Pablo Larrain’s Fabula, Venice Winner Team for TCCF Series

Oscar-winning production company Fabula (“A Fantastic Woman”) and Venice Critics’ Week Grand Prize winner Tana Gilbert (“Malqueridas”) are developing “Where Is Narumi?“, a documentary series examining the 2016 killing of Japanese student Narumi Kurosaki by her ex-partner Nicolás Zepeda.

The project marks a collaboration between Gilbert and the Chilean production house founded by Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín, which recently earned two Academy Award nominations in 2024 for “El Conde” (Best Cinematography) and “The Eternal Memory” (Best Documentary Feature).

Gilbert, whose connection to the case stems from having attended the same university as Zepeda, brings a personal perspective to the project. “As a woman and storyteller, I feel a deep responsibility to help break down harmful narratives about women from within,” she explains. Drawing from her experience working with archival materials, Gilbert plans to examine the digital footprints left behind by both Zepeda and Kurosaki, analyzing how “misogyny manifests in digital spaces and often leads to physical harm.”

Fabula, known for tackling pressing social issues, sees the project as an opportunity to examine the broader implications of gender violence. “‘Where Is Narumi?’ stands out as an urgent story, highlighting the media, judicial and political phenomena it has sparked across three continents – America, Europe, and Asia,” the company states.

The series aims to move beyond true crime conventions to examine what Fabula describes as the “mandate of masculinity” – societal expectations that link virility to control over women. Gilbert intends to focus on exposing early warning signs of aggressors while questioning media sensationalism that often renders society “complicit in its silence.”

Currently in development with writing expected to complete by April 2025, production is slated to begin in the second half of 2025. As a Chilean-French co-production with significant ties to Japan, the team is presenting the project at Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) seeking funding and potential Japanese creative input.

The project brings together Fabula’s seasoned production team including Mariane Hartard, who serves as executive production director for film and TV, creative development head Sofía Libkind, and Rocío Jadue, who runs the company’s Latin-American film division and previously produced the Oscar-winning “A Fantastic Woman.”