Germany's Patra Spanou Film has acquired world sales rights to "The Newcomers" ("Los nuevos"), the latest feature from Mexican director Rodrigo Plá, shortly after its world premiere in Locarno's Kids Screenings strand. It marks Plá's first venture into children's cinema, tackling weighty themes such as forced displacement, migration and environmental exploitation through an accessible, family-friendly adventure story.

Shot in Mexico's Tabasco region, the film follows a group of tweens led by narrator Mateo, whose village takes in refugee Tiana and her family, only to find the pollution they fled has reached them too; together with Tiana's dog, they investigate what is poisoning the local rivers. It is Plá's sixth feature and is adapted from the book "Llegaron con el viento" ("They Came with the Wind") by his wife and regular collaborator, screenwriter Laura Santullo, who said the project pushed the pair to experiment with new narrative tools while retaining their long-standing interest in social justice. The couple now have three further projects in development – a musical, a dystopian drama and a black-comedy thriller.