The Apostle (Galician: O Apóstolo) is a 2012 Spanish adult stop-motion animated fantasy horror film written and directed by Fernando Cortizo (in his directorial debut). Produced by Artefact Productions, it stars Carlos Blanco Vila, Paul Naschy, Jorge Sanz, Geraldine Chaplin and Luis Tosar. It was the last film starring Naschy, who died in November 2009. Released in Spanish cinemas on 31 October 2012 by Film Arante and Coven Distribution, the critically acclaimed film received a limited theatrical release to qualify for Awards consideration.
Premise
A recently escaped convict seeks to recover a treasure he hid years ago in a small, secluded Galician village. However once there, he finds out that in the village there is an even worse sentence than the one he fled from.
Production
Production began in 2008. With a budget of €5.2 million, The Apostle was partially crowdfunded by 560 backers. It was filmed in stereoscopic stop-motion using clay animation being the first one made in Europe. Written and directed by Fernando Cortizo, the film was Cortizo's directorial debut. The cinematography was handled by Matthew Hazelrig, and the film was edited by Fernando Alfonsin. The soundtrack was composed by Xavier Font, Philip Glass and Arturo Vaquero, and released by Orange Mountain Music.
Accolades
At the 27th Goya Awards, The Apostle was nominated for Best Animated Film, but lost to Tad, The Lost Explorer.
DVD:
- PAL
- Language: Castellano and Galician
- Subtitles avalibe in: English, Castellano, Galician, French, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, Corean