You may think I'm exaggerating when I say this but you can make a good case that nobody in the world has had a larger impact on the world of Spanish genre cinema than cinematographer Xavi Gimenez.  How can I make such a claim?  As the man behind the camera for The Machinist, Intacto, Agora, Darkness, The Abandoned, Transsiberian and more - a whopping thirty titles in all since 1991 - Gimenez has become the cinematographer of choice for Filmax while also dipping into several big budget productions for other Spanish producers.  He's very busy, very much in demand, and his work has been at the forefront of the Spanish wave for years now.

And now he's taking the step into the director's chair.  Gimenez has his first directorial effort in the works now.  Backed by Filmax, Tranquility Valley is being presented for pre-sale at the upcoming American Film Market, which means artwork and a detailed synopsis have been released.

Louis doesn't know what to do with his sixteen year old son Frank. He's drinking, smoking dope, getting into trouble sometimes not even coming home at night. Louis is desperate; he has to do something with him, and now! Frank is abruptly awoken by two men gripping him tightly. His father is standing in the room. 'It's for your own good' he says. Frank is dragged outside and off into a waiting car. During the long night drive Frank's imagination runs wild, where is he being taken? Finally the car turns off the road, through the window he sees a large and attractive estate isolated in the middle of the countryside, it doesn't seem quite so bad after all. This is Tranquillity Valley.

Tranquil?  Somehow I think not ...

[We are told by the people at Filmax that Tranquility Valley also has a working title of Animales Domesticos.  Both titles are provisional and neither may be the final choice.  Though they are listed as separate projects on the IMDB they are actually the same film.]