The Platform Producer David Matamoros Jumps Aboard Cult Chilean Drama Dog Legs

What just went down at San Sebastian

Big festival deals love to squeeze in right before the house lights go up. Spanish producer David Matamoros, the man behind the hit dystopian nightmare The Platform, just signed on to back Dog Legs, as reported by Variety.

He sealed the pact at the San Sebastian Film Festival through his company Doce Entertainment Spain. It is a major boost for Chilean director Matías Rojas, who has been quietly assembling an international dream team to bring one of his country's wildest cult novels to the big screen.

With Matamoros on board, the project officially heads into its final stretch of financing. When a producer who knows how to make weird, dark, genre-bending cinema a worldwide smash puts his name on your call sheet, people pay attention.

The story behind Dog Legs

If you have never heard of Dog Legs—or Patas de perro, as it is known across Latin America—you are in for a ride. The movie is an adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Chilean author Carlos Droguett.

Droguett was not one for cosy, predictable bedtime reading. The book dives deep into identity, outcasts, and raw human vulnerability, centred on an extraordinary young boy with physical canine traits trying to survive a harsh, unforgiving society.

Director Matías Rojas has spent years building a reputation for gritty, poetic storytelling. Bringing Droguett's strange world to life is no easy task. It takes guts, a distinct visual eye, and serious cash to pull off properly without turning into cheap camp. That is exactly where this new production lineup comes into play.

A massive international coalition

Matamoros is not working alone on this one. Not by a long shot. The production is a true global effort.

Spain now joins creative partners from Chile, France, Germany, and Colombia. That five-country alliance gives the movie massive distribution leverage across Europe and Latin America before a single frame even shoots.

Let's be honest: pulling five countries together on an arthouse drama is usually a total logistical headache. Visas, co-production funds, tax credits, and endless meetings over coffee at film markets can drain the life out of any director. But Rojas has managed to lock in top-tier backers who actually understand fringe cinema.

Matamoros knows this territory inside out. The Platform was a self-contained Spanish thriller that could have easily stayed buried in festival sidebars. Instead, it became an international sensation on streaming, proving that audiences everywhere will gladly watch grim, cerebral stories if you tell them with bite.

Why this partnership makes perfect sense

Look at what David Matamoros does best. He spots odd, uncomfortable stories and figures out how to make them travel across borders.

Through Doce Entertainment, he has consistently backed directors who take wild creative swings. Matías Rojas does not make shiny popcorn movies; his past work proves he likes getting right under the skin. Putting Matamoros in his corner gives Rojas creative cover and financial muscle.

Getting a deal over the line in the dying hours of a festival like San Sebastian shows genuine momentum. Film markets are exhausting marathons where hundreds of pitches die quiet deaths in hotel lobbies. When a producer jumps in late, it usually means the package looks solid and the money is nearly ready to flow.

What happens next for the film

Now that Spain has signed on the dotted line, the team enters the final sprint to lock down the remaining budget.

Pre-production details will start rolling out soon. Casting will be the big hurdle to watch. Finding the right lead for a story as unique and physically demanding as Dog Legs will make or break the entire feature.

After that comes the shoot, likely split across key co-producing territories, followed by the festival circuit rounds where titles like this love to make their splash.

Keep an eye on this one. With the muscle of The Platform behind it and a powerhouse lineup across five nations, Dog Legs is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing international projects on the indie cinema radar.