag in every fight.

One of the main steps taken by Bertolino, who is not a producer but felt a strong sympathy for the film, was to obtain the rights held by Fox Sport to broadcast the images of several fights in the documentary, to the point that she went out to get the permits that would allow it to be shown on the airline.

“With Carlos Conti, the director, we began to see which images of certain leagues needed to obtain rights. We made inquiries with different television networks and channels. When one gave us the rights, we went to the next one, saying that we had obtained the first rights, and they also joined us, and so we continued. It was a year of work and much learning,” recalled Bertolino.

Through the distribution company Amashort, Betolino learned about the value of Uruguayan and Latin American productions in general and the interest they generate in international circuits. “Latin American material is precious, and within this, certain themes are better received by those who buy. Everything that has to do with the environment works very well, including travel, wildlife, and nature documentaries,” she said.

She is beginning to understand Uruguayan cinema. She highlighted the talent of the filmmakers and praised the work carried out by institutions such as Uruguay XXI, Montevideo Audiovisual, and the Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Agency (ACAU).

Filmmaker Carlos Conti acknowledged that, when thinking about exhibition possibilities for Tonga, he always imagined the cinema or some platform, but not the screens of an airline, so he is pleasantly surprised that his film can be seen on flights. “I find it super interesting because a lot of the audience can be on airplanes. It is a good alternative to give visibility to the film when it is complicated to place productions,” he said.

Conti valued the work of Amashort and Uruguay XXI to give Tonga a presence on Iberia flights and hopes to find alternative screens for Una familia olímpica, the new film he is shooting. It tells the story of Daiana Casella, an Olympic gymnast and swimmer with Down syndrome who represented Uruguay in several international competitions.

Learn more about Uruguay’s audiovisual sector here.