An Onion
An Onion
Produced independently by Javier Alatorre / Presented by Primanova Pictures
Produced independently by Javier Alatorre / Presented by Primanova Pictures
Produced independently by Javier Alatorre / Presented by Primanova Pictures
Primanova Pictures creates artistically ambitious films shaped by a Catholic imagination. We tell honest, character-driven stories of suffering, grace, and redemption for modern audiences.
Primanova Pictures creates artistically ambitious films shaped by a Catholic imagination. We tell honest, character-driven stories of suffering, grace, and redemption for modern audiences.
Primanova Pictures creates artistically ambitious films shaped by a Catholic imagination. We tell honest, character-driven stories of suffering, grace, and redemption for modern audiences.
An Onion
An Onion
An Onion
Dostoevsky’s parable of despair and mercy, brought to the screen.
Dostoevsky’s parable of despair and mercy, brought to the screen.
ABOUT THE FILM
A monk losing his faith is brought to a woman who lost hers long ago. What begins as a temptation becomes an unexpected encounter with grace.
A monk losing his faith is brought to a woman who lost hers long ago. What begins as a temptation becomes an unexpected encounter with grace.
A monk losing his faith is brought to a woman who lost hers long ago. What begins as a temptation becomes an unexpected encounter with grace.
Adapted from “An Onion,” a chapter from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov.
We chose An Onion as our first film because it beautifully embodies one of the ideas we care deeply about: what Flannery O’Connor called “the action of grace in territory held largely by the devil”—a pattern at the heart of the Christian story itself.
In a time increasingly marked by cynicism, Dostoevsky’s insistence that no soul is beyond the reach of grace feels especially urgent. An Onion premieres online in August 2026.
We chose An Onion as our first film because it beautifully embodies one of the ideas we care deeply about: what Flannery O’Connor called “the action of grace in territory held largely by the devil”—a pattern at the heart of the Christian story itself.
In a time increasingly marked by cynicism, Dostoevsky’s insistence that no soul is beyond the reach of grace feels especially urgent. An Onion premieres online in August 2026.
Short Film · 15 Minutes
Written, directed, and produced by Javier Alatorre
Presented by Primanova Pictures
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
Founded in Friendship
Founded in Friendship
Founded in Friendship
Javier and Bruno met at ten years old, when they lived across the street from one another. Film quickly became part of their friendship. In high school, they wrote and directed short films together, gathering casts and crews from their classmates and theater department and learning, project by project, how to collaborate.
Javier and Bruno met at ten years old, when they lived across the street from one another. Film quickly became part of their friendship. In high school, they wrote and directed short films together, gathering casts and crews from their classmates and theater department and learning, project by project, how to collaborate.
Javier and Bruno met at ten years old, when they lived across the street from one another. Film quickly became part of their friendship. In high school, they wrote and directed short films together, gathering casts and crews from their classmates and theater department and learning, project by project, how to collaborate.
As their faith deepened, so did their understanding of art—not just as entertainment or self-expression, but as a way of revealing truth and shaping culture. They founded Primanova Pictures to continue the dream that began in childhood and to create original films and adaptations rooted in truth, beauty, and goodness: stories that invite audiences into mystery and meaning without sacrificing accessibility, honesty, or artistic ambition.
As their faith deepened, so did their understanding of art—not just as entertainment or self-expression, but as a way of revealing truth and shaping culture. They founded Primanova Pictures to continue the dream that began in childhood and to create original films and adaptations rooted in truth, beauty, and goodness: stories that invite audiences into mystery and meaning without sacrificing accessibility, honesty, or artistic ambition.
As their faith deepened, so did their understanding of art—not just as entertainment or self-expression, but as a way of revealing truth and shaping culture. They founded Primanova Pictures to continue the dream that began in childhood and to create original films and adaptations rooted in truth, beauty, and goodness: stories that invite audiences into mystery and meaning without sacrificing accessibility, honesty, or artistic ambition.
Javier Alatorre & Bruno Rodriguez
Javier Alatorre & Bruno Rodriguez
Co-Founders, Primanova Pictures
Co-Founders, Primanova Pictures
OUR NEXT FILM
Maccabees
Maccabees
Maccabees
Antonio Ciseri, The Martyrdom of the Seven Maccabees, 1857–63 · Church of Santa Felicita, Florence
Antonio Ciseri, The Martyrdom of the Seven Maccabees, 1857–63 · Church of Santa Felicita, Florence
INSPIRED BY 2 MACCABEES 7
A Mother’s Impossible Choice
A Mother’s Impossible Choice
A Mother’s Impossible Choice
The last surviving son of a condemned family is given a choice: publicly abandon the faith of his ancestors or suffer the fate of his brothers. His mother is given one final chance to save him. Instead, she asks him to die.
At the heart of Maccabees is a double martyrdom. The son must surrender his life rather than betray his faith. His mother must surrender the son she carried, raised, and most longs to save. This double martyrdom turns the story back on the viewer, confronting him with his own convictions and a question modern life prefers to avoid: Are you willing to die for what you believe?
The last surviving son of a condemned family is given a choice: publicly abandon the faith of his ancestors or suffer the fate of his brothers. His mother is given one final chance to save him. Instead, she asks him to die.
At the heart of Maccabees is a double martyrdom. The son must surrender his life rather than betray his faith. His mother must surrender the son she carried, raised, and most longs to save. This double martyrdom turns the story back on the viewer, confronting him with his own convictions and a question modern life prefers to avoid: Are you willing to die for what you believe?
The last surviving son of a condemned family is given a choice: publicly abandon the faith of his ancestors or suffer the fate of his brothers. His mother is given one final chance to save him. Instead, she asks him to die.
At the heart of Maccabees is a double martyrdom. The son must surrender his life rather than betray his faith. His mother must surrender the son she carried, raised, and most longs to save. This double martyrdom turns the story back on the viewer, confronting him with his own convictions and a question modern life prefers to avoid: Are you willing to die for what you believe?
WHY THIS FILM
Few biblical stories contain a reversal as shocking as this one: a mother is summoned to save her son, only to prepare him for death. We are fascinated by the terrible beauty of that choice as well as the questions it asks of the viewer.
We envision Maccabees in stark black and white, framed in 4:3—intimate rather than expansive, placing the audience inside the final conversation between a mother and her last surviving son.
Maccabees is currently in development. We are seeking patrons and collaborators who believe stories of this kind deserve to be brought to the screen.
Few biblical stories contain a reversal as shocking as this one: a mother is summoned to save her son, only to prepare him for death. We are fascinated by the terrible beauty of that choice as well as the questions it asks of the viewer.
We envision Maccabees in stark black and white, framed in 4:3—intimate rather than expansive, placing the audience inside the final conversation between a mother and her last surviving son.
Maccabees is currently in development. We are seeking patrons and collaborators who believe stories of this kind deserve to be brought to the screen.
Few biblical stories contain a reversal as shocking as this one: a mother is summoned to save her son, only to prepare him for death. We are fascinated by the terrible beauty of that choice as well as the questions it asks of the viewer.
We envision Maccabees in stark black and white, framed in 4:3—intimate rather than expansive, placing the audience inside the final conversation between a mother and her last surviving son.
Maccabees is currently in development. We are seeking patrons and collaborators who believe stories of this kind deserve to be brought to the screen.
Help us tell the next story.
Help us tell the next story.
Help us tell the next story.
We are seeking patrons, producers, and artistic collaborators who share our belief in the power of beautiful, truthfully told stories. Join us in bringing the next one to the screen.