The director, J.M. Cravioto, does justice to the comedy mystery thriller A Deadly Invitation, with a story revolving around a high-society murder. Starring well-known actors Maribel Verdú, Stephanie Cayo, Manolo Cardona, and Aarón Díaz, the movie is replete with elements that would engage audiences throughout. The plot focuses on a deadly invitation sent out by Olivia to some of the people she knew and shared a bitter-sweet relationship with. Will the invitation lead to a gathering of merrymakers or end in a catastrophe? Let us see what happens when all the characters come together!
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Film?
After receiving an invitation from her half-sister Olivia, Agatha goes over to Los Cabos, Mexico. That is where she meets the other characters of the film: Carlos, Cary, Sonia, Naram, and Figue. They have also been invited to the mysterious party, and nobody has any clue as to why they have been summoned.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Film?
After receiving an invitation from her half-sister Olivia, Agatha goes over to Los Cabos, Mexico. That is where she meets the other characters of the film: Carlos, Cary, Sonia, Naram, and Figue. They have also been invited to the mysterious party, and nobody has any clue as to why they have been summoned.
- 10/6/2023
- by Debjyoti Dey
- Film Fugitives
A Deadly Invitation is a Mexican mystery thriller movie directed by José Manuel Cravioto. It stars Maribel Verdú, Stephanie Cayo, and Manolo Cardona. The film is based on the novel “Invitación a un Asesinato” by best-selling author Carmen Posadas.
The film follows Agatha, a true crime podcast host who is invited to a gathering at her sister’s, Olivia’s, luxurious yacht for a weekend getaway together with a group of her closest friends. The reason for the gathering is unknown to all. As the guests arrive on the yacht, tensions begin to rise culminating in… a murder.
A Deadly Invitation A Quick Review
If you are into Agatha Christie, and however many film and series adaptations of her novels have been produced over time, I recommend this movie.
It follows close to the exact same patterns, and production style as A Knives Out Mystery (2019); a contemporary multi-character murder mystery...
The film follows Agatha, a true crime podcast host who is invited to a gathering at her sister’s, Olivia’s, luxurious yacht for a weekend getaway together with a group of her closest friends. The reason for the gathering is unknown to all. As the guests arrive on the yacht, tensions begin to rise culminating in… a murder.
A Deadly Invitation A Quick Review
If you are into Agatha Christie, and however many film and series adaptations of her novels have been produced over time, I recommend this movie.
It follows close to the exact same patterns, and production style as A Knives Out Mystery (2019); a contemporary multi-character murder mystery...
- 10/6/2023
- by Veronica Loop
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
It’s the season of murder mysteries, and the new one is coming straight from Mexico. Directed by José Manuel Cravioto, A Deadly Invitation is soon to be released for the viewer’s enjoyment. This film has stars from the Mexican film industry and is promising to be a great whodunit. Filmmakers have had their own views about this genre since the beginning of time. Some have deliberately distanced themselves from it, as the template a unit has to follow cannot deviate from the strict norm. Some love this genre as it is entertaining, and people are hooked right till the end to know who the killer was among the suspects. A Deadly Invitation, apart from its title, seems like it has deep understanding and respect for the genre, and perhaps it might expand the genre like Knives Out did some years ago.
Plot And Story
One thing you can...
Plot And Story
One thing you can...
- 10/6/2023
- by Ayush Awasthi
- Film Fugitives
“The Head,” The Mediapro Studio’s biggest hit, is advancing towards a third season, Ran Tellem, Tms head of international content development, confirmed Tuesday at Iberseries & Industria Platino.
“‘The Head’ started out something like four years ago as a limited series only for six episodes and now it’s going into third season, so you might say we never lived up to our promises,” Tellem joked on stage at an early Iberseries panel, entitled Creative Content Strategies, where he shared the stage with former Netflix international head Erik Barmack, now at L.A.-based Wild Sheep Content.
Season 3 has yet to receive a production greenlight. The Mediapro Studio aims to produce ‘The Head,’ Season 3 out of Spain. Beyond that, Tellem gave few details. Currently in development, the series is being written by writers from four countries in three different continents.
“What we do each season in order to keep the...
“‘The Head’ started out something like four years ago as a limited series only for six episodes and now it’s going into third season, so you might say we never lived up to our promises,” Tellem joked on stage at an early Iberseries panel, entitled Creative Content Strategies, where he shared the stage with former Netflix international head Erik Barmack, now at L.A.-based Wild Sheep Content.
Season 3 has yet to receive a production greenlight. The Mediapro Studio aims to produce ‘The Head,’ Season 3 out of Spain. Beyond that, Tellem gave few details. Currently in development, the series is being written by writers from four countries in three different continents.
“What we do each season in order to keep the...
- 10/3/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Deepak Chopra’s Beacon Media has pacted with Mexico City-based Pirexia Films to develop Spanish-language content derived from Chopra’s vast IP library.
The partners plan to develop a range of Spanish-language properties, but the initial focus will be on Chopra books, starting with “The 13th Disciple,” “The Third Jesus” and “Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment.” The intent is to develop scripted, unscripted and documentary projects. Filming is expected to begin later this year in Mexico and Spain.
Pirexia was co-founded in 2015 by filmmaker José Manuel Cravioto, known for his work on the Univision/Netflix drama “El Chapo.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Pirexia Films in developing tailored content for Dr.
Chopra’s active community in Latin America and Spanish-speaking parts of the world,” said Beacon Media CEO Manoj Narender Madnani. “This partnership follows our motto that 1 + 1 must equal 11. We are a firm believer in partnerships that can...
The partners plan to develop a range of Spanish-language properties, but the initial focus will be on Chopra books, starting with “The 13th Disciple,” “The Third Jesus” and “Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment.” The intent is to develop scripted, unscripted and documentary projects. Filming is expected to begin later this year in Mexico and Spain.
Pirexia was co-founded in 2015 by filmmaker José Manuel Cravioto, known for his work on the Univision/Netflix drama “El Chapo.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Pirexia Films in developing tailored content for Dr.
Chopra’s active community in Latin America and Spanish-speaking parts of the world,” said Beacon Media CEO Manoj Narender Madnani. “This partnership follows our motto that 1 + 1 must equal 11. We are a firm believer in partnerships that can...
- 6/8/2023
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Driving ever more into Latin America, Wild Sheep Content, the L.A.-based label of former Netflix head of international original series Erik Barmack, has launched the Mexico City-based Wild Sheep Latin America as well as a dedicated film completion finance-distribution fund targeting five-to-eight investments a year in the region.
“Three Idiots” producer Jimena Rodríguez, who also created the distribution arm of Mexican exhibition giant Cinepolis, will head up Wild Sheep Latin America following on her production with Barmack of a burgeoning line in star-studded, character-driven crime thrillers begun by Netflix Mexico original “Invitation to Murder.”
In all, in movies and series, Wild Sheep Content, which has a production alliance with The Mediapro Studio, has 16 projects, – movies and series – greet globally, including seven projects greenlit with streamers – set up in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and the Latino U.S. – and two more in development in the region.
If it continues adding to its investments,...
“Three Idiots” producer Jimena Rodríguez, who also created the distribution arm of Mexican exhibition giant Cinepolis, will head up Wild Sheep Latin America following on her production with Barmack of a burgeoning line in star-studded, character-driven crime thrillers begun by Netflix Mexico original “Invitation to Murder.”
In all, in movies and series, Wild Sheep Content, which has a production alliance with The Mediapro Studio, has 16 projects, – movies and series – greet globally, including seven projects greenlit with streamers – set up in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and the Latino U.S. – and two more in development in the region.
If it continues adding to its investments,...
- 3/10/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Mexico City-based Endemol Shine Boomdog, a unit of Banijay Americas, has snagged the rights to Carlos Fuentes’ vampire novel “Vlad” and is developing a series based on the bestseller with lauded showrunner J.M. Cravioto attached as both showrunner and executive producer.
Jerry Rodriguez, Endemol Shine Boomdog’s senior VP and head of scripted content, and Clara Machado (“The Followers”) are developing the project for Endemol Shine Boomdog.
Carl Zitelmen (“No Abras la Puerta”) is adapting Fuentes’ novel for television.
Story follows the mythical vampire who arrives in Mexico City in search of the soul of his beloved Mina, reincarnated as a Mexican woman. To his consternation, Vlad finds her inhabiting a progressive liberal who is not impressed at all by him. Having lost touch with the modern world, the 600-year-old predator struggles with panic attacks and blackout episodes, while he satiates his cravings for fresh blood.
“Vlad offers us the...
Jerry Rodriguez, Endemol Shine Boomdog’s senior VP and head of scripted content, and Clara Machado (“The Followers”) are developing the project for Endemol Shine Boomdog.
Carl Zitelmen (“No Abras la Puerta”) is adapting Fuentes’ novel for television.
Story follows the mythical vampire who arrives in Mexico City in search of the soul of his beloved Mina, reincarnated as a Mexican woman. To his consternation, Vlad finds her inhabiting a progressive liberal who is not impressed at all by him. Having lost touch with the modern world, the 600-year-old predator struggles with panic attacks and blackout episodes, while he satiates his cravings for fresh blood.
“Vlad offers us the...
- 10/14/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
#QueMéxicoSeVea designed to showcase work of local industry.
Netflix has announced the latest film from Fernando Frias and the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto as it launches an initiative to raise the profile of local filmmakers in the run-up to Mexico’s national cinema day on Monday (August 15).
Under #QueMéxicoSeVea, which translates as Let Mexico Be Seen, Netflix will present the latest from Frias – I Don’t Expect Anyone To Believe Me (No Voy A Pedirle A Nadie Que Me Crea) – whose I’m No Longer Here was acquired by the streamer and represented Mexico in the international feature...
Netflix has announced the latest film from Fernando Frias and the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto as it launches an initiative to raise the profile of local filmmakers in the run-up to Mexico’s national cinema day on Monday (August 15).
Under #QueMéxicoSeVea, which translates as Let Mexico Be Seen, Netflix will present the latest from Frias – I Don’t Expect Anyone To Believe Me (No Voy A Pedirle A Nadie Que Me Crea) – whose I’m No Longer Here was acquired by the streamer and represented Mexico in the international feature...
- 8/13/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Netflix has reaffirmed its 300 million commitment to Mexican cinema and series, announcing a slew of new movie projects to celebrate the country’s National Day of Cinema on Aug. 15 and as part of its #QueMéxicoSeVea initiative.
The year-old initiative, which can be roughly translated to “Let Mexico Be Seen” has the mission “to make visible the work of Mexican creators, screenwriters, writers, directors, actors and people who make national cinema possible,” as well as its wealth of original stories.
Leading the pack is the widely anticipated directorial debut of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto who is helming an adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s seminal novel, “Pedro Paramo.” Produced by Redrum, the film’s crew includes Oscar-nominated production designer Eugenio Caballero and costume designer Anna Terrazas, whose notable credits include “Roma,” “Spectre” and “Bardo.”
“Our commitment to Mexican culture also includes adapting great Mexican works to the cinema, and ‘Pedro Páramo’ will...
The year-old initiative, which can be roughly translated to “Let Mexico Be Seen” has the mission “to make visible the work of Mexican creators, screenwriters, writers, directors, actors and people who make national cinema possible,” as well as its wealth of original stories.
Leading the pack is the widely anticipated directorial debut of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto who is helming an adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s seminal novel, “Pedro Paramo.” Produced by Redrum, the film’s crew includes Oscar-nominated production designer Eugenio Caballero and costume designer Anna Terrazas, whose notable credits include “Roma,” “Spectre” and “Bardo.”
“Our commitment to Mexican culture also includes adapting great Mexican works to the cinema, and ‘Pedro Páramo’ will...
- 8/11/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Argentina’s Ventana Sur, certainly one of Latin America’s most important meet-marts, announced today that its Blood Window sidebar will collaborate with Incaa – the country’s national film-tv body, which co-runs Ventana Sur with Cannes – and the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifff) on the B2 Genre TV project, the first such program aimed at the promotion of genre TV content.
The Bifff Market will play host to the B2 event from April 10-12. There, TV industry professionals will take part in pitching sessions, presentations and one-on-one meetings with creatives looking to produce content specializing in horror, science fiction, thriller and fantasy, made for TV.
The agreement will be signed by Incaa president Ralph Haiek and Bifff director Guy Delmote as the Ventana Sur market kicks off on Monday Dec. 10.
“The final aim of this agreement is to promote genre films, and especially genre TV series,” said Delmote and Romain Roll,...
The Bifff Market will play host to the B2 event from April 10-12. There, TV industry professionals will take part in pitching sessions, presentations and one-on-one meetings with creatives looking to produce content specializing in horror, science fiction, thriller and fantasy, made for TV.
The agreement will be signed by Incaa president Ralph Haiek and Bifff director Guy Delmote as the Ventana Sur market kicks off on Monday Dec. 10.
“The final aim of this agreement is to promote genre films, and especially genre TV series,” said Delmote and Romain Roll,...
- 12/10/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Los Cabos, Mexico — The 7th Los Cabos Festival, the most industrially-minded of Mexico’s film events, was the first to take place in full-blown digital Ott revolution.
Two TV panels, the biggest ever at Los Cabos, packed out by some of the foremost Latino TV and Ot show-runners, producers and directors, debated the huge, multi-faceted and still fast-evolving impact the digital platforms are having, and will have, on the industry. The result was maybe the most intense industry debate Los Cabos has ever seen. Eight takeaways:
1.Latin America Gets What It Needs
The panels underscored the huge paradigm shift in just a few years. For decades, Latin American TV production was dominated by free-to-air networks, producing in-house, producer Alex Garcia reminded a Los Cabos industry audience. Independent production companies – Mexico’s Argos, Argentina’s Pol-ka and Underground – were huge exceptions, their fortunes tied to producing for specific broadcasters. Then came the pay TV revolution.
Two TV panels, the biggest ever at Los Cabos, packed out by some of the foremost Latino TV and Ot show-runners, producers and directors, debated the huge, multi-faceted and still fast-evolving impact the digital platforms are having, and will have, on the industry. The result was maybe the most intense industry debate Los Cabos has ever seen. Eight takeaways:
1.Latin America Gets What It Needs
The panels underscored the huge paradigm shift in just a few years. For decades, Latin American TV production was dominated by free-to-air networks, producing in-house, producer Alex Garcia reminded a Los Cabos industry audience. Independent production companies – Mexico’s Argos, Argentina’s Pol-ka and Underground – were huge exceptions, their fortunes tied to producing for specific broadcasters. Then came the pay TV revolution.
- 11/11/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Richard Tyson, Tina Ivlev, Kristoffer Kjornes, Bianca Malinowski, Dustin Quick, Stephanie Charles, Nihan Gur, Vivan Dugré, Ric Sarabia | Written by Rock Shaink Jr., Keith Kjornes | Directed by José Manuel Cravioto
If you read any of my reviews from this years London FrightFest you’ll know that there was a distinct trend of strong women running throughout a number of the films screened at the festival. Whilst Bound to Vengeance was not part of the event, it does continues the fantastic, and frankly refreshing, trend… José Manuel Cravioto’s film also shares a lot in common with Last Girl Standing, in that it focuses on what happens After your usual horror tale has ended. In this case, what happens after the final girl escapes her captors; asking just how does she move on from her ordeal?
Bound to Vengeance tells the story of Eve, show in found-footage flashback to be...
If you read any of my reviews from this years London FrightFest you’ll know that there was a distinct trend of strong women running throughout a number of the films screened at the festival. Whilst Bound to Vengeance was not part of the event, it does continues the fantastic, and frankly refreshing, trend… José Manuel Cravioto’s film also shares a lot in common with Last Girl Standing, in that it focuses on what happens After your usual horror tale has ended. In this case, what happens after the final girl escapes her captors; asking just how does she move on from her ordeal?
Bound to Vengeance tells the story of Eve, show in found-footage flashback to be...
- 11/8/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
The tables are turned, but this horror is no less distasteful – and no more believable – for the fact that it’s a female character who holds all the weapons
The aim is laudable enough: to subvert the depressingly popular girl-imprisoned-and-tortured genre, and put the power in the hands of the victim. Director José Manuel Cravioto doesn’t show the abduction of 21-year-old Eve (Tina Ivlev), nor does he get into the specifics of her maltreatment at the hands of grubby perv Phil (Richard Tyson). For that, we must be grateful. But her escape and subsequent race against time to free Phil’s other female prisoners takes us to places that are no less distasteful for the fact that it is her holding the gun rather than him.
It’s effectively a treasure hunt for scantily clad chicks in chains, interspersed with video footage of Eve and her boyfriend Ronnie (Kristoffer Kjornes) in happier times.
The aim is laudable enough: to subvert the depressingly popular girl-imprisoned-and-tortured genre, and put the power in the hands of the victim. Director José Manuel Cravioto doesn’t show the abduction of 21-year-old Eve (Tina Ivlev), nor does he get into the specifics of her maltreatment at the hands of grubby perv Phil (Richard Tyson). For that, we must be grateful. But her escape and subsequent race against time to free Phil’s other female prisoners takes us to places that are no less distasteful for the fact that it is her holding the gun rather than him.
It’s effectively a treasure hunt for scantily clad chicks in chains, interspersed with video footage of Eve and her boyfriend Ronnie (Kristoffer Kjornes) in happier times.
- 10/29/2015
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
Director José Manuel Cravioto’s revenge flick Bound to Vengeance arrived on VOD outlets over the summer, and now the fine folks over at Scream Factory are getting ready to unleash the bloody tale on home video. On tap today are… Continue Reading →
The post Revenge Thriller Bound to Vengeance Getting Scream Factory Release in November appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Revenge Thriller Bound to Vengeance Getting Scream Factory Release in November appeared first on Dread Central.
- 10/16/2015
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
Countries around the world have slowly begun announcing their official submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award or shortlists of films that are being considered for the distinction. In the case of Mexico there is no clear candidate for the Mexican Academy to select this year, which leaves an open field of diverse films from the art house and commercial realms.
Undoubtedly, the best Mexican film audiences around the world, and in Mexico itself, have had the chance to see in 2015 is Alonso Ruiz Palacios “Güeros,” and some have even speculated that the black-and-white love letter to Mexico City could become the country’s Oscar candidate and even be among the favorites. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t qualify because it was considered to become the official entry last year, when it lost the opportunity to represent Mexico to the financially successful biopic “Cantinflas.” Ruiz Palacios' film would go on to win five Ariel Awards (Mexican Academy Awards) including Best Film and Best Director. It’s in fact the best choice, yet it simply can’t be anymore.
Each year the Mexican Academy sends out a call for entries for filmmakers and producers to submit their films. The organization will only consider those films that are entered by their respective creators, which means that even if a film qualifies if it’s not submitted it won’t be considered. The submission period is over now and the Mexican Academy will announce a list of films competing to represent the nation at the Oscars and the Spanish Goya’s in the upcoming days. Even without a gem like “Güeros” there are still other likely choices and many others that don’t stand a chance against the world-class works that will be send from across the globe. Commercial successes like “A la Mala,” “Tiempos Felices” or “Visitantes” will have a hard time finding support, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are entered to be in the running anyway.
After looking carefully at release dates, festivals, last year’s films in competition, and having seen several of them, here is a list of 15 films that look like reasonable choices to represent the Mexican film industry at Hollywood’s most prestigious award show. Let’s see how many of these are actually on the official list.
"600 Millas" (600 Miles)
Dir. Gabriel Ripstein
Winner of the Best First Feature at this year’s Berlinale and starring Tim Roth, Gabriel Ripstein’s gun trafficking drama is a gritty and powerful statement about one of the numerous complex issues afflicting both Mexico and the U.S. However, giving the duality it deals with, the film is partially in English, which could become a tricky problem when deciding if it can compete as a foreign language work or not. Furthermore, “600 Miles” hasn’t had a theatrical release in Mexico yet, something that AMPAS requires for a film to qualify. If selected a one-week qualifying run would be mandatory.
"Alicia en el País de Maria" (Alice in Marialand)
Dir. Jesús Magaña Vázquez
Starring Stephanie Sigman ("Spectre") and Uruguayan-born actress Barbara Mori, this highly stylized romantic fantasy follows a love triangle between reality and a strange dreamland. This is Magaña Vázquez highest profile film to date and premiered at the Guadalajara International Film Festival earlier this year. It’s non-linear narrative and the fact that it hasn’t screen much outside its homeland might play against it, but it’s still appears to be an interesting choice. The film opens August 28 in Mexico.
"Carmín Tropical"
Dir. Rigoberto Pérezcano
A personal favorite from what I’ve seen and one of the strongest candidates on this list, “Carmin Tropical” tells the story of Mabel, a “muxe” or physical male who lives as a woman, who returns to her hometown to investigate the death of her estranged best friend, also a "muxe." After winning the highest award at the Morelia International Film Festival, the film has gone to screen in festivals around the world including Outfest Los Angeles and the Sarajevo Film Festival. Added to this, Pérezcano’s work earned him the Ariel Award for Best Original Screenplay at this year’s ceremony. Its relevant ideas regarding gender identity and hate crimes could give it some traction.
"Club Sandwich"
Dir. Fernando Eimbcke
While Fernando Eimbcke’s most recent indie has been around since 2013 in the festival circuit, the film was not considered last year to become the country’s entry as it only open theatrically in Mexico last November. Given these facts this delightful comedy technically qualifies, though it’s hard to say if the filmmaker will pursue the candidacy. “Club Sandwich” uses deadpan charm to explore the relationship between a teenage boy and his mother while on vacation yo a beachside town. The film screened during last year’s Los Angeles Film Festival.
"Las Elegidas" (The Chosen Ones)
Dir. David Pablos
This is the obvious heavyweight at least on paper. In recent years Mexican films that were selected to participate in the Cannes Film Festival have become ideal selections for Oscar consideration. Carlos Reygadas “Silent Light,” Gerardo Naranjo’s “Miss Bala,” Michel Franco’s “After Lucia,” and Amat Escalante’s “Heli,” represented the country in their respective years. Despite being highly regarded internationally, these type of hyperrealist art house films have failed to garner a nomination from AMPAS, which could mean the Mexican Academy might want to look towards more commercial projects like they did last year. Pablos' film is similar to some of the aforementioned titles in terms of the crude realities they depict. Reviews were mostly positive and the film could definitely continue with the Cannes-to-Oscar pattern, but might prove another hard sale for Academy voters. “Las Elegidas” still hasn’t open theatrically in Mexico.
"Elvira, Te Dariá Mi Vida Pero La Estoy Usando" (Elvira, I'd Give You My Life But I'm Using It)
Dir. Manolo Caro
A sophisticated romantic dramedy starring two of Mexico’s most prolific actors Cecilia Suarez and Luis Gerardo Mendez (Netflix’ “Club de Cuervos”), the film represents a departure for filmmaker Manolo Caro from the more conventional romantic comedies he’s done in the past. When Elvira’s husband goes missing she embarks on a search to find him, even if the outcome of her quest is not what she expects her devotion is unwavering. The film had its U.S. premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June and it’s opening in Mexico this weekend.
"Estrellas Solitarias" (Lonely Stars)
Dir. Fernando Urdapilleta
By far the most unconventional choice, this irreverent comedy about dreams of stardom focuses on a pair of transvestites hoping to get their big break while working in a dingy and unglamorous bar. Music plays a big role in Fernando Urdapilleta’s sophomore feature, which shines a light on characters rarely seen in Mexican cinema. Produced by the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica the film has screened around the country and competed for the Maguey Award to Lgbt films at the 30th edition of Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg).
"Gloria"
Dir. Christian Keller
Working from a screenplay by Sabina Berman, Swiss filmmaker Christian Keller crafted a searing biopic about one of Mexico’s most iconic pop stars, Gloria Trevi, and her tumultuous career. The film took audiences and critics by surprise mainly because of the authenticity brought to it by the young actress Sofia Espinosa, who truly embodied Trevi’s outrageous personality and commanding stage presence. “Gloria” opened in Mexico back in February and it screened at SXSW in Austin last March. It’s also the only film in the list that has already had a U.S. theatrical release, which has handled by Picturehouse. This would definitely be a divisive selection given that Gloria is not widely known in the English-speaking world.
"La Guerra de Manuela Jankovic" (Manuela Jankovic's War)
Dir. Diana Cardozo
Nominated for 3 Ariel Awards including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress this year, this peculiar drama opened late last year and hasn’t travel much internationally. Set in the early 90s the film deals with Manuela, a middle-aged woman who must take care of her bitter Serbian grandmother who escaped to Mexico during World War II. Beautifully executed and acted the film is a sleeper that could actually be an ideal choice given its unique premise and approach. Stories about the Eastern European community in Mexico have rarely been explored in film.
"Hilda"
Dir. Andres Clariond
Dealing with classicism within Mexican society, this Audience Award-winning film at the last Morelia Film Festival paints a disturbing picture about the divide between the elite and the working class. Starring Veronica Langer as Mrs. Le Marchand, a wealthy woman depressed due to her unfulfilled ambitions, the film is a psychological drama with darkly comedic undertones. When Hilda (Adriana Paz) a new housemaid is hired, Le Marchand’s obsessive behavior unravels. Andres Clariond’s debut feature is based on a French play by Marie Ndiaye, the filmmaker certainly found parallels between the playwright’s work and his homeland. “Hilda” will open in Mexico in early September.
"Las Horas Contigo" (The Hours With You)
Dir. Catalina Aguilar Mastretta
This endearing dram about a young woman coming to terms with her grandmother’s imminent death has been a quiet success since it’s premiere at the 2014 Ficg where it won the Best Director award for debutant Catalina Aguilar Mastretta. “Las Horas Contigo” was nominated for three Ariel Awards winning the Best Supporting Actress statuette for veteran thespian Isela Vega. The film’s U.S. premiere took place during the 4th edition of Ficg in La and was also part of the Latin Cinema section at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It’s a well-made film that offers a handful of moving moments that could resonate with voters, though in my opinion it’s a bit slight.
"Manto Acuífero" ( The Well)
Dir. Michael Rowe
Australian filmmaker Michael Rowe, who has made a career working in Mexico, received great acclaim and accolades for his debut feature “Año Bisiesto,” including the Camera d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. “Manto Acuífero,” his sophomore effort, premiered at the Rome Film Festival in 2013 and was produced by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna’s Canana. Centered on a young girl dealing with troubling situations at home, the film also screened at the Morelia Film Festival. Its theatrical release didn’t happen until November of last year, which based on AMPAS rules qualifies it for consideration. “Manto Acuífero” was not considered last year.
"El Más Buscasdo" (Mexican Gangster)
Dir. José Manuel Cravioto
By far the most commercial and most expensive-looking film on the list, this action tale revolves around a bank robber whose alter ego is a mysterious masked singer. Jose Manuel Cravioto’s narrative debut stars Tenoch Huerta (“Güeros”) as skillful criminal Alfredo Rios Galeana and as al El Charro Misterioso, the elusive and talented performer. Set in the 1980s “El Más Buscado” showcases costumes, production design, and music from that period in a Robin Hood-like story of a unique antihero. The film screened in L.A. as part of the Hola Mexico Film Festival back in May but other than that lacks noticeable international presence.
"Las Oscuras Primaveras" (The Obscure Spring)
Dir. Ernesto Contreras
Moody and darkly sensual, this intense drama from director Ernesto Contreras won the Knight Competition Grand Jury Prize as well as the Best Performance Grand Jury Prize and the Miami International Film Festival. Cecilia Suarez and Jose Maria Yazpik star as a childless married couple whose relationship is threaten when he starts having a steamy affair with a lonely single mother in need of companionship. “Las Oscuras Primaveras” also received three Ariel Awards at the most recent ceremony for Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Original Score.
"La Tirisia" (Perpetual Sadness)
Dir. Jorge Pérez Solano
Last but definitely not least, the one film that, in this writer’s opinion, is the best opinion from the pack. Jose Perez Solano’s poetic feature follows two women in a remote community who have to choose between their children and their partner in a chauvinist society. The beauty and authenticity of “La Tirisia” have connected with audiences and juries from diverse backgrounds. Karlovy Vary, Palm Springs, Thessaloniki, Chicago, and Guadalajara were a few of the festivals that screened the film where it often was awarded prizes for its director and cast. Actress Adriana Paz (“Hilda”) won the Ariel Award for Best Actress for her work in the film, while Noé Hernandez took home the award for Best Supporting Actor. It’s art house roots and segmented narrative might work against it, but if voters at the Mexican Academy can look past that, this might be the one to bet on.
Undoubtedly, the best Mexican film audiences around the world, and in Mexico itself, have had the chance to see in 2015 is Alonso Ruiz Palacios “Güeros,” and some have even speculated that the black-and-white love letter to Mexico City could become the country’s Oscar candidate and even be among the favorites. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t qualify because it was considered to become the official entry last year, when it lost the opportunity to represent Mexico to the financially successful biopic “Cantinflas.” Ruiz Palacios' film would go on to win five Ariel Awards (Mexican Academy Awards) including Best Film and Best Director. It’s in fact the best choice, yet it simply can’t be anymore.
Each year the Mexican Academy sends out a call for entries for filmmakers and producers to submit their films. The organization will only consider those films that are entered by their respective creators, which means that even if a film qualifies if it’s not submitted it won’t be considered. The submission period is over now and the Mexican Academy will announce a list of films competing to represent the nation at the Oscars and the Spanish Goya’s in the upcoming days. Even without a gem like “Güeros” there are still other likely choices and many others that don’t stand a chance against the world-class works that will be send from across the globe. Commercial successes like “A la Mala,” “Tiempos Felices” or “Visitantes” will have a hard time finding support, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are entered to be in the running anyway.
After looking carefully at release dates, festivals, last year’s films in competition, and having seen several of them, here is a list of 15 films that look like reasonable choices to represent the Mexican film industry at Hollywood’s most prestigious award show. Let’s see how many of these are actually on the official list.
"600 Millas" (600 Miles)
Dir. Gabriel Ripstein
Winner of the Best First Feature at this year’s Berlinale and starring Tim Roth, Gabriel Ripstein’s gun trafficking drama is a gritty and powerful statement about one of the numerous complex issues afflicting both Mexico and the U.S. However, giving the duality it deals with, the film is partially in English, which could become a tricky problem when deciding if it can compete as a foreign language work or not. Furthermore, “600 Miles” hasn’t had a theatrical release in Mexico yet, something that AMPAS requires for a film to qualify. If selected a one-week qualifying run would be mandatory.
"Alicia en el País de Maria" (Alice in Marialand)
Dir. Jesús Magaña Vázquez
Starring Stephanie Sigman ("Spectre") and Uruguayan-born actress Barbara Mori, this highly stylized romantic fantasy follows a love triangle between reality and a strange dreamland. This is Magaña Vázquez highest profile film to date and premiered at the Guadalajara International Film Festival earlier this year. It’s non-linear narrative and the fact that it hasn’t screen much outside its homeland might play against it, but it’s still appears to be an interesting choice. The film opens August 28 in Mexico.
"Carmín Tropical"
Dir. Rigoberto Pérezcano
A personal favorite from what I’ve seen and one of the strongest candidates on this list, “Carmin Tropical” tells the story of Mabel, a “muxe” or physical male who lives as a woman, who returns to her hometown to investigate the death of her estranged best friend, also a "muxe." After winning the highest award at the Morelia International Film Festival, the film has gone to screen in festivals around the world including Outfest Los Angeles and the Sarajevo Film Festival. Added to this, Pérezcano’s work earned him the Ariel Award for Best Original Screenplay at this year’s ceremony. Its relevant ideas regarding gender identity and hate crimes could give it some traction.
"Club Sandwich"
Dir. Fernando Eimbcke
While Fernando Eimbcke’s most recent indie has been around since 2013 in the festival circuit, the film was not considered last year to become the country’s entry as it only open theatrically in Mexico last November. Given these facts this delightful comedy technically qualifies, though it’s hard to say if the filmmaker will pursue the candidacy. “Club Sandwich” uses deadpan charm to explore the relationship between a teenage boy and his mother while on vacation yo a beachside town. The film screened during last year’s Los Angeles Film Festival.
"Las Elegidas" (The Chosen Ones)
Dir. David Pablos
This is the obvious heavyweight at least on paper. In recent years Mexican films that were selected to participate in the Cannes Film Festival have become ideal selections for Oscar consideration. Carlos Reygadas “Silent Light,” Gerardo Naranjo’s “Miss Bala,” Michel Franco’s “After Lucia,” and Amat Escalante’s “Heli,” represented the country in their respective years. Despite being highly regarded internationally, these type of hyperrealist art house films have failed to garner a nomination from AMPAS, which could mean the Mexican Academy might want to look towards more commercial projects like they did last year. Pablos' film is similar to some of the aforementioned titles in terms of the crude realities they depict. Reviews were mostly positive and the film could definitely continue with the Cannes-to-Oscar pattern, but might prove another hard sale for Academy voters. “Las Elegidas” still hasn’t open theatrically in Mexico.
"Elvira, Te Dariá Mi Vida Pero La Estoy Usando" (Elvira, I'd Give You My Life But I'm Using It)
Dir. Manolo Caro
A sophisticated romantic dramedy starring two of Mexico’s most prolific actors Cecilia Suarez and Luis Gerardo Mendez (Netflix’ “Club de Cuervos”), the film represents a departure for filmmaker Manolo Caro from the more conventional romantic comedies he’s done in the past. When Elvira’s husband goes missing she embarks on a search to find him, even if the outcome of her quest is not what she expects her devotion is unwavering. The film had its U.S. premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June and it’s opening in Mexico this weekend.
"Estrellas Solitarias" (Lonely Stars)
Dir. Fernando Urdapilleta
By far the most unconventional choice, this irreverent comedy about dreams of stardom focuses on a pair of transvestites hoping to get their big break while working in a dingy and unglamorous bar. Music plays a big role in Fernando Urdapilleta’s sophomore feature, which shines a light on characters rarely seen in Mexican cinema. Produced by the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica the film has screened around the country and competed for the Maguey Award to Lgbt films at the 30th edition of Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg).
"Gloria"
Dir. Christian Keller
Working from a screenplay by Sabina Berman, Swiss filmmaker Christian Keller crafted a searing biopic about one of Mexico’s most iconic pop stars, Gloria Trevi, and her tumultuous career. The film took audiences and critics by surprise mainly because of the authenticity brought to it by the young actress Sofia Espinosa, who truly embodied Trevi’s outrageous personality and commanding stage presence. “Gloria” opened in Mexico back in February and it screened at SXSW in Austin last March. It’s also the only film in the list that has already had a U.S. theatrical release, which has handled by Picturehouse. This would definitely be a divisive selection given that Gloria is not widely known in the English-speaking world.
"La Guerra de Manuela Jankovic" (Manuela Jankovic's War)
Dir. Diana Cardozo
Nominated for 3 Ariel Awards including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress this year, this peculiar drama opened late last year and hasn’t travel much internationally. Set in the early 90s the film deals with Manuela, a middle-aged woman who must take care of her bitter Serbian grandmother who escaped to Mexico during World War II. Beautifully executed and acted the film is a sleeper that could actually be an ideal choice given its unique premise and approach. Stories about the Eastern European community in Mexico have rarely been explored in film.
"Hilda"
Dir. Andres Clariond
Dealing with classicism within Mexican society, this Audience Award-winning film at the last Morelia Film Festival paints a disturbing picture about the divide between the elite and the working class. Starring Veronica Langer as Mrs. Le Marchand, a wealthy woman depressed due to her unfulfilled ambitions, the film is a psychological drama with darkly comedic undertones. When Hilda (Adriana Paz) a new housemaid is hired, Le Marchand’s obsessive behavior unravels. Andres Clariond’s debut feature is based on a French play by Marie Ndiaye, the filmmaker certainly found parallels between the playwright’s work and his homeland. “Hilda” will open in Mexico in early September.
"Las Horas Contigo" (The Hours With You)
Dir. Catalina Aguilar Mastretta
This endearing dram about a young woman coming to terms with her grandmother’s imminent death has been a quiet success since it’s premiere at the 2014 Ficg where it won the Best Director award for debutant Catalina Aguilar Mastretta. “Las Horas Contigo” was nominated for three Ariel Awards winning the Best Supporting Actress statuette for veteran thespian Isela Vega. The film’s U.S. premiere took place during the 4th edition of Ficg in La and was also part of the Latin Cinema section at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It’s a well-made film that offers a handful of moving moments that could resonate with voters, though in my opinion it’s a bit slight.
"Manto Acuífero" ( The Well)
Dir. Michael Rowe
Australian filmmaker Michael Rowe, who has made a career working in Mexico, received great acclaim and accolades for his debut feature “Año Bisiesto,” including the Camera d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. “Manto Acuífero,” his sophomore effort, premiered at the Rome Film Festival in 2013 and was produced by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna’s Canana. Centered on a young girl dealing with troubling situations at home, the film also screened at the Morelia Film Festival. Its theatrical release didn’t happen until November of last year, which based on AMPAS rules qualifies it for consideration. “Manto Acuífero” was not considered last year.
"El Más Buscasdo" (Mexican Gangster)
Dir. José Manuel Cravioto
By far the most commercial and most expensive-looking film on the list, this action tale revolves around a bank robber whose alter ego is a mysterious masked singer. Jose Manuel Cravioto’s narrative debut stars Tenoch Huerta (“Güeros”) as skillful criminal Alfredo Rios Galeana and as al El Charro Misterioso, the elusive and talented performer. Set in the 1980s “El Más Buscado” showcases costumes, production design, and music from that period in a Robin Hood-like story of a unique antihero. The film screened in L.A. as part of the Hola Mexico Film Festival back in May but other than that lacks noticeable international presence.
"Las Oscuras Primaveras" (The Obscure Spring)
Dir. Ernesto Contreras
Moody and darkly sensual, this intense drama from director Ernesto Contreras won the Knight Competition Grand Jury Prize as well as the Best Performance Grand Jury Prize and the Miami International Film Festival. Cecilia Suarez and Jose Maria Yazpik star as a childless married couple whose relationship is threaten when he starts having a steamy affair with a lonely single mother in need of companionship. “Las Oscuras Primaveras” also received three Ariel Awards at the most recent ceremony for Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Original Score.
"La Tirisia" (Perpetual Sadness)
Dir. Jorge Pérez Solano
Last but definitely not least, the one film that, in this writer’s opinion, is the best opinion from the pack. Jose Perez Solano’s poetic feature follows two women in a remote community who have to choose between their children and their partner in a chauvinist society. The beauty and authenticity of “La Tirisia” have connected with audiences and juries from diverse backgrounds. Karlovy Vary, Palm Springs, Thessaloniki, Chicago, and Guadalajara were a few of the festivals that screened the film where it often was awarded prizes for its director and cast. Actress Adriana Paz (“Hilda”) won the Ariel Award for Best Actress for her work in the film, while Noé Hernandez took home the award for Best Supporting Actor. It’s art house roots and segmented narrative might work against it, but if voters at the Mexican Academy can look past that, this might be the one to bet on.
- 8/20/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
There isn’t a single commendable moment in the new horror-thriller Bound to Vengeance, but one scene in particular contextualizes director Jose Manuel Cravioto’s film in ways that couldn’t have been intentional yet are tragically on-the-nose. The film’s protagonist is Eve (played by Tina Ivlev), a 21-year-old who, six months before Bound to Vengeance’s action happens,…
The post Women in Horror: Indie Genre Tries to Move Beyond Exploitative Roots appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Women in Horror: Indie Genre Tries to Move Beyond Exploitative Roots appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 7/20/2015
- by Samuel Zimmerman
- shocktillyoudrop.com
After a string of titles in his native Mexico, director Jose Manuel Cravioto took his first stab at an English language picture with Bound To Vengeance - originally known as Reversal - and the result was a shocker that landed itself in selection at Sundance.Bound To Vengeance is a gritty revenge thriller about a young woman, Eve (Tina Ivlev), who fights back and manages to escape a malicious abductor. However, after discovering she may not be the only victim, Eve unravels a darker truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. The film is directed by J.M. Cravioto and stars breakout actress Tina Ivlev and Richard Tyson. The screenplay was written by Rock Shaink, Jr., and Keith Kjornes. With the film hitting limited...
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[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/26/2015
- Screen Anarchy
The revenge thriller Bound To Vengeance will be hitting the theater and VOD on June 25, 2015.
Dig on the kick ass poster and details below.
From The Press Release
An Official Selection of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival - Park City at Midnight, IFC Midnight is proud to announce the theatrical and VOD release of Bound To Vengeance on June 26, 2015.
Bound To Vengeance will open in theaters in NYC and La on June 26th
Film Synopsis
Bound To Vengeance is a gritty revenge thriller about a young woman, Eve (Tina Ivlev), who fights back and manages to escape a malicious abductor. However, after discovering she may not be the only victim, Eve unravels a darker truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor.
The film is directed by J.M. Cravioto and stars breakout actress Tina Ivlev and Richard Tyson. The screenplay was written by Rock Shaink, Jr., and Keith Kjornes.
Dig on the kick ass poster and details below.
From The Press Release
An Official Selection of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival - Park City at Midnight, IFC Midnight is proud to announce the theatrical and VOD release of Bound To Vengeance on June 26, 2015.
Bound To Vengeance will open in theaters in NYC and La on June 26th
Film Synopsis
Bound To Vengeance is a gritty revenge thriller about a young woman, Eve (Tina Ivlev), who fights back and manages to escape a malicious abductor. However, after discovering she may not be the only victim, Eve unravels a darker truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor.
The film is directed by J.M. Cravioto and stars breakout actress Tina Ivlev and Richard Tyson. The screenplay was written by Rock Shaink, Jr., and Keith Kjornes.
- 6/2/2015
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Tagline: "Escape is Just the Beginning." Bound to Vengeance is a rape revenge thriller. From director José Manuel Cravioto, the film is set to release through Video-on-demand, this June 26th. An official 2015 Sundance Film Festival selection, the film involves kidnap and sexual predation. As well, the film stars Tina Ivlev (The Devil's in the Details), Richard Tyson and Bianca Malinowski. Early artwork and a still of the protagonist are hosted here. For more on the story, Eve escapes a malefactor. But, she learns that others have been kidnapped, as well. She decides to return to her captor's abode, to set others free and to take bloody vengeance. The still shows a focused Eve. She is blooded and intently staring. That 1000 yard stare has been caused by some form of violence. The official artwork for the film also shows Eve with the same intense stare. And, fans of thrillers can view the film for themselves,...
- 6/1/2015
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Park City - Sundance saw the debut of not one but two films that both fit the broad definition of a "horror film," each with decidedly strong ideas about gender politics, but only one of the two seems to me to be genuinely worthwhile. Eli Roth has become defined largely by the excesses of his films, and I'm sure that's perfectly fine with him. Like many life-long gorehounds, when finally given a chance to make his own films, he happily ladled on buckets of blood. What I found interesting about Eli's films is how he seemed to be working one theme repeatedly, constantly exploring the fear that people have of the unknown in the world around them. "Cabin Fever," "Hostel," "Hostel II," and "The Green Inferno" all feature characters leaving their homes, the places where they are comfortable, and heading out to some corner of the world where they are...
- 2/9/2015
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Content Media has bulked up its Efm slate with international rights to Dark Factory’s recent Sundance revenge thriller Reversal.
IFC Midnight snapped up Us rights to the Park City At Midnight selection marking Mexican film-maker José Manuel Cravioto’s English-language debut.
Tina Ivlev stars in a potential breakout role alongside Richard Tyson in the story of a woman who flees her abductor and engages in a game of cat-and-mouse when she discovers she may not be the only victim.
Content will screen Reversal this week. Rock Shaink Jr and Keith Kjornes co-wrote the screenplay with Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez producing alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
“Jose Manuel’s energetic and supremely confident directorial style really caught our eye — along with the breakout performance of Tina Ivlev,” said Content film president Jamie Carmichael.
Dark Factory’s nascent slate includes One Shot, which wrapped recently in Mexico and stars Topher Grace and Anne Heche...
IFC Midnight snapped up Us rights to the Park City At Midnight selection marking Mexican film-maker José Manuel Cravioto’s English-language debut.
Tina Ivlev stars in a potential breakout role alongside Richard Tyson in the story of a woman who flees her abductor and engages in a game of cat-and-mouse when she discovers she may not be the only victim.
Content will screen Reversal this week. Rock Shaink Jr and Keith Kjornes co-wrote the screenplay with Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez producing alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
“Jose Manuel’s energetic and supremely confident directorial style really caught our eye — along with the breakout performance of Tina Ivlev,” said Content film president Jamie Carmichael.
Dark Factory’s nascent slate includes One Shot, which wrapped recently in Mexico and stars Topher Grace and Anne Heche...
- 2/5/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
IFC Midnight acquired the U.S. rights to gritty Sundance revenge thriller “Reversal,” the distribution company announced Friday.
José Manuel Cravioto directed the film, which stars up-and-coming actress Tina Ivlev (“The Devil’s in the Details”) as Eve, a tough young woman fighting to escape a malicious abductor. Richard Tyson (“There’s Something About Mary”) co-stars.
Also Read: Watch Sundance Interviews From TheWrap’s Studio With the Fest’s Biggest Stars (Video)
Rock Shaink Jr. and Keith Kjornes wrote the screenplay for “Reversal,” with Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez producing alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
“Reversal” premiered Jan.
José Manuel Cravioto directed the film, which stars up-and-coming actress Tina Ivlev (“The Devil’s in the Details”) as Eve, a tough young woman fighting to escape a malicious abductor. Richard Tyson (“There’s Something About Mary”) co-stars.
Also Read: Watch Sundance Interviews From TheWrap’s Studio With the Fest’s Biggest Stars (Video)
Rock Shaink Jr. and Keith Kjornes wrote the screenplay for “Reversal,” with Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez producing alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
“Reversal” premiered Jan.
- 1/30/2015
- by Travis Reilly
- The Wrap
Reversal
Written by Rock Shaink Jr.
Directed by José Manuel Cravioto
USA, 2015
It seems that every year there is at least one film that makes you wonder, “what got passed over in favor of this film?” It’s simple logic that not every film at Sundance is going to change lives and trailblaze filmmaking, but sometimes you get a film that is just awful. You just sit there wondering – how did this get into the festival, and were other entries really so bad that this got in over them? That film of this year is Reversal.
The logline of José Manuel Cravioto’s film is intriguing on it’s own, following a young woman (Tina Ivlev) who escapes her captor (Richard Tyson) only to force him to lead her to where other girls are being held captive to free them. It gives the title of the film a certain amount of cleverness,...
Written by Rock Shaink Jr.
Directed by José Manuel Cravioto
USA, 2015
It seems that every year there is at least one film that makes you wonder, “what got passed over in favor of this film?” It’s simple logic that not every film at Sundance is going to change lives and trailblaze filmmaking, but sometimes you get a film that is just awful. You just sit there wondering – how did this get into the festival, and were other entries really so bad that this got in over them? That film of this year is Reversal.
The logline of José Manuel Cravioto’s film is intriguing on it’s own, following a young woman (Tina Ivlev) who escapes her captor (Richard Tyson) only to force him to lead her to where other girls are being held captive to free them. It gives the title of the film a certain amount of cleverness,...
- 1/26/2015
- by Dylan Griffin
- SoundOnSight
“Reversal is just a really fucking cool movie,” Sundance programmer Charlie Reff says at first mention of the Park City at Midnight title. Its director, the Mexican-born José Manuel Cravioto, is decidedly more modest however. “With every film I make, I just want to entertain people,” says the filmmaker in anticipation of Reversal’s Sundance World…
The post Sundance 2015: Director J.M. Cravioto Previews Reversal appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Sundance 2015: Director J.M. Cravioto Previews Reversal appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 1/22/2015
- by Samuel Zimmerman
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Representing Latin American, U.S. Latino, and non-Latino artists who explore multicultural relationships from singular perspectives, the films at this year's Sundance Film Festival include an array of stories that showcase the diverse creative voices that exist within the Latino filmmaking community.
This list includes both films that have been created fully or partially by Latin American or U.S. Latino filmmakers, as well as those that deal with themes and ideas relevant to the Latino experience in or outside the Unites States, even if these were not created by Latino artists. The increasing interest in these stories testifies to how rapidly Latinos are becoming constant and strong voices in all areas of the film industry.
In order to highlight as many of these talented creators and films as possible, we’ve created a list that includes all the films at the festival that are helmed by or that incorporate Latino talent and those that focus on a specific aspect pertinent to the Latino community. Some are obvious standouts like Argentina's acclaimed dark comedy "Wild Tales" or Colombia's "Liveforever" from Carlos Moreno.
Then there are those who at first sight might not fit the parameters of what one could think is a Latino film. This is the case of films like Eli Roth's "Knock Knock," which is an English-language horror film whose co-writers, producers, and part of the cast are originally from Chile. There is also " Aloft," a drama in the Spotlight section, which is set between Canada and Minnesota and stars Jennifer Connelly. It was written and directed by Academy Award nominated Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa.
The third case includes those films that deal with subjects that have Latino elements or that explore diversity in the U.S in some way. Examples of these are "The Strongest Man" from Kenny Riches, a film narrated in Spanish by its protagonist "Beef," a charming, yet lost Cuban-American man in Miami; or "Cartel Land" by Matthew Heineman, which focuses on the violence shared between Mexico and U.S due to the drug-fueled chaos that afflicts the region. On a lighter note, there are films like “City of Gold” by Laura Gabbert, in which Los Angeles is seen through its ethnic food and local idiosyncrasies.
In an effort to give exposure to those films in the program that don’t get as much attention, the list below starts with the Shorts Programs and ends with the Dramatic Premieres. Each title is linked to its page on the Sundance website where screening times and locations can be found. Regardless of what films you watch at the festival, it is likely that your eyes will be expose to the work of some amazingly talented Latino filmmaker, writer or actor, or those who appreciate our stories as much as we do.
Shorts
"Spring" (Primavera) - Shorts Program 2
Latino Talent: Dir. Tania Claudia Castillo
Latino Theme: The short was created theough Mexico's renowned Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (Ccc), and it focuses on
Elba, an introverted, lonely 14-year-old, who wants to bond with her sister Fernanda before she leaves home.
"Papa Machete" - Shorts Program 3
Latino Theme: Two hundred years ago, Haitian slaves defeated Napoleon's armies with the same tool used to work the land: the machete. "Papa Machete" explores a martial art evolved from this victory through the practice of one of its few remaining masters.
"Making it in America" - Shorts Program 4
Latino Theme: A Salvadoran immigrant who fled to the United States as a teenager is now a single mother striving to build a future for her family in Los Angeles.
"Stop" - Shorts Program 5
Latino Talent: Dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green, Producer Rashaad Ernesto Green, Cinematographer Federico Cesca, Actors J.W. Cortes and Joshua Rivera.
Latino Theme: A young man's livelihood is put to the test when he is stopped by the police on his way home. Although not specific the Latino experience, the subject matter speaks to recent events involving minority groups and the use of excessive force by police
"Palm Rot" - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Dir. Ryan Gillis Lizama
Latino Theme: An old Florida fumigator discovers a mysterious crate in the Everglades that ruins his day.
"The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal" (El Sol Como un Gran Animal Oscuro) - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Directors Ronnie Rivera and Christina Felisgrau, Screenwriter Bernardo Britto, Producer Lucas Leyva
Latino Theme: This is Spanish-language short about a computer and a woman fall in love, only to be torn apart because of their inappropriate feelings for each other.
"{The And} Marcela & Rock" - Documentary Shorts Program 1
Latino Talent: Dir. Topaz Adizes, Assistant Directors Armando Croda and Sebastian Diaz
Latino Theme: Exploring the intimate spaces of modern-day relationships, this is the best couples therapy session you'll ever witness.
Special Events
Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge
Latino Talent: Directors Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Marialy Rivas
Latino Theme: Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge presents five winning narrative and documentary short films selected from 1,387 submissions representing 69 different countries.The project was designed to use the transformative power of storytelling to generate discussion, shift perceptions around extreme hunger and poverty, and harness the power of independent film to create a global conversation about these issues.
Sundance Kids
"The Game Maker" (El Inventor de Juegos)
Latino Talent: Dir. Juan Pablo Buscarini
New Frontier
"Liveforever" (Que Viva la Musica)
Latino Talent: Dir. Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters Alberto Ferreras and Alonso Torres, alongside the crew and cast.
Latino Theme: Hovering over the river that segregates Cali, Colombia, into haves and have-nots, a haunting presence identifies a perilous willingness among the populace to do anything that is asked of it. A blonde teenage girl, knowing she must change her life, leaves her well-appointed house and flagrantly gives herself over to this tolerant city, saying "yes" to everything provocative it offers her. Only the music tethers her body and spirit together, even as she reaches for redemption through a bold, delicious, and resplendent self-destruction. Inspired by the 1977 best-selling cult novel by Andres Caicedo.
Park City Midnight
"Knock Knock"
Latino Talent: Screenwriters Guillermo Amoedo & Nicolás López, Producers Miguel Asensio and Nicolás López, Cinematographer Antonio Quercia, Actresses Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas
"Reversal"
Latino Talent: Dir. José Manuel Cravioto, Producers Alex Garcia, Rodolfo Marquez and Daniel Posada, Editor Jorge Macaya, Actress Bianca Malinowski
Spotlight
"Aloft"
Latino Talent: Dir. Claudia Llosa
"Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
Latino Talent: Dir. Damián Szifrón, as well as most of the cast and crew.
Latino Theme: Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award, this Argentine marvel is conformed of 6 stories about people giving in to their most savage instincts. Forgiveness is out o the question because revenge has never been so deranged and insanely comedic.
Next <=>
"H."
Latino Talent: Dir. Daniel Garcia
"Nasty Baby"
Latino Talent: Dir. Sebastián Silva, Producers David Hinojosa, Juan de Dios Larraín and Pablo Larraín
Latino Theme: Brooklyn artist Freddy (Sebastian Silva) is baby obsessed. His new project centers around newborns, and he and his boyfriend, Mo, have recruited their best friend, Polly (Kristen Wiig), to help them have a baby. On top of dealing with the stress of opening an art installation and the complications of conceiving a child via artificial insemination, the three begin to be harassed by The Bishop, a mentally ill neighborhood man. An escalating series of incidents threaten to derail the comfortable lives these people have built for themselves.
"Tangerine"
Latino Talent: Actress Kiki Kitana Rodriguez
Latino Theme: It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown, and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.
"The Strongest Man"
Latino Talent: Actor Robert Lorie
Latino Theme: Beef is a beefy Cuban man who believes that he is The Strongest Man in the World. He doesn’t want children, but he wants to tell his grandchildren about his life as The Strongest Man in the World. His best friend is a slight Korean man named Conan. Conan makes him think about things he normally doesn’t think, like the fact that Beef thinks in Spanish, rather than English. Illy, the adopted daughter of a rich art collector, brings out an anxious side in Beef. But it is when his prized possession—a solid gold BMX bicycle—is stolen from him that Beef finds and loses so much more than he thought he could.
World Dramatic Competition
"The Second Mother"
Latino Talent: Dir. Anna Muylaert and her cast and crew
Latino Theme: Val is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid's uniform while serving perfect canapés; she serves her wealthy São Paulo employers day in and day out while lovingly nannying their teenage son whom she's raised since toddlerhood. Everyone and everything in the elegant house has its place until one day, Val’s ambitious, clever daughter Jessica arrives from Val’s hometown to take the college entrance exams. Jessica’s confident, youthful presence upsets the unspoken yet strict balance of power in the household; Val must decide where her allegiances lie and what she's willing to sacrifice.
U.S. Documentary Competition
"Cartel Land"
Latino Theme: In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," shepherds a citizen uprising against the Knights Templar, the violent drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to halt Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.
"City of Gold"
Latino Theme: As the unabashed cradle of Hollywood superficiality and smoggy urban sprawl, Los Angeles has long been condemned as a cultural wasteland. In the richly penetrating documentary odyssey City of Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us another Los Angeles, where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America.
"Western"
Latino Theme: In his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens famously wrote "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." That line sums up the story ofWestern, the latest film from Bill and Turner Ross, a documentary destined to become a classic itself. Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico, two towns on opposite sides of the border have shared a harmonious history until the specter of cartel violence threatens to divide them.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
Latino Talent: Dir. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
"Dope"
Latino Talent: Actors Tony Revolori, Michael Flores, Allen Maldonado, Lidia Porto, and Sergio Garcia
Latino Theme: Malcolm is a high school geek with a high-top fade, carefully navigating life in The Bottoms, one of the toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, California. He and his fellow outcasts share a voracious appreciation for all things '90s hip-hop, opting to sport Cross-Colours and Z. Cavariccis at the risk of being clowned at school. He dreams of attending Harvard, but first he has to make it home every day. When a drug dealer takes a shine to Malcolm and invites him to his birthday party, Malcolm’s crew is swirled into a hilarious blender of offbeat characters and bad choices where redemption can only be found in Bitcoin.
"The Stanford Prison Experiment"
Latino Talent: Dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Actors Moises Arias and Armand Vasquez
Documentary Premieres
"Fresh Dressed"
Latino Theme: With funky, fat-laced Adidas, Kangol hats, and Cazal shades, a totally original look was born—Fresh—and it came from the black and brown side of town where another cultural force was revving up in the streets to take the world by storm. Hip-hop, and its aspirational relationship to fashion, would become such a force on the market that Tommy Hilfiger, in an effort to associate their brand with the cultural swell, would drive through the streets and hand out free clothing to kids on the corner.
Dramatic Premieres
"Experimenter"
Latino Talent: Dir. Michael Almereyda and Actor John Leguizamo
"Last Days in the Desert"
Latino Talent: Dir. Rodrigo García and Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki
"Lila & Eve"
Latino Talent: Producers Tanya Lopez and Priscilla Porianda, Actors Jennifer Lopez, Andre Royo, Marisela Zumbado and Rey Hernandez
Latino Theme: When teenage Stephon is killed in a drive-by shooting, his mother, Lila, slips into a paralyzing grief. She joins a support group for women who have lost children to crime and meets Eve, a woman whose little girl was killed the same night as Stephon. Lila and Eve form a friendship, and Lila begins to crawl out of her depression. She develops a burning desire to find justice for her son, and she presses the authorities for answers, but they are slow-moving and ineffective. It’s Eve who has the idea first—join together, find the drug dealers who shot Stephon dead, and bring them to justice themselves.
This list includes both films that have been created fully or partially by Latin American or U.S. Latino filmmakers, as well as those that deal with themes and ideas relevant to the Latino experience in or outside the Unites States, even if these were not created by Latino artists. The increasing interest in these stories testifies to how rapidly Latinos are becoming constant and strong voices in all areas of the film industry.
In order to highlight as many of these talented creators and films as possible, we’ve created a list that includes all the films at the festival that are helmed by or that incorporate Latino talent and those that focus on a specific aspect pertinent to the Latino community. Some are obvious standouts like Argentina's acclaimed dark comedy "Wild Tales" or Colombia's "Liveforever" from Carlos Moreno.
Then there are those who at first sight might not fit the parameters of what one could think is a Latino film. This is the case of films like Eli Roth's "Knock Knock," which is an English-language horror film whose co-writers, producers, and part of the cast are originally from Chile. There is also " Aloft," a drama in the Spotlight section, which is set between Canada and Minnesota and stars Jennifer Connelly. It was written and directed by Academy Award nominated Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa.
The third case includes those films that deal with subjects that have Latino elements or that explore diversity in the U.S in some way. Examples of these are "The Strongest Man" from Kenny Riches, a film narrated in Spanish by its protagonist "Beef," a charming, yet lost Cuban-American man in Miami; or "Cartel Land" by Matthew Heineman, which focuses on the violence shared between Mexico and U.S due to the drug-fueled chaos that afflicts the region. On a lighter note, there are films like “City of Gold” by Laura Gabbert, in which Los Angeles is seen through its ethnic food and local idiosyncrasies.
In an effort to give exposure to those films in the program that don’t get as much attention, the list below starts with the Shorts Programs and ends with the Dramatic Premieres. Each title is linked to its page on the Sundance website where screening times and locations can be found. Regardless of what films you watch at the festival, it is likely that your eyes will be expose to the work of some amazingly talented Latino filmmaker, writer or actor, or those who appreciate our stories as much as we do.
Shorts
"Spring" (Primavera) - Shorts Program 2
Latino Talent: Dir. Tania Claudia Castillo
Latino Theme: The short was created theough Mexico's renowned Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (Ccc), and it focuses on
Elba, an introverted, lonely 14-year-old, who wants to bond with her sister Fernanda before she leaves home.
"Papa Machete" - Shorts Program 3
Latino Theme: Two hundred years ago, Haitian slaves defeated Napoleon's armies with the same tool used to work the land: the machete. "Papa Machete" explores a martial art evolved from this victory through the practice of one of its few remaining masters.
"Making it in America" - Shorts Program 4
Latino Theme: A Salvadoran immigrant who fled to the United States as a teenager is now a single mother striving to build a future for her family in Los Angeles.
"Stop" - Shorts Program 5
Latino Talent: Dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green, Producer Rashaad Ernesto Green, Cinematographer Federico Cesca, Actors J.W. Cortes and Joshua Rivera.
Latino Theme: A young man's livelihood is put to the test when he is stopped by the police on his way home. Although not specific the Latino experience, the subject matter speaks to recent events involving minority groups and the use of excessive force by police
"Palm Rot" - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Dir. Ryan Gillis Lizama
Latino Theme: An old Florida fumigator discovers a mysterious crate in the Everglades that ruins his day.
"The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal" (El Sol Como un Gran Animal Oscuro) - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Directors Ronnie Rivera and Christina Felisgrau, Screenwriter Bernardo Britto, Producer Lucas Leyva
Latino Theme: This is Spanish-language short about a computer and a woman fall in love, only to be torn apart because of their inappropriate feelings for each other.
"{The And} Marcela & Rock" - Documentary Shorts Program 1
Latino Talent: Dir. Topaz Adizes, Assistant Directors Armando Croda and Sebastian Diaz
Latino Theme: Exploring the intimate spaces of modern-day relationships, this is the best couples therapy session you'll ever witness.
Special Events
Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge
Latino Talent: Directors Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Marialy Rivas
Latino Theme: Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge presents five winning narrative and documentary short films selected from 1,387 submissions representing 69 different countries.The project was designed to use the transformative power of storytelling to generate discussion, shift perceptions around extreme hunger and poverty, and harness the power of independent film to create a global conversation about these issues.
Sundance Kids
"The Game Maker" (El Inventor de Juegos)
Latino Talent: Dir. Juan Pablo Buscarini
New Frontier
"Liveforever" (Que Viva la Musica)
Latino Talent: Dir. Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters Alberto Ferreras and Alonso Torres, alongside the crew and cast.
Latino Theme: Hovering over the river that segregates Cali, Colombia, into haves and have-nots, a haunting presence identifies a perilous willingness among the populace to do anything that is asked of it. A blonde teenage girl, knowing she must change her life, leaves her well-appointed house and flagrantly gives herself over to this tolerant city, saying "yes" to everything provocative it offers her. Only the music tethers her body and spirit together, even as she reaches for redemption through a bold, delicious, and resplendent self-destruction. Inspired by the 1977 best-selling cult novel by Andres Caicedo.
Park City Midnight
"Knock Knock"
Latino Talent: Screenwriters Guillermo Amoedo & Nicolás López, Producers Miguel Asensio and Nicolás López, Cinematographer Antonio Quercia, Actresses Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas
"Reversal"
Latino Talent: Dir. José Manuel Cravioto, Producers Alex Garcia, Rodolfo Marquez and Daniel Posada, Editor Jorge Macaya, Actress Bianca Malinowski
Spotlight
"Aloft"
Latino Talent: Dir. Claudia Llosa
"Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
Latino Talent: Dir. Damián Szifrón, as well as most of the cast and crew.
Latino Theme: Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award, this Argentine marvel is conformed of 6 stories about people giving in to their most savage instincts. Forgiveness is out o the question because revenge has never been so deranged and insanely comedic.
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"H."
Latino Talent: Dir. Daniel Garcia
"Nasty Baby"
Latino Talent: Dir. Sebastián Silva, Producers David Hinojosa, Juan de Dios Larraín and Pablo Larraín
Latino Theme: Brooklyn artist Freddy (Sebastian Silva) is baby obsessed. His new project centers around newborns, and he and his boyfriend, Mo, have recruited their best friend, Polly (Kristen Wiig), to help them have a baby. On top of dealing with the stress of opening an art installation and the complications of conceiving a child via artificial insemination, the three begin to be harassed by The Bishop, a mentally ill neighborhood man. An escalating series of incidents threaten to derail the comfortable lives these people have built for themselves.
"Tangerine"
Latino Talent: Actress Kiki Kitana Rodriguez
Latino Theme: It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown, and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.
"The Strongest Man"
Latino Talent: Actor Robert Lorie
Latino Theme: Beef is a beefy Cuban man who believes that he is The Strongest Man in the World. He doesn’t want children, but he wants to tell his grandchildren about his life as The Strongest Man in the World. His best friend is a slight Korean man named Conan. Conan makes him think about things he normally doesn’t think, like the fact that Beef thinks in Spanish, rather than English. Illy, the adopted daughter of a rich art collector, brings out an anxious side in Beef. But it is when his prized possession—a solid gold BMX bicycle—is stolen from him that Beef finds and loses so much more than he thought he could.
World Dramatic Competition
"The Second Mother"
Latino Talent: Dir. Anna Muylaert and her cast and crew
Latino Theme: Val is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid's uniform while serving perfect canapés; she serves her wealthy São Paulo employers day in and day out while lovingly nannying their teenage son whom she's raised since toddlerhood. Everyone and everything in the elegant house has its place until one day, Val’s ambitious, clever daughter Jessica arrives from Val’s hometown to take the college entrance exams. Jessica’s confident, youthful presence upsets the unspoken yet strict balance of power in the household; Val must decide where her allegiances lie and what she's willing to sacrifice.
U.S. Documentary Competition
"Cartel Land"
Latino Theme: In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," shepherds a citizen uprising against the Knights Templar, the violent drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to halt Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.
"City of Gold"
Latino Theme: As the unabashed cradle of Hollywood superficiality and smoggy urban sprawl, Los Angeles has long been condemned as a cultural wasteland. In the richly penetrating documentary odyssey City of Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us another Los Angeles, where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America.
"Western"
Latino Theme: In his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens famously wrote "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." That line sums up the story ofWestern, the latest film from Bill and Turner Ross, a documentary destined to become a classic itself. Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico, two towns on opposite sides of the border have shared a harmonious history until the specter of cartel violence threatens to divide them.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
Latino Talent: Dir. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
"Dope"
Latino Talent: Actors Tony Revolori, Michael Flores, Allen Maldonado, Lidia Porto, and Sergio Garcia
Latino Theme: Malcolm is a high school geek with a high-top fade, carefully navigating life in The Bottoms, one of the toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, California. He and his fellow outcasts share a voracious appreciation for all things '90s hip-hop, opting to sport Cross-Colours and Z. Cavariccis at the risk of being clowned at school. He dreams of attending Harvard, but first he has to make it home every day. When a drug dealer takes a shine to Malcolm and invites him to his birthday party, Malcolm’s crew is swirled into a hilarious blender of offbeat characters and bad choices where redemption can only be found in Bitcoin.
"The Stanford Prison Experiment"
Latino Talent: Dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Actors Moises Arias and Armand Vasquez
Documentary Premieres
"Fresh Dressed"
Latino Theme: With funky, fat-laced Adidas, Kangol hats, and Cazal shades, a totally original look was born—Fresh—and it came from the black and brown side of town where another cultural force was revving up in the streets to take the world by storm. Hip-hop, and its aspirational relationship to fashion, would become such a force on the market that Tommy Hilfiger, in an effort to associate their brand with the cultural swell, would drive through the streets and hand out free clothing to kids on the corner.
Dramatic Premieres
"Experimenter"
Latino Talent: Dir. Michael Almereyda and Actor John Leguizamo
"Last Days in the Desert"
Latino Talent: Dir. Rodrigo García and Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki
"Lila & Eve"
Latino Talent: Producers Tanya Lopez and Priscilla Porianda, Actors Jennifer Lopez, Andre Royo, Marisela Zumbado and Rey Hernandez
Latino Theme: When teenage Stephon is killed in a drive-by shooting, his mother, Lila, slips into a paralyzing grief. She joins a support group for women who have lost children to crime and meets Eve, a woman whose little girl was killed the same night as Stephon. Lila and Eve form a friendship, and Lila begins to crawl out of her depression. She develops a burning desire to find justice for her son, and she presses the authorities for answers, but they are slow-moving and ineffective. It’s Eve who has the idea first—join together, find the drug dealers who shot Stephon dead, and bring them to justice themselves.
- 1/21/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
As the Sundance Film Festival approaches we have plenty of goodies to share with you. This time around we have a clip from a film by José Manuel Cravioto who is making his English-language debut with the horror thriller Reversal. Reversal is a gritty revenge thriller about a young woman, Eve (Tina Ivlev), who fights back and manages to escape a malicious abductor. However, after discovering she may not be the only victim, Eve unravels a darker truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor.The film is part of the Park City at Midnight program at the festival. ...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/21/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Mexican director José Manuel Cravioto makes his English-language debut with the upcoming revenge drama "Reversal," which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival later this month. "Reversal" centers on a young woman's saga of revenge against the man that held her captive in his basement. In this exclusive clip from the film, we get a brief glimpse of how resilient and resourceful this captive young woman can be. For those of you who are squeamish, brace yourselves. Check out the clip in its entirety below. Read More: Sundance 2014: Park City at Midnight...
- 1/20/2015
- by Shipra Gupta
- Indiewire
Joining the growing trend of Chinese companies seeking out a role in the movie business, Internet giant Youku is launching Heyi Film. A wholly owned film production subsidiary, it will make films “to the tastes of the Chinese audience” and “improve film marketing and distribution,” Tech in Asia reported. Heyi is eyeing major theatrical releases and helping online talent branch out. Among the first projects are Bad Sister, starring Ivy Chen; Vacation In Paris, starring Amber Kuo and Louis Koo; and The Master, a co-production with Beijing Century Partner Culture and Media. There’s also a plan to transfer popular web series Yes Boss! and Miss Puff, Tia says. Alibaba is the most recent Chinese company to add film production to its portfolio. However, a red flag was raised over its $804M acquisition of ChinaVision Media Group when the company said it had discovered suspicious accounting and suspended its shares...
- 8/29/2014
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline
Fantastic Fest top brass have announced their work-in-progress selections and film previews for the second edition of the international genre co-production market, Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico.
The market runs from September 18-20 in Austin, Texas, concurrent with Fantastic Fest from September 18-25.
“These work-in-progress selections represent a broad range of styles and subject matter,” said market director Rodney Perkins. “Although the films are very different, they share one thing in common: they are all the result of an intense original vision that is completely in sync with the mission of Fantastic Market.”
In addition to the work-in-progress screenings, Fantastic Market will also screen a selection of previews, clips and teasers of Latin American genre films in development and post-production.
The market has added an additional pitch project from Argentina called Remora.
The works-in-progress selections are:
Scherzo Diabolico (pictured, Mexico-usa), dir Adrian Garcia Bogliano;
Tres Escapularios (Three Scapulars) (Colombia), dir Felipe Aljure; and
Frondoso Edén Del Corazón (Splendorous...
The market runs from September 18-20 in Austin, Texas, concurrent with Fantastic Fest from September 18-25.
“These work-in-progress selections represent a broad range of styles and subject matter,” said market director Rodney Perkins. “Although the films are very different, they share one thing in common: they are all the result of an intense original vision that is completely in sync with the mission of Fantastic Market.”
In addition to the work-in-progress screenings, Fantastic Market will also screen a selection of previews, clips and teasers of Latin American genre films in development and post-production.
The market has added an additional pitch project from Argentina called Remora.
The works-in-progress selections are:
Scherzo Diabolico (pictured, Mexico-usa), dir Adrian Garcia Bogliano;
Tres Escapularios (Three Scapulars) (Colombia), dir Felipe Aljure; and
Frondoso Edén Del Corazón (Splendorous...
- 8/28/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The second edition of the Baja International Film Festival 2013 kicked off on November 13 with the opening night screening of Juan Jose Campanella’s Latin American box office hit.
Monsieur Lazhar director Philippe Falardeau received a special recognition on a night when the red carpet attendees included Guillermo Arriaga, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Jose Maria de Tavira, Alfonso Herrera, Irene Azuela, Paula Nuñez and Jorge Michel Grau.
Festival director Alonso Aguilar-Castillo welcomed around 2,000 guests as the event kicked off with the animation screening in both auditoriums of the Pabellon Cultural de la Republica.
The festival will run for four days with the goal of bridging the Mexican, Us and Canadian film industries.
The programme includes the world premiere of Cafe Tacvba’s new documentary The Object Formerly Known As A Record, El Charro Misterioso by Jose Manuel Cravioto and Beto Gómez’s Volando Bajo.
There are Mexican premieres for Jean-Marc Vallée’s Dallas Buyers Club, Xavier Dolan’s Tom At...
Monsieur Lazhar director Philippe Falardeau received a special recognition on a night when the red carpet attendees included Guillermo Arriaga, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Jose Maria de Tavira, Alfonso Herrera, Irene Azuela, Paula Nuñez and Jorge Michel Grau.
Festival director Alonso Aguilar-Castillo welcomed around 2,000 guests as the event kicked off with the animation screening in both auditoriums of the Pabellon Cultural de la Republica.
The festival will run for four days with the goal of bridging the Mexican, Us and Canadian film industries.
The programme includes the world premiere of Cafe Tacvba’s new documentary The Object Formerly Known As A Record, El Charro Misterioso by Jose Manuel Cravioto and Beto Gómez’s Volando Bajo.
There are Mexican premieres for Jean-Marc Vallée’s Dallas Buyers Club, Xavier Dolan’s Tom At...
- 11/14/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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