A King and His Movie (1986) on Netflix

Plot summary

The nineteenth-century French adventurer Orelie-Antoine de Tounens, who assumed the title King of Patagonia and Araucania, is the obsession of David Vass, a filmmaker in Buenos Aires who intends to make an epic account of his story. Word of the project reaches the Argentine media, and Vass has to dodge reporters while he carries out his preproduction plans. He begins auditioning for the actor who will portray the king and rejects every professional he sees. That sends him into the street, where the man he decides is perfect mistakes him for the police and runs. Vass catches up with him and persuades him to take the part. With his king found, he assembles a cast and crew and prepares to travel south to shoot.