Netflix has promoted Carolina Leconte to the position of senior director of content at its Mexican outpost. She steps into Roberto Stopello’s shoes, who has ankled.
Leconte has been with Netflix since 2021 where she held the position of director, original series, Latin America and spearheaded such hit productions as the second season of Colombian show, “The Marked Heart,” one of the most popular non-English TV series on Netflix in 2022; the racy tale “Fake Profile,” which stayed in the global Top 10 ranking for non-English series for six weeks in 2023 and posted the biggest bow of any non-English series last year; and “Love After Music,” a series based on the career of Argentinian musician Fito Paéz, among many other shows.
She previously worked on such titles as “Luis Miguel- The Series” (Seasons 2 and 3), “42 Days of Darkness” and Season 2 of “Control Z.”
Leconte’s 20-year experience in the biz includes work...
Leconte has been with Netflix since 2021 where she held the position of director, original series, Latin America and spearheaded such hit productions as the second season of Colombian show, “The Marked Heart,” one of the most popular non-English TV series on Netflix in 2022; the racy tale “Fake Profile,” which stayed in the global Top 10 ranking for non-English series for six weeks in 2023 and posted the biggest bow of any non-English series last year; and “Love After Music,” a series based on the career of Argentinian musician Fito Paéz, among many other shows.
She previously worked on such titles as “Luis Miguel- The Series” (Seasons 2 and 3), “42 Days of Darkness” and Season 2 of “Control Z.”
Leconte’s 20-year experience in the biz includes work...
- 1/23/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is toasting Mexico’s National Day of Cinema on Aug. 15 with a slew of projects, many of them tapping the country’s wealth of literary classics and original storytellers. Working with some of the most prominent local filmmakers, the streaming giant is also reaffirming its $300 million commitment to Mexican cinema and series and its #QueMéxicoSeVea (“Let Mexico Be Seen”) initiative.
A teaser of its upcoming film “No voy a pedirle a nadie que me crea” (“I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me”) by Fernando Frías De La Parra (“I’m No Longer Here”) debuts exclusively on Variety.
An adaptation of what award-winning author Juan Pablo Villalobos describes as an ‘autobiographical fiction,’ Frias’ latest film follows the writer as he prepares to go to Barcelona with his girlfriend to study for a doctorate in literature. But he gets caught up in a criminal network that spurs him to write the...
A teaser of its upcoming film “No voy a pedirle a nadie que me crea” (“I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me”) by Fernando Frías De La Parra (“I’m No Longer Here”) debuts exclusively on Variety.
An adaptation of what award-winning author Juan Pablo Villalobos describes as an ‘autobiographical fiction,’ Frias’ latest film follows the writer as he prepares to go to Barcelona with his girlfriend to study for a doctorate in literature. But he gets caught up in a criminal network that spurs him to write the...
- 8/14/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Buenos Aires — Launching their new production house, La Corriente de Golfo, last April, Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna have tapped Mexican writer-director Kyzza Terrazas as the company’s head of development.
The appointment will certainly help build the company appointing an old-rounder capable of overseeing and implementing development, writing and directing, and a longtime friend of manny of the leading lights of a new creative generation of Mexican directors which has made its marks in cinema but is often now diversifying into TV.
It also builds on past relationships: a longtime friend and work colleague of both García Bernal and Luna, Terrazas co-wrote García Bernal’s feature debut “Deficit,” headed up development at Canana, the company Garcia Bernal and Luna created with Pablo Cruz from 2005. Terrazas ankled Canana in 2009 to make his feature debut, “Machete Language,” produced by Mexico City shingle Mr. Woo and exec-produced by García Bernal and Diego Luna.
The appointment will certainly help build the company appointing an old-rounder capable of overseeing and implementing development, writing and directing, and a longtime friend of manny of the leading lights of a new creative generation of Mexican directors which has made its marks in cinema but is often now diversifying into TV.
It also builds on past relationships: a longtime friend and work colleague of both García Bernal and Luna, Terrazas co-wrote García Bernal’s feature debut “Deficit,” headed up development at Canana, the company Garcia Bernal and Luna created with Pablo Cruz from 2005. Terrazas ankled Canana in 2009 to make his feature debut, “Machete Language,” produced by Mexico City shingle Mr. Woo and exec-produced by García Bernal and Diego Luna.
- 12/9/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Location shooting is underway in Mexico and Argentina for Season 2 of Fox Premium’s “Here on Earth”, the multi award- winning series created by Gael Garcia Bernal, Kyzza Terrazas and Jorge Dorantes.
Mexican actors Adriana Barraza, Kristyan Ferrer and Natasha Dupeyron join the Season 1 cast toplined by Bernal, Alfonso Dosal, Daniel Giménez Cacho –who will also helm an episode – along with Tenoch Huerta, Colombian actress Paulina Dávila and Spanish actress Ariadna Gil.
The political drama-thriller series of eight one-hour episodes has already picked up a clutch of awards including at Canneseries, the Zurich Film Festival, and most recently at the Fenix Film Awards held in Mexico City in its Outstanding Ensemble Cast category.
In this new season of “Here on Earth,” lead character Carlos Calles (Dosal), begins to perceive certainties about the death of his father while his stepfather, Governor Mario Rocha (Giménez Cacho), tries to keep the truth hidden...
Mexican actors Adriana Barraza, Kristyan Ferrer and Natasha Dupeyron join the Season 1 cast toplined by Bernal, Alfonso Dosal, Daniel Giménez Cacho –who will also helm an episode – along with Tenoch Huerta, Colombian actress Paulina Dávila and Spanish actress Ariadna Gil.
The political drama-thriller series of eight one-hour episodes has already picked up a clutch of awards including at Canneseries, the Zurich Film Festival, and most recently at the Fenix Film Awards held in Mexico City in its Outstanding Ensemble Cast category.
In this new season of “Here on Earth,” lead character Carlos Calles (Dosal), begins to perceive certainties about the death of his father while his stepfather, Governor Mario Rocha (Giménez Cacho), tries to keep the truth hidden...
- 11/16/2018
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The Guadalajara International Film Festival in Los Angeles - Ficg in La - presented by the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA and Conaculta, with Principal Sponsors University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Institute of Cinema Mexico (Imcine) and Univision, announced the celebrities who will attend the opening night gala on Friday, September 5.
Ficg in La previously announced that Academy Award nominee Demian Bichir ("A Better Life," FX’s The Bridge), Rubén Luengas (Univision Radio), anchorwoman Gabriela Teissier (Univision TV) and Nalip (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) will be honored. Joining them at the festival will be the cast and filmmakers of the opening night film "Las horas contigo" ("The Hours with You"), Isela Vega (lead actress), María Rojo (lead actress), Cassandra Ciangherotti (lead actress), Julio Bracho (supporting actor), Arcelia Ramírez (supporting actor), Catalina Aguilar Mastretta (director), Roberto Sneider(producer), Bérénice Eveno (director of photography). The festival also announced the addition of the short film "Solidarity" starring Elpidia Carrillo, who will be in attendance with the director Dustin Brown.
Cast members and filmmakers of the Closing night film "En el último trago" ("One for the Road") are also confirmed to attend, including Eduardo Manzano (supporting actor), Jack Zagha Kababie (director), Yossy Zagha Kababie (producer).
Directors of several other films in the festival will also attend. Nicolás Echevarría (director, "Eco de la Montaña"), Ignasi Millet (subject,"Ignasi M"), Mariana Chenillo (director, "Paraíso"), Damian John Harper (director, "Los Angeles"), Horacio Alcala (director, "Grazing the Sky"), Sara Seligman (director, live-action short, "Diego"), Bernardo Britto (director, Animation Short, "Yearbook") will also be in attendance.
Ficg in La is presented by the University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America and Conaculta, and Principal Sponsors, the University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Institute of Cinema Mexico (Imcine) and Univision, and Supporting Sponsors Cultura Udg, University of Guadalajara Foundation in Los Angeles, LeaLa, Channel 31.2 and the General Consulate of Mexico in Los Angeles.
For tickets and more information visit Here
About Ficg
Ficg was founded in 1986 by the Mexican filmmaker Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, with the tremendous help from young film students like Guillermo del Toro, and support from the University of Guadalajara. It will celebrate its 30th edition next March 6-15, 2015.
Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.
About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico
The University of Guadalajara is a network formed by three educational systems and 15 campuses distributed in all the regions of the State of Jalisco, and it is the second most important and eldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means through social development and dissemination of knowledge.
About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.
The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles.
It seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.
Ficg in La previously announced that Academy Award nominee Demian Bichir ("A Better Life," FX’s The Bridge), Rubén Luengas (Univision Radio), anchorwoman Gabriela Teissier (Univision TV) and Nalip (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) will be honored. Joining them at the festival will be the cast and filmmakers of the opening night film "Las horas contigo" ("The Hours with You"), Isela Vega (lead actress), María Rojo (lead actress), Cassandra Ciangherotti (lead actress), Julio Bracho (supporting actor), Arcelia Ramírez (supporting actor), Catalina Aguilar Mastretta (director), Roberto Sneider(producer), Bérénice Eveno (director of photography). The festival also announced the addition of the short film "Solidarity" starring Elpidia Carrillo, who will be in attendance with the director Dustin Brown.
Cast members and filmmakers of the Closing night film "En el último trago" ("One for the Road") are also confirmed to attend, including Eduardo Manzano (supporting actor), Jack Zagha Kababie (director), Yossy Zagha Kababie (producer).
Directors of several other films in the festival will also attend. Nicolás Echevarría (director, "Eco de la Montaña"), Ignasi Millet (subject,"Ignasi M"), Mariana Chenillo (director, "Paraíso"), Damian John Harper (director, "Los Angeles"), Horacio Alcala (director, "Grazing the Sky"), Sara Seligman (director, live-action short, "Diego"), Bernardo Britto (director, Animation Short, "Yearbook") will also be in attendance.
Ficg in La is presented by the University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America and Conaculta, and Principal Sponsors, the University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Institute of Cinema Mexico (Imcine) and Univision, and Supporting Sponsors Cultura Udg, University of Guadalajara Foundation in Los Angeles, LeaLa, Channel 31.2 and the General Consulate of Mexico in Los Angeles.
For tickets and more information visit Here
About Ficg
Ficg was founded in 1986 by the Mexican filmmaker Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, with the tremendous help from young film students like Guillermo del Toro, and support from the University of Guadalajara. It will celebrate its 30th edition next March 6-15, 2015.
Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.
About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico
The University of Guadalajara is a network formed by three educational systems and 15 campuses distributed in all the regions of the State of Jalisco, and it is the second most important and eldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means through social development and dissemination of knowledge.
About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.
The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles.
It seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.
- 9/3/2014
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Early predictions have emerged for most Academy Award categories. As the studios reveal their hopeful offers to be released in the final months of the year, the speculation increases. But despite all the information available on the centerpiece awards, other more obscure races remain a complete mystery at this point. Among these, the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is almost certainly the most complex to prognosticate. The lengthy process that precedes the announcement of the final nominees makes for a competition that begins months in advance in nations around the globe.
Having the opportunity to submit only one film, each country must carry out its own selection process. Once these decisions have been made, their chosen works will compete to make it to the nine-film shortlist, and eventually into the final five slots. Although this procedure allows for a certain degree of democracy, it also excludes all those other films that were left behind in their homelands. This, in turn, gives us a narrow view of what is being produced abroad.
Therefore, after lots of research and arduous educated guessing to put it together, the list below offers a more insightful look at this race before the actual individual selections are announced. For the sake of time, the amount of films is limited to five per country, but in some cases the choices are scarcer and less films are listed. While trying to speculate is always an uncertain endeavor, the factors taken into account to determine which are some of this year’s most important films in each country and their prospects of being chosen as their representative at the Academy Awards, were varied. Festival exposure, release date, the country’s previous submissions, and even the thematic elements of a few of them were considered to create this piece.
Clearly nothing is definitive at this point, but at the very least, this compilation will provide a sense of what the film industries in these territories are putting out and sharing with the world.
It is important to note that several of the films mentioned below are being handled by Mundial, a joint venture between Im Gobal and Canana, including "Gueros," "A Wolf at the Door," and "The Liberator."
Here is the first list dedicated to the Americas
Argentina
With four films presented at Cannes and several others receiving praise in festivals around the world, Argentina has several interesting options this year. Unfortunately, Lisandro Alonso’s period piece “Jauja” will almost certainly be ineligible due to its November release date, unless a qualifying one-week run is scheduled. That scenario seems unlikely. Screening in the Directors’ Forthnight, Diego Lerman’s “Refugee” (Refugiado) will open on October 3rd, also a few days after the deadline. That leaves the Almodovar-produced “Wild Tales” as the undisputed favorite. Acclaimed films such as “Natural Sciences," “The Third Side of the River”, “El Ardor“ (staring Gael Garcia Bernal), and “La Paz” are longer shots but still viable choices.
1. "Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
2. "Natural Sciences" (Ciencias Naturales)
3."The Ardor" (El Ardor)
4."The Third Side of the River" (La Tercera Orilla)
5."La Paz"
Bolivia
The last time the landlocked country submitted a film was back in 2009. However, this year offers several possibilities for the Bolivian film industry. Given its production value and historical theme, it is likely that - if they choose to send a film - it will be Mexican director Carlos Bolado’s “Forgotten” (Olvidados), which deals with the 70s Operation Condor. Another likely choice is “Yvy Maraey,” which highlights the mysticism of the country’s indigenous people and is the latest work by Juan Carlos Valdivia, whose films have represented Bolivia in 3 out of the 6 occasions they’ve participated. A long delayed road trip flick (“Once Upon a Time in Bolivia”) and a unique documentary (“Apricot”) round up the list of contenders.
1. "Forgotten" (Olvidados)
2. "Yvy Maraey: Land Without Evil" (Yvy Maraey: Tierra Sin Mal)
3. "Once Upon a Time in Bolivia" (Erase una vez en Bolivia)
4. "Apricot" (Durazno)
Brazil
Producing an impressive amount of films per year, the Brazilian film industry is seeing incredible progress recently. Particularly this year, the quality of works was exceptional across the board. Having such an overflow of great material could make it difficult to select just one. However, there are a few films that standout amongst the crowd. Fernando Coimbra’s debut feature “A Wolf at the Door” is undoubtedly the one to beat after receiving rave reviews and touring some of the most important international festivals. Its biggest competitors are the quiet character study “The Man of the Crowd” and the adorable coming-of-age tale “The Way He Looks.” Rounding up the top five are locally acclaimed “Runriver” and powerful Lgbt drama “Futuro Beach.”
1. "A Wolf at the Door" (O Lobo atrás da Porta)
2. "The Man of the Crowd" (O Homem das Multidões)
3. "The Way He Looks" (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho)
4. "Riverrun" (Riocorrente)
5. "Futuro Beach" (Praia do Futuro)
Canada
This definitely seems like Xavier Dolan’s year. After sharing an award with New Wave patriarch Jean-Luc Godard in Cannes, the 25-year-old prodigy is almost a safe bet having two films that could represent his country. While “Mommy” is the clear favorite, it will have to go against “An Eye for Beauty, ” the latest film from Oscar-winner Denys Arcand. Both films will screen at Tiff in the upcoming weeks, just as time runs out for Canada to nominate a film by the end of September. Less probable but still great options are Dolan’s own “Tom at the Farm,” quirky black-and-white dramedy “Tu Dors Nicole,” and the well-received rural family drama “The Auction. ”
1. "Mommy"
2. "An Eye for Beauty" (Le Règne de la Beauté)
3. "Tom at the Farm" (Tom à la ferme)
4. "You's Sleeping Nicole" (Tu Dors Nicole)
5. "The Auction" (Le démantèlement)
Chile
Here is one of the few countries in the region with a very clear choice, but which sadly might decide to miss that opportunity. Alejandro Fernández Almendras ‘“To Kill a Man” won at Sundance, Rotterdam, Berlin, Cartagena amongst several other festivals and has received extremely positive reactions from critics and audiences. Yet, its opening date in its homeland (October 16th) might prevent it from being selected, which would be a regrettable mistake. A one-week run or an earlier release date would be a worthwhile investment. If they decide to leave it behind for next year, this great film would definitely miss its chance. If that is the case, the South American nation, which in recent years has garnered incredible success with films like “No” and “Gloria,” might decide to go with “The Dance of Reality,” the first film in over 20 years by veteran auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky. Other plausible candidates include “Illiterate” (starring Paulina Garcia), Marcela Said’s remarkable “The Summer of Flying Fish,” and historical biopic “Neruda.”
1. "To Kill a Man" (Matar a un Hombre)
2. "The Dance of Reality" (La Danza de la Realidad)
3. "Illiterate" (Las Analfabetas)
4. "The Summer of Flying Fish" (El Verano de los Peces Voladores)
5. "Neruda"
Colombia
Being forced to resort to mainstream cartel-themed fare in past occasions, this year has fortunately seen a fantastic reemergence of auteur-driven works in the country. Cartagena winner “Dust on the Tongue” is by far the most promising Colombian offer of the year with a thought-provoking premise. Next in line is “Mateo” about a young man struggling to pursue his passion for theater while living in a crime-ridden community. Other films include the touching “Catching Fireflies,” apocalyptic comedy “Chronicle of the End of the World,” and music-infused romance “Ciudad Delirio.” Franco Lolli’s award-winning “Gente de Bien” doesn’t have a release date yet, but will probably be in the running next year.
1. "Dust on the Tongue" (Tierra en la Lengua)
2. "Mateo"
3. "Chasing Fireflies" (Cazando Luciernagas)
4. "Chronicle of the End of the World" (Crónica del Fin del Mundo)
5. "Ciudad Delirio"
Costa Rica
Having three great films eligible for consideration, Costa Rica will likely enter the Oscar race for what would be only the third time in its history. Without a doubt, the country is spearheading Central America in terms of increased film production. Lauded throughout multiple festivals, “Red Princesses,” about a girl growing up in the Sandinista-era, is the most notable work. “Port Father,” a coming-of-age drama set in a coastal town and the comedy “All About the Feathers” are the other two that could be picked. Regardless of which one is selected, they all serve as an encouraging sign of growth for the Costa Rican industry.
1. "Red Princesses" (Princesas Rojas)
2. "Port Father" (Puerto Padre)
3. "All About the Feathers" (Por las Plumas)
Cuba
Hosting the Havana International Film Festival and its consistent investment in local talent make Cuba a unique place for film in the Caribbean. In spite of this, only a few national productions have reached cinemas this year. The three notable titles revolve around personal stories of survival and the struggles associated with living on the island. Winner of several international awards, “Behavior” is the clear favorite. “Melaza,” another local drama dealing with the economic challenges Cubans face and the gay love story “The Last Match,” complete the trio.
1. "Behavior" (Conducta)
2."Melaza"
3. "The Last Match" (La Partida)
Dominican Republic
For its size, this island nation has an impressive working industry that steadily produces films in diverse genres. The Dominican Republic will almost certainly participate again with one of the works by its homegrown talent. Screening in Toronto last year, crime romance “Cristo Rey” has the highest probability of being chosen. In second place is the documentary “The Mountain,” which centers on a unique expedition to Mount Everest by a Dominican team. Passionate road trip story “To the South of Innocence” and psychological thriller “Despertar ” conform the list of options.
1. "Cristo Rey"
2. "The Mountain"(La Montaña)
3. "To the South of Innocence" (Al Sur de la Inocencia)
4. "Despertar"
Ecuador
Seemingly dormant for many decades, the Ecuadorian film industry has recently exploded. Even though they have only submitted three times in the past, it appears they plan to make their presence more consistent moving forward. What is even more surprising, are the numerous alternatives they have to make their selection. At the top of the list is “Holiday,” which premiered in Berlin and has received considerable praise. Two other art house offers, “Silence in Dreamland” and “Saudade,” could be serious contenders. “Girl Without Fear,” a gritty crime film and “The Facilitator,” a politically charged work, have less chances but are still interesting offers.
1. "Holiday" (Feriado)
2. "Silence in Dreamland" (El Silencio en la Tierra de los Sueños)
3. "Saudade"
4. "Girl With No Fear" (Ciudad Sin Sombra)
5. "The Facilitator" (El Facilitador)
El Salvador
Sporadically producing feature length works due to the lack of initiatives that facilitate their funding, El Salvador has never entered the race. Nevertheless, there are three films that could potentially be submitted: Supernatural horror film "The Supreme Book," romantic comedy "The Re-Search," and the more viable choice, " The Four Cardinal Points," a documentary about the diverse lifestyles throughout the tiny country. The latter was exhibited commercially as part of Ambulante El Salvador for about a week, which could possibly make it eligible. But in all honesty, it is hard to think they’ll feel so inclined as to participate.
1. "El Salvador: The Four Cardinal Points" (El Salvador: Cuatro Puntos Cardinales)
2. "The Re-Search" (La ReBusqueda)
3. "The Supreme Book" (El Libro Supremo)
Guatemala
With only one submission under their belt back in 1994 and several missed opportunities in recent years, Guatemala might opt to remain out of the spotlight once again. If, however, they change their mind, there are three films that qualify to be entered. Focusing on the indigenous Maya‘s beliefs and legends, “Where the Sun is Born” is surely the most authentic and visually powerful of these films. Then there is “Pol,” a story about two teenage friends and their mishaps. Lastly, there is “12 Seconds,” a sort of slasher flick set in the countryside. It’s been 20 years since their last try, it wouldn’t hurt to see them make the effort once again.
1. "Where the Sun is Born" (Donde Nace el Sol)
2. "Pol"
3. "12 Seconds" (12 Segundos)
Honduras
Although they have never submitted an entry, the Central American country is showing signs of progress in terms of its film industry. With only two local, low budget films released this year, it is highly unlikely they will enter. Nevertheless, they do have an eligible film “11 Cipotes,” a sports comedy about a soccer team in a small town. The other film, “The Zwickys,” is surprisingly ineligible because it is mostly in English.
1. "11 Kids" (11 Cipotes)
Mexico
Now that the Mexican Academy has announced their shortlist - which strangely and inexplicably includes titles that have no scheduled release dates or that will be released after AMPAS' deadline (September 30th, 2014) - the landscape has dramatically changed. Three of the original selections mentioned here (“The Empty Hours,” “Potosi,” and “ Club Sandwich”) are not included among the finalists. It is important to note that films need to be submitted by the filmmakers in order to be considered by the Mexican Academy. One can assume that these films, though they qualify, decided not to participate. The 21 films listed include several documentaries such as “Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border,” “Disrupted” (Quebranto), “Eufrosina’s Revolution” (La Revolución de los Alcatraces), and “H2Omx" among others. But even if many of these are outstanding films, it is highly unlikely that the Academy will decide to go with a documentary over a narrative given their track record and the other options available. Comedic offers like the charming “Paraíso” by Mariana Chenillo, "Flying Low" (Volando Bajo), and "The Last Call" (Tercera Llamada) also made it in. Just like last year with “Instructions Not Included,” most people could assume that the film with the most commercial prospects would make for a good candidate for Oscar consideration, in this case that would be the biopic “Cantinflas," which was also listed. Fortunately, however, the selection committee often prefers to bet on films honored internationally regardless of their controversial content (“Heli,” “After Lucia,” “Silent Light,” “The Crime of Father Amaro”).
With the new additions, the possibilities have shifted. On the top spot is Alonso Ruiz Palacios’ black and white debut “Güeros,” which won in Berlin and Tribeca, and screened at Karlovy Vary. The festival pedigree will definitely help this unique road trip film set in Mexico City during the late 90s. The runner up is Luis Urquiza’s “Perfect Obedience,” though it did not have any festival exposure or a highly profitable theatrical run, the local critics praised the compelling portrayal of a depraved Catholic priest with satirical undertones. It would definitely make for a great contender if the Academy were willing to run the risk given its controversial subject matter. At number three we have Christian Diaz Pardo’s “Gonzalez,” an intriguing drama about a man looking to change his destiny by joining a for profit evangelical church. Dark comedy “ Workers,” by Salvadoran filmmaker Jose Luis Valle, comes in at number four. Lastly, there is Luis Estrada’s long awaited new film “The Perfect Dictatorship,” which made the cut despite having an October 16th release date. The film could definitely come into play; however, voters should consider the fact that its premise and humor might be too specific to the Mexican political idiosyncrasies to connect with foreign voters. Two other films that might be in the race next year are “Perpetual Sadness” (La Tirisia) and “ The Well” (Manto Acuifero)
1."Güeros"
2. "Perfect Obedience" (Obediencia Perfecta)
3. "Gonzalez"
4. "Workers"
5. "The Perfect Dictatorship" (La Dictadura Perfecta)
Nicaragua
With three submissions in over 30 years (1982, 1988, 2010), Nicaragua is the Central American nation with the most attempts at Oscar glory. More astonishing perhaps, is the fact that their first ever entry, “Alsino and the Condor,” earned them a nomination. These days production is almost non-existent. Still, the country’s most prolific filmmaker Florence Jaugey, responsible for their last submission “La Yuma,” made a small documentary titled “Class Days." It is just over 50 minutes long but actually had a theatrical run. Though eligible, it’s probable they’ll decide to skip this year. On the other hand, Jaugey has just finished a new narrative new feature, “The Naked Screen” (La Pantalla Desnuda), which will surely be part of the conversation next year.
1. "Class Days" (Dias de Clase)
Panama
An unprecedented amount of national productions were scheduled to premier in Panama during 2014. All of those four films - which by the country’s standards is an exceptional number - are documentaries. However, only two of them will be eligible given their set release dates. Out of those two, the top choice would certainly be Abner Benaim’s “Invasion” which uses reenactments in lieu of archive footage to revisit the American military intervention in the Central American country in 1989. The runner-up, “Majesty,” deals with the more lighthearted subject of carnival queens. In any case, should Panama decide to submit a film, this would be their first ever appearance.
1. "Invasion"
2. "Majesty" (Reinas)
Paraguay
Disappointed after missing the chance to submit last year's surprise hit “7 Boxes”due to the lack of a selection committee, Paraguayan authorities have stressed their wish to send a film to compete this time around. Unfortunately, it appears that their two best options might be scheduled to open theatrically past the Academy’s deadline. The documentary “Cloudy Times,” a Swiss co-production, has garnered positive reactions internationally and would be their best shot. A second choice could be the crime flick “Filthy Luck,” which sports a decent production value. But if neither of them manages to qualify, then the country’s only other option is yet another crime film “End of the Line.” In any case, hopefully they follow through with their intentions and participate for the first time.
1. "Cloudy Times" (El Tiempo Nublado)
2. "Filthy Luck" (Luna de Cigarras)
3. "End of the Line" (Fin de Linea)
Peru
The eclectic collection of Peruvian films released this year speaks of the great development the medium is experiencing in that country. The five films mentioned here represent the array of genres and stories coming out of Peru today. Given its incredible reception abroad, dark comedy “The Mute” by Daniel Vega Vidal & Diego Vega Vidal is undoubtedly the frontrunner. Behind it comes the intriguing thriller “Guard Dog” starring Peruvian star Carlos Alcántara, multi-narrative drama “The Gospel of the Flesh,” romantic tearjerker “Trip to Timbuktu,” and “Old Friends” about a group of elderly men on a mission. Definitely a though decision needs to be made.
1. "The Mute" (El Mudo)
2. "Guard Dog" (Perro Guardian)
3. "The Gospel of the Flesh" (El Evangelio de la Carne)
4. "Trip to Timbuktu" (Viaje a Tombuctu)
5. "Old Friends" (Viejos Amigos)
Uruguay
Last year the country decided to take a chance and submit the adorable animated film “Anina,” which despite not getting a nomination has become a great success. This time they have “The Militant,” a serious contender about a man retuning to his late father’s hometown. Empowered by a positive festival run, this seems to be their most ideal option. “23 Seconds,” a drama about an unlikely connection between two people and “Mr. Kaplan,” a buddy comedy by Álvaro Brechner - whose previous film “A Bad Day to Go Fishing” was selected a few years back - are the next best choices. The remaining film “At 60 km/h” is a documentary about a unique journey around the world.
1. "The Militant" (El Lugar del Hijo)
2. "23 Seconds" (23 Segundos)
3. "Mr. Kaplan"
4. "At 60 Km/h" (A 60 Km/h)
Venezuela
Dubbed as “the most expensive film ever made in Latin America” and focusing on the accomplishments of the country’s most important historical figure, selecting “The Liberator” is simply a no-brainer. Added to those qualities, the film is actually an elegantly achieved period piece that really showcases the sizable budget and director Alberto Arvelo’s talent. Two of his previous films have also represented his country in the past. On the other hand, this has been a monumental year for Venezuelan films. Festival darling “Bad Hair” would be the perfect choice if it weren’t going against the imposing major production. Other important films that could figure in the mix but have much less prospects are the emotional road-trip film “The Longest Distance,” the women-centered drama “Liz in September,” and the acclaimed thriller “Solo.”
1. "The Liberator" (El Libertador)
2. "Bad Hair" (Pelo Malo)
3. "The Longest Distance" (La Distnacia Mas Larga)
4. "Liz in September" (Liz en Septiembre)
5. "Solo"...
Having the opportunity to submit only one film, each country must carry out its own selection process. Once these decisions have been made, their chosen works will compete to make it to the nine-film shortlist, and eventually into the final five slots. Although this procedure allows for a certain degree of democracy, it also excludes all those other films that were left behind in their homelands. This, in turn, gives us a narrow view of what is being produced abroad.
Therefore, after lots of research and arduous educated guessing to put it together, the list below offers a more insightful look at this race before the actual individual selections are announced. For the sake of time, the amount of films is limited to five per country, but in some cases the choices are scarcer and less films are listed. While trying to speculate is always an uncertain endeavor, the factors taken into account to determine which are some of this year’s most important films in each country and their prospects of being chosen as their representative at the Academy Awards, were varied. Festival exposure, release date, the country’s previous submissions, and even the thematic elements of a few of them were considered to create this piece.
Clearly nothing is definitive at this point, but at the very least, this compilation will provide a sense of what the film industries in these territories are putting out and sharing with the world.
It is important to note that several of the films mentioned below are being handled by Mundial, a joint venture between Im Gobal and Canana, including "Gueros," "A Wolf at the Door," and "The Liberator."
Here is the first list dedicated to the Americas
Argentina
With four films presented at Cannes and several others receiving praise in festivals around the world, Argentina has several interesting options this year. Unfortunately, Lisandro Alonso’s period piece “Jauja” will almost certainly be ineligible due to its November release date, unless a qualifying one-week run is scheduled. That scenario seems unlikely. Screening in the Directors’ Forthnight, Diego Lerman’s “Refugee” (Refugiado) will open on October 3rd, also a few days after the deadline. That leaves the Almodovar-produced “Wild Tales” as the undisputed favorite. Acclaimed films such as “Natural Sciences," “The Third Side of the River”, “El Ardor“ (staring Gael Garcia Bernal), and “La Paz” are longer shots but still viable choices.
1. "Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
2. "Natural Sciences" (Ciencias Naturales)
3."The Ardor" (El Ardor)
4."The Third Side of the River" (La Tercera Orilla)
5."La Paz"
Bolivia
The last time the landlocked country submitted a film was back in 2009. However, this year offers several possibilities for the Bolivian film industry. Given its production value and historical theme, it is likely that - if they choose to send a film - it will be Mexican director Carlos Bolado’s “Forgotten” (Olvidados), which deals with the 70s Operation Condor. Another likely choice is “Yvy Maraey,” which highlights the mysticism of the country’s indigenous people and is the latest work by Juan Carlos Valdivia, whose films have represented Bolivia in 3 out of the 6 occasions they’ve participated. A long delayed road trip flick (“Once Upon a Time in Bolivia”) and a unique documentary (“Apricot”) round up the list of contenders.
1. "Forgotten" (Olvidados)
2. "Yvy Maraey: Land Without Evil" (Yvy Maraey: Tierra Sin Mal)
3. "Once Upon a Time in Bolivia" (Erase una vez en Bolivia)
4. "Apricot" (Durazno)
Brazil
Producing an impressive amount of films per year, the Brazilian film industry is seeing incredible progress recently. Particularly this year, the quality of works was exceptional across the board. Having such an overflow of great material could make it difficult to select just one. However, there are a few films that standout amongst the crowd. Fernando Coimbra’s debut feature “A Wolf at the Door” is undoubtedly the one to beat after receiving rave reviews and touring some of the most important international festivals. Its biggest competitors are the quiet character study “The Man of the Crowd” and the adorable coming-of-age tale “The Way He Looks.” Rounding up the top five are locally acclaimed “Runriver” and powerful Lgbt drama “Futuro Beach.”
1. "A Wolf at the Door" (O Lobo atrás da Porta)
2. "The Man of the Crowd" (O Homem das Multidões)
3. "The Way He Looks" (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho)
4. "Riverrun" (Riocorrente)
5. "Futuro Beach" (Praia do Futuro)
Canada
This definitely seems like Xavier Dolan’s year. After sharing an award with New Wave patriarch Jean-Luc Godard in Cannes, the 25-year-old prodigy is almost a safe bet having two films that could represent his country. While “Mommy” is the clear favorite, it will have to go against “An Eye for Beauty, ” the latest film from Oscar-winner Denys Arcand. Both films will screen at Tiff in the upcoming weeks, just as time runs out for Canada to nominate a film by the end of September. Less probable but still great options are Dolan’s own “Tom at the Farm,” quirky black-and-white dramedy “Tu Dors Nicole,” and the well-received rural family drama “The Auction. ”
1. "Mommy"
2. "An Eye for Beauty" (Le Règne de la Beauté)
3. "Tom at the Farm" (Tom à la ferme)
4. "You's Sleeping Nicole" (Tu Dors Nicole)
5. "The Auction" (Le démantèlement)
Chile
Here is one of the few countries in the region with a very clear choice, but which sadly might decide to miss that opportunity. Alejandro Fernández Almendras ‘“To Kill a Man” won at Sundance, Rotterdam, Berlin, Cartagena amongst several other festivals and has received extremely positive reactions from critics and audiences. Yet, its opening date in its homeland (October 16th) might prevent it from being selected, which would be a regrettable mistake. A one-week run or an earlier release date would be a worthwhile investment. If they decide to leave it behind for next year, this great film would definitely miss its chance. If that is the case, the South American nation, which in recent years has garnered incredible success with films like “No” and “Gloria,” might decide to go with “The Dance of Reality,” the first film in over 20 years by veteran auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky. Other plausible candidates include “Illiterate” (starring Paulina Garcia), Marcela Said’s remarkable “The Summer of Flying Fish,” and historical biopic “Neruda.”
1. "To Kill a Man" (Matar a un Hombre)
2. "The Dance of Reality" (La Danza de la Realidad)
3. "Illiterate" (Las Analfabetas)
4. "The Summer of Flying Fish" (El Verano de los Peces Voladores)
5. "Neruda"
Colombia
Being forced to resort to mainstream cartel-themed fare in past occasions, this year has fortunately seen a fantastic reemergence of auteur-driven works in the country. Cartagena winner “Dust on the Tongue” is by far the most promising Colombian offer of the year with a thought-provoking premise. Next in line is “Mateo” about a young man struggling to pursue his passion for theater while living in a crime-ridden community. Other films include the touching “Catching Fireflies,” apocalyptic comedy “Chronicle of the End of the World,” and music-infused romance “Ciudad Delirio.” Franco Lolli’s award-winning “Gente de Bien” doesn’t have a release date yet, but will probably be in the running next year.
1. "Dust on the Tongue" (Tierra en la Lengua)
2. "Mateo"
3. "Chasing Fireflies" (Cazando Luciernagas)
4. "Chronicle of the End of the World" (Crónica del Fin del Mundo)
5. "Ciudad Delirio"
Costa Rica
Having three great films eligible for consideration, Costa Rica will likely enter the Oscar race for what would be only the third time in its history. Without a doubt, the country is spearheading Central America in terms of increased film production. Lauded throughout multiple festivals, “Red Princesses,” about a girl growing up in the Sandinista-era, is the most notable work. “Port Father,” a coming-of-age drama set in a coastal town and the comedy “All About the Feathers” are the other two that could be picked. Regardless of which one is selected, they all serve as an encouraging sign of growth for the Costa Rican industry.
1. "Red Princesses" (Princesas Rojas)
2. "Port Father" (Puerto Padre)
3. "All About the Feathers" (Por las Plumas)
Cuba
Hosting the Havana International Film Festival and its consistent investment in local talent make Cuba a unique place for film in the Caribbean. In spite of this, only a few national productions have reached cinemas this year. The three notable titles revolve around personal stories of survival and the struggles associated with living on the island. Winner of several international awards, “Behavior” is the clear favorite. “Melaza,” another local drama dealing with the economic challenges Cubans face and the gay love story “The Last Match,” complete the trio.
1. "Behavior" (Conducta)
2."Melaza"
3. "The Last Match" (La Partida)
Dominican Republic
For its size, this island nation has an impressive working industry that steadily produces films in diverse genres. The Dominican Republic will almost certainly participate again with one of the works by its homegrown talent. Screening in Toronto last year, crime romance “Cristo Rey” has the highest probability of being chosen. In second place is the documentary “The Mountain,” which centers on a unique expedition to Mount Everest by a Dominican team. Passionate road trip story “To the South of Innocence” and psychological thriller “Despertar ” conform the list of options.
1. "Cristo Rey"
2. "The Mountain"(La Montaña)
3. "To the South of Innocence" (Al Sur de la Inocencia)
4. "Despertar"
Ecuador
Seemingly dormant for many decades, the Ecuadorian film industry has recently exploded. Even though they have only submitted three times in the past, it appears they plan to make their presence more consistent moving forward. What is even more surprising, are the numerous alternatives they have to make their selection. At the top of the list is “Holiday,” which premiered in Berlin and has received considerable praise. Two other art house offers, “Silence in Dreamland” and “Saudade,” could be serious contenders. “Girl Without Fear,” a gritty crime film and “The Facilitator,” a politically charged work, have less chances but are still interesting offers.
1. "Holiday" (Feriado)
2. "Silence in Dreamland" (El Silencio en la Tierra de los Sueños)
3. "Saudade"
4. "Girl With No Fear" (Ciudad Sin Sombra)
5. "The Facilitator" (El Facilitador)
El Salvador
Sporadically producing feature length works due to the lack of initiatives that facilitate their funding, El Salvador has never entered the race. Nevertheless, there are three films that could potentially be submitted: Supernatural horror film "The Supreme Book," romantic comedy "The Re-Search," and the more viable choice, " The Four Cardinal Points," a documentary about the diverse lifestyles throughout the tiny country. The latter was exhibited commercially as part of Ambulante El Salvador for about a week, which could possibly make it eligible. But in all honesty, it is hard to think they’ll feel so inclined as to participate.
1. "El Salvador: The Four Cardinal Points" (El Salvador: Cuatro Puntos Cardinales)
2. "The Re-Search" (La ReBusqueda)
3. "The Supreme Book" (El Libro Supremo)
Guatemala
With only one submission under their belt back in 1994 and several missed opportunities in recent years, Guatemala might opt to remain out of the spotlight once again. If, however, they change their mind, there are three films that qualify to be entered. Focusing on the indigenous Maya‘s beliefs and legends, “Where the Sun is Born” is surely the most authentic and visually powerful of these films. Then there is “Pol,” a story about two teenage friends and their mishaps. Lastly, there is “12 Seconds,” a sort of slasher flick set in the countryside. It’s been 20 years since their last try, it wouldn’t hurt to see them make the effort once again.
1. "Where the Sun is Born" (Donde Nace el Sol)
2. "Pol"
3. "12 Seconds" (12 Segundos)
Honduras
Although they have never submitted an entry, the Central American country is showing signs of progress in terms of its film industry. With only two local, low budget films released this year, it is highly unlikely they will enter. Nevertheless, they do have an eligible film “11 Cipotes,” a sports comedy about a soccer team in a small town. The other film, “The Zwickys,” is surprisingly ineligible because it is mostly in English.
1. "11 Kids" (11 Cipotes)
Mexico
Now that the Mexican Academy has announced their shortlist - which strangely and inexplicably includes titles that have no scheduled release dates or that will be released after AMPAS' deadline (September 30th, 2014) - the landscape has dramatically changed. Three of the original selections mentioned here (“The Empty Hours,” “Potosi,” and “ Club Sandwich”) are not included among the finalists. It is important to note that films need to be submitted by the filmmakers in order to be considered by the Mexican Academy. One can assume that these films, though they qualify, decided not to participate. The 21 films listed include several documentaries such as “Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border,” “Disrupted” (Quebranto), “Eufrosina’s Revolution” (La Revolución de los Alcatraces), and “H2Omx" among others. But even if many of these are outstanding films, it is highly unlikely that the Academy will decide to go with a documentary over a narrative given their track record and the other options available. Comedic offers like the charming “Paraíso” by Mariana Chenillo, "Flying Low" (Volando Bajo), and "The Last Call" (Tercera Llamada) also made it in. Just like last year with “Instructions Not Included,” most people could assume that the film with the most commercial prospects would make for a good candidate for Oscar consideration, in this case that would be the biopic “Cantinflas," which was also listed. Fortunately, however, the selection committee often prefers to bet on films honored internationally regardless of their controversial content (“Heli,” “After Lucia,” “Silent Light,” “The Crime of Father Amaro”).
With the new additions, the possibilities have shifted. On the top spot is Alonso Ruiz Palacios’ black and white debut “Güeros,” which won in Berlin and Tribeca, and screened at Karlovy Vary. The festival pedigree will definitely help this unique road trip film set in Mexico City during the late 90s. The runner up is Luis Urquiza’s “Perfect Obedience,” though it did not have any festival exposure or a highly profitable theatrical run, the local critics praised the compelling portrayal of a depraved Catholic priest with satirical undertones. It would definitely make for a great contender if the Academy were willing to run the risk given its controversial subject matter. At number three we have Christian Diaz Pardo’s “Gonzalez,” an intriguing drama about a man looking to change his destiny by joining a for profit evangelical church. Dark comedy “ Workers,” by Salvadoran filmmaker Jose Luis Valle, comes in at number four. Lastly, there is Luis Estrada’s long awaited new film “The Perfect Dictatorship,” which made the cut despite having an October 16th release date. The film could definitely come into play; however, voters should consider the fact that its premise and humor might be too specific to the Mexican political idiosyncrasies to connect with foreign voters. Two other films that might be in the race next year are “Perpetual Sadness” (La Tirisia) and “ The Well” (Manto Acuifero)
1."Güeros"
2. "Perfect Obedience" (Obediencia Perfecta)
3. "Gonzalez"
4. "Workers"
5. "The Perfect Dictatorship" (La Dictadura Perfecta)
Nicaragua
With three submissions in over 30 years (1982, 1988, 2010), Nicaragua is the Central American nation with the most attempts at Oscar glory. More astonishing perhaps, is the fact that their first ever entry, “Alsino and the Condor,” earned them a nomination. These days production is almost non-existent. Still, the country’s most prolific filmmaker Florence Jaugey, responsible for their last submission “La Yuma,” made a small documentary titled “Class Days." It is just over 50 minutes long but actually had a theatrical run. Though eligible, it’s probable they’ll decide to skip this year. On the other hand, Jaugey has just finished a new narrative new feature, “The Naked Screen” (La Pantalla Desnuda), which will surely be part of the conversation next year.
1. "Class Days" (Dias de Clase)
Panama
An unprecedented amount of national productions were scheduled to premier in Panama during 2014. All of those four films - which by the country’s standards is an exceptional number - are documentaries. However, only two of them will be eligible given their set release dates. Out of those two, the top choice would certainly be Abner Benaim’s “Invasion” which uses reenactments in lieu of archive footage to revisit the American military intervention in the Central American country in 1989. The runner-up, “Majesty,” deals with the more lighthearted subject of carnival queens. In any case, should Panama decide to submit a film, this would be their first ever appearance.
1. "Invasion"
2. "Majesty" (Reinas)
Paraguay
Disappointed after missing the chance to submit last year's surprise hit “7 Boxes”due to the lack of a selection committee, Paraguayan authorities have stressed their wish to send a film to compete this time around. Unfortunately, it appears that their two best options might be scheduled to open theatrically past the Academy’s deadline. The documentary “Cloudy Times,” a Swiss co-production, has garnered positive reactions internationally and would be their best shot. A second choice could be the crime flick “Filthy Luck,” which sports a decent production value. But if neither of them manages to qualify, then the country’s only other option is yet another crime film “End of the Line.” In any case, hopefully they follow through with their intentions and participate for the first time.
1. "Cloudy Times" (El Tiempo Nublado)
2. "Filthy Luck" (Luna de Cigarras)
3. "End of the Line" (Fin de Linea)
Peru
The eclectic collection of Peruvian films released this year speaks of the great development the medium is experiencing in that country. The five films mentioned here represent the array of genres and stories coming out of Peru today. Given its incredible reception abroad, dark comedy “The Mute” by Daniel Vega Vidal & Diego Vega Vidal is undoubtedly the frontrunner. Behind it comes the intriguing thriller “Guard Dog” starring Peruvian star Carlos Alcántara, multi-narrative drama “The Gospel of the Flesh,” romantic tearjerker “Trip to Timbuktu,” and “Old Friends” about a group of elderly men on a mission. Definitely a though decision needs to be made.
1. "The Mute" (El Mudo)
2. "Guard Dog" (Perro Guardian)
3. "The Gospel of the Flesh" (El Evangelio de la Carne)
4. "Trip to Timbuktu" (Viaje a Tombuctu)
5. "Old Friends" (Viejos Amigos)
Uruguay
Last year the country decided to take a chance and submit the adorable animated film “Anina,” which despite not getting a nomination has become a great success. This time they have “The Militant,” a serious contender about a man retuning to his late father’s hometown. Empowered by a positive festival run, this seems to be their most ideal option. “23 Seconds,” a drama about an unlikely connection between two people and “Mr. Kaplan,” a buddy comedy by Álvaro Brechner - whose previous film “A Bad Day to Go Fishing” was selected a few years back - are the next best choices. The remaining film “At 60 km/h” is a documentary about a unique journey around the world.
1. "The Militant" (El Lugar del Hijo)
2. "23 Seconds" (23 Segundos)
3. "Mr. Kaplan"
4. "At 60 Km/h" (A 60 Km/h)
Venezuela
Dubbed as “the most expensive film ever made in Latin America” and focusing on the accomplishments of the country’s most important historical figure, selecting “The Liberator” is simply a no-brainer. Added to those qualities, the film is actually an elegantly achieved period piece that really showcases the sizable budget and director Alberto Arvelo’s talent. Two of his previous films have also represented his country in the past. On the other hand, this has been a monumental year for Venezuelan films. Festival darling “Bad Hair” would be the perfect choice if it weren’t going against the imposing major production. Other important films that could figure in the mix but have much less prospects are the emotional road-trip film “The Longest Distance,” the women-centered drama “Liz in September,” and the acclaimed thriller “Solo.”
1. "The Liberator" (El Libertador)
2. "Bad Hair" (Pelo Malo)
3. "The Longest Distance" (La Distnacia Mas Larga)
4. "Liz in September" (Liz en Septiembre)
5. "Solo"...
- 8/22/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Yesterday the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Los Angeles - Ficg in La - presented by the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA and Conaculta, with Principal Sponsors University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Institute of Cinema Mexico (Imcine) and Univision, announced its lineup. "The Hours with You" (Las Horas Contigo) directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, will be the Opening Night film for the 2014 Festival. The film stars Cassandra Ciangherotti, María Rojo, Isela Vega, Arcelia Ramírez and Julio Bracho.
The 2014 Ficg in La, which returns to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood for its fourth year and runs from Thursday, September 4 to Sunday, September 7, brings the best of contemporary Mexican and Latin American cinema to Los Angeles, and is an extension of the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
Featuring outstanding and award-winning titles from FICG29, which ran from March 21-29, 2014 in Guadalajara, Ficg in La will offer the premiere of other titles that have emerged in the world of cinema throughout the year to great critical acclaim.
The aim of the festival is to increase access and visibility of Mexican and Latin American cinema in the U.S., facilitating the exchange of ideas through stories and issues of cultural and social relevance, create a space for collaboration between filmmakers, and strengthen relations between the film industry in Mexico and the U.S.
Ficg in La includes film screenings followed by Q&As with filmmakers and talent, as well as galas and special award recognitions to Latin American and U.S. Latino artists.
“This year, we are truly proud to bring two artistic programs to Ficg in La that supports emerging independent filmmakers, in effect, fulfilling part of our mission to nourish and sustain emerging talent across international film industries. Many of the films in this year's showcase reveal the cross-cultural collaborations currently taking place between film industries in Latin America, the Us, and Canada. These collaborations have resulted in the creation of groundbreaking, authentic, multicultural stories that move seamlessly across national and cultural boundaries." said Hebe Tabachnik, Director and Producer of Ficg in La.
“We are constantly finding ways for Ibero-American filmmakers to promote their films and share their experiences with moviemakers from all over the world. Now that we have reached our fourth year, we realized that we have become one of the leading platforms for Latino cinematography to enter the United States market,” said Iván Trujillo, Festival Director of Ficg.
Among the celebrities that have accompanied us in previous editions are: Carlos Cuarón, Edward James Olmos, Sergio Arau, Diana Bracho, Alfonso Arau, Kate del Castillo, Martha Higareda, Beto Cuevas, Irene Azuela, Dulce Maria, Carmen Salinas and Jay Hernandez.
Oscar nominee Demian Bichir , Nalip (The National Association of Latino Independent Producers), Ruben Luengas (journalist) and Gabriela Teissier (anchor woman) from Univision Radio and TV will receive the festival’s Tree of Life Award for their contributions to Mexican, Latino and Ibero American culture. Previous recipients include Ambulante, Juan Carlos Arciniegas (CNN en Espanol), Fernando Luján (actor), Gabriel Beristain (Director of Photography) and Emilio Kauderer (Music Composer).
Ficg in La continues to support Latino and Ibero-American films with Guadalajara Construye in Los Angeles 1 and DocuLab.1 Los Angeles by selecting six projects from filmmakers seeking post-production funds. The films will be screened for jury members, sponsors and film industry professionals. The winners will be announced on Opening Night.
In addition, the winning projects in each competition will automatically qualify to be considered for Guadalajara Construye 9 or DocuLab.7 Guadalajara, or for the Ibero-American Competitions of the next edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG30) – March 6 - 15, 2015.
To reaffirm the social mission of Ficg and the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA, Ficg in La will donate again all of its proceeds to a charitable cause. We will announce soon the recipient of this year’s fundraising effort.
10 Feature and documentary films and six short films will be showcased in this year’s festival
Opening Night Gala – September 5, 2014
• "The Hours with You" (Las Horas Contigo), Dir. Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, Mexico. Us Premiere
Closing Night Gala – September 7, 2014
• "One for the Road" (En el Ultimo Trago), Dir. Jack Zagha Kababie, Mexico. Us Premiere
Feature Films
• "Echo of the Mountain" (Eco de la Montaña), Dir. Nicolás Echevarría, Mexico. Us Premiere (documentary)
• "Grazing the Sky" (A Ras del Cielo), Dir. Horacio Alcala, Spain/ Mexico/ Portugal. L.A. Premiere (documentary)
• "Ignasi M.," Dir. Ventura Pons, Spain. L.A. Premiere (documentary)
• "Los Ángeles," Dir. Damian John Harper USA/Mexico.
• "The Mute" (El Mudo), Dir. Daniel Vega Vidal & Diego Vega Vidal, Peru. L.A. Premiere
• "Natural Sciences" (Ciencias naturales), Dir. Matías Lucchesi, Argentina.
• "Paraíso," Dir. Mariana Chenillo. Mexico. L.A Premiere
• "A Wolf at the Door" (O Lobo atras da Porta), Dir. Fernando Coimbra, Brazil. L.A. Premiere
Short Films
• "Diego," Dir. Sara Seligman, Mexico/Germany. (live action Drama)
• "A Family Day" (Un día en Familia), Dir. Pedro Zulu González, Mexico. (animation)
• "Minerita," Dir. Raúl de la Fuente, Spain (documentary)
• "Pickman's Model" (El modelo de Pickman), Dir. Pablo Ángeles Zuman, Mexico. Us Premiere (animation)
• "The Queen" (La Reina), Dir. Manuel Abramovich, Argentina (documentary)
• "Yearbook," Dir. Bernardo Britto, USA. (animation)
The screening of the selected work-in-progress films will be for industry accredited to the festival. These screenings are not open to the general public or member of the press.
Guadalajara Construye in Los Angeles 1
• "Blue Lips," Dir. Daniela De Carlo, Julieta Lima, Gustavo Lipsztein, Antonello Novellino, Nacho Ruipérez and Nobu Shima USA/Argentina/ Brazil/ Spain
• "Whisper of the Forest" (Gritos del Bosque), Dir. Jorge Olguín, Chile/USA
• Pocha, Dir. Michael Dwyer, Mexico/USA
DocuLab.1 Los Angeles
• "Gaucho del Norte," Dir. Andres Caballero, Sofia Khan Argentina/USA
• "Hotel de Paso," Dir. Paulina Sánchez Mexico/USA
• "Juanicas," Dir. Karina Garcia Casanova, Mexico/Canada
Ficg in La is presented by the University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States and Conaculta, and Principal Sponsors, the University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Institute of Cinema Mexico (Imcine) and Univision, and Supporting Sponsors Cultura Udg, University of Guadalajara Foundation in Los Angeles, LeaLa, Channel 31.2 and the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles.
About Ficg
The Guadalajara International Film Festival was founded by Guillermo del Toro and other Mexican filmmakers in 1986, and will celebrate its 30th edition March 6-15, 2015.
Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.
About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico
The University of Guadalajara is a member of the University Network in the State of Jalisco, and it is the second oldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means of social development and dissemination of knowledge.
About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.
The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America (Udg Foundation-usa) is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles.
U.S. Udg Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and Hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.
The 2014 Ficg in La, which returns to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood for its fourth year and runs from Thursday, September 4 to Sunday, September 7, brings the best of contemporary Mexican and Latin American cinema to Los Angeles, and is an extension of the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
Featuring outstanding and award-winning titles from FICG29, which ran from March 21-29, 2014 in Guadalajara, Ficg in La will offer the premiere of other titles that have emerged in the world of cinema throughout the year to great critical acclaim.
The aim of the festival is to increase access and visibility of Mexican and Latin American cinema in the U.S., facilitating the exchange of ideas through stories and issues of cultural and social relevance, create a space for collaboration between filmmakers, and strengthen relations between the film industry in Mexico and the U.S.
Ficg in La includes film screenings followed by Q&As with filmmakers and talent, as well as galas and special award recognitions to Latin American and U.S. Latino artists.
“This year, we are truly proud to bring two artistic programs to Ficg in La that supports emerging independent filmmakers, in effect, fulfilling part of our mission to nourish and sustain emerging talent across international film industries. Many of the films in this year's showcase reveal the cross-cultural collaborations currently taking place between film industries in Latin America, the Us, and Canada. These collaborations have resulted in the creation of groundbreaking, authentic, multicultural stories that move seamlessly across national and cultural boundaries." said Hebe Tabachnik, Director and Producer of Ficg in La.
“We are constantly finding ways for Ibero-American filmmakers to promote their films and share their experiences with moviemakers from all over the world. Now that we have reached our fourth year, we realized that we have become one of the leading platforms for Latino cinematography to enter the United States market,” said Iván Trujillo, Festival Director of Ficg.
Among the celebrities that have accompanied us in previous editions are: Carlos Cuarón, Edward James Olmos, Sergio Arau, Diana Bracho, Alfonso Arau, Kate del Castillo, Martha Higareda, Beto Cuevas, Irene Azuela, Dulce Maria, Carmen Salinas and Jay Hernandez.
Oscar nominee Demian Bichir , Nalip (The National Association of Latino Independent Producers), Ruben Luengas (journalist) and Gabriela Teissier (anchor woman) from Univision Radio and TV will receive the festival’s Tree of Life Award for their contributions to Mexican, Latino and Ibero American culture. Previous recipients include Ambulante, Juan Carlos Arciniegas (CNN en Espanol), Fernando Luján (actor), Gabriel Beristain (Director of Photography) and Emilio Kauderer (Music Composer).
Ficg in La continues to support Latino and Ibero-American films with Guadalajara Construye in Los Angeles 1 and DocuLab.1 Los Angeles by selecting six projects from filmmakers seeking post-production funds. The films will be screened for jury members, sponsors and film industry professionals. The winners will be announced on Opening Night.
In addition, the winning projects in each competition will automatically qualify to be considered for Guadalajara Construye 9 or DocuLab.7 Guadalajara, or for the Ibero-American Competitions of the next edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG30) – March 6 - 15, 2015.
To reaffirm the social mission of Ficg and the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA, Ficg in La will donate again all of its proceeds to a charitable cause. We will announce soon the recipient of this year’s fundraising effort.
10 Feature and documentary films and six short films will be showcased in this year’s festival
Opening Night Gala – September 5, 2014
• "The Hours with You" (Las Horas Contigo), Dir. Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, Mexico. Us Premiere
Closing Night Gala – September 7, 2014
• "One for the Road" (En el Ultimo Trago), Dir. Jack Zagha Kababie, Mexico. Us Premiere
Feature Films
• "Echo of the Mountain" (Eco de la Montaña), Dir. Nicolás Echevarría, Mexico. Us Premiere (documentary)
• "Grazing the Sky" (A Ras del Cielo), Dir. Horacio Alcala, Spain/ Mexico/ Portugal. L.A. Premiere (documentary)
• "Ignasi M.," Dir. Ventura Pons, Spain. L.A. Premiere (documentary)
• "Los Ángeles," Dir. Damian John Harper USA/Mexico.
• "The Mute" (El Mudo), Dir. Daniel Vega Vidal & Diego Vega Vidal, Peru. L.A. Premiere
• "Natural Sciences" (Ciencias naturales), Dir. Matías Lucchesi, Argentina.
• "Paraíso," Dir. Mariana Chenillo. Mexico. L.A Premiere
• "A Wolf at the Door" (O Lobo atras da Porta), Dir. Fernando Coimbra, Brazil. L.A. Premiere
Short Films
• "Diego," Dir. Sara Seligman, Mexico/Germany. (live action Drama)
• "A Family Day" (Un día en Familia), Dir. Pedro Zulu González, Mexico. (animation)
• "Minerita," Dir. Raúl de la Fuente, Spain (documentary)
• "Pickman's Model" (El modelo de Pickman), Dir. Pablo Ángeles Zuman, Mexico. Us Premiere (animation)
• "The Queen" (La Reina), Dir. Manuel Abramovich, Argentina (documentary)
• "Yearbook," Dir. Bernardo Britto, USA. (animation)
The screening of the selected work-in-progress films will be for industry accredited to the festival. These screenings are not open to the general public or member of the press.
Guadalajara Construye in Los Angeles 1
• "Blue Lips," Dir. Daniela De Carlo, Julieta Lima, Gustavo Lipsztein, Antonello Novellino, Nacho Ruipérez and Nobu Shima USA/Argentina/ Brazil/ Spain
• "Whisper of the Forest" (Gritos del Bosque), Dir. Jorge Olguín, Chile/USA
• Pocha, Dir. Michael Dwyer, Mexico/USA
DocuLab.1 Los Angeles
• "Gaucho del Norte," Dir. Andres Caballero, Sofia Khan Argentina/USA
• "Hotel de Paso," Dir. Paulina Sánchez Mexico/USA
• "Juanicas," Dir. Karina Garcia Casanova, Mexico/Canada
Ficg in La is presented by the University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States and Conaculta, and Principal Sponsors, the University of Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the Institute of Cinema Mexico (Imcine) and Univision, and Supporting Sponsors Cultura Udg, University of Guadalajara Foundation in Los Angeles, LeaLa, Channel 31.2 and the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles.
About Ficg
The Guadalajara International Film Festival was founded by Guillermo del Toro and other Mexican filmmakers in 1986, and will celebrate its 30th edition March 6-15, 2015.
Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.
About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico
The University of Guadalajara is a member of the University Network in the State of Jalisco, and it is the second oldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means of social development and dissemination of knowledge.
About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.
The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America (Udg Foundation-usa) is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles.
U.S. Udg Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and Hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.
- 8/20/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Paraíso (Paradise) is an unconventional love story, at least on paper. This because the protagonists are far from a typical big screen plastic, pretty couple, the movie instead following an overweight Mexican couple. One can accept and even appreciate Mariana Chenillo's decision to work with characters that are real people with real problems without becoming overly serious. Paradise wants to explore an important issue like obesity - after all, Mexico has the world's highest obesity rate - while not pretending it is more than light entertainment, clearly inspired by American indie comedies. Carmen (Daniela Rincón) and Alfredo (Andrés Almeida), a married couple from Ciudad Satélite, decide to move to Mexico City, when Alfredo gets a good job at a bank. The first shots of the...
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- 10/18/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Following her debut feature Nora's Will, Mexican director Mariana Chenillo presents her sophomore effort Paraiso (Paradise) a love story that defies physical appearances and has plenty of heart. Read our review Here
The film screened at this year's Tiff, and not surprisingly has been well-received by audiences and critics. Chenillo has clearly developed an original voice in the crowded field of modern Mexican cinema that has expanded in recent year, opening spaces for more original stories. Supported by production company Canana, now Mexico's premier advocate for new auteurs, the director infuses her work with a distinctive female perspective and a peculiar vision of Mexican society. Her latest narrative deals with obesity, insecurities, the quest for the perfect self, and finding fulfillment beyond the superficial. She talked to us about developing the story, finding the right actress, and being a female director in Mexico.
Carlos Aguilar: I think Paraiso is a different love story, it’s interesting to see everyday people being the protagonist, people that don’t adhere by the beauty standards we are used to see in Romantic Comedies, what inspired you to write this film?
Mariana Chenillo: The original idea came from a short story also titled Paraiso, this story was read for the first time by producer Pablo Cruz many years ago. His interest in the story has a lot of to do with the context of the Mexico City suburbs where the story takes place, and where he grew up, then he gave me the story to read. I believe it was an interesting mix because I think what we each liked about the story wasn’t necessarily the same thing. His urge to think “This cool be a good movie” is not necessarily the same as mine, because the premise is about a couple of overweight people who move from the suburbs to the city, which is what happens in the story.
In the story the protagonist is him, the husband, when I started working on the screenplay, of which we thought could a much more literal adaptation, I realized that the protagonist had to be her, Carmen. It was a process that turned the movie as personal as if it hadn’t been an adaptation but an original idea, because when I decided to make her the protagonist I thought a lot about which are those ideas of women about their bodies, because I believe there is a lot of pressure. There is always this sensation that we must first follow certain tenets and then everything else in life will follow secondarily, then tied to this there is the process of discovering what do you want to do in life, and when, and also give yourself the chance to change your mind and say “What I really like is this , not what I thought I liked before”
I feel like throughout the time we were writing this film it picked up personal stories of many people, then the actress came along, who is an actress who is overweight and who has been like that her entire life, and who also had her own story of having lived situations like that with her partner. The mix of all the very individual attachments that each person had with the story, gave it the chance to exist and be original.
Aguilar: The film focuses on the issue of obesity, do you think this is a real social problem in Mexico or are the unrealistic beauty standards placed by the media what turn into a problem?
Chenillo: There are tow things; I do believe that in Mexico and many other countries this is a health issue, but I also think that movies are not necessarily the best platforms to launch health campaigns. Particularly in Mexico, people are very prone to diabetes, which affects the overweight population to a greater degree, which turns into a huge health problem for our society. However, I think that what I intended with the film wasn’t to launch a health campaign, because I believe that being happy is equally as important as being healthy. The social pressure affects the character from many angles, but it is more important for her to figure where is the right place for her to be in life, than losing weight. Even though it is a health issue, the standards of beauty force many women to feel eternally unfulfilled with who they are, what they represent, and their bodies.
Aguilar: In recent years it seems like Mexican cinema has taken two roads, it either focuses on the freighting violence and cartel warfare or it puts out very commercial, generic, films. It feels like your film is in between, it is original, has social commentary, it is smart, and still very entertaining. Did you have this in mind while working on the film?
Chenillo: I think that all these films dealing with social issues are very necessary and very important, because societies question themselves when they make films about this reality. But I also think there are other things happening, there are other stories that are also Mexico, that also represent it. In the case of this film that is based on a short story, and also in my first film, I’m more interested in what I have closer to me, I’m interested in what I can observe in my life, in the people I know, and I feel that also represents us [Mexico]. These are also important stories to which the audience can relate.
Aguilar: Your lead actress, Daniel Rincon, she is fantastic in the film, as a director how did you work with her to create such an organic, and honest, performance?
Chenillo: The hardest thing was to fin her. In this case we needed someone that had as many similarities with the character as possible, and half of the work was done because of what she is in real life. She is a girl that studied acting, she was very talented, and that in her life story had experienced many of the things the character goes through in the film. We launched a massive casting call, there were around 1000 actresses and non-actresses, we were lucky to find Daniela, there was no one better than her for this role. The work while filming had to do a lot with the actor playing her husband, Andres, there had to be chemistry between them so that the love between the characters would be the cause for everything that happens to them. Choosing him in relation to her, so that the chemistry would give the impression that these are two people that have known each other for a long time and that they love each other was the other half of the work.
Aguilar: The title, Paraiso (Paradise), you mentioned it came from the original short story, how do you interpret this, as a metaphorical state in which the characters find happiness or the physical location they leave?
Chenillo: The title refers to Satelite, the suburb where they are from, that’s their “paradise”. The part of the film that takes place there had to be very brief, we couldn’t spend a half hour in their lives in Satelite, we had to take the characters out of there soon, which leaves the “paradise” sort of underdeveloped. However, we did want them to plant their roots there, they plant a tree in the park there, to which they return at the end. These roots represent what preceded their expulsion from the perfect life they had there.
Aguilar: Another interesting thing is the fact that the film focuses on the Mexican middle class, which is something rarely seen in Mexican films internationally. The stories associated with Mexico are often about people fighting to survive. Do you feel your film will portray a different image of Mexico in other countries?
Chenillo: It represents the middle class. Of course Mexico is a country with enormous inequalities, but it is also a country with a big middle class, who also have problems, and who also have stories. I think it is great to see and to show that side of Mexico, because that is the side of the country many us have closer to us.
Aguilar: Being a female director in Mexico, how difficult is it to bring attention to your projects or to tell the stories you want to tell?
Chenillo: Seeing the numbers of how many women directors there are in comparison to how many men, I think there is still a long way to go since there are way less female directors. There is the issue of investors trusting you with a budget for your film, luckily in the last decade things have started to change. In my particular case it has been a process of which I cant complaint because in Canana there is no machismo. My baby was born a few months before we started pre-production, but when we had raised the total money I was a week away from giving birth, and the shooting and editing process I did it while taking care of the baby. I feel like that is something that couldn’t have happened a decade ago, it would have been unimaginable, it would have been like “You have a baby, take care of him and then later come back to work”, but now it is just a matter of organization and willingness. It means that we can have a family and still work just like men do, and I think that is a good sign.
The film screened at this year's Tiff, and not surprisingly has been well-received by audiences and critics. Chenillo has clearly developed an original voice in the crowded field of modern Mexican cinema that has expanded in recent year, opening spaces for more original stories. Supported by production company Canana, now Mexico's premier advocate for new auteurs, the director infuses her work with a distinctive female perspective and a peculiar vision of Mexican society. Her latest narrative deals with obesity, insecurities, the quest for the perfect self, and finding fulfillment beyond the superficial. She talked to us about developing the story, finding the right actress, and being a female director in Mexico.
Carlos Aguilar: I think Paraiso is a different love story, it’s interesting to see everyday people being the protagonist, people that don’t adhere by the beauty standards we are used to see in Romantic Comedies, what inspired you to write this film?
Mariana Chenillo: The original idea came from a short story also titled Paraiso, this story was read for the first time by producer Pablo Cruz many years ago. His interest in the story has a lot of to do with the context of the Mexico City suburbs where the story takes place, and where he grew up, then he gave me the story to read. I believe it was an interesting mix because I think what we each liked about the story wasn’t necessarily the same thing. His urge to think “This cool be a good movie” is not necessarily the same as mine, because the premise is about a couple of overweight people who move from the suburbs to the city, which is what happens in the story.
In the story the protagonist is him, the husband, when I started working on the screenplay, of which we thought could a much more literal adaptation, I realized that the protagonist had to be her, Carmen. It was a process that turned the movie as personal as if it hadn’t been an adaptation but an original idea, because when I decided to make her the protagonist I thought a lot about which are those ideas of women about their bodies, because I believe there is a lot of pressure. There is always this sensation that we must first follow certain tenets and then everything else in life will follow secondarily, then tied to this there is the process of discovering what do you want to do in life, and when, and also give yourself the chance to change your mind and say “What I really like is this , not what I thought I liked before”
I feel like throughout the time we were writing this film it picked up personal stories of many people, then the actress came along, who is an actress who is overweight and who has been like that her entire life, and who also had her own story of having lived situations like that with her partner. The mix of all the very individual attachments that each person had with the story, gave it the chance to exist and be original.
Aguilar: The film focuses on the issue of obesity, do you think this is a real social problem in Mexico or are the unrealistic beauty standards placed by the media what turn into a problem?
Chenillo: There are tow things; I do believe that in Mexico and many other countries this is a health issue, but I also think that movies are not necessarily the best platforms to launch health campaigns. Particularly in Mexico, people are very prone to diabetes, which affects the overweight population to a greater degree, which turns into a huge health problem for our society. However, I think that what I intended with the film wasn’t to launch a health campaign, because I believe that being happy is equally as important as being healthy. The social pressure affects the character from many angles, but it is more important for her to figure where is the right place for her to be in life, than losing weight. Even though it is a health issue, the standards of beauty force many women to feel eternally unfulfilled with who they are, what they represent, and their bodies.
Aguilar: In recent years it seems like Mexican cinema has taken two roads, it either focuses on the freighting violence and cartel warfare or it puts out very commercial, generic, films. It feels like your film is in between, it is original, has social commentary, it is smart, and still very entertaining. Did you have this in mind while working on the film?
Chenillo: I think that all these films dealing with social issues are very necessary and very important, because societies question themselves when they make films about this reality. But I also think there are other things happening, there are other stories that are also Mexico, that also represent it. In the case of this film that is based on a short story, and also in my first film, I’m more interested in what I have closer to me, I’m interested in what I can observe in my life, in the people I know, and I feel that also represents us [Mexico]. These are also important stories to which the audience can relate.
Aguilar: Your lead actress, Daniel Rincon, she is fantastic in the film, as a director how did you work with her to create such an organic, and honest, performance?
Chenillo: The hardest thing was to fin her. In this case we needed someone that had as many similarities with the character as possible, and half of the work was done because of what she is in real life. She is a girl that studied acting, she was very talented, and that in her life story had experienced many of the things the character goes through in the film. We launched a massive casting call, there were around 1000 actresses and non-actresses, we were lucky to find Daniela, there was no one better than her for this role. The work while filming had to do a lot with the actor playing her husband, Andres, there had to be chemistry between them so that the love between the characters would be the cause for everything that happens to them. Choosing him in relation to her, so that the chemistry would give the impression that these are two people that have known each other for a long time and that they love each other was the other half of the work.
Aguilar: The title, Paraiso (Paradise), you mentioned it came from the original short story, how do you interpret this, as a metaphorical state in which the characters find happiness or the physical location they leave?
Chenillo: The title refers to Satelite, the suburb where they are from, that’s their “paradise”. The part of the film that takes place there had to be very brief, we couldn’t spend a half hour in their lives in Satelite, we had to take the characters out of there soon, which leaves the “paradise” sort of underdeveloped. However, we did want them to plant their roots there, they plant a tree in the park there, to which they return at the end. These roots represent what preceded their expulsion from the perfect life they had there.
Aguilar: Another interesting thing is the fact that the film focuses on the Mexican middle class, which is something rarely seen in Mexican films internationally. The stories associated with Mexico are often about people fighting to survive. Do you feel your film will portray a different image of Mexico in other countries?
Chenillo: It represents the middle class. Of course Mexico is a country with enormous inequalities, but it is also a country with a big middle class, who also have problems, and who also have stories. I think it is great to see and to show that side of Mexico, because that is the side of the country many us have closer to us.
Aguilar: Being a female director in Mexico, how difficult is it to bring attention to your projects or to tell the stories you want to tell?
Chenillo: Seeing the numbers of how many women directors there are in comparison to how many men, I think there is still a long way to go since there are way less female directors. There is the issue of investors trusting you with a budget for your film, luckily in the last decade things have started to change. In my particular case it has been a process of which I cant complaint because in Canana there is no machismo. My baby was born a few months before we started pre-production, but when we had raised the total money I was a week away from giving birth, and the shooting and editing process I did it while taking care of the baby. I feel like that is something that couldn’t have happened a decade ago, it would have been unimaginable, it would have been like “You have a baby, take care of him and then later come back to work”, but now it is just a matter of organization and willingness. It means that we can have a family and still work just like men do, and I think that is a good sign.
- 10/4/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Departing from a short story by Mexican writer Julieta Arevalo, and with the support of the very progressive Mexican production company Canana, owned by Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal, Mariana Chenillo’s sophomore feature is a breath of fresh air both in the romantic comedy genre as well as in the modern state of Mexican cinema. The national film industry has seen an emergence of “indie-style” films, and Chenillo’s piece fits rightfully in the spectrum of New Independent Mexican Cinema, a new movement of stories that certainly represent the many facets of the country.
Paraiso (Paradise) is the delightful story of Carmen (Daniela Rincon) an overweight upper middle class woman who is married to Alfredo (Andres Almeida), who is also overweigh, and lives in the affluent suburb know as Satelite just outside Mexico City. The couple decides to leave their save haven and follow Alfredo’s career when he is offered a better job in the city. Not only must Carmen adapt to her new surrounding, but it seems that for the first time her physical appearance is a problem for her. Determined to shred some pound Carmen joins a for-profit weight loss help center, a first reluctant, her husband and biggest enabler, joins her in the struggle to get in shape. But when Alfredo sees results and attracts another women, Carmen rebelliously joins a cooking class, a move that will teach her more about herself and her real passion.
Chenillo had more than enough chances to turn the story into a run-of-the-mill tale; however, there is something special about Paraiso, which the outstanding honesty and wholeheartedness infused into the story. The incredible chemistry between the leads is wondrous and endearing, the actors make it easy to believe the love between their characters is deeply rooted beyond their physical appearance. Particularly superb is Daniel Rincon as Carmen, a performance that rings truthful from beginning to end, never condescending or pitiful about her condition, but rather empowering at exposing the fact that her weight doesn’t define who she is. There is a great sense of naturalism and organic development in her performance, and achievement that emerges from her talent and that of Chenillo as a director.
Sporting Gap sweatshirts and going around shopping malls, the characters in the film also represent a side of Mexico often unseen internationally: the Middle Class. Straying from the depiction of poverty and cartel warfare usually associate with the Latin American nation, Marian Chenillo’s film portrays a reality that is much closer to a big a portion of the population. Her characters’ problems are not of the primal type, but those of a group of people affected by a globalized economy that are not only trying to survived but to be fulfilled in their lives. Still, even then, the story never feels generic or unfocused, it hits all the right points about love, discrimination, obesity, diet crazes, and finding the right path all of with a sweet dose of comedy and charm. Paraiso is a smart, warm, and entertaining film that for all its crowd-pleasing intentions also packs crucial, not preaching, social commentary.
Paraiso (Paradise) is the delightful story of Carmen (Daniela Rincon) an overweight upper middle class woman who is married to Alfredo (Andres Almeida), who is also overweigh, and lives in the affluent suburb know as Satelite just outside Mexico City. The couple decides to leave their save haven and follow Alfredo’s career when he is offered a better job in the city. Not only must Carmen adapt to her new surrounding, but it seems that for the first time her physical appearance is a problem for her. Determined to shred some pound Carmen joins a for-profit weight loss help center, a first reluctant, her husband and biggest enabler, joins her in the struggle to get in shape. But when Alfredo sees results and attracts another women, Carmen rebelliously joins a cooking class, a move that will teach her more about herself and her real passion.
Chenillo had more than enough chances to turn the story into a run-of-the-mill tale; however, there is something special about Paraiso, which the outstanding honesty and wholeheartedness infused into the story. The incredible chemistry between the leads is wondrous and endearing, the actors make it easy to believe the love between their characters is deeply rooted beyond their physical appearance. Particularly superb is Daniel Rincon as Carmen, a performance that rings truthful from beginning to end, never condescending or pitiful about her condition, but rather empowering at exposing the fact that her weight doesn’t define who she is. There is a great sense of naturalism and organic development in her performance, and achievement that emerges from her talent and that of Chenillo as a director.
Sporting Gap sweatshirts and going around shopping malls, the characters in the film also represent a side of Mexico often unseen internationally: the Middle Class. Straying from the depiction of poverty and cartel warfare usually associate with the Latin American nation, Marian Chenillo’s film portrays a reality that is much closer to a big a portion of the population. Her characters’ problems are not of the primal type, but those of a group of people affected by a globalized economy that are not only trying to survived but to be fulfilled in their lives. Still, even then, the story never feels generic or unfocused, it hits all the right points about love, discrimination, obesity, diet crazes, and finding the right path all of with a sweet dose of comedy and charm. Paraiso is a smart, warm, and entertaining film that for all its crowd-pleasing intentions also packs crucial, not preaching, social commentary.
- 10/3/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Organisers at the Rio Film Festival have brought in an extra 11 titles ahead of the September 26 opening night gala screening of Thierry Ragobert’s Amazonia 3D.
The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.
Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.
Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.
The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award.
Latin PremièreIl...
The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.
Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.
Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.
The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award.
Latin PremièreIl...
- 9/18/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Organisers at the Festival do Rio, the Rio Film Festival, have brought in an extra 11 titles ahead of the September 26 opening night gala screening of Thierry Ragobert’s France-Brazil co-production Amazonia 3D.
The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.
Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.
Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.
The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award...
The late arrivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s fresh Venice Golden Lion winner Sacro Gra as well as Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra, Shane Salerno’s Salinger and Kim Ki-duck’s Moebius.
Rounding out the additions are Greg Mottola’s Clear History, Nimrod Antal’s Metallica Through The Never, Hong Sangsoo’s Our Sunhi, Bruce Labruce’s Gerontophilia, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse Of Weakness, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater and John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier.
Festival top brass also announced the full line-up of films in the Latin Première and Environment sections.
The Latin Première selection will present 21 features, of which five will be Latin American premieres. All films in the section are eligible for the Fipresci Best Latin American Film award...
- 9/18/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Mexican filmmaker Mariana Chenillo made history in 2010 when she became the first woman director to win an Ariel Award (Mexico's equivalent of the Oscar) for best picture with her Jewish-themed dramedy Nora's Will. It was Chenillo's first feature and it enjoyed a successful run on the international festival circuit, garnering prizes in Havana, Miami and the L.A. Latino fest. Her latest film, Paraiso (Paradise), is making its world premiere in Toronto's Discovery section, a key platform for emerging directors from abroad. Paradise centers on an obese couple struggling to lose weight as they try to salvage their
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- 9/7/2013
- by John Hecht
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 38th Toronto International Film Festival has released an incredible guest list of celebrated talent from around the globe. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Catherine Breillat, Nicole Garcia, Pawel Pawlikowski, Bertrand Tavernier, Steve McQueen, Godfrey Reggio, Denis Villeneuve, Bill Condon, Jean-Marc Vallée, John Wells, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Ayoade, Atom Egoyan, Matthew Weiner, John Carney, Jason Reitman, Jason Bateman, Yorgos Servetas, Liza Johnson, Megan Griffiths, Fernando Eimbcke, Alexey Uchitel, Johnny Ma, Biyi Bandele, Rashid Masharawi, Paul Haggis, Ron Howard, Eli Roth, Álex de la Iglesia, Bruce McDonald, Jennifer Baichwal, John Ridley, and Justin Chadwick.
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers and artists are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Ahmad Abdalla, Hany Abu-Assad, Yuval Adler, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Alexandre Aja, Bruce Alcock, Gianni Amelio, Thanos Anastopoulos, Madeline Anderson, Nimród Antal, Louise Archambault,...
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers and artists are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Ahmad Abdalla, Hany Abu-Assad, Yuval Adler, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Alexandre Aja, Bruce Alcock, Gianni Amelio, Thanos Anastopoulos, Madeline Anderson, Nimród Antal, Louise Archambault,...
- 8/21/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
In the last wave of Tiff announcements, it’s the Discovery section that we’re most curious about as it normally is loaded up with the rookies, many first-time and second time filmmakers breaking into world film festival circuit programming with genuine gems. Among the 25 plus selected films that make up the programme, we’ve got a handful of U.S. independent films in the likes of Mark Phinney’s Fat, a pair of Us in Progress Paris projects in Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly’s Beneath The Harvest Sky and Tommy Oliver’s 1982, while a newbie filmmaker part of the clan in Gia Coppola makes the trip from Venice Film Festival’s Horizon section to Toronto with the book to film adapation of James Franco Palo Alto (see pic above). Also from Venice, we have the Venice Days included Bethlehem, from Israeli helmer Yuval Adler and an item that...
- 8/20/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Festival organisers announced the Discovery, Mavericks and Masters sections, details of the David Cronenberg: Transformation exhibition, a tenth Midnight Madness entry and introduced the Glenn Gould Studio to the festival’s stable of venues.
The programming strands feature new work from Catherine Breillat and on-stage conversations with Spike Jones, Irrfan Khan, Harvey Weinstein and Ron Howard.
The final entry in Midnight Madness will be the world premiere of Alex de la Iglesia’s Witching & Bitching (Las brujas De Zugarramurdi) (Spain-France).
The Glenn Gould Studio will serve as a venue for various public and industry programming during the festival and will function as a main location for the Tiff Industry Conference, set to run from Sept 6-12.
Programming will include the industry conference keynote session, Master Class, Moguls, Mavericks, Telefilm Canada Pitch This! on Sept 9 and the Doc Conference from Sept 10-11.
“As the jewel of the Canadian Broadcast Centre, Glenn Gould Studio...
The programming strands feature new work from Catherine Breillat and on-stage conversations with Spike Jones, Irrfan Khan, Harvey Weinstein and Ron Howard.
The final entry in Midnight Madness will be the world premiere of Alex de la Iglesia’s Witching & Bitching (Las brujas De Zugarramurdi) (Spain-France).
The Glenn Gould Studio will serve as a venue for various public and industry programming during the festival and will function as a main location for the Tiff Industry Conference, set to run from Sept 6-12.
Programming will include the industry conference keynote session, Master Class, Moguls, Mavericks, Telefilm Canada Pitch This! on Sept 9 and the Doc Conference from Sept 10-11.
“As the jewel of the Canadian Broadcast Centre, Glenn Gould Studio...
- 8/20/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Im Global is forming partnerships that reach way beyond its original incarnation. When founder Stuart Ford launched the company in 2007, we had not realized the real meaning of the name Im Global.
What was known from its inception was that the company was one of the leading film financing, production, sales and distribution companies in the world. But when Reliance Entertainment, part of the Indian conglomerate Reliance Ada Group, acquired a majority shareholding in the company in May 2010, the word Global took on new meaning.
Not only did they claim to champion a wide variety of cinema, including mainstream commercial, art house, foreign language and genre fare with their offices in Los Angeles, London, and Mumbai, but their diversification has since expanded to include its newest partnership with Jason Blum’s Blumhouse and in Berlin 2013 its partnership with Canana (Who is Dayani Cristal?, Sin Nombre, Miss Bala), forming a 50-50 joint venture called Mundial.
Dedicated to international sales of Latin American cinema, Mundial will handle international sales for 8 to 10 Latin American titles per year. The company has picked up three films thus far: Mariana Chenillo's Paraiso, which begins shooting in January; Cannes winner Michael Rowe's new film Manto Acuifero; and Mr. Pig, Diego Luna's fourth work as a director.
Luna, along with fellow actor Gael Garcia Bernal and producer Pablo Cruz, are co-founders of Canana. Under the agreement, Mundial will handle Canana productions.
Mundial's board comprises Im Global CEO Stuart Ford, Canana executives Cruz and Julian Levy, and Im Global's president of international sales and distribution, Jonathan Deckter.
Canana is also part of ParticipantPanamerica, a brilliant production partnership Participant, teaming together Canana,
Chile’s Fabula (Gloria, Young and Wild) of the fabulous Lorrain brothers who made No (with Participant) as well as Sebastian Silva’s best films to date, Colombia’s Dynamo (Undertow, The Hidden Face).
Aside from these two new startup joint ventures, there are other arms:
Im Global Opus: Mainstream, commercial cinema targeted at the multiplex audience.
Im Global Acclaim: Critically acclaimed arthouse and specialty cinema.
Im Global Anthem: The best of non-English language cinema from around the world.
Im Global Octane: Branded genre fare.
Im Apsara: A rights acquisition and distribution vehicle that serves the rapidly evolving Asian markets.
In addition there is the 3rd joint venture, Automatik: A production and financing joint venture with E1 Entertainment focused on films in the $5 million - $15 million range.
When I think of Stuart Ford now, I understand the I Am Global moniker! Good work!!
What was known from its inception was that the company was one of the leading film financing, production, sales and distribution companies in the world. But when Reliance Entertainment, part of the Indian conglomerate Reliance Ada Group, acquired a majority shareholding in the company in May 2010, the word Global took on new meaning.
Not only did they claim to champion a wide variety of cinema, including mainstream commercial, art house, foreign language and genre fare with their offices in Los Angeles, London, and Mumbai, but their diversification has since expanded to include its newest partnership with Jason Blum’s Blumhouse and in Berlin 2013 its partnership with Canana (Who is Dayani Cristal?, Sin Nombre, Miss Bala), forming a 50-50 joint venture called Mundial.
Dedicated to international sales of Latin American cinema, Mundial will handle international sales for 8 to 10 Latin American titles per year. The company has picked up three films thus far: Mariana Chenillo's Paraiso, which begins shooting in January; Cannes winner Michael Rowe's new film Manto Acuifero; and Mr. Pig, Diego Luna's fourth work as a director.
Luna, along with fellow actor Gael Garcia Bernal and producer Pablo Cruz, are co-founders of Canana. Under the agreement, Mundial will handle Canana productions.
Mundial's board comprises Im Global CEO Stuart Ford, Canana executives Cruz and Julian Levy, and Im Global's president of international sales and distribution, Jonathan Deckter.
Canana is also part of ParticipantPanamerica, a brilliant production partnership Participant, teaming together Canana,
Chile’s Fabula (Gloria, Young and Wild) of the fabulous Lorrain brothers who made No (with Participant) as well as Sebastian Silva’s best films to date, Colombia’s Dynamo (Undertow, The Hidden Face).
Aside from these two new startup joint ventures, there are other arms:
Im Global Opus: Mainstream, commercial cinema targeted at the multiplex audience.
Im Global Acclaim: Critically acclaimed arthouse and specialty cinema.
Im Global Anthem: The best of non-English language cinema from around the world.
Im Global Octane: Branded genre fare.
Im Apsara: A rights acquisition and distribution vehicle that serves the rapidly evolving Asian markets.
In addition there is the 3rd joint venture, Automatik: A production and financing joint venture with E1 Entertainment focused on films in the $5 million - $15 million range.
When I think of Stuart Ford now, I understand the I Am Global moniker! Good work!!
- 5/12/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
'The Boy Who Smells Like Fish' (USA) Dir. By Analeine Cal Y Mayor
LatinoBuzz: This is your first film - they say that sometimes you have been waiting your whole life to tell the first one - Was that the case with this story?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: Not with this story. I had never heard about this disease until 2006 in the first place. I was waiting indeed for a long time to direct my first feature. I felt I was ready and I enjoyed working with actors very much but the story was not waiting in a drawer for years fortunately. I saw the article in the newspaper and I immediately knew I wanted to do a film based on that news. It was a beautiful girl with this terrible disease, Trimethylaminuria, terrible more because of what it causes emotionally and psychologically to the persons not so much the physical part. I wanted to turn this drama into a comedy, otherwise I would do a documentary.
LatinoBuzz: Was it always an intention when you were writing the screenplay, that this would be in English?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: Actually it was not the intention at all. I wrote it in Spanish with another screenwriter (Javier Gullón) thinking it would be shot in Spanish. But I always imagined a North American neighborhood where Mica, the main character, lives. Partly inspired by Elvis´ Graceland, he lives in a museum house of Mexican kitsch singer Guillermo Garibai but we don´t have those museums in Spain or Mexico. We started even casting Spanish actors but suddenly it didn´t make sense where they lived. Somehow it didn’t fit that the actor was saying “joder” and other Spanish slang with this setting. Also the singer was supposedly very famous so I wanted it to be outside Mexico, he was an International singer after all. Now that I see the film it seems naturally suited for English language and the good news is that nobody that read it after it was translated suspected it was first in Spanish. Then my Canadian producer Niv Fichman told me “ You need to meet this actor, Douglas Smith, he is perfect for 'Mica'”. So I waited for the occasion for several months and finally one evening in Toronto we met after a screening and walking towards him was really like a film , I still remember crossing to the other side of the theater like in slow motion and when I saw him I knew it was going to work. I don´t know who was more nervous but he stepped on my foot. Zöe Kravitz came later. I didn´t write thinking of any actor in particular. I wanted someone that was attractive but that could stand out in other ways. There´s always in Hollywood like 4 or 5 actresses that I confuse because they don´t really stand out. She had to have a personality that you believed she fell in love with someone like him, and also a beautiful women that in the story is relaxed about her looks. She is an amazing actress and has something unique that I can´t really put in words. She is just a natural.
LatinoBuzz: You've worked on projects across the globe - has it changed the way you look at art?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: After making video art in Innbruck, Austria and then getting a grant in almost the opposite city: New Delhi, I changed the way of working and also I try to get rid of clichés about expecting some art based on the artist´s Nationality. I learned to see more, I guess. I write a project back home but then when I get to a place I take my time to observe. I forbid myself to take photographs the first week and after a week I decide how to adapt my project or throw it away and start from scratch. Also after traveling I know that people expect a type of film again depending of your Nationality but that is a prejudice. Some people are going to say my film is not very Mexican or very Latin but that is if they are referring to a cliché of the “Mexicanity”. What does a film needs to have a Mexican flavor? Cactus, drug lords? Well, I have some mariachi music after all but because my characters live in a house of a Mexican singer. It ´s all part of the same world.
LatinoBuzz: There's amazing women filmmakers coming out of Latin America that's bringing an excitement and an invigorating voice that's been missing - do you see this continuing to emerge or is there still much needed change needed within the industry?
AnaIeine Cal Y Mayor: I'm optimistic of the emerging women directors. Every year I see a little bit more coming up slowly. In Mexico at least, the industry is still a man´s world. It's funny how some crew members can´t say “Yes, Mam” they say “Yes sir “ all the time! And they do it without thinking. I´m “Sir” in Mexico a lot of times. I admire Claudia Llosa and in Mexico, Paula Markovich, Mariana Chenillo and Patricia Arriaga.
LatinoBuzz: What's next from you?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: I'm working on a new script that has to happen in an isolated forest, perhaps Sweden or Finland but while that film takes shape I might spend all my savings to do a very, very low budget film. This is one thing that I still enjoy in Mexico: my colleagues make films with 20 million pesos, 2 million or $200,000.
Visit www.analeine.com for more on this great talent!
The Midnight Game (USA) Dir. By A.D. Calvo
LatinoBuzz: What was the first horror film that scared the bejeezus out of you and got you hooked?
A.D. Calvo: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things. Back in '79, shortly after my father died, my mom moved us into an old white house on a hill with an historic New England cemetery in the backyard. My bedroom window overlooked the tiny lot riddled with crooked, broken headstones. I can still remember the name on one of them, Alexander X. Weed, and my morbid fascination with the babies’ graves that had shifted in the ground over the years, revealing dark crevices into the earth around them. We didn't have cable back then, so I'd occasionally catch a scary movie on channel 9 or 11, our local NY affiliates. This film really scared the crap out of me. The thought of the dead rising from their graves kept me awake half the night. I was only 11 at the time, and I'm sure the death of my father -- and that damn cemetery – didn’t help. I checked that film out recently, and it was rather comical, deliberately campy. But man, oh, man, it wasn't back then. Orville was a living corpse who haunted me on many nights.
LatinoBuzz: How do you see your work evolving within the horror genre?
A.D. Calvo: Honestly, I'm not a big fan of violence in film and have consistently focused more on the psychological aspects of horror. In my more recent films, particularly The Midnight Game, I've tried to "amp up" certain graphic elements -- but my style is still a far cry from anything close to gore porn or slasher, which are just not my thing. I love a great ghost story and would love to revisit that world with a more mature approach one day. I think of horror classics like The Shining as benchmarks for what's possible within that realm. It all comes down to finding the right screenplay or writing something that I feel really works. After four films, three of which were skewed more toward young-adult horror, I'm looking to shift into more mature themes.
LatinoBuzz: With the likes of Guillermo Del Toro and Fede Alvarez etc and even a film like, Mama - crossing over to the mainstream, do you see a possible gateway for films to be made starring a Latino cast and marketed successfully to an American Latino audience?
A.D. Calvo: Yes, I do. I've always loved Latin horror films like The Devil's Backboneand The Orphanage, and even cerebral sci-fi like Timecrimes. I like the weird ones too, e.g., Santa Sangre, The Last Circus. There's just so many amazing Latino actors and directors, many who haven't been exposed much to Us audiences. The Argentine actor, Ricardo Darin, is a personal favorite, but lesser known here in the states, despite the Oscar win for The Secret in their Eyes. He'd be great in an American Latino ghost story! Something gothic like The Others, don't you think? Perhaps a nice mix of foreign Latino names, like Darin, and some better known domestic faces (Oscar Isaac, John Leguizamo, Rosario Dawson -- a few more personal favs). It's fun to think of the possibilities.
LatinoBuzz: You take a trip to a cabin in the middle of the woods straight outta Deliverance with 4 characters from Horror films and there's no cell phone reception -- because, despite all previous warnings, it's still a great idea -- Who are they and who's out in the woods (Dick Cheney is a perfectly acceptable answer)?
A.D. Calvo: I love this question! Here's my dream team: I'd take a Ripley-like character (from Alien)—someone who's capable of kicking ass and protecting the bunch; and I'd throw in a weak male sidekick, to provide a little comic relief—the quirky Shaggy of the bunch. My cabin wouldn't be complete without a wise old man, physically inferior but intellectually a necessity to the group's survival (I'm picturing Michael Caine type wisdom and self assurance here)… Then, lastly, I'd toss in another woman, but a sensitive type—someone who understands that even evil can have a good side. A character like the one Naomi Watts played in The Ring. She'll help offset Ripley's take-no-prisoners attitude, But will make the crucial mistake of sparing the lives of a few of our villains, who are none other than a mutant militia controlled by their own evil inbred children. (Militias really scare me. As do evil children.) Not sure what my chances of survival would be, but it would make for an interesting movie!
LatinoBuzz: Where and how do the ideas come to you? And how do you flesh them out?
A.D. Calvo: My creative process can be summed up as follows: left brain, right brain. On the one hand, I think about other films I've responded to and try to create an amalgam, of sorts, from that. Something fresh and new, but that still feels familiar and is producible within a set of constraints. This is the logical, left brain half of the process. On the other hand, I remain open to the infinite possibilities that unfold before us, in a more mystical and romantic way (the "creative tap" we all have access to). I have found this balance serves me well. Being true to my vision, creatively and aesthetically, while listening to, but not being bound by, the business side of things. In terms of fleshing out ideas, I have a great set of "go to" people whose opinions I really trust. As with any collaborative endeavor, it's important to keep folks involved (and hence excited about the project). Of course, it's also important to separate individual tastes and personal opinions from more important ideas that can make a project better (and not just different). When you hear that a particular thing isn't working, from a couple of trusted sources, you know you have a problem. Likewise if one's suggestion is well received by others on your team then it's probably worth pursuing, despite any hesitation you may have. I believe you can do this without compromising the so-called, "singular vision of the director." I've heard of film directors referred to as "benign dictators" but the key word here is "benign" and not "dictator." Filmmaking is a collaborative medium so you're acting more like a creative CEO, you still have a boardroom of key folks to listen to. It's really just a matter of building the right team and becoming calibrated enough to recognize the things that raise the bar versus the things that don't really matter. That's the core of it, I think. That, and not letting your ego get in the way of that, is key.
LatinoBuzz: What are the next projects?
A.D Calvo: I just finished another screenplay, my first in 2 years. It's definitely a deviation from horror. It’s a character-driven mystery with a little magical realism thrown in. American Splendor and Ghost World meetThe Lovely Bones. Very different for me. I've also been developing an original time travel concept. Sci-fi is a genre I've always enjoyed and I have a unique idea for a time machine that's fairly well grounded in physics... I have a few other concepts in various stages of development.
Any of these projects could be next, but we'll have to wait and see. Having the wherewithal to push another film through to the end is becoming a greater challenge, psychically, for me. Knowing the pitfalls and what is and isn't possible, given a budget, can become a hindrance of sorts, but it can also make you more discerning and creative—which is a good thing… as long as it doesn't cripple you.
For more on A.D.'s work, check out: www.goodnightfilm.com
Eenie Meenie Mineny Moe (USA) Dir. by Jorge 'Jokes' Yanez
LatinoBuzz: Tell us about the scene in the 305 -- there's a few collectives down there doing really interesting things.
Jokes: The 305 is my home, and there's nothing like it anywhere in the world, the mix of cultures, styles, personalities and weather is a stew with a flavor all its own. In the last few years the arts has really been gaining momentum and there’s talent that is staying and making stuff here which is great. I love seeing Miami artists I grew up with getting their respect. Miami has made its mark in music, sports and visual art and I'm happy that it’s finally starting to get an identity in film.
Latinobuzz: Where did this idea come from and how long from when you wrote this, did it go into production?
Jokes: The idea was conceived around 2003/2004, I was living in L.A. and directing music videos flying to all these different cities and I noticed how people would tell me I had an accent and style that they couldn't put a finger on. When I would say “Miami” they would say of course, it's obvious. So the first seed of making a feature with characters that were authentically Miami came to mind in the way New York filmmakers tell New York stories and wanting to make a movie that addressed a lot of the attitudes that I thought were prevalent in the 305, especially about hustlers with strong ethics and loyalty that were gaming the system. The final ingredient was meeting a few tow truck drivers and it inspired using that as a thread to tie everything together. In early 2007, J.Bishop, my writing partner and I finished the script and I started looking for financing. In 2009, we created a short film 'Vladimir’s Vodka' that features some of the characters and the aesthetics of “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe”. That piece created the momentum we needed and we finally went into production in late 2011.
LatinoBuzz: Who are the filmmakers that inspired the aesthetic of your work?
Jokes: I would say for this film i was really inspired by the work of Brian DePalma, Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aronofsky and a few little sprinkles of Kubrick, Scorsese and James Cameron. I mean all these guys are like titans in the industry its hard to make a movie and not be influenced by their work. Overall, I’ve been a film buff for years and there’s so many influences that contribute to my aesthetic choices.
LatinoBuzz: What does premiering in your home town mean to you?
Jokes: I couldn't imagine it any better way. I made this movie because of growing up in Miami and being able to share it with so many of my friends and family is what its all about.
LatinoBuzz: What are the constraints of making independent films in Miami?
Jokes: The biggest constraint is finding money, Miami is a party town and not too many investors have done anything in the movie business and actually not been burned by it, the second is the weather being outdoors in the summer is hot and wet two things that’ll put a production in slow motion.
LatinoBuzz: And what are the benefits?
Jokes: Locations and finding people that are still mesmerized by the allure of the movie biz. In La it's big business and people are jaded and want their check, here so many people are just so helpful and proud that their block or business is being shown that they bend over backwards to accommodate you.
LatinoBuzz: Name a classic novel you could make into a film, and set it in Miami -- what is it and who is in it?
Jokes: 'The Count of Monte Cristo': I can see that being re-imagined into a Miami setting and I am definitely drawn into the revenge plot. I would love to use Benecio Del Toro, Julio Mechoso and Nestor Carbonell and some fresh new faces. I like discoveries.
LatinoBuzz: What's the next Jokes Flick?
Jokes: The next one is titled 'The Local Crew', it's a true to life story about some of the experiences J.Bishop and I had growing up. We just finished the script and are building the team to produce it.
For more on Jokes flick, visit: www.eeniemeeniemineymoe.com
Tony Tango (USA) Dir. By Manolo Celi
LatinoBuzz: You wrote the screenplay along with Billy Sommer from an idea Max Maulion and Andres Oliveira came up with.
Manolo Celi: Yep! Billy Sommer was the genius writer. There was a lot of back and forth between us via phone and many many Skype sessions, but the best stuff was written by Billy who is a truly gifted writer. Andres and Maxx had written an initial 1st draft and they created the iconic character of Tony Tango, and what started to be a doctoring of the script, ended up being a complete transplant. Everything changed except for some character names and that there is a dance competition, but even the main characters were re-written completely anew.
LatinoBuzz: How was this presented to you in the first place?
Manolo Celi: Andres and I had worked on some commercial projects previously, and we really hit it off. They gave me that 1st draft, and while I knew the script needed work, I really related to the character of Tony who was a real underdog. I also found both Andres and Maxx to be very talented and driven to get the film done.
LatinoBuzz: How did pitching a story about an overweight tango dancer in ill fitting ballroom outfits to investors go?
Manolo Celi: All of the investments came from Andres and Maxx sources. They dealt with the financing 100%
LatinoBuzz: What about the casting process? These characters where very specific.
Manolo Celi: We were lucky that the two main characters, Tony and Pablo were already being played by Maxx and Andres. And then, we were so fortunate to find tremendous talent like Antoni Corone and Sergia Louise Andersen to complete the picture - not to mention the rest of the cast who were all truly amazing. My main concern was working with the cast to get as genuine performances as possible. While their characters are very absurd and quirky, the audience needed to relate to all of them and sympathize with them.
LatinoBuzz: A lot of care went into the detail in making the film - the costumes, the choreography and the tone of the humor was very specific. How did you go about getting the right team with budget limitations?
Manolo Celi: What can I say about the crew? What great luck!! Many of them, I had already worked with or had known for a very long time. DoP Angel Barroeta is an incredible Dp and professional, not to mention a beautiful human being. Tom Criswell is hilarious and somehow made the art department work with barely any resources, Li Millian, the wardrobe stylist created Tony's most memorable clothing, hands down, Jonathan David Kane made the day to day run so smoothly, Alan Ramos found us the absolute best locations we could find within the limits of our budget, Jerry Perez and Christine Lopez not only acted great throughout the movie, but they also donated so much time beforehand choreographing Maxx's dance routines, Obi Reyes did a miraculous job with all of the film's make up needs, Carlos Gomez was superstar Gaffer. Both Ad's De la Vega and Rafa Herrera ran the set so smoothly, and they kept the energy alive and the production going. And, on the post side even, it was amazing: Juan Pablo Mantilla, the music producer composed an amazing score, and also produced so many great pieces for the film, and Bob Curreri was an incredible colorist. I mean, really, everyone put in so much time and love into the project for next to no money or for no money whatsoever. I hope to work with every single one of these people again, for the rest of my career.
LatinoBuzz: And how much was specifically your vision?
Manolo Celi: It really was a wonderful collaborative process by everyone involved. Obviously, as director, it is important to have a clear vision, and keep everyone on the same track. Especially in a low budget production like this, there are always situations that crop up that force you to think on your feet and be very receptive to suggestions from your team. I believe a good deal of the film reflects my vision, with compromises due to the resources available and not having final cut of the film, but there are many things that reflect the direction that we had aimed for.
LatinoBuzz: You guys applied this green initiative to shooting the film in Miami - and here people are, thinking filmmakers are heartless brutes -- where in the process was that decision made?
Manolo Celi: We all tend to be very environmentally conscious as individuals, but it was Jonathan David Kane who really pushed the green initiative. He was really who got that ball rolling and was very disciplined about it.
LatinoBuzz: What's the next project?
Manolo Celi: I have a short and another feature in the works. The short is musically-themed, and the feature is more indie-action themed. Besides that, I continue directing commercials.
For all info on Tony Tango click here! www.tonytangothemovie.com...
LatinoBuzz: This is your first film - they say that sometimes you have been waiting your whole life to tell the first one - Was that the case with this story?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: Not with this story. I had never heard about this disease until 2006 in the first place. I was waiting indeed for a long time to direct my first feature. I felt I was ready and I enjoyed working with actors very much but the story was not waiting in a drawer for years fortunately. I saw the article in the newspaper and I immediately knew I wanted to do a film based on that news. It was a beautiful girl with this terrible disease, Trimethylaminuria, terrible more because of what it causes emotionally and psychologically to the persons not so much the physical part. I wanted to turn this drama into a comedy, otherwise I would do a documentary.
LatinoBuzz: Was it always an intention when you were writing the screenplay, that this would be in English?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: Actually it was not the intention at all. I wrote it in Spanish with another screenwriter (Javier Gullón) thinking it would be shot in Spanish. But I always imagined a North American neighborhood where Mica, the main character, lives. Partly inspired by Elvis´ Graceland, he lives in a museum house of Mexican kitsch singer Guillermo Garibai but we don´t have those museums in Spain or Mexico. We started even casting Spanish actors but suddenly it didn´t make sense where they lived. Somehow it didn’t fit that the actor was saying “joder” and other Spanish slang with this setting. Also the singer was supposedly very famous so I wanted it to be outside Mexico, he was an International singer after all. Now that I see the film it seems naturally suited for English language and the good news is that nobody that read it after it was translated suspected it was first in Spanish. Then my Canadian producer Niv Fichman told me “ You need to meet this actor, Douglas Smith, he is perfect for 'Mica'”. So I waited for the occasion for several months and finally one evening in Toronto we met after a screening and walking towards him was really like a film , I still remember crossing to the other side of the theater like in slow motion and when I saw him I knew it was going to work. I don´t know who was more nervous but he stepped on my foot. Zöe Kravitz came later. I didn´t write thinking of any actor in particular. I wanted someone that was attractive but that could stand out in other ways. There´s always in Hollywood like 4 or 5 actresses that I confuse because they don´t really stand out. She had to have a personality that you believed she fell in love with someone like him, and also a beautiful women that in the story is relaxed about her looks. She is an amazing actress and has something unique that I can´t really put in words. She is just a natural.
LatinoBuzz: You've worked on projects across the globe - has it changed the way you look at art?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: After making video art in Innbruck, Austria and then getting a grant in almost the opposite city: New Delhi, I changed the way of working and also I try to get rid of clichés about expecting some art based on the artist´s Nationality. I learned to see more, I guess. I write a project back home but then when I get to a place I take my time to observe. I forbid myself to take photographs the first week and after a week I decide how to adapt my project or throw it away and start from scratch. Also after traveling I know that people expect a type of film again depending of your Nationality but that is a prejudice. Some people are going to say my film is not very Mexican or very Latin but that is if they are referring to a cliché of the “Mexicanity”. What does a film needs to have a Mexican flavor? Cactus, drug lords? Well, I have some mariachi music after all but because my characters live in a house of a Mexican singer. It ´s all part of the same world.
LatinoBuzz: There's amazing women filmmakers coming out of Latin America that's bringing an excitement and an invigorating voice that's been missing - do you see this continuing to emerge or is there still much needed change needed within the industry?
AnaIeine Cal Y Mayor: I'm optimistic of the emerging women directors. Every year I see a little bit more coming up slowly. In Mexico at least, the industry is still a man´s world. It's funny how some crew members can´t say “Yes, Mam” they say “Yes sir “ all the time! And they do it without thinking. I´m “Sir” in Mexico a lot of times. I admire Claudia Llosa and in Mexico, Paula Markovich, Mariana Chenillo and Patricia Arriaga.
LatinoBuzz: What's next from you?
Analeine Cal Y Mayor: I'm working on a new script that has to happen in an isolated forest, perhaps Sweden or Finland but while that film takes shape I might spend all my savings to do a very, very low budget film. This is one thing that I still enjoy in Mexico: my colleagues make films with 20 million pesos, 2 million or $200,000.
Visit www.analeine.com for more on this great talent!
The Midnight Game (USA) Dir. By A.D. Calvo
LatinoBuzz: What was the first horror film that scared the bejeezus out of you and got you hooked?
A.D. Calvo: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things. Back in '79, shortly after my father died, my mom moved us into an old white house on a hill with an historic New England cemetery in the backyard. My bedroom window overlooked the tiny lot riddled with crooked, broken headstones. I can still remember the name on one of them, Alexander X. Weed, and my morbid fascination with the babies’ graves that had shifted in the ground over the years, revealing dark crevices into the earth around them. We didn't have cable back then, so I'd occasionally catch a scary movie on channel 9 or 11, our local NY affiliates. This film really scared the crap out of me. The thought of the dead rising from their graves kept me awake half the night. I was only 11 at the time, and I'm sure the death of my father -- and that damn cemetery – didn’t help. I checked that film out recently, and it was rather comical, deliberately campy. But man, oh, man, it wasn't back then. Orville was a living corpse who haunted me on many nights.
LatinoBuzz: How do you see your work evolving within the horror genre?
A.D. Calvo: Honestly, I'm not a big fan of violence in film and have consistently focused more on the psychological aspects of horror. In my more recent films, particularly The Midnight Game, I've tried to "amp up" certain graphic elements -- but my style is still a far cry from anything close to gore porn or slasher, which are just not my thing. I love a great ghost story and would love to revisit that world with a more mature approach one day. I think of horror classics like The Shining as benchmarks for what's possible within that realm. It all comes down to finding the right screenplay or writing something that I feel really works. After four films, three of which were skewed more toward young-adult horror, I'm looking to shift into more mature themes.
LatinoBuzz: With the likes of Guillermo Del Toro and Fede Alvarez etc and even a film like, Mama - crossing over to the mainstream, do you see a possible gateway for films to be made starring a Latino cast and marketed successfully to an American Latino audience?
A.D. Calvo: Yes, I do. I've always loved Latin horror films like The Devil's Backboneand The Orphanage, and even cerebral sci-fi like Timecrimes. I like the weird ones too, e.g., Santa Sangre, The Last Circus. There's just so many amazing Latino actors and directors, many who haven't been exposed much to Us audiences. The Argentine actor, Ricardo Darin, is a personal favorite, but lesser known here in the states, despite the Oscar win for The Secret in their Eyes. He'd be great in an American Latino ghost story! Something gothic like The Others, don't you think? Perhaps a nice mix of foreign Latino names, like Darin, and some better known domestic faces (Oscar Isaac, John Leguizamo, Rosario Dawson -- a few more personal favs). It's fun to think of the possibilities.
LatinoBuzz: You take a trip to a cabin in the middle of the woods straight outta Deliverance with 4 characters from Horror films and there's no cell phone reception -- because, despite all previous warnings, it's still a great idea -- Who are they and who's out in the woods (Dick Cheney is a perfectly acceptable answer)?
A.D. Calvo: I love this question! Here's my dream team: I'd take a Ripley-like character (from Alien)—someone who's capable of kicking ass and protecting the bunch; and I'd throw in a weak male sidekick, to provide a little comic relief—the quirky Shaggy of the bunch. My cabin wouldn't be complete without a wise old man, physically inferior but intellectually a necessity to the group's survival (I'm picturing Michael Caine type wisdom and self assurance here)… Then, lastly, I'd toss in another woman, but a sensitive type—someone who understands that even evil can have a good side. A character like the one Naomi Watts played in The Ring. She'll help offset Ripley's take-no-prisoners attitude, But will make the crucial mistake of sparing the lives of a few of our villains, who are none other than a mutant militia controlled by their own evil inbred children. (Militias really scare me. As do evil children.) Not sure what my chances of survival would be, but it would make for an interesting movie!
LatinoBuzz: Where and how do the ideas come to you? And how do you flesh them out?
A.D. Calvo: My creative process can be summed up as follows: left brain, right brain. On the one hand, I think about other films I've responded to and try to create an amalgam, of sorts, from that. Something fresh and new, but that still feels familiar and is producible within a set of constraints. This is the logical, left brain half of the process. On the other hand, I remain open to the infinite possibilities that unfold before us, in a more mystical and romantic way (the "creative tap" we all have access to). I have found this balance serves me well. Being true to my vision, creatively and aesthetically, while listening to, but not being bound by, the business side of things. In terms of fleshing out ideas, I have a great set of "go to" people whose opinions I really trust. As with any collaborative endeavor, it's important to keep folks involved (and hence excited about the project). Of course, it's also important to separate individual tastes and personal opinions from more important ideas that can make a project better (and not just different). When you hear that a particular thing isn't working, from a couple of trusted sources, you know you have a problem. Likewise if one's suggestion is well received by others on your team then it's probably worth pursuing, despite any hesitation you may have. I believe you can do this without compromising the so-called, "singular vision of the director." I've heard of film directors referred to as "benign dictators" but the key word here is "benign" and not "dictator." Filmmaking is a collaborative medium so you're acting more like a creative CEO, you still have a boardroom of key folks to listen to. It's really just a matter of building the right team and becoming calibrated enough to recognize the things that raise the bar versus the things that don't really matter. That's the core of it, I think. That, and not letting your ego get in the way of that, is key.
LatinoBuzz: What are the next projects?
A.D Calvo: I just finished another screenplay, my first in 2 years. It's definitely a deviation from horror. It’s a character-driven mystery with a little magical realism thrown in. American Splendor and Ghost World meetThe Lovely Bones. Very different for me. I've also been developing an original time travel concept. Sci-fi is a genre I've always enjoyed and I have a unique idea for a time machine that's fairly well grounded in physics... I have a few other concepts in various stages of development.
Any of these projects could be next, but we'll have to wait and see. Having the wherewithal to push another film through to the end is becoming a greater challenge, psychically, for me. Knowing the pitfalls and what is and isn't possible, given a budget, can become a hindrance of sorts, but it can also make you more discerning and creative—which is a good thing… as long as it doesn't cripple you.
For more on A.D.'s work, check out: www.goodnightfilm.com
Eenie Meenie Mineny Moe (USA) Dir. by Jorge 'Jokes' Yanez
LatinoBuzz: Tell us about the scene in the 305 -- there's a few collectives down there doing really interesting things.
Jokes: The 305 is my home, and there's nothing like it anywhere in the world, the mix of cultures, styles, personalities and weather is a stew with a flavor all its own. In the last few years the arts has really been gaining momentum and there’s talent that is staying and making stuff here which is great. I love seeing Miami artists I grew up with getting their respect. Miami has made its mark in music, sports and visual art and I'm happy that it’s finally starting to get an identity in film.
Latinobuzz: Where did this idea come from and how long from when you wrote this, did it go into production?
Jokes: The idea was conceived around 2003/2004, I was living in L.A. and directing music videos flying to all these different cities and I noticed how people would tell me I had an accent and style that they couldn't put a finger on. When I would say “Miami” they would say of course, it's obvious. So the first seed of making a feature with characters that were authentically Miami came to mind in the way New York filmmakers tell New York stories and wanting to make a movie that addressed a lot of the attitudes that I thought were prevalent in the 305, especially about hustlers with strong ethics and loyalty that were gaming the system. The final ingredient was meeting a few tow truck drivers and it inspired using that as a thread to tie everything together. In early 2007, J.Bishop, my writing partner and I finished the script and I started looking for financing. In 2009, we created a short film 'Vladimir’s Vodka' that features some of the characters and the aesthetics of “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe”. That piece created the momentum we needed and we finally went into production in late 2011.
LatinoBuzz: Who are the filmmakers that inspired the aesthetic of your work?
Jokes: I would say for this film i was really inspired by the work of Brian DePalma, Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aronofsky and a few little sprinkles of Kubrick, Scorsese and James Cameron. I mean all these guys are like titans in the industry its hard to make a movie and not be influenced by their work. Overall, I’ve been a film buff for years and there’s so many influences that contribute to my aesthetic choices.
LatinoBuzz: What does premiering in your home town mean to you?
Jokes: I couldn't imagine it any better way. I made this movie because of growing up in Miami and being able to share it with so many of my friends and family is what its all about.
LatinoBuzz: What are the constraints of making independent films in Miami?
Jokes: The biggest constraint is finding money, Miami is a party town and not too many investors have done anything in the movie business and actually not been burned by it, the second is the weather being outdoors in the summer is hot and wet two things that’ll put a production in slow motion.
LatinoBuzz: And what are the benefits?
Jokes: Locations and finding people that are still mesmerized by the allure of the movie biz. In La it's big business and people are jaded and want their check, here so many people are just so helpful and proud that their block or business is being shown that they bend over backwards to accommodate you.
LatinoBuzz: Name a classic novel you could make into a film, and set it in Miami -- what is it and who is in it?
Jokes: 'The Count of Monte Cristo': I can see that being re-imagined into a Miami setting and I am definitely drawn into the revenge plot. I would love to use Benecio Del Toro, Julio Mechoso and Nestor Carbonell and some fresh new faces. I like discoveries.
LatinoBuzz: What's the next Jokes Flick?
Jokes: The next one is titled 'The Local Crew', it's a true to life story about some of the experiences J.Bishop and I had growing up. We just finished the script and are building the team to produce it.
For more on Jokes flick, visit: www.eeniemeeniemineymoe.com
Tony Tango (USA) Dir. By Manolo Celi
LatinoBuzz: You wrote the screenplay along with Billy Sommer from an idea Max Maulion and Andres Oliveira came up with.
Manolo Celi: Yep! Billy Sommer was the genius writer. There was a lot of back and forth between us via phone and many many Skype sessions, but the best stuff was written by Billy who is a truly gifted writer. Andres and Maxx had written an initial 1st draft and they created the iconic character of Tony Tango, and what started to be a doctoring of the script, ended up being a complete transplant. Everything changed except for some character names and that there is a dance competition, but even the main characters were re-written completely anew.
LatinoBuzz: How was this presented to you in the first place?
Manolo Celi: Andres and I had worked on some commercial projects previously, and we really hit it off. They gave me that 1st draft, and while I knew the script needed work, I really related to the character of Tony who was a real underdog. I also found both Andres and Maxx to be very talented and driven to get the film done.
LatinoBuzz: How did pitching a story about an overweight tango dancer in ill fitting ballroom outfits to investors go?
Manolo Celi: All of the investments came from Andres and Maxx sources. They dealt with the financing 100%
LatinoBuzz: What about the casting process? These characters where very specific.
Manolo Celi: We were lucky that the two main characters, Tony and Pablo were already being played by Maxx and Andres. And then, we were so fortunate to find tremendous talent like Antoni Corone and Sergia Louise Andersen to complete the picture - not to mention the rest of the cast who were all truly amazing. My main concern was working with the cast to get as genuine performances as possible. While their characters are very absurd and quirky, the audience needed to relate to all of them and sympathize with them.
LatinoBuzz: A lot of care went into the detail in making the film - the costumes, the choreography and the tone of the humor was very specific. How did you go about getting the right team with budget limitations?
Manolo Celi: What can I say about the crew? What great luck!! Many of them, I had already worked with or had known for a very long time. DoP Angel Barroeta is an incredible Dp and professional, not to mention a beautiful human being. Tom Criswell is hilarious and somehow made the art department work with barely any resources, Li Millian, the wardrobe stylist created Tony's most memorable clothing, hands down, Jonathan David Kane made the day to day run so smoothly, Alan Ramos found us the absolute best locations we could find within the limits of our budget, Jerry Perez and Christine Lopez not only acted great throughout the movie, but they also donated so much time beforehand choreographing Maxx's dance routines, Obi Reyes did a miraculous job with all of the film's make up needs, Carlos Gomez was superstar Gaffer. Both Ad's De la Vega and Rafa Herrera ran the set so smoothly, and they kept the energy alive and the production going. And, on the post side even, it was amazing: Juan Pablo Mantilla, the music producer composed an amazing score, and also produced so many great pieces for the film, and Bob Curreri was an incredible colorist. I mean, really, everyone put in so much time and love into the project for next to no money or for no money whatsoever. I hope to work with every single one of these people again, for the rest of my career.
LatinoBuzz: And how much was specifically your vision?
Manolo Celi: It really was a wonderful collaborative process by everyone involved. Obviously, as director, it is important to have a clear vision, and keep everyone on the same track. Especially in a low budget production like this, there are always situations that crop up that force you to think on your feet and be very receptive to suggestions from your team. I believe a good deal of the film reflects my vision, with compromises due to the resources available and not having final cut of the film, but there are many things that reflect the direction that we had aimed for.
LatinoBuzz: You guys applied this green initiative to shooting the film in Miami - and here people are, thinking filmmakers are heartless brutes -- where in the process was that decision made?
Manolo Celi: We all tend to be very environmentally conscious as individuals, but it was Jonathan David Kane who really pushed the green initiative. He was really who got that ball rolling and was very disciplined about it.
LatinoBuzz: What's the next project?
Manolo Celi: I have a short and another feature in the works. The short is musically-themed, and the feature is more indie-action themed. Besides that, I continue directing commercials.
For all info on Tony Tango click here! www.tonytangothemovie.com...
- 3/6/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Hollywood's Im Global and Mexico and La's Canana (Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz's banner) have joined forces to launch new company Mundial, which will focus on the financing and worldwide sales of Latin American movies. Mundial will function as a powerful new player linking the Us and Latin American film industries, and will rep 8-10 titles per year. The first three titles in Mundial's pipeline come from Canana: Mariana Chenillo's "Paradise," Michael Rowe's "Manto acuifero" and Luna's second English-language directorial outing, "Mr. Pig" (currently slated for a late 2013 production). While most sales companies shopping Latin American titles are either boutique or Europe-based, Mundial will strive to be different by combining the local credibility of Canana with the industry wherewithall of Im Global. Check out our Toh! interviews with Luna here, and with Bernal here.
- 11/28/2012
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
Hong Kong, May 1: Director Mariana Chenillo's "Cinco dias sin Nora" and Gabriel Guzman's comedy "La nuera de Don Filemon" will open the Second Mexican Film Festival in Hong Kong Monday.
"Salvando al soldado Perez", a comedy directed by Beto Gomez and starring Gerardo Taracena, Joaquin Cosio and Jaime Camil, will make its debut at the festival, along with "La ultima muerte", a science.
"Salvando al soldado Perez", a comedy directed by Beto Gomez and starring Gerardo Taracena, Joaquin Cosio and Jaime Camil, will make its debut at the festival, along with "La ultima muerte", a science.
- 5/1/2011
- by realbollywood
- RealBollywood.com
[Editor's note: I've asked our team of world film correspondents to dish out their top 5 films of the year from their respective countries. Here's Christine Davila's take on the Best in Mexican Cinema in 2010.] To be clear, this is a list of Mexican films which either: traveled far in the 2010 film festival front, were critically acclaimed, received a healthy theatrical run, and which I consider the strongest celluloid among the Mexican narrative feature film trenches from where I culled and screened deep. Okay maybe not that deep, considering there are only about 100 feature narrative films produced in Mexico a year. But given that figure, this small percentage illustrates a strong dose of diversity and range of genre, budget, but more importantly original strong stories and voices. Before I begin....one special mention goes out to REVOLUCIÓN by Carlos Reygadas, Amat Escalante, Fernando Eimbcke, Mariana Chenillo, Patricia Riggen, Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal, Gerardo Naranjo, Rodrigo Garcia, and Rodrigo Plá. The first time I ever heard use of the word Portmanteau was when this movie starting popping up at festivals beginning with the world premiere...
- 12/24/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Title: Nora’s Will Directed: Mariana Chenillo Starring: Fernando Luján, Enrique Arreola, Ari Brickman and Juan Carlos Colombo. Movies that aim to take a different outlook on serious subjects and succeed in achieving their intended unique perspective are often rewarded with praise and awards. The Mexican film ‘Nora’s Will’ is one such movie that aimed to take a humorous tone towards families who struggle to cope with the death of a loved one. While winning numerous honors at several festivals, including best first feature at the Havana Film Festival, the movie won’t likely strike a cord with American audiences. ‘Nora’s Will’ tries to take a comedic stand on death and the bonding and mourning of [...]...
- 12/23/2010
- by karen
- ShockYa
As Rodrigo Garcia is currently readying himself for the Albert Nobbs shoot, Fox Searchlight is readying the Mother & Child director to perhaps next work from a Jose Rivera-penned adaptation of an Oscar-nominated Short Subject documentary La Corona. Julie Lynn, who's been producing alongside Garcia since Nine Lives, will produce. Gist: The feature film will be pulling from the short: I've included that "fuller" synopsis The contestants are murderers, guerrillas and thieves. The runner-up will cry when she doesn't get the tiara, wiping her tears with a tattooed hand. The winner will be crowned Queen, but she won't be invited on a press tour as a role model for young girls. Instead, she will be escorted back to her cell. This is a beauty pageant like no other, and it happens every year in the Women's Penitentiary in Bogotá, Colombia. Read the rest. Worth Noting: Garcia was one of the...
- 12/7/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
This weekend, which is to say, all day Saturday and all day Sunday, Mubi presents the free online premiere of Revolución, an anthology of ten short films commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Mexican revolution and examining its legacy. It also happens to be a sampler of sorts, collecting work by ten of the most engaging directors working in Mexico today: Gael García Bernal, Mariana Chenillo, Fernando Eimbcke, Amat Escalante, Rodrigo García, Diego Luna, Gerardo Naranjo, Rodrigo Plá, Carlos Reygadas and Patricia Riggen.
"Tonally and in subject matter, the vignettes in Revolución run the gamut," wrote Reed Johnson in the Los Angeles Times this summer. "Some have the rounded coherence of short stories. Others are more like dreams (or nightmares) than narratives, registering as impressionistic snapshots or tone poems. Some bristle with caustic humor and bitterness. Others ache with nostalgia, expressed in images of the country's rugged, sweeping landscapes and its stoic,...
"Tonally and in subject matter, the vignettes in Revolución run the gamut," wrote Reed Johnson in the Los Angeles Times this summer. "Some have the rounded coherence of short stories. Others are more like dreams (or nightmares) than narratives, registering as impressionistic snapshots or tone poems. Some bristle with caustic humor and bitterness. Others ache with nostalgia, expressed in images of the country's rugged, sweeping landscapes and its stoic,...
- 11/18/2010
- MUBI
Nora’S Will is a comedy about a Jewish woman in Mexico who kills herself on the eve of Passover. The premise may not sound exactly side-splitting, but the film is a hugely enjoyable, low-key farce about family ties, suicide, recipes, rabbis, and Jewish burial traditions. It’s an impressive feature debut for director-writer Mariana Chenillo who fills the movie with warmth and eccentric characters.
Nora, a 50ish divorcee, finally successful after her 14th suicide attempt, had invited a large group over for Passover dinner. She’d set the dinner table and left her refrigerator full of food with Post-it notes everywhere with instructions. Traditional Jewish law dictates a person be buried within 24 hours with the exception being Passover, a holiday that would require her body to be kept on dry ice for five days. This leads to complications for her ex-husband (Fernando Lujan) who spends the balance of the...
Nora, a 50ish divorcee, finally successful after her 14th suicide attempt, had invited a large group over for Passover dinner. She’d set the dinner table and left her refrigerator full of food with Post-it notes everywhere with instructions. Traditional Jewish law dictates a person be buried within 24 hours with the exception being Passover, a holiday that would require her body to be kept on dry ice for five days. This leads to complications for her ex-husband (Fernando Lujan) who spends the balance of the...
- 11/14/2010
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It's always a pleasant surprise to discover a film you know nothing about and find that it transports you in ways you never expected. So it is with Nora's Will, a Mexican import that opened in limited release last Friday (10/15/10) before going wider. Written and directed by Mariana Chenillo, it is a film that never telegraphs its surprises -- and offers both low-key and broader comedy, even as it finds its way to the heart. At the center of the film is Jose (Fernando Lujan), older and seemingly retired, whose apartment doorbell rings one day. It's a delivery man with a huge order of frozen meat; it's meant for his neighbor, Nora, across the street but she's not home -- and she's given the orders to have it sent over to Jose to keep. Jose, however, has no room in his freezer....
- 10/19/2010
- by Marshall Fine
- Huffington Post
Though Mexico is a thoroughly Catholic country, writer/director Mariana Chenillo decided that her first feature film, now titled Nora's Will, would be based on her own Jewish experience. The film tells of a woman who, upon her suicide, uses the Jewish holiday of Passover to confound her ex-husband and makes demands that only a Jewish woman could make about her funeral and seemingly, everything else. In doing so, she exerts her will from the grave and forces everyone involved to confront a chasm of cultural and familial issues--with a touch of humor and irony. Chenillo won a bunch of Ariel Awards for her film -- the equivalent of the Oscar for Mexico -- and recently enjoyed the spotlight placed on her as one of the 10 next-generation directors included in Revolucion, a feature-length compilation of short films examining Mexico on the...
- 10/15/2010
- by Brad Balfour
- Huffington Post
Dallas' Vistas Latino Film Festival is celebrating its eleventh annual appearance with a great line up of Latin American films and visits from several of the minds and faces behind them. Vistas runs from October 28th through the 31st and showcases some of the best recent Latino film of recent years. The Mexican omnibus film, Revolucion opens the festival on October 28th at the Angelika Film Center at Mockingbird Station. This is Revolucion's Us debut and stars Jaime Camil, Blanca Soto, Alejandra Barros, Liz Gallardo, Adal Ramones, Alejandra Ambrosi, Pedro Armendariz, Jr., Jeannine Derbez, Gustavo Sanchez-Parra, Humberto Busto, Erik del Castillo, and Maria Soleno will be in attendance, it should be a fun night! Twitch readers will probably recognize Seres: Genesis among the films being screened this year. The film opened a couple of weeks ago in Mexico and is getting good notices, this could be a new landmark in Latin American Sci-fi,...
- 10/9/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Once again, Women and Hollywood has tabulated The Female Factor. Same as usual, a paltry 7.4% which means two women with films of their own. If you count 2 women directors out of 10 in Revolucion 20%), it makes 11%. Notably Julie Taymor’s The Tempest ♀ is the centerpiece of the festival (yeah!). Kelly Reichert’s Meek’s Cutoff ♀ is also being screened, and Mariana Chenillo and Patricia Riggen are the two women director’s whose work is featured in Revolucion ♀. That Rose Kuo is there now as Executive Director ♀ as well, also a rather rare position in the festival…...
- 8/17/2010
- Sydney's Buzz
French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche’s film centered on the story of Saartjie “Sarah” Baartman, otherwise derogatorily known as the Hottentot Venus, will be screening at the New York Film Festival, which begins its run September 24th. You know I’ll be there to see it, with my thoughts on the film to follow on this blog.
Recall back in April, we alerted you to the fact that the film was being made under the title Black Venus (which will remain), claiming its spot as the first feature-length film to have Baartman as its subject – at least, that’s what my research tells me.
At the time of my initial post, I couldn’t find much info on the project; however, I did think it odd that the list of cast members on the film’s IMDb page didn’t (and still don’t) list a Saartjie Baartman (or even Hottentot Venus) as a character.
Recall back in April, we alerted you to the fact that the film was being made under the title Black Venus (which will remain), claiming its spot as the first feature-length film to have Baartman as its subject – at least, that’s what my research tells me.
At the time of my initial post, I couldn’t find much info on the project; however, I did think it odd that the list of cast members on the film’s IMDb page didn’t (and still don’t) list a Saartjie Baartman (or even Hottentot Venus) as a character.
- 8/16/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
The folks over at the Film Society of Lincoln Center have announced their main program for the 48th annual New York Film Festival running from September 24th - October 10th.
In addition to the already announced open night heavy hitter that is David Fincher's The Social Network, they've added another Hollywood big gun with Clint Eastwood's supernatural tale Hereafter, starring Matt Damon and Bryce Dallas Howard. The centerpiece film will be Julie Taymor's latest Shakespeare spectacle, The Tempest.
The real meat of the line-up *ahem* comes with Mexican cannibal feature, We Are What We Are, a film we've been pretty supportive of here at Twitch since its Cannes premiere. The complete list for the main slate is listed below with the expected bevy of Cannes holdovers and late year awards hopefuls.
Tickets go on sale to the public starting September 12th. And yes, we press hope to...
In addition to the already announced open night heavy hitter that is David Fincher's The Social Network, they've added another Hollywood big gun with Clint Eastwood's supernatural tale Hereafter, starring Matt Damon and Bryce Dallas Howard. The centerpiece film will be Julie Taymor's latest Shakespeare spectacle, The Tempest.
The real meat of the line-up *ahem* comes with Mexican cannibal feature, We Are What We Are, a film we've been pretty supportive of here at Twitch since its Cannes premiere. The complete list for the main slate is listed below with the expected bevy of Cannes holdovers and late year awards hopefuls.
Tickets go on sale to the public starting September 12th. And yes, we press hope to...
- 8/16/2010
- Screen Anarchy
The New York Times announced the 2010 New York Film Festival lineup this morning. They even beat the festival's own website to the news. Kyle Chandler would be proud.
Anyway, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, organizers of Nyff, had already announced David Fincher's Facebook biopic "The Social Network" as their Opening Night film. Now they've added twenty-five features to their roster, plus Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter" as the Closing Night selection. The Times describes the film as the story of "the gradual connections of an American psychic (played by Matt Damon); a French journalist (Cécile de France) who has a brush with death in the 2004 tsunami; and a London schoolboy who loses his twin brother (Frankie and George McLaren)." "Hereafter," by the way, makes nine movies for Eastwood in nine years. It's like he and Woody Allen are locked in a weird game of directorial chicken or something.
As usual,...
Anyway, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, organizers of Nyff, had already announced David Fincher's Facebook biopic "The Social Network" as their Opening Night film. Now they've added twenty-five features to their roster, plus Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter" as the Closing Night selection. The Times describes the film as the story of "the gradual connections of an American psychic (played by Matt Damon); a French journalist (Cécile de France) who has a brush with death in the 2004 tsunami; and a London schoolboy who loses his twin brother (Frankie and George McLaren)." "Hereafter," by the way, makes nine movies for Eastwood in nine years. It's like he and Woody Allen are locked in a weird game of directorial chicken or something.
As usual,...
- 8/16/2010
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
It's another "Cannes heavy" selection this year for the 48th edition of the Nyff. With the majority of the titles coming from the Croisette (look out for some personal faves in Cristi Puiu's Aurora and Michelangelo Frammartino's Le Quattro Volte) and the Lido (Abdellatif Kechiche's Black Venus, Kelly Reichardt's Meek’s Cutoff, Hong Sang-soo's Oki’s Movie, Pablo Larrain's Post Mortem, Patrick Keiller's Robinson in Ruins, Alexei Fedorchenko's Silent Souls, plus Raul Ruiz's miniseries Mysteries of Lisbon), I figure it be fun to take a closer look at the non-Cannes/Venice offerings. Not sure if this constitutes the film's world premiere, but with a date closer to its theatrical release than what Tiff's dates could provide, Clint Eastwood's Hereafter will be closing the festival. Before it preems on PBS in November, Michael Epstein's Lennon NYC will show --- the doc comes with...
- 8/16/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Clint Eastwood will unveil his Peter Morgan-scripted Matt Damon-starrer Hereafter as the closing night film of the New York Film Festival. The fest previously set the David Fincher-directed Facebook film The Social Network to open the festival and Julie Taymor's The Tempest to be its centerpiece. All three figure to be players in the Oscar race this year. Here is the rest of the Nyff program: Another Year Mike Leigh, 2010, UK Aurora Cristi Puiu, 2010, Romania Black Venus (Venus noire) Abdellatif Kechiche, France Carlos Olivier Assayas, 2010, France Certified Copy (Copie conformé) Abbas Kiarostami, 2010, France/Italy Film Socialisme Jean-Luc Godard, 2010, Switzerland Inside Job Charles Ferguson, 2010, USA Le Quattro Volte Michelangelo Frammartino, 2010, Italy Lennon NYC, Michael Epstein, 2010, USA Meek's Cutoff Kelly Reichardt, 2010, USA My Joy (Schastye moe) Sergei Loznitsa, 2010, Ukraine/Germany Mysteries Of Lisbon (Misterios de Lisboa) Raul Ruiz, Portugal/France Of Gods And Men (Des homes et des dieux) Xavier Beauvois,...
- 8/16/2010
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
hollywoodnews.com: Today Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced its 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival award winners at a brunch at Chaya Downtown. Audience award winners will be announced tomorrow afternoon at the Closing Night film, Despicable Me. The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by The Los Angeles Times, with its central hub at L.A. Live, began Thursday, June 17 and will end on Sunday, June 27.
“There were thousands of movie fans at the festival this year, discovering new stories from our talented filmmakers,” said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson. “We are delighted to have the support of the Los Angeles film-going community for these films and their creators”
The two top juried awards of the Los Angeles Film Festival are the Narrative Award and Documentary Award, each carrying an unrestricted $50,000 cash prize, funded by Film Independent, for the winning film’s director.
“There were thousands of movie fans at the festival this year, discovering new stories from our talented filmmakers,” said Film Independent Executive Director Dawn Hudson. “We are delighted to have the support of the Los Angeles film-going community for these films and their creators”
The two top juried awards of the Los Angeles Film Festival are the Narrative Award and Documentary Award, each carrying an unrestricted $50,000 cash prize, funded by Film Independent, for the winning film’s director.
- 6/26/2010
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival is set to run June 17-27 in a brand new location. Oh, it’s still in L.A, but it’s moving across town, from Westwood — where it’s been held the past few years — all the way over to Downtown.
The main “hub” for the fest will be the new L.A. Live complex, but there will also be screenings at other locations, such as the Downtown Independent and Redcat theaters. The city is really trying to build downtown up into a major arts and culture hub, so the festival moving there fits in with that agenda. Film Independent, the organization that runs Laff, also runs the annual Independent Spirit Awards, an event that also moved downtown — from Santa Monica — this year.
On Bad Lit, I tend to like to put up festival lineups that include days and times of screenings. However, since I...
The main “hub” for the fest will be the new L.A. Live complex, but there will also be screenings at other locations, such as the Downtown Independent and Redcat theaters. The city is really trying to build downtown up into a major arts and culture hub, so the festival moving there fits in with that agenda. Film Independent, the organization that runs Laff, also runs the annual Independent Spirit Awards, an event that also moved downtown — from Santa Monica — this year.
On Bad Lit, I tend to like to put up festival lineups that include days and times of screenings. However, since I...
- 5/17/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Lisa Cholodenko's alternative family dramedy "The Kids Are All Right" from Focus Features will open the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 17, and Universal's 3D CGI feature "Despicable Me," directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin and starring Steve Carell, will close the fest 10 days later.
But the lineup of 200 feature films, shorts and music videos announced Tuesday will probably be overshadowed by the world premiere of David Slade's "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," the third installment in the teen vampire series. Summit will unveil the film, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, at an invitation-only event at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live on June 24.
Embracing U.S. indies, foreign films and mainstream studio fare, the 16th annual fest, which is relocating from Westwood to downtown's L.A. Live, has programmed a number of gala screenings instead of designating one film a "centerpiece premiere."
The...
But the lineup of 200 feature films, shorts and music videos announced Tuesday will probably be overshadowed by the world premiere of David Slade's "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," the third installment in the teen vampire series. Summit will unveil the film, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, at an invitation-only event at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live on June 24.
Embracing U.S. indies, foreign films and mainstream studio fare, the 16th annual fest, which is relocating from Westwood to downtown's L.A. Live, has programmed a number of gala screenings instead of designating one film a "centerpiece premiere."
The...
- 5/4/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Like the headline says, the complete lineup for the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival has been announced and it's a fascinating, eclectic mix. How happy am I to see music doc Separado! in there? Pretty damn happy, as it's one of my absolute favorites of the year and has been resoundingly overlooked. Read the complete announcement below!
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Los Angeles (May 4, 2010) - Today Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival, and year-round artist development programs and exhibition events, announced the official selections for the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times. The Festival will run from Thursday, June 17 to Sunday, June 27 in downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. Live. Now in its sixteenth year, the Festival is recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American...
Normal 0 false false false En-ca X-none X-none MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
Los Angeles (May 4, 2010) - Today Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival, and year-round artist development programs and exhibition events, announced the official selections for the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times. The Festival will run from Thursday, June 17 to Sunday, June 27 in downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. Live. Now in its sixteenth year, the Festival is recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American...
- 5/4/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Today Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival, and year-round artist development programs and exhibition events, announced the official selections for the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times. The Festival will run from Thursday, June 17 to Sunday, June 27 in downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. Live. Now in its sixteenth year, the Festival is recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.
The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 40 countries. This year, the Festival received more than 4,700 submissions from filmmakers around the world. The final selections represent 28 World, North American, and U.S. premieres, which more...
The 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 40 countries. This year, the Festival received more than 4,700 submissions from filmmakers around the world. The final selections represent 28 World, North American, and U.S. premieres, which more...
- 5/4/2010
- by Staff
- Hollywoodnews.com
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 3258 18575 Film Independent 154 37 22811 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false
- Focus Features' The Kids Are All Right to Kick Off Festival -
- World Premiere of Universal Pictures' 3-D CGI Feature Despicable Me Selected for Closing Night -
- Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse to have World Premiere -
- Galas include Animal Kingdom, Cyrus, Mahler on the Couch, Revolución,& Waiting for Superman -
Los Angeles (May 4, 2010) - Today Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival, and year-round artist development programs and exhibition events, announced the official selections for the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times. The Festival will run from Thursday, June 17 to Sunday, June 27 in downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. Live. Now in its sixteenth year, the Festival is recognized as a world-class event, showcasing...
- Focus Features' The Kids Are All Right to Kick Off Festival -
- World Premiere of Universal Pictures' 3-D CGI Feature Despicable Me Selected for Closing Night -
- Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse to have World Premiere -
- Galas include Animal Kingdom, Cyrus, Mahler on the Couch, Revolución,& Waiting for Superman -
Los Angeles (May 4, 2010) - Today Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival, and year-round artist development programs and exhibition events, announced the official selections for the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times. The Festival will run from Thursday, June 17 to Sunday, June 27 in downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. Live. Now in its sixteenth year, the Festival is recognized as a world-class event, showcasing...
- 5/4/2010
- by maint
- Film Independent
Mexico City -- Freshman filmmaker Mariana Chenillo made history Tuesday night in becoming the first woman director to win an Ariel Award for best Mexican picture with her Jewish-themed dramedy "Five Days Without Nora."
The Cacerola Films-produced "Five Days" walked away with seven statuettes at the 52nd Ariel Awards ceremony, including best first work, original screenplay, actor (Fernando Lujan) and supporting actress (Angelina Palaez).
Best director went to veteran helmer Carlos Carrera for his crime thriller "Backyard," which also nabbed best actress for Asur Zagada.
The only other picture to win multiple awards was the quirky comedy "Meet the Head of Juan Perez." Emilio Portes' first work got a supporting actor nod for Jose Sefami and three wins in technical categories.
In the Ibero-American competition, the Argentine thriller "The Secret in Their Eyes" beat out the Peru-Spain co-production "The Milk of Sorrow" and the Chile-Mexico collaboration "The Maid." "Secret...
The Cacerola Films-produced "Five Days" walked away with seven statuettes at the 52nd Ariel Awards ceremony, including best first work, original screenplay, actor (Fernando Lujan) and supporting actress (Angelina Palaez).
Best director went to veteran helmer Carlos Carrera for his crime thriller "Backyard," which also nabbed best actress for Asur Zagada.
The only other picture to win multiple awards was the quirky comedy "Meet the Head of Juan Perez." Emilio Portes' first work got a supporting actor nod for Jose Sefami and three wins in technical categories.
In the Ibero-American competition, the Argentine thriller "The Secret in Their Eyes" beat out the Peru-Spain co-production "The Milk of Sorrow" and the Chile-Mexico collaboration "The Maid." "Secret...
- 4/14/2010
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 33rd Portland International Film Festival announces the Oregonian Audience Award winners. This year’s Festival wrapped up its 18 day run Sunday, February 28th after 195 total screenings at multiple theater locations in the downtown cultural district of Portland. This year’s Festival was attended by over 30,000 attendees and included 77 features and 39 shorts from over 40 countries.
Complete coverage of Piff 2010
Don’t forget to vote for the 8th Annual Tsr Movie Awards
Audience winners include Best Narrative Feature The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Sweden) and Best Documentary Feature The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (New Zealand). The winner of the Best New Director Award is Hernán A. Goldfrid with Music On Hold (Argentina).
This year’s Short Film Award goes to Portland filmmaker Kyle Bell with the film The Mouse That Soared.
This year’s Piff presenting sponsors include The Oregonian and Regal Cinemas Major sponsors include the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation,...
Complete coverage of Piff 2010
Don’t forget to vote for the 8th Annual Tsr Movie Awards
Audience winners include Best Narrative Feature The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Sweden) and Best Documentary Feature The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (New Zealand). The winner of the Best New Director Award is Hernán A. Goldfrid with Music On Hold (Argentina).
This year’s Short Film Award goes to Portland filmmaker Kyle Bell with the film The Mouse That Soared.
This year’s Piff presenting sponsors include The Oregonian and Regal Cinemas Major sponsors include the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation,...
- 3/1/2010
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
2009 Mar del Plata Film Festival Awards 2009 Mar del Plata Film Festival: Nov. 7-15, 2009 Directed by Mariana Chenillo, Cinco días sin Nora (Five Days Without Nora) tells the story of a woman who, after fourteen failed suicide attempts, finally succeeds in moving on to the Great Beyond. Her widower is left with his sorrows and a never-ending wake. However, a revealing photo forgotten under her bed implies that there is something else going on. This Mexican comedy stars Fernando Luján, Silvia Mariscal, Cecilia Suárez, Juan Carlos Colombo, and Verónica Langer. Golden Astor: Cinco días sin Nora, Mariana Chenillo Silver Astor – Special Jury Prize: to the cast of El cuerno de la abundancia, Juan Carlos Tabío Silver Astor – [...]...
- 11/25/2009
- by Monica Montenegro
- Alt Film Guide
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