Alba Sotorra joined Rock Bottom as the producer in 2021. Before that, Sotorra had established herself in the realm of ‘live-action’ filmmaking with works such as Sica, Upon Entry, and Francesca & Love. By then, director Maria Trenor had been developing her feature debut for around seven years.
Alba Sotorra joins Rock Bottom as a producer, while María Trenor had been developing her feature debut.
Trenor had faced challenges in securing a producer who could provide the necessary financing. The project was undeniably unique: an animated musical based on the lives of former Soft Machine vocalist and drummer Robert Wyatt and his lyricist-illustrator partner Alfreda Benge.
Set in the 1970s, it was inspired by Wyatt's iconic album “Rock Bottom”, recorded in 1974. Artists such as Julian Schnabel, opera directors like Bob Wilson, and influential musicians like Brian Eno had all shown interest in adapting the album into film or opera. Now, an animator from Valencia had taken the idea to heart.
Sotorra found herself drawn to the concept, but it was “when I saw Maria’s drawings and the whole visual proposal that I became completely convinced,” the producer explains. The film’s final technique combines 2D animation with rotoscoping.
In 2021, the financing process kicked off with grants from the ICAA and regional organizations in Catalonia and Valencia, namely ICEC and IVC, respectively. Jaibo Films also came on board for production. By 2022, the first animatic was created, and towards the end of the year, the first animators were hired, setting up shop in a small studio. The film wrapped up production just two weeks before Annecy.
The project had been pitched at Cartoon Movie in 2020 (with a different producer) and again in 2021 (now with Sotorra’s backing). It had previously made appearances at MIFA, and in 2023, it was featured in the Annecy Animation Showcase as part of the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival.
The finalized production lineup includes Alba Sotorra (Barcelona), Jaibo Films (Alicante), along with two Polish companies: GS Animation and Likaon. Sotorra waited until this year’s Annecy festival to seal the deal on international sales, securing initial agreements after ongoing negotiations at this year’s Marché.
Reflecting on the spring of 2014, Trenor reminisces about her visit to a quaint English countryside village to negotiate adaptation rights for the album with Wyatt. “As we strolled through the village bidding farewell, I said, ‘I may not be Elvis Costello, Brian Eno, or Björk, or any of your usual collaborators, but how would you feel about me making an animated musical film based on ‘Rock Bottom’?’ He simply replied, ‘Do whatever you want’.” What I thought would be the hardest part turned out to be the easiest.
