Alejandro Millán shoots 'Por un handful de frases' in Gran Canaria

Panorama

May 23, 2025

Jorge Sanz stars in 'Por un handful de frases', a western comedy by ISII Group directed by Alejandro Millán. Ineffable Productions is in charge of producing this project, which is shot entirely on the island of Gran Canaria and will have the production services of SIA Servicios Audiovisuales.

The story, a western comedy written by Alejandro Millán himself together with Rubén del Pino, places us in a classic American Western town during the kidnapping of Sheriff MacLein at the hands of two natives, Media Luna and Pluma Loca. A series of unexpected events will reveal that nothing is as it seems in this plot.

Jorge Sanz, one of the most emblematic actors in Spanish cinema and television, enters the role of Sheriff Maclein, a new character that adds to his extensive career since he debuted as a child in La miel (1979). With his performance in Conan the Barbarian (1982) he gained international recognition. His career is completed by great titles such as Valentina, The Year of Lights, Lovers, Belle Époque (winner of the Oscar) and The Girl of Your Eyes. Jorge Sanz won the Goya for Best Actor for his role in If They Tell You I Fell Out and has worked with great directors such as Fernando Trueba and Vicente Aranda. One of his most unique projects is ¿Qué fue de Jorge Sanz? (2010), a series created by David Trueba in which he plays himself with acid humor and a self-critical look.

Its director, Alejandro Millán, has worked as a director and chief editor in several television programs, series and advertising. For 6 years he has been working as an editor for the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival and between 2022 and 2024 he has made and edited different documentaries, such as Iceland, The Power of the Earth, Borrados del Mapa, La Última Gran Colonia and El Último Volcán. Since August 2024 he has been Head of the Short Film Area of SIA Servicios Audiovisuales. Alejandro has directed several ISII GROUP projects, including Las coordenadas exactas and Se alquila.

 Homage to spaghetti westerns

Millán assures that "in my previous short films, Se Alquila and Las Coordenadas Exactas, I had touched on genres such as horror and black science fiction comedy. On this occasion, Rubén del Pino (co-screenwriter) and I wanted to dare with the purest genre of cinema: the western. However, it was clear that we would not make a classic western. We wanted to pay homage to the most irreverent spaghetti western, with some unexpected twists, some metacinema and printing that hooligan touch that we try to apply to all our works. The main character, Sheriff MacLein, was written to be played by Jorge Sanz. Without their participation, this short film would not make sense." In addition, he adds that "for us it was a real pleasure to be able to have, in leading roles, Jota Ramos and Iván Rodríguez, Canarian specialists at an international level. His passion for cinema reminded us at all times of the purpose that gave birth to this short film."

For a Handful of Phrases is produced by Ineffable Productions, the company behind the films Normas para una página de sucesos, La farola del mar, Se alquila, Las coordenadas exactas, Cataratas and Tal vez. This project has the production services of SIA Servicios Audiovisuales with Lydia Palencia as executive producer, Daniel González as director of photography and Itahisa López as art direction. For a Handful of Phrases will soon premiere on Divergent, ISII Group's platform dedicated to content of less than 59 minutes.