The Phantom (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

The Phantom follows David Lamelas as he helps reconstruct the story of Rubén Santantonín, an elusive Argentine avant-garde figure whose legacy is marked by gaps, contradictions and surviving artistic traces. The documentary also revisits the influential scene surrounding Buenos Aires’ Instituto Torcuato Di Tella.

The Phantom is a 2026 Argentine documentary centered on an unfinished piece of cultural history. It brings artist David Lamelas into a project about Rubén Santantonín, his former collaborator and a mysterious figure in Argentina’s avant-garde scene.

What begins as a commissioned short film for an exhibition gradually becomes an investigation into memory, archives and the difficulty of reconstructing a life cut short. The project also reconnects with artists and curators associated with the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella in the late 1960s.

The Phantom movie details

Story without spoilers

Two female producers are asked to create a short documentary for an exhibition devoted to Rubén Santantonín, an elusive Argentine avant-garde artist who died very young in the late 1960s. Their client adds an unusual requirement: the film must be made in collaboration with David Lamelas, Santantonín’s former collaborator and now an internationally recognized conceptual artist.

Lamelas works with a young film crew to collect archival material, record the few surviving works and speak with curators and artists who knew or shared the era with Santantonín. Among those interviewed are Luis Felipe Noé and Marta Minujín, figures connected to the legendary artistic community around the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella. As the research develops, Lamelas finds that telling his friend’s story also requires facing missing information and conflicting accounts.

What to expect

The Phantom is grounded in documentary research rather than a conventional fictional plot. Its subject combines archival investigation, interviews and documentation of surviving artworks, while the central premise places personal memory alongside the challenge of preserving an incomplete artistic legacy.

The film also offers a window into Argentina’s avant-garde culture of the late 1960s, particularly the milieu associated with the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella. Because the documentary follows a reconstruction shaped by gaps and contradictions, its focus is likely to remain on the process of finding and interpreting evidence rather than presenting a simple, definitive portrait.

Cast and creative team

David Lamelas appears as himself and also directs the film with Ignacio Masllorens. The cast includes Constanza Feldman as Rocío, Victoria Baldomir as Rosario, Carmen Iriondo as Reneé and Manuel Atwell as Fede. Luis Felipe Noé, Marta Minujín and Leopoldo Maler are also featured. The screenplay is credited to Agustín Mendilaharzu and Walter Jakob.

• David Lamelas as Himself
• Constanza Feldman as Rocío
• Victoria Baldomir as Rosario
• Carmen Iriondo as Reneé
• Manuel Atwell as Fede
• Luis Felipe Noé
• Marta Minujín
• Leopoldo Maler

Release and production context

The Phantom is a 2026 production from Argentina, with Spanish as its spoken language. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. The film is produced by El Pampero Cine and El Rayo Verde. Its listed release date is September 10, 2026.

Production companies: El Pampero Cine, El Rayo Verde

Movies Dock view

With its focus on Rubén Santantonín, David Lamelas and the artistic world surrounding the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella, The Phantom presents an archival documentary inquiry into a difficult-to-recover chapter of Argentine avant-garde history. Its interest lies in the act of reconstruction itself and in the questions left by an incomplete record.

Film data:
TMDB