Argentina’s Diego Lerman Reaches for the Skies in ‘The Man Who Loved UFOs,’ Vies for the Golden Shell at San Sebastian (EXCLUSIVE)

Argentina’s Diego Lerman heads back for at least the third time to the San Sebastian Film Festival with his seventh and most ambitious film, “The Man Who Loved UFOs,” which competes in the festival’s official selection.

Loosely inspired by real events and people, the dramedy is set in the summer of 1986, where José de Zer, an entertainment journalist, is covering the theater season in Buenos Aires. He’s approached one day by two individuals who invite him to their pueblo with an odd proposal.

Intrigued, José and his trusted cameraman, Chango, travel to La Candelaria in Córdoba. Upon arriving at the scene – a perfectly round burnt patch in the hills – they find little that makes sense.

What follows is what is deemed the most memorable depiction of alien presence in Argentine TV history. Chango, a Sancho Panza to de Zer’s Don Quixote, follows him faithfully as they shoot ever more bizarre – and contrived – scenes for a popular news show.   

It’s somewhat like my first film, [Locarno – Silver Leopard winner “Suddenly”], which had touches of humor and unpredictability,” Lerman told Variety.

Leonardo Sbaraglia (“Wild Tales,” “Pain and Glory”) plays De Zer who Lerman always had in mind for the role while writing the screenplay alongside Adrian Biniez (“Giant”). Sergio Prina (“The Snatch Thief”) plays Chango.

“The Man Who Loved UFOs” is Lerman’s first film backed by Netflix, produced by his companies Campo Cine and Bicho Films.

“It was a script I had shelved for quite some time because it would have been expensive to produce, what with its various locations over multiple weeks, numerous extras and period setting,” said Lerman, adding: “Thanks to Netflix’s financing, I got the opportunity to make it under the right conditions.” “They gave me total freedom,” he remarked, adding that they agreed to his bringing aboard the same crew he’s worked with for years and to his casting choices.

The streaming platform came to the rescue just as the new policies under Argentina’s new president Javier Milei had been devastating the local film industry, hobbling what used to be a vital lifeline, the country’s national film-TV institute, INCAA.

“It’s truly incomprehensible and tragic but we’re determined to find ways to keep making films, whether through platforms, cooperatives or independent production. However, there’s also a strong need to stand our ground and insist that the film institute continues funding films. This isn’t just for the filmmakers; it’s for our society, for the preservation of our national cinema,” he pointed out.

Lerman has two projects he’s developing, one of which he’ll likely make with Netflix next year. “If I had a thru line going through all my films, I’d say I’ve always been interested in the human dimension of a story. For example, this film also explores a character who begins to lose his grip on reality, not in the sense of becoming unhinged, but in the sense of losing faith in what he believes or sees, and questioning whether it’s all a product of his imagination,” he mused.

“At a certain point, the film addresses not only how fake news is created, but also how reality is perceived. It aims to blend humor with a deeper exploration of the issues at hand, portraying a character who is medicated, sees a psychiatrist and is emotionally unstable, while also revealing his vulnerable side,” he added.

The 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival takes place over Sept. 20 – 28.