What happens when a painting that has always adorned the living room of an ordinary house turns out to be a unique work of art in the world? What path does the investigation follow to determine its authenticity? What interests and struggles are unleashed for a piece of art that could be worth 400 million?

This is what "The Sleeper" seeks to unravel. The new documentary, co-produced by Morena Films, Mediacrest, Estrategia Audiovisual, and the Italian production company Fandango, started production at the end of last year and is currently being shot in Madrid, London, and various cities in Italy. 

In Spain, the project is supported by RTVE, by CaixaForum+ as associated producer, and by Elástica Films as national distributor. Fandango, in addition to being a partner of the project, is the international sales agent and will be attending the European Film Market.

Synopsis
Directed by Alvaro Longoria, based on an original story by himself, Gerardo Olivares, and Ricardo Fernández Deu, "The Sleeper" shows the fascinating journey of a piece of art that goes from a house's living room, where it has remained unnoticed for generations, to making headlines worldwide in light of the possibility that it could be a lost Caravaggio, making it one of the most coveted pieces by collectors and art dealers worldwide.

Guided by art dealer Jorge Coll, "The Sleeper" opens the doors to the fascinating and mysterious world of sleepers: works of art of enormous value that remain hidden or wrongly attributed for years. In this world, discovering a Caravaggio "sleeper," the cursed master and great Baroque painter who revolutionized painting 400 years ago and of whom only 70 works are preserved, transcends the art world. Intrigues abound: family, dealers, galleries, experts, museums, investors... they all become protagonists of this adventure.

The team
Alvaro Longoria is a producer, director, and one of the founders of Morena Films. In his role as a director, Longoria is focused on documentaries. In 2013, he won the Goya Award for Best Documentary with "Sons of the Clouds" (2012). Since then, he has directed 8 long-running and internationally recognized documentaries. As a producer, he has produced 45 fiction feature films, winning the Goya in 2018 with "Champions" (2019), and two series.

Gerardo Olivares has been making films and documentaries for the past 30 years. He is the first Spaniard to win the Golden Spike at the SEMINCI for his feature film "14 kilometers." In his role as a documentary director, he has traveled to over a hundred countries and filmed about 80 documentaries that have been acquired by the most important international television networks such as NatGeo, Discovery Channel, ZDF, Canal Plus, NHK, RAI, ORF, and TV5. He has directed films like "Among Wolves," "Brothers of the Wind," "The Lighthouse of the Orcas," or "4 Lattes," and the highly impactful Netflix documentary "Two Catalonias."

Ricardo Fernández-Deu is the head of Audiovisual Strategy, a production company founded in Barcelona in 2006, specializing in the production of high-quality films and documentaries. Among its awards is the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice International Film Festival, a Goya for Best Photography, and the International Film Critics Prize (Fipresci). Some of its productions include "The Monk" (2011), "Dying in 3 Acts" (2011), "Last Days of the World" (2009), "Last Witnesses" (2009), "The Treasure" (2008), "The Zone" (2007), and "Iberia" (2005).

Domenico Procacci founded Fandango in 1989. Since then, he has produced more than 100 films, with big names such as Nanni Moretti, Paolo Sorrentino, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Emir Kusturica. He has participated in numerous festivals, and won many prizes, including two Cannes Grand Jury Prizes with Matteo Garrone's “Gomorrah" and “Reality”. With Fandango TV Domenico Procacci also produced “My Brilliant Friend”, the HBO- RAI series co-produced with Wildside and based on Elena Ferrante's novels. Fandango is also a publishing house (Fandango Libri), a record label (Radiofandango), a distribution company, and an International Sales Company.