EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based MMM Film Sales has acquired the international rights to Winnipeg: Seeds of Hope ahead of its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June.

The feature by Spanish directors Beñat Beitia and Elio Quiroga is among 11 titles selected for the Contrechamp Competition at the French animation festival which unveiled its lineup on Tuesday.

It tells the story of Julia, a seven-year-old girl who, in 1939, travels with her father from Barcelona as they flee the Spanish Civil War. Their journey takes them through refugee camps in France and aboard the SS Winnipeg, the ship that carried 2,400 Spanish refugees to safety in Chile.

Pablo Neruda, then Chilean ambassador to France, had chartered the ship’s passage. Through Julia’s eyes, the film portrays a historical voyage of courage, hope, and resilience, brought to life with a visually striking 2D animated style.

Although set in 1939, the story is framed as a recollection narrated in the present day by Julia herself, now an elderly woman and survivor of the many atrocities of the 20th century. Through her memory, the film reflects not only on her childhood journey but also on the long shadow of history and survival.

The film features the voices of a number of feted Chilean actors including Paulina García, who won Berlinale’s Best Actress prize for her performance Sebastián Lelio’s Gloria, as well as in Alfredo Castro (Karnawal), and Luis Gnecco (Neruda).  

The Spanish voice of Julia is performed by 10-year-old actress Maia Zaitegi, who has already notched up half a dozen roles including Kraken:The Black Book of Hours (2026) and Cuerpos Locos (2025).

The project is inspired by Laura Martel’s graphic novel Winnipeg, el barco de Neruda, and its soundtrack is composed by Diego Navarro.

It is a Spanish production, produced by Dibulitoon Studio, Dibulitoon Factory AIE, and La Ballesta and coproduced by Chile’s El Otro Film and Argentina’s Malabar Prods.