It’s been a good week for Basque directors Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi, who, along with Jose Mari Goenaga, world premiered “Marco” at Venice and landed a spot on the shortlist for Spain’s Oscar entry.

Sold by Film Factory Entertainment, with market screenings in Toronto and upcoming stops at San Sebastian, London and Vancouver, “Marco” is generating significant buzz. Based on real events, it centers on Enric Marco, an imposter who gained sympathy, fame, and respect by falsely claiming to be a concentration camp survivor while serving as chairman of the leading Spanish association for deportees. His story was a lie.

The filmmakers initially aimed to capture Marco’s downfall as a documentary, but like everything he touched, truth slipped away. He told them he was going to Germany to get papers from a prison he’d stayed in. The filmmakers wanted to accompany and capture key footage.