Oscar-winning filmmaker Sebastián Lelio has wrapped production on musical film The Wave (La Ola) inspired by the wave of feminist civil disobedience that swept Chile in the spring of 2018.

The mass protests and university rallies, sparked by a collective desire to bring attention to widespread harassment and abuse against women in Chile, came to be known as the “Feminist May”.

The movement was seen as a turning point for Chilean consciousness around women’s rights, reverberated across the world.

The movie’s original musical compositions have been created collaboratively by 17 female Chilean musicians including Ana Tijoux, Camila Moreno and Javiera Parra, as well as the film’s award-winning composer Matthew Herbert, whose credits include Lelio’s The Wonder, A Fantastic Woman, Gloria Bell and Disobedience.

The choreographer is award-winning Ryan Heffington who has worked with recording artists including Sia, Florence and the Machine and Christine and the Queens as well as on the series Euphoria and Transparent and the films Tick, Tick… Boom! and Baby Driver.

“I am fascinated by the idea of using the musical genre with its aura of romance and splendor to speak about the inspiring young feminist movement in Chile, mutual consent in the post #MeToo era, and the political potential of the individual or collective voice,” said Lelio.

“The Wave explores the collision between the urgency for change and the status-quo through the intoxicating power of dance, music and… A band of masked women who are determined to change the world.” 

Newcomer Daniela López stars as a music student who gets involved in the growing feminist movement on her university campus. Amid the excitement of the protest marches, she revisits her own experiences of mistreatment.

As she gathers the courage to share her story, she unexpectedly becomes a central figure in the movement in a role she didn’t foresee. This forces her to address her identity as a survivor in a society that promises change but remains resistant to it.

The production has released a first image of López in the role as well as stills from the set (see below for the latter). Lopez is joined in the cast by other newcomers Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo and Paulina Cortés.

The Wave is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue and Sebastián Lelio under the Fabula banner.   Co-financiers are Participant, who worked with Lelio on A Fantastic Woman, and Fremantle. 

“It is in our DNA to share narratives that resonate with audiences. In this particular instance, our goal is to showcase the remarkable journey of Latin American feminists who, over the last decade, have shattered paradigms and secured rights through their activism. We aspire to evoke a sense of inspiration and emotion as you witness their impactful journey,” said Jadue.

The screenplay is by written by Sebastián Lelio, Manuela Infante, Josefina Fernández and Paloma Salas.

Infante was a teacher at a university where about 100 female students lay siege to its main building during the 2018 protests.

“I stood very close to them and learned a lot from them. In fact, their experiences and stories are part of the foundations of this movie about what comes after the feminist uprising,” she said.

Lelio’s previous films include Participant’s A Fantastic Woman, for which he won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, the BAFTA Award nominated The Wonder and the multi award-winning Gloria. 

The film shot on location in Chile over nine weeks.