Antonio Banderas presents AUTÒMATA

2044: Robots (in Spanish: AUTÒMATA) are manipulating themselves in order to save humanity. Insurance agent Jacq Vaucan (Antonio Banderas) and a scientist (Melanie Griffith) have to advocate human rights against a non-human consciousness. Antonio Banderas, star and co-producer of the movie, will present it at Zurich Film Festival.

(zff.com) Leading actor Antonio Banderas is attending the Zurich Film Festival, along with co-writer and director Gabe Ibáñez, to present AUTÓMATA on Friday, September 26. Banderas is also a producer together with Sandra Hermida, Les Weldon and Danny Lerner.

The science fiction thriller AUTÓMATA is set in 2044: The world is on the verge of ecological collapse; robots are a feature of everyday life. Jacq Vaucan (Antonio Banderas) is an insurance agent whose job is to follow up complaints from customers whose robots are causing problems. Vaucan’s wife (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen) is expecting their first child.

The agent comes across an increasing number of robots that have been manipulated or even carried out changes to themselves. Vaucan has the task of testing those robots that fall below usual safety standards. His investigations lead him to a scientist (Melanie Griffith), who seems to know more than she’s telling.

What at first looks like a routine job, turns out for Vaucan to be the adventure of a lifetime. He is confronted with a robot that both expresses its own female consciousness, and is set on saving humanity from ecological disaster.

Sprinkled throughout with film noir and western elements, Antonio Banderas displays impressive acting skills in this science fiction thriller. Banderas does not only star in this US-Spanish co-production, but is also one of its producers.

Banderas became known to a wide audience thanks to his successful long-term collaboration with cult director Pedro Almodóvar on such enigmatically provocative films as LABYRINTH OF PASSION (1982), LAW OF DESIRE (1987) and the Academy Award nominated WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (1988).

He made his name in Hollywood with productions like PHILADELPHIA (1993) opposite Tom Hanks, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (1994) alongside Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, EVITA (1996) together with Madonna, and in the title role of THE MASK OF ZORRO (1998) with Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The Spanish director Gabe Ibáñez made his feature film debut with the mystery thriller HIERRO, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival. Filmed in Sofia, AUTÓMATA is his second directorial work and his first English language film.