Prince, the solo feature directorial debut of Uruguayan filmmaker Federico Borgia, centers on an award-winning show dog who becomes the focal point of a family conflict following his owner’s death. The film, a Uruguayan-Argentine co-production, premiered at the 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival on October 8. Alpha Violet is managing international sales for the stylized production, which combines absurdist elements with dark humor to explore themes of inheritance, class divisions, and familial bonds.
The narrative begins when Isabel, an affluent Argentine woman living in the coastal luxury of Punta del Este, dies unexpectedly. Her will contains an unusual provision: her entire estate is bequeathed to Prince, the Afghan hound, with Jaime, a former lover who has served as her live-in butler for two decades, appointed as the dog’s guardian. Isabel’s relatives can only inherit the property after the dog’s death. This arrangement sets off a series of conflicts when Isabel’s estranged son and granddaughter arrive at the villa with intentions to remove the dog, forcing Jaime to both protect Prince and confront his own estranged son and unresolved past.
Borgia drew inspiration for the project from his personal experiences relocating from Montevideo to Punta del Este, observing the intersection of social classes and the mixing of glamour with decadence in the seaside town. His childhood fascination with show dogs, stemming from a visit to a dog groomer’s office filled with contest photographs, provided additional creative fuel. The filmmaker crafted a protagonist in an ambiguous position—a worker whose relationship with his employer evolved from service provider to lover to undefined partner, a complexity that reflects broader themes explored throughout the film.
The cast includes Roberto Suárez as Jaime, Maitina De Marco as Isabel, and Esteban Bigliardi among others. Borgia collaborated extensively with Suárez throughout development, incorporating his suggestions into multiple script iterations. For the role of Prince himself, the production team selected an Afghan hound primarily for aesthetic reasons, working with a trainer who identified a particularly sociable and calm individual from his collection of eight dogs. According to Borgia, the dog performed without incident during filming, with one exception occurring when it fell into the villa’s swimming pool, requiring several hours of grooming afterward.
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