Prime Video Latin America has snapped up streaming rights to Katina Medina Mora’s latest film “Latido” (“Heartbeat”), starring Oscar-nominated Marina de Tavira (“Roma”).
This is the third feature from Medina Mora, whose credits include episodes of Netflix hit “Emily in Paris,” Apple TV+’s “Swagger” and romantic drama, “LuTo,” her debut feature picked up by Netflix. Its trailer debuts exclusively on Variety.
“Latido,” which has its world premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival and its Mexican premiere at the Morelia Film Festival, turns on 45-year-old Leonor, played by De Tavira, who works for an Ngo that supports young athletes. Leonor has struggled for years to conceive. She meets 16-year-old Emilia, a gifted ballet dancer, played by Camila Calónico, who aces her audition but whose world falls apart when she finds out she is pregnant. Leonor and Emilia make a pact to share the pregnancy process. What starts as...
This is the third feature from Medina Mora, whose credits include episodes of Netflix hit “Emily in Paris,” Apple TV+’s “Swagger” and romantic drama, “LuTo,” her debut feature picked up by Netflix. Its trailer debuts exclusively on Variety.
“Latido,” which has its world premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival and its Mexican premiere at the Morelia Film Festival, turns on 45-year-old Leonor, played by De Tavira, who works for an Ngo that supports young athletes. Leonor has struggled for years to conceive. She meets 16-year-old Emilia, a gifted ballet dancer, played by Camila Calónico, who aces her audition but whose world falls apart when she finds out she is pregnant. Leonor and Emilia make a pact to share the pregnancy process. What starts as...
- 9/22/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Three first features from Spain’s burgeoning next generation of female filmmakers, led by Cannes Critics’ Week winner Laura Ferrès, is one highlight at this year’s Málaga Work in Progress, an Málaga Festival industry centerpiece where productions such as “The Platform” first saw the light of day.
Playing in Malaga Wip, “The Platform” was acquired by Latido Film which sold the title to Netflix at Toronto. It has gone on to rank as the third most-watched non-English movie ever on Netflix.
At least three titles – Spanish road movie “Devil Dog Road,” horror pic “The Hidden City,” the neo-noir “Foremost by Night” – boast genre gristle. Some titles turn on gender oppression (“As Neves”), female self-discovery (“Mara’s Vacation”) or sexual diversity (“I Trust You”). Many, especially from Spain, have social-issue overtones.
Production companies range from established indie forces – Madrid’s Aquí y Allí, Buenos Aires’ Magma Cine, Portugal’s Ukbar Filmes – to on-the-rise outfits,...
Playing in Malaga Wip, “The Platform” was acquired by Latido Film which sold the title to Netflix at Toronto. It has gone on to rank as the third most-watched non-English movie ever on Netflix.
At least three titles – Spanish road movie “Devil Dog Road,” horror pic “The Hidden City,” the neo-noir “Foremost by Night” – boast genre gristle. Some titles turn on gender oppression (“As Neves”), female self-discovery (“Mara’s Vacation”) or sexual diversity (“I Trust You”). Many, especially from Spain, have social-issue overtones.
Production companies range from established indie forces – Madrid’s Aquí y Allí, Buenos Aires’ Magma Cine, Portugal’s Ukbar Filmes – to on-the-rise outfits,...
- 2/14/2023
- by John Hopewell and Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Miami-based international sales agent FiGa Films has swooped on worldwide rights to satirical comedy “Love & Mathematics” by Claudia Sainte-Luce ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival. In February, the busy Sainte-Luce debuted her previous film, “The Realm of God” (“El Reino de Dios”), at the Berlinale.
Produced by Christian Kegel of Jaqueca Films, “Love & Mathematics” turns on the ambitions and aspirations of upper-middle-class Mexican society and stars Roberto Quijano, Diana Bovio and Daniela Salinas.
Penned by playwright and screenwriter Adriana Pelusi, “Love & Mathematics” marks the first time Sainte-Luce has directed from someone else’s screenplay. This is her fifth feature. Set in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, the wry comedy follows Billy Lozano, who’s suffering from an existential crisis as his glory years in a hit boy band are now past him. In his late 30s and miserable in his marriage, his daily routine consists...
Produced by Christian Kegel of Jaqueca Films, “Love & Mathematics” turns on the ambitions and aspirations of upper-middle-class Mexican society and stars Roberto Quijano, Diana Bovio and Daniela Salinas.
Penned by playwright and screenwriter Adriana Pelusi, “Love & Mathematics” marks the first time Sainte-Luce has directed from someone else’s screenplay. This is her fifth feature. Set in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, the wry comedy follows Billy Lozano, who’s suffering from an existential crisis as his glory years in a hit boy band are now past him. In his late 30s and miserable in his marriage, his daily routine consists...
- 9/9/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish satire starring Javier Bardem one of the big winners at the Ibero-American film awards held in Madrid.
The Good Boss produced by The Mediapro Studio and Reposado PC took home four prizes at the Platino Awards on Sunday (May 1), the Ibero-American equivalent to the Oscars which took place in Madrid.
This satire about the petty boss of an industrial scales factory won best film, best director and screenplay for Fernando León de Aranoa, and best actor for Javier Bardem following its success at Spanish Film Academy awards the Goyas in February when it won six prizes.
Blanca Portillo won...
The Good Boss produced by The Mediapro Studio and Reposado PC took home four prizes at the Platino Awards on Sunday (May 1), the Ibero-American equivalent to the Oscars which took place in Madrid.
This satire about the petty boss of an industrial scales factory won best film, best director and screenplay for Fernando León de Aranoa, and best actor for Javier Bardem following its success at Spanish Film Academy awards the Goyas in February when it won six prizes.
Blanca Portillo won...
- 5/2/2022
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Spanish satire starring Javier Bardem one of the big winners at the Ibero-American film awards held in Madrid.
The Good Boss produced by The Mediapro Studio and Reposado PC took home four prizes at the Platino Awards on Sunday (May 1), the Ibero-American equivalent to the Oscars which took place in Madrid.
This satire about the petty boss of an industrial scales factory won best film, best director and screenplay for Fernando León de Aranoa, and best actor for Javier Bardem following its success at Spanish Film Academy awards the Goyas in February when it won six prizes.
Blanca Portillo won...
The Good Boss produced by The Mediapro Studio and Reposado PC took home four prizes at the Platino Awards on Sunday (May 1), the Ibero-American equivalent to the Oscars which took place in Madrid.
This satire about the petty boss of an industrial scales factory won best film, best director and screenplay for Fernando León de Aranoa, and best actor for Javier Bardem following its success at Spanish Film Academy awards the Goyas in February when it won six prizes.
Blanca Portillo won...
- 5/2/2022
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
‘The Good Boss’ leads Icíar Bollaín’s ‘Maixabel’ and Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Parallel Mothers’.
The Good Boss, directed by Fernando León de Aranoa and starring Javier Bardem, led the Goya nominations from the Spanish Film Academy with 20 nods, an all-time record.
The satire, also Spain’s entry for the Oscars, is ahead of Icíar Bollaín’s Maixabel and Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, on 14 and eight nominations respectively.
The Good Boss is the fifth highest-grossing film in Spain this year with €2.6m. Written and directed by León de Aranoa, it follows the petty boss of an industrial scales factory, played...
The Good Boss, directed by Fernando León de Aranoa and starring Javier Bardem, led the Goya nominations from the Spanish Film Academy with 20 nods, an all-time record.
The satire, also Spain’s entry for the Oscars, is ahead of Icíar Bollaín’s Maixabel and Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, on 14 and eight nominations respectively.
The Good Boss is the fifth highest-grossing film in Spain this year with €2.6m. Written and directed by León de Aranoa, it follows the petty boss of an industrial scales factory, played...
- 11/29/2021
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Gerardo Naranjo’s “Kokoloko” took home the Premio Mezcal for best Mexican film at the hybrid 35th Guadalajara Film Festival (Ficg), which wrapped Friday, Nov. 27.
The love triangle drama signals a return to the big screen for Naranjo who has spent nearly a decade after his 2011 hit “Miss Bala” directing episodes of such high-profile series as “Narcos,” “The Bridge” and “Fear the Walking Dead.”
Shot in 16 mm, Naranjo’s drama about a woman caught between two men, one a violent cousin holding her captive, first debuted at Tribeca where lead Noe Hernandez won the Best Actor prize. The Match Factory handles international sales.
Chilean film and TV writer-director-producer Andres Wood won the Best Ibero-American film prize with his political thriller “Spider,” that tracks the disparate fates of right-wing radicals in the early ‘70s, prior to the coup d’état that heralds the military regime of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. Drama...
The love triangle drama signals a return to the big screen for Naranjo who has spent nearly a decade after his 2011 hit “Miss Bala” directing episodes of such high-profile series as “Narcos,” “The Bridge” and “Fear the Walking Dead.”
Shot in 16 mm, Naranjo’s drama about a woman caught between two men, one a violent cousin holding her captive, first debuted at Tribeca where lead Noe Hernandez won the Best Actor prize. The Match Factory handles international sales.
Chilean film and TV writer-director-producer Andres Wood won the Best Ibero-American film prize with his political thriller “Spider,” that tracks the disparate fates of right-wing radicals in the early ‘70s, prior to the coup d’état that heralds the military regime of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. Drama...
- 11/29/2020
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Like many of its counterparts worldwide, the Guadalajara Int’l Film Festival (Ficg), Mexico’s largest film festival, faced the quandary of whether to go online, reschedule or cancel altogether because of the pandemic.
It opted for a rescheduled hybrid 35th edition which would serve those either unable or afraid to travel and those without an internet connection in Mexico.
“We struck a deal with Canal 44 to have them air some of our films,” said festival director Estrella Araiza, who is adamant that despite the challenges and complications, the film community will prevail in the end. “We have to believe in cinema,” she declared. Outdoor screenings and restricted indoor cinema screenings are on the schedule while most of the master classes and conferences are online.
Ficg was pushed from its traditional March dates to the fall, where it’s now been running over Nov. 20-27.
Its inauguration on Friday Nov.
It opted for a rescheduled hybrid 35th edition which would serve those either unable or afraid to travel and those without an internet connection in Mexico.
“We struck a deal with Canal 44 to have them air some of our films,” said festival director Estrella Araiza, who is adamant that despite the challenges and complications, the film community will prevail in the end. “We have to believe in cinema,” she declared. Outdoor screenings and restricted indoor cinema screenings are on the schedule while most of the master classes and conferences are online.
Ficg was pushed from its traditional March dates to the fall, where it’s now been running over Nov. 20-27.
Its inauguration on Friday Nov.
- 11/22/2020
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
“The Florida Project” excelled at showing how a child’s imagination can provide the mental armor necessary to endure impoverished circumstances, but it never had a monopoly on the concept. “Los Lobos,” the bittersweet new feature from director Samuel Kishi, plays like a thematic variation on the same beguiling premise in the context of the American immigrant experience. The result is .
That means eight-year-old Max (Maximiliano Nájar Márquez) and five-year-old Leo (Leonardo Nájar Márquez) guide the story through a series of drab environments using the only tools at their disposal. Promised by single mom Lucía (Martha Reyes Arias) that their move from Mexico to Albuquerque will result in a trip to Disneyland, they instead find themselves locked in a squalid apartment all day while she juggles a pair of low-income jobs. The line she feeds her Spanish-speaking children to get them hyped — “I want to go Disney!” — embodies the tragicomic...
That means eight-year-old Max (Maximiliano Nájar Márquez) and five-year-old Leo (Leonardo Nájar Márquez) guide the story through a series of drab environments using the only tools at their disposal. Promised by single mom Lucía (Martha Reyes Arias) that their move from Mexico to Albuquerque will result in a trip to Disneyland, they instead find themselves locked in a squalid apartment all day while she juggles a pair of low-income jobs. The line she feeds her Spanish-speaking children to get them hyped — “I want to go Disney!” — embodies the tragicomic...
- 7/30/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Festival cancelled three days from scheduled finale.
The Miami Film Festival, which elected to continue with virtual judging after cancelling screenings and events towards the end of its 2020 edition in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, has announced its winners.
Dudley Alexis’ race riots documentary When Liberty Burns won the $30,000 Knight Made in Mia Feature Film Award, Jayro Bustamante’s Mexico-Guatemala horror thriller La Llorona (pictured) received the $40,000 Knight Marimbas Award, and Aeden O’Connor Agurcia’s 90 Minutes about the Honduran national obsession with football won the Toyota Narrative Feature Film Audience Award.
The newly created Toyota Documentary Feature Film...
The Miami Film Festival, which elected to continue with virtual judging after cancelling screenings and events towards the end of its 2020 edition in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, has announced its winners.
Dudley Alexis’ race riots documentary When Liberty Burns won the $30,000 Knight Made in Mia Feature Film Award, Jayro Bustamante’s Mexico-Guatemala horror thriller La Llorona (pictured) received the $40,000 Knight Marimbas Award, and Aeden O’Connor Agurcia’s 90 Minutes about the Honduran national obsession with football won the Toyota Narrative Feature Film Audience Award.
The newly created Toyota Documentary Feature Film...
- 3/23/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
A new country, a new city, a new home, can mean hope for renewal and improvement; but it can also mean despair and desperation. For the thousands of people who have crossed the Mexico/USA border, forced to leave their countries for fear of their lives, or just wanting a better life for their children, the constant strain of trying to earn enough money for the barest survival, while maintaining a fascade of happiness and constantly for your children, can be unbearable. And for the children, who have yet to comprehend the complexities, it is unfathomable. Samuel Kishi's sophomore feature Los Lobos looks at this migration mainly through the eyes of two young boys as they struggle to understand why they have to wait. And wait....
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 3/13/2020
- Screen Anarchy
For the first time in its history, the Morelia Film Festival will open with a European film, Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s drama “Le Jeune Ahmed” (“Young Ahmed”), which garnered a best director prize for the Belgian siblings at Cannes last May. Luc Dardenne will be on hand to present the drama, described by Variety critic Peter Debruge as an “instantly recognizable” Dardenne film for having a “deceptively ‘rough’ quality as the directors’ earlier work, a carryover from their documentary background.”
Helmer-scribe James Ivory, who won a best adapted screenplay Oscar last year for his first-love gay drama “Call Me By Your Name” is also making his first visit to Morelia, which will honor him with a retrospective of his films.
“Five continents will be represented in Morelia this year, but most important are the 100-plus Mexican filmmakers participating in this edition,” said Morelia artistic director Daniela Michel.
The festival,...
Helmer-scribe James Ivory, who won a best adapted screenplay Oscar last year for his first-love gay drama “Call Me By Your Name” is also making his first visit to Morelia, which will honor him with a retrospective of his films.
“Five continents will be represented in Morelia this year, but most important are the 100-plus Mexican filmmakers participating in this edition,” said Morelia artistic director Daniela Michel.
The festival,...
- 9/30/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Guadalajara, Mexico — In keeping with its mandate to acquire films that explore present-day, topical issues, leading Latin American sales agency FiGa Films has snagged all worldwide rights to Samuel Kishi Leopo’s immigrant drama “Los Lobos.”
“It’s a privilege to continue our collaboration with Mr. Kishi Leopo,” said FiGa’s Sandro Fiorin. “We worked together on his first feature “Somos Mari Pepa” [“We Are Mari Pepa”] and his new one is just as fresh and heartfelt,” he noted.
Inspired by Kishi Leopo’s own childhood memories of coming to the U.S. with his young mother and brother under the pretext of visiting Disneyland, “Los Lobos” turns on two brothers, ages five and seven, who are taken to New Mexico by their mother. Left at home while their mother works, the pair look out from a window onto a world inhabited by Latino and Asian immigrants. Seeing them alone most of the day,...
“It’s a privilege to continue our collaboration with Mr. Kishi Leopo,” said FiGa’s Sandro Fiorin. “We worked together on his first feature “Somos Mari Pepa” [“We Are Mari Pepa”] and his new one is just as fresh and heartfelt,” he noted.
Inspired by Kishi Leopo’s own childhood memories of coming to the U.S. with his young mother and brother under the pretext of visiting Disneyland, “Los Lobos” turns on two brothers, ages five and seven, who are taken to New Mexico by their mother. Left at home while their mother works, the pair look out from a window onto a world inhabited by Latino and Asian immigrants. Seeing them alone most of the day,...
- 3/14/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Top brass at the festival, set to run from September 24-October 8, have announced the selections in Focus Mexico.
The films are as follows:
Focus Mexico
The Obscure Spring (Las Oscuras Primaveras)
Ernesto Contreras
Manuela Jankovic’s War (La Guerra De Manuela Jankovic)
Diana Cardozo
González
Christian Díaz Pardo
Asteroide
Marcelo Tobar
The Absent (Los Ausentes)
Nicolás Pereda
Cumbres
Gabriel Nuncio
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa)
Samuel Kishi
The Well (Manto Acuífero)
Michael Rowe
Güeros
Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cantinflas
Sebastian del Amo
Los Angeles
Damian John Harper
The Amazing Catfish (Los Insólitos Peces Gato)
Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Empty Hours (Las Horas Muertas)
Aaron Fernandez.
Panorama section
Words With Gods (Palabras Con Dioses)
Guillermo Arriaga, Héctor Babenco, Warwick Thornton, Mira Nair, Hideo Nakata, Amos Gitai, Álex de la Iglesia, Emir Kusturica, Bahman Ghobadi
Short Plays
Daniel Gruener, Carlos Reygadas, Fernando Eimbcke, Felipe Gómez, Alejandro Valle, Karim Aïnouz, Marcelo Gomes, Pablo Fendrik, Pablo Stoll, [link...
The films are as follows:
Focus Mexico
The Obscure Spring (Las Oscuras Primaveras)
Ernesto Contreras
Manuela Jankovic’s War (La Guerra De Manuela Jankovic)
Diana Cardozo
González
Christian Díaz Pardo
Asteroide
Marcelo Tobar
The Absent (Los Ausentes)
Nicolás Pereda
Cumbres
Gabriel Nuncio
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa)
Samuel Kishi
The Well (Manto Acuífero)
Michael Rowe
Güeros
Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cantinflas
Sebastian del Amo
Los Angeles
Damian John Harper
The Amazing Catfish (Los Insólitos Peces Gato)
Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Empty Hours (Las Horas Muertas)
Aaron Fernandez.
Panorama section
Words With Gods (Palabras Con Dioses)
Guillermo Arriaga, Héctor Babenco, Warwick Thornton, Mira Nair, Hideo Nakata, Amos Gitai, Álex de la Iglesia, Emir Kusturica, Bahman Ghobadi
Short Plays
Daniel Gruener, Carlos Reygadas, Fernando Eimbcke, Felipe Gómez, Alejandro Valle, Karim Aïnouz, Marcelo Gomes, Pablo Fendrik, Pablo Stoll, [link...
- 9/14/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Writer-director Samuel Kishi Leopo's We Are Mari Pepa relishes in its neo-realist sensibilities; relying on documentary techniques and occasionally switching to a first person perspective, the rich authenticity appears at all levels of the production, with dialogue that poetically captures the things that only pubescent boys would say and performances that give the allusion that this truly is "life caught unawares." Leopo's film also does an excellent job of reflecting the ways in which teenage boys tend to drift apart. Though they obviously enjoy each other's company, the friendship of Alex, Moy, Bolter and Rafa is primed to unravel. The four boys are are a moment in their lives that they seemingly must choose between music, skateboarding, soccer, girls and jobs; because for whatever reason it seems to be impossible to juggle all of those things as a teenager. They may be bound together by Mari Pepa, but only Alex's...
- 8/18/2014
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Deceptively sumptuous given its scruffy punk milieu, We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa) breathes unexpected life into the naturally jaded (but hormone-riddled) body of youth/skate/band/buddy flicks. Samuel Kishi Leopo's debut is utterly faithful in its depiction of the torpor and hope that doggedly accompanies teenagers everywhere, while limning a distinctly Mexican portrait of Jalisciense life over the course of a formative summer. Flush with teen spirit–that unassailable combination of insouciance and defiance—the film ultimately yields to the more wistful moods exacted by the reality of growing up. The symbolically slammed bedroom door separating youth from senescence, the modern from the traditional, the unrepentant two-chord blast from the venerable canción unspooling on vinyl, is gradually left ajar by Leopo's rather keen sense of nostalgia.
- 8/16/2014
- Fandor: Keyframe
Deceptively sumptuous given its scruffy punk milieu, We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa) breathes unexpected life into the naturally jaded (but hormone-riddled) body of youth/skate/band/buddy flicks. Samuel Kishi Leopo's debut is utterly faithful in its depiction of the torpor and hope that doggedly accompanies teenagers everywhere, while limning a distinctly Mexican portrait of Jalisciense life over the course of a formative summer. Flush with teen spirit–that unassailable combination of insouciance and defiance—the film ultimately yields to the more wistful moods exacted by the reality of growing up. The symbolically slammed bedroom door separating youth from senescence, the modern from the traditional, the unrepentant two-chord blast from the venerable canción unspooling on vinyl, is gradually left ajar by Leopo's rather keen sense of nostalgia.
- 8/16/2014
- Keyframe
Undoubtedly, it is very difficult to find solemnity in a film that opens with a posse of teenagers repeatedly mumbling the lyrics ‘Natasha I wanna cum in your face,” as part of their explicit attempts at creating meaningful poetic imagery with their music- or not. Mexican helmer Samuel Kishi's teenage portrait "We Are Mari Pepa" (Somos Mari Pepa) - a band name that comes from a short term for Marijuana and a Spanish slang word referring to the female genitalia - has a certain kind of street-smart charm that is at once despicably dirty-minded, as is expected of boys of that age, and also rather endearing.
The premise is simple. Four boys, Alex (Alejandro Gallardo ), Moy (Moisés Galindo), Bolter (Arnold Ramírez) and Rafa (Rafael Andrade) are part of an extremely underground, almost non-existent, garage “punk” band that clearly only has one original song. Their current dilemma is to create another great hit single to participate in a “Battle of the Bands” contest happening soon in their city. Taking place in the outskirts of one of Mexico’s most urbanized areas, Guadalajara, the story delves into their struggles to achieve their musical goals against the particular idiosyncrasies of their hometown, all while meeting their respective families’ expectations as soon-to-be adults.
In summary, this is a Mexican-Rock-Infused-Dirty-Talk-Coming-of-Age Story, which, as if that concept wasn’t already a tad convoluted, is shot in a quasi-documentary style to lend realism to the Youtube-friendly world it depicts. Despite all these elements being pursued at equal rates by the filmmaker, there is a great deal of honesty that permeates the piece, so much that the final sequence induces one to think these four young men are friends behind the camera as well. Since they are not, they certainly deserve some praise for making the scripted parts unnoticeable thanks to the great rapport between them.
Among the four dysfunctional pimple-ridden musketeers Alex is the quiet protagonist. He lives with his elderly grandmother who every morning cooks him a strange concoction of pineapple and meat. She never says a word but enjoys classic songs on her record player. While mostly inexpressive, she cares profoundly about her grandson and wants to protect him, even if this means vandalizing his room - which is essentially a musical shrine - in order to save his soul. Alex, just like his friends, is trying to figure what to do with his life.
Unlike the others he seems to be economically stable because of his absent father who supports him from afar. Bolter, the singer, is conflicted between his own aspirations and his cousin’s attractive lifestyle as part of a drug dealing, regional music loving crowd. Rafa, on the drums, needs to find a job fast before his parents throw him out. Lastly, Moy, on the bass, just got a girlfriend, who like a watered-down Yoko Ono, requires all his attention and creates conflict within the tight-knit group.
Given that the performers here are non-professional actors, their takes shine for their naturalism and uncompromising colloquialism, which often borders on the outright vulgar but is still fitting. Evidently this is a passion project for the Mexican new auteur, and even if at times if feels like its running time could end before its actual conclusion, it is a nice attempt at capturing a very complex age with a particular cultural point of view. There are sex jokes galore, funny rehearsing sessions, and even a few tender moments that validate the bond between these oddballs. Highly entertaining, inventive, and unexpectedly touching, this might not exactly be a revolutionary piece of filmmaking but it’s definitely worth a chance for all its hilarious rarities. At the very least it offers us a chance to sing a long the band’s porn-inspired catchy tune. Why not? “Natasha!….”
"We Are Mari Pepa" is now playing in New York at the Anthology Film Archives
A version of this review was originally published on IonCinema in December 2013...
The premise is simple. Four boys, Alex (Alejandro Gallardo ), Moy (Moisés Galindo), Bolter (Arnold Ramírez) and Rafa (Rafael Andrade) are part of an extremely underground, almost non-existent, garage “punk” band that clearly only has one original song. Their current dilemma is to create another great hit single to participate in a “Battle of the Bands” contest happening soon in their city. Taking place in the outskirts of one of Mexico’s most urbanized areas, Guadalajara, the story delves into their struggles to achieve their musical goals against the particular idiosyncrasies of their hometown, all while meeting their respective families’ expectations as soon-to-be adults.
In summary, this is a Mexican-Rock-Infused-Dirty-Talk-Coming-of-Age Story, which, as if that concept wasn’t already a tad convoluted, is shot in a quasi-documentary style to lend realism to the Youtube-friendly world it depicts. Despite all these elements being pursued at equal rates by the filmmaker, there is a great deal of honesty that permeates the piece, so much that the final sequence induces one to think these four young men are friends behind the camera as well. Since they are not, they certainly deserve some praise for making the scripted parts unnoticeable thanks to the great rapport between them.
Among the four dysfunctional pimple-ridden musketeers Alex is the quiet protagonist. He lives with his elderly grandmother who every morning cooks him a strange concoction of pineapple and meat. She never says a word but enjoys classic songs on her record player. While mostly inexpressive, she cares profoundly about her grandson and wants to protect him, even if this means vandalizing his room - which is essentially a musical shrine - in order to save his soul. Alex, just like his friends, is trying to figure what to do with his life.
Unlike the others he seems to be economically stable because of his absent father who supports him from afar. Bolter, the singer, is conflicted between his own aspirations and his cousin’s attractive lifestyle as part of a drug dealing, regional music loving crowd. Rafa, on the drums, needs to find a job fast before his parents throw him out. Lastly, Moy, on the bass, just got a girlfriend, who like a watered-down Yoko Ono, requires all his attention and creates conflict within the tight-knit group.
Given that the performers here are non-professional actors, their takes shine for their naturalism and uncompromising colloquialism, which often borders on the outright vulgar but is still fitting. Evidently this is a passion project for the Mexican new auteur, and even if at times if feels like its running time could end before its actual conclusion, it is a nice attempt at capturing a very complex age with a particular cultural point of view. There are sex jokes galore, funny rehearsing sessions, and even a few tender moments that validate the bond between these oddballs. Highly entertaining, inventive, and unexpectedly touching, this might not exactly be a revolutionary piece of filmmaking but it’s definitely worth a chance for all its hilarious rarities. At the very least it offers us a chance to sing a long the band’s porn-inspired catchy tune. Why not? “Natasha!….”
"We Are Mari Pepa" is now playing in New York at the Anthology Film Archives
A version of this review was originally published on IonCinema in December 2013...
- 8/16/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
It doesn't matter that Iggy Pop endorses Carnival Cruises, or that Ramones-style crunch chords now power Top 40 country hits. Today punk is whatever you need it to be when you're at the age that you need it. And it's endlessly localizable: In its blurt, the giddy Swedish school girls of Lukas Moodysson's recent We Are the Best! found not just the pleasure of revolt but also a chance to seize a political high-mindedness they found lacking in their parents, even if the only song their band bothered to write was an attack on their gym class.
On the other side of the Atlantic, in the Guadalajara of Samuel Kishi Leopo's sweet (but sharper-edged) We Are Mari Pepa, gangly teen boys take up guitar and drums to shout about what matters most to them, too. Their band, Mari Pe...
On the other side of the Atlantic, in the Guadalajara of Samuel Kishi Leopo's sweet (but sharper-edged) We Are Mari Pepa, gangly teen boys take up guitar and drums to shout about what matters most to them, too. Their band, Mari Pe...
- 8/13/2014
- Village Voice
With the advent of this year’s LatinBeat (July 11-20), The Film Society of Lincoln continues on its quest to unearth the best and most challenging of Latin American cinema, including the product of Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, and Ecuador.
For some of these countries, having a national cinema at all is a near miracle. According to Wikipedia, Uruguay averages eleven films a year. In Paraguay, that figure drops to five. As for Peru, in 2011, only .8% of box office attendance was for national product. How can one battle Scarlett Johansson and the Transformers for a Friday night date, especially when you’re trying to showcase the political and economic realities of your country?
Having viewed five of the sixteen offerings, severable notable motifs kept popping up: broken homes, searches for fathers, the difficulties of finding employment, poverty, the indifference of the government and media, and the restorative powers of music.
For some of these countries, having a national cinema at all is a near miracle. According to Wikipedia, Uruguay averages eleven films a year. In Paraguay, that figure drops to five. As for Peru, in 2011, only .8% of box office attendance was for national product. How can one battle Scarlett Johansson and the Transformers for a Friday night date, especially when you’re trying to showcase the political and economic realities of your country?
Having viewed five of the sixteen offerings, severable notable motifs kept popping up: broken homes, searches for fathers, the difficulties of finding employment, poverty, the indifference of the government and media, and the restorative powers of music.
- 7/13/2014
- by Brandon Judell
- www.culturecatch.com
World premiere of Dermaphoria, starring The Vampire Diaries’ Joseph Morgan and Ron Perlman, to open 13th edition of the London festival.
The line-up for the East End Film Festival (June 13-25) has been revealed.
The 13th edition of the festival - which runs for 13 days - will open on Friday 13th June with the world premiere of Dermaphoria. The Us film is the second feature from Ross Clarke, the east London-based filmmaker and DJ who directed homeless documentary Skid Row in 2007 and co-founded music festival Lovebox.
Based on a novel by Craid Clevenger, Dermaphoria follows an experimental chemist who wakes up in a New Orleans jail with amnesia, accused of arson and links to a drug-manufacturing ring. The cast includes Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Walton Goggins (The Shield), Anwan Glover (The Wire) and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy).
Football focus
The festival, which coincides with the World Cup in Brazil, will welcome...
The line-up for the East End Film Festival (June 13-25) has been revealed.
The 13th edition of the festival - which runs for 13 days - will open on Friday 13th June with the world premiere of Dermaphoria. The Us film is the second feature from Ross Clarke, the east London-based filmmaker and DJ who directed homeless documentary Skid Row in 2007 and co-founded music festival Lovebox.
Based on a novel by Craid Clevenger, Dermaphoria follows an experimental chemist who wakes up in a New Orleans jail with amnesia, accused of arson and links to a drug-manufacturing ring. The cast includes Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Walton Goggins (The Shield), Anwan Glover (The Wire) and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy).
Football focus
The festival, which coincides with the World Cup in Brazil, will welcome...
- 5/7/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The East End Film Festival returns to the city of London this summer celebrating its thirteenth year, and running in the height of the World Cup, Director Alison Poltock says she’s determined to make it the festival’s best year ever.
Opening on Friday, 13th June, the festival will run in East London for thirteen days, playing host to over 100 feature narrative and documentary films, and close to 100 shorts, the majority of which will be either World, UK, or London premieres.
Ross Clarke’s sophomore feature, Dermaphormia, will kick events off as the Opening Night Gala selection. Clarke has lined up an impressive cast for his first narrative film, following his award-winning documentary Skid Row, led by Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries), Nicole Badaan, Walton Goggins (Django Unchained), Lucius Falick, Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Anwan Glover (The Wire), and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy). The crime-thriller centres on an experimental...
Opening on Friday, 13th June, the festival will run in East London for thirteen days, playing host to over 100 feature narrative and documentary films, and close to 100 shorts, the majority of which will be either World, UK, or London premieres.
Ross Clarke’s sophomore feature, Dermaphormia, will kick events off as the Opening Night Gala selection. Clarke has lined up an impressive cast for his first narrative film, following his award-winning documentary Skid Row, led by Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries), Nicole Badaan, Walton Goggins (Django Unchained), Lucius Falick, Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Anwan Glover (The Wire), and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy). The crime-thriller centres on an experimental...
- 5/7/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Hola Mexico, the film festival celebrating the best of Mexico's film, music and regional cuisine, returns for a sixth edition. Special guests this year include Eugenio Derbez, Ludwika Paleta, Martha Higareda, Miriam Higareda, El Hijo Del Santo, Kuno Becker, Karla Souza and directors Carlos Cuaron, Amat Escalante and Samuel Kishi. Take a look at the movies and events taking place between May 9th and May 18th.
- 4/22/2014
- by info@cinemovie.tv (Super User)
- CineMovie
Hola Mexico, the film festival celebrating the best of Mexico's film, music and regional cuisine, returns for a sixth edition. Special guests this year include Eugenio Derbez, Ludwika Paleta, Martha Higareda, Miriam Higareda, El Hijo Del Santo, Kuno Becker, Karla Souza and directors Carlos Cuaron, Amat Escalante and Samuel Kishi. Take a look at the movies and events taking place between May 9th and May 18th.
- 4/22/2014
- by info@cinemovie.tv (Super User)
- CineMovie
Top brass at the 31st Miami International Film Festival (Miff) announced the full slate on January 28, which comprises 93 features and 28 shorts. The festival is set to run from March 7-16.
John Turturro will receive the career achievement award and the world premiere of Rob The Mob will screen as the Awards Night Gala, while the North American premiere of Michael Radford’s Elsa & Fred remake opens the festival.
Knight Competition entries include the world premieres of Marcelo Tobar’s Asteroid (Asteroide, Mexico) and Jorge Duran’s Memories Of The Desert (Romance Policial, Brazil).
Among the Knight Documentary Competition selection is Joe Berlinger’s Whitey: United States Of America v James J Bulger (pictured) and the North American premiere of Marianne Lamour’s The Art Rush (France).
Four entries compete for a total of $10,000 in the Lexus Ibero-American Opera Prima Competition for first-time feature filmmakers emerging from Spain, Portugal and Latin America.
The films are:...
John Turturro will receive the career achievement award and the world premiere of Rob The Mob will screen as the Awards Night Gala, while the North American premiere of Michael Radford’s Elsa & Fred remake opens the festival.
Knight Competition entries include the world premieres of Marcelo Tobar’s Asteroid (Asteroide, Mexico) and Jorge Duran’s Memories Of The Desert (Romance Policial, Brazil).
Among the Knight Documentary Competition selection is Joe Berlinger’s Whitey: United States Of America v James J Bulger (pictured) and the North American premiere of Marianne Lamour’s The Art Rush (France).
Four entries compete for a total of $10,000 in the Lexus Ibero-American Opera Prima Competition for first-time feature filmmakers emerging from Spain, Portugal and Latin America.
The films are:...
- 1/28/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Berlinale adds 17 features to the Generation programme, aimed at children and youths, including the European premiere of a feature co-directed by Flight of the Conchords Jemaine Clement.
A total of 60 short and full-length films from 35 countries have been selected for the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions at the Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16). They include five long and nine short animated films.
Section head Maryanne Redpath said: “This diversity transcends all limits, in content, imagery, narrative structure and rhythm. Each of these animated gems creates its own universe and is a fantastic cinematic adventure, not just for children.”
The selection includes What We Do in the Shadows, a mockumentary that follows the struggles of a group of New Zealand–based vampires to understand modern society and adapt to the ever-changing world around them. The ensemble includes Flights of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement, who co-directs alongside Taika Waititi.
This year, Generation will be...
A total of 60 short and full-length films from 35 countries have been selected for the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions at the Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16). They include five long and nine short animated films.
Section head Maryanne Redpath said: “This diversity transcends all limits, in content, imagery, narrative structure and rhythm. Each of these animated gems creates its own universe and is a fantastic cinematic adventure, not just for children.”
The selection includes What We Do in the Shadows, a mockumentary that follows the struggles of a group of New Zealand–based vampires to understand modern society and adapt to the ever-changing world around them. The ensemble includes Flights of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement, who co-directs alongside Taika Waititi.
This year, Generation will be...
- 1/14/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Stuart Murdoch’s God Help the Girl among 12 films announced for next year’s Berlinale.
The first titles for Berlinale 2014’s Generation programme have been unveiled by the festival.
With the complete programme to be announced in mid January, the selection includes the world premieres of Inés María Barrionuevo’s Atlántida and Matías Lucchesi’s Ciencias Naturales (Natural Sciences), as well as the European premiere of Stuart Murdoch’s God Help the Girl.
In 2014, Generation will be returning to the recently reopened Zoo Palast cinema, as well as screening at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. The section’s short film competition will take place in the CinemaxX at Potsdamer Platz.
The 12 titles announced are:
Wp = World Premiere / IP = International Premiere / Ep = European Premiere
Generation 14plus52 Tuesdays (Australia)
dir. Sophie Hyde (Ep)Atlántida (Argentina/France)
dir. Inés María Barrionuevo (Wp)Einstein and Einstein (People’s Republic of China)
dir. Cao Baoping (Ep)Galore (Australia)
dir. Rhys Graham (IP)God...
The first titles for Berlinale 2014’s Generation programme have been unveiled by the festival.
With the complete programme to be announced in mid January, the selection includes the world premieres of Inés María Barrionuevo’s Atlántida and Matías Lucchesi’s Ciencias Naturales (Natural Sciences), as well as the European premiere of Stuart Murdoch’s God Help the Girl.
In 2014, Generation will be returning to the recently reopened Zoo Palast cinema, as well as screening at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. The section’s short film competition will take place in the CinemaxX at Potsdamer Platz.
The 12 titles announced are:
Wp = World Premiere / IP = International Premiere / Ep = European Premiere
Generation 14plus52 Tuesdays (Australia)
dir. Sophie Hyde (Ep)Atlántida (Argentina/France)
dir. Inés María Barrionuevo (Wp)Einstein and Einstein (People’s Republic of China)
dir. Cao Baoping (Ep)Galore (Australia)
dir. Rhys Graham (IP)God...
- 12/12/2013
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Adolescent Grunge: Kishi Takes Musical Trip Into Adulthood
Undoubtedly making it difficult to find solemnity with a film that opens with a posse of teenagers repeatedly mumbling the lyrics ‘Natasha I wanna cum in your face,” for all the explicit attempts at creating meaningful poetic imagery with their music- or not- Mexican helmer Samuel Kishi’s quad teenage boy portrait We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa), a name that comes from Marijuana and a Spanish slang word for vagina, has a certain kind of street-smart charm that is at once despicably dirty-minded, as is expected of boys of that age, and also rather endearing.
The premise is simple. Four boys, Alex (Alejandro Gallardo), Moy (Moises Galindo), Bolter (Arnold Ramirez) and Rafa (Rafael Andrade Munoz) are part of an extremely underground, almost non-existent, garage “punk” band that clearly only has one original song, but which needs another great hit single...
Undoubtedly making it difficult to find solemnity with a film that opens with a posse of teenagers repeatedly mumbling the lyrics ‘Natasha I wanna cum in your face,” for all the explicit attempts at creating meaningful poetic imagery with their music- or not- Mexican helmer Samuel Kishi’s quad teenage boy portrait We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa), a name that comes from Marijuana and a Spanish slang word for vagina, has a certain kind of street-smart charm that is at once despicably dirty-minded, as is expected of boys of that age, and also rather endearing.
The premise is simple. Four boys, Alex (Alejandro Gallardo), Moy (Moises Galindo), Bolter (Arnold Ramirez) and Rafa (Rafael Andrade Munoz) are part of an extremely underground, almost non-existent, garage “punk” band that clearly only has one original song, but which needs another great hit single...
- 12/3/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- IONCINEMA.com
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