UPCOMING FILM: DANIEL ROMERO’S LAS HIJAS
Following its award-winning industry showcase at Cannes’ Marché du Film, Spanish filmmaker Daniel Romero has premiered his highly anticipated debut feature film in Official Competition at the Sitges Film Festival. Written by Romero alongside Asier Guerricaechebarría (Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil), The Daughters is an oppressive psychological thriller and survival horror that explores themes of indoctrination, captivity, and psychological manipulation within a twisted family structure.
The story centers on a twenty-year-old woman who is kidnapped by a stranger and wakes up in a secluded house deep inside the Basque countryside alongside three other young women. To her horror, she discovers her fellow captives do not act like prisoners; instead, they behave as the loyal, obedient daughters of their abductor. Trapped in an environment where abuse and routine have blurred into domestic normalcy, she must navigate a deadly game of obedience and rebellion to survive.
Daniel Romero makes his feature debut after establishing a strong track record in fantasy and horror short filmmaking with acclaimed titles such as Juan con miedo (2010), No mires ahí (2013), and Cambio (2016). The film features a strong Basque ensemble cast led by Yune Nogueiras (Gaua), Jone Laspiur (Karmele, Goya winner for Ane), Edurne Azkarate (Irati), and Ainara Elejalde (Els Encants), alongside a special appearance by Karra Elejalde (Timecrimes, Celda 211) as the patriarch.
Shot across atmospheric locations in Bizkaia (Bilbao, Balmaseda, and Orduña), The Daughters is a co-production between Spain (La Verneda Films, Atekaleun, La Charito Films) and the UK (Escape Plan Productions, producers of A Dark Song), with backing from EITB, RTVE, and the Basque Government. Director Daniel Romero noted that the film shifts the traditional hostage-thriller perspective away from the captor and onto the terrifying psychological bond between the captives themselves, using genre codes to dissect how individuals adapt to, enforce, or fight back against perverted power dynamics.
