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For Margaret Miller and Trevor O’Neil of Nashville-based Hideout Pictures, producers of the horror thriller “The Whistler,” they’ve been scouring their slate to go back and shoot in Colombia as soon as they can. “The Whistler,” was
their very first overseas location shoot and it was an experience they want to repeat.
Working with an all-Colombian crew was “absolutely, hands down one of the best experiences ever,” says Miller. “They were so hard working and professional, there was never a ‘no.’ It was always ‘sure, no problem, we’ll make that happen.’”
O’Neil describes how they would arrive on set and be amazed that the crew had managed to build entire sets and bring power to such remote locations, even in the middle of the rain. “I kept asking, ‘How did you even do this?’ They would just laugh and say, ‘This is nothing. We’ve shot in the Amazon, where we send gear down on rafts.’ To them, this production was relatively straightforward. I remember thinking, Wow, I would put Colombian crews up against American crews any day.”
The project was brought to them by its Venezuelan writer-director Diego Velasco (“The Zero Hour”) who had been toiling for some 14 years to get it made. They loved it and agreed to fund it entirely, after which Velasco introduced them to seasoned producer Diego F. Ramirez of 64A Films (“Dog Eat Dog,” “Killing Jesus”) who signed on to handle production services.
In “The Whistler,” Juan Pablo Raba (“Narcos,” “Dutton Ranch”) and Diane Guerrero (“Orange is the New Black,” “Lincoln Lawyer”) play Sebastian and Nicole who, following the death of their only daughter, inherit a secluded farm in the Venezuelan plains that has been taken over by a mysterious group who claim to commune with the dead.
Desperate for one last chance to reconnect with her child, Nicole is drawn into their rituals, unwittingly unleashing The Whistler, a legendary malevolent spirit whose haunting whistle signals death – the more distant it sounds, the closer it truly is.
They filmed on location for six weeks in Buga, a renowned pilgrimage site near the salsa capital of Cali, where the dialogue was mostly in English, with about 20% in Spanish. Prior to that, they lived in Cali for about three and a half months, honing their Spanish and salsa-dancing skills.
During production, O’Neil came down with a mild case of dengue fever that kept him at their hotel for some days. Luck would have it that their 1st AD’s father was an infectious disease doctor so they would have video calls daily, where he could assess his case. “He was back on set after 10 days,” says Miller.
A more pleasing turn of events was how quickly they recouped their investment via Colombia’s CINA incentive, “It’s unheard of, we got it back between six to nine months,” says Miller.
Administered by Proimágenes Colombia, Colombia’s CINA incentive (Audiovisual Investment Certificate) grants a transferable tax credit equal to 35% of eligible spending on audiovisual services in Colombia.
The movie got a limited theatrical release in the U.S. via Vertical before landing on digital platforms. Its Spanish title has been changed to the more ominous-sounding title “Poseído” (Possessed). It rolls out in September via CineColombia in Colombia while other distributors release it in a number of territories, including Honduras, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia. Cineplex handles international sales.
The Whistler, Courtesy of Hideout Pictures
