Buffalo Kids originates from a story by Pedro Solís, author of the story that inspired “Strings” (2014), a short film that holds the Guinness World Record for being the most award-winning short in cinema history.
This inspired the concept of developing a feature film based on a true story about
children taken from New York to the West in search of new families. According to Jordi Gasull, the film’s producer from 4 Cats Pictures, known for the blockbuster success Mummies in 2023, which grossed over 50 million euros worldwide, this idea emerged from Solís’s narrative.
Buffalo Kids tackles themes of family, integration, and diversity, but “these emerge organically from the story itself. There’s no need to force the message. That's the beauty: all these insights stem from the inherent nature of the story,” says Gasull. Solís and Juan José Galocha (director of Mummies) teamed up as directors for “a tender story of love, but without sentimentality.”
Mummies hadn’t even premiered yet, and the production team was under pressure to keep Warner on board, unsure of how the Spanish production, which would later become an international success, would be received. The production machinery demanded an alternate option.
Meanwhile, American company CMG fell in love with the story and decided to get involved. At the same time, discussions began with Atresmedia, where the project caught the attention of the then head of the production department, Mercedes Gamero, becoming “a key piece of this film.” Gamero’s successor, Jaime Ortiz de Artiñano, embraced the project with equal enthusiasm, further boosting confidence.
By late 2023, Buffalo Kids secured general support from the ICAA and production aid from the ICEC. Tax incentives were facilitated through two private investors—Anangu, Aurentia, and Metrosmedia. The holding group Anangu Grup SL (Mark Sabe and Marta Santacana) regularly collaborates with 4Cats, whose main partners are Gasull and Edmon Roch.
Buffalo Kids will be distributed in Spain by Warner, and international sales have already begun pre-Annecy: Italy, Greece, Poland, the United Arab Emirates, Yugoslavia, and Russia.
