Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio has directed some of the most critically revered fiction features in recent years, from 2017’s groundbreaking, Oscar-winning trans love letter “A Fantastic Woman” to both the original “Gloria” with Paulina García and the A24 American remake “Gloria Bell” with Julianne Moore. He’s swept us up in a taboo lesbian romance in “Disobedience,” starring Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz, and directed Florence Pugh in the British-Irish period piece “The Wonder” at Netflix. In other words, he’s tried on all shapes and sizes — and told stories in multiple languages.
His latest film takes an entirely new form, in this case, the protest musical. “The Wave” (or “La Ola” as it’s known in its Spanish-language title) premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and is now finally getting a theatrical release courtesy of queer indie distributor Wolfe Video. IndieWire debuts the official stateside trailer exclusively below, and ahead of the film’s theatrical release starting June 26.
Daniela López stars in the film as Julia, an introverted music student whose curiosity and passion for protest is awakened amid a growing feminist movement on her university campus, and with #MeToo as a backdrop. Her own story of abuse becomes a central character in a protest drama that unfurls into electrifying song-and-dance numbers and movement choreography. Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo, and Paulina Cortés also star.
The music is composed by Matthew Herbert (“Disobedience”) with choreography by Emmy Award winner Ryan Heffington (“Euphoria”). The original music was created collaboratively by 17 female Chilean musicians — including Ana Tijoux, Camila Moreno, and Javiera Parra. Sebastián Lelio wrote the film with Manuela Infante, Josefina Fernández, and Paloma Salas. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Lelio, and Rocío Jadue for Fabula Productions serve as producers.
Christian Vesper and Seb Shorr for Fremantle; Robert Kessel and David Linde for Participant; and Mariane Hartard for Fabula Productions also back the film.
After Cannes, the film premiered in the United States at the NVISION Latino Film & Music Festival in Miami, where Sebastián Lelio received the NVISIONARY Award, and the film won Best International Feature.
“The Wave” opens in Los Angeles on June 26 at the Landmark Nuart, with a bigger theatrical rollout to follow.
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