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“Championext”(“Campeonex”), the anticipated follow-up to Javier Fesser’s Spanish comedy triumph “Champions” (“Campeones”) which scooped Forqué, Goya, and Feroz awards for best picture and delighted audiences to the tune of a stellar €18.5 million (21.4 million) box office grab, has been acquired for international sales by Latido Films (“The Beasts”).

Written by Fesser (“Camino”) and Athenea Mata (“El Secreto de Lilith”) in collaboration with David Marqués, the film follows nearly the same cast of beloved characters two years after they’ve left the fierce competition behind. A Los Amigos reunion will see “the landscape move from the world of basketball to the world of athletics for people with disabilities while making room to explore the fascinating world of metaverses and virtual reality,” Fesser revealed in a statement.

Delving further into the world of its protagonists, the film allows for a broader reveal while cementing the feel-good sentiment and relatability that brought the original high-acclaim.

While submitting an Asghar Farhadi feature to the Oscar’s foreign film category might be considered a no-brainer, Spain chose differently, passing over two-time Oscar winner’s Cannes Film Festival opener Everybody Knows, which was produced with the country’s money and starred two Oscar-winning national treasures Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and selected filmmaker Javier Fesser’s heart-warming comedy-drama and local box office hit Champions. To date in Spain this year, it’s the highest grossing local Spanish film with $23M, and it leaves audiences in tears.

In the movie, Spain’s leading man Javier Gutiérrez plays cocky big league assistant basketball coach Marco Montes who assaults his colleague during a televised game. He’s fired, but life gets worse: Drunk, he front-ends his vehicle into a police car. Life is already bad as he’s on the outs with his wife Sonia (Athenea Mata). In receiving a community...