Ryan Murphy is back at it with another installation of his “American Story” franchise. The long-awaited “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” centers on the rise and fall of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez.
It’s been three years since the series was first announced in August 2021, and now with the cast finalized and production wrapped, the project is right around the corner in a living room near you. “West Side Story” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” breakout Josh Rivera stars as Hernandez and here makes his TV debut.
The series lands on FX on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Here’s a list of the cast and the real-life figures they play.
Josh Rivera as Aaron Rodriguez
Josh Rivera stars as late New England Patriots tight-end Aaron Rodriguez. He played for the team for three seasons before he was arrested and convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd.
It’s been three years since the series was first announced in August 2021, and now with the cast finalized and production wrapped, the project is right around the corner in a living room near you. “West Side Story” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” breakout Josh Rivera stars as Hernandez and here makes his TV debut.
The series lands on FX on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Here’s a list of the cast and the real-life figures they play.
Josh Rivera as Aaron Rodriguez
Josh Rivera stars as late New England Patriots tight-end Aaron Rodriguez. He played for the team for three seasons before he was arrested and convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd.
- 9/18/2024
- by Raquel 'Rocky' Harris
- The Wrap
Mexico’s film industry appears healthy, but the question is for how long. In 2019, Mexican president Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador decimated festival funding. There’s a fear that, as the economy contracts, so will its tax credits, the main source of film sector finance, says Pimienta’s Nicolas Celis, a producer on “Roma.”
Such fears have seen the country’s top producers re-engineering operations: many, such as Piano, Woo Films, Pablo Cruz at Canana and El Estudio have moved into TV production. Some, such as Panorama, have launched more commercial, Ott platform-friendly slates.
Companies are also aiming to tap more regular international co-financing, such as Pimienta’s first-look deal with Exile and Endeavor Content, while Piano has expanded into Colombia and Germany and El Estudio has launched bases in Los Angeles and Madrid.
Above all, many are looking to produce with top talent inside and outside Mexico. Piano’s slate...
Such fears have seen the country’s top producers re-engineering operations: many, such as Piano, Woo Films, Pablo Cruz at Canana and El Estudio have moved into TV production. Some, such as Panorama, have launched more commercial, Ott platform-friendly slates.
Companies are also aiming to tap more regular international co-financing, such as Pimienta’s first-look deal with Exile and Endeavor Content, while Piano has expanded into Colombia and Germany and El Estudio has launched bases in Los Angeles and Madrid.
Above all, many are looking to produce with top talent inside and outside Mexico. Piano’s slate...
- 5/11/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Filming kicked off in Colombia on August 19 for Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Tilda Swinton-led “Memoria,” the filmmaker’s first feature to be shot outside his home country.
Germany’s The Match Factory, which has represented several of Weerasethakul’s previous films on the international market including 2010 Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” will do so again on “Memoria,” and have shared with Variety exclusive first images of Weerasethakul and Swinton on set.
Filling out the international cast for the film are César and San Sebastian best actress award-winner Jeanne Balibar, Daniel Gimenez Cacho – star of Lucrecia Martel’s 2018 Argentine Oscar submission “Zama,” Colombian TV star Juan Pablo Urrego and “Surviving Escobar’s” Elkin Diaz.
The eight-week shoot will split time between the mountain village of Pijao and the Colombian capital, Bogota.
While on vacation in Colombia, Weerasethakul was struck by the country’s natural beauty,...
Germany’s The Match Factory, which has represented several of Weerasethakul’s previous films on the international market including 2010 Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” will do so again on “Memoria,” and have shared with Variety exclusive first images of Weerasethakul and Swinton on set.
Filling out the international cast for the film are César and San Sebastian best actress award-winner Jeanne Balibar, Daniel Gimenez Cacho – star of Lucrecia Martel’s 2018 Argentine Oscar submission “Zama,” Colombian TV star Juan Pablo Urrego and “Surviving Escobar’s” Elkin Diaz.
The eight-week shoot will split time between the mountain village of Pijao and the Colombian capital, Bogota.
While on vacation in Colombia, Weerasethakul was struck by the country’s natural beauty,...
- 8/27/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese indie sales and production finance outfit Rediance has boarded sales on “Ways to Run,” a project in the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinefondation La Residence section. The film picked up a special mention at the prize presentation.
The road movie drama is being directed by Afghan-Dutch director Aboozar Amin, who previously made the documentary “Kabul: A City in the Wind.” “Ways to Run” recounts a slice-of-life story about an older bus driver who gambles away his vehicle and the younger man who works with him. Production is through Amin’s KinoKabul company, Eva Blondiau from Color of May in Germany, and Dominique Welinski of Dw in France.
Rediance is also selling Cannes titles “Ghost Tropic,” by Bas Devos, in the Quinzaine des Realisateurs, and restored title “The Horse Thief” by Tian Zhuangzhuang in Cannes Classics.
As a financier, Rediance recently boarded “Memoria” by Thai Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
The road movie drama is being directed by Afghan-Dutch director Aboozar Amin, who previously made the documentary “Kabul: A City in the Wind.” “Ways to Run” recounts a slice-of-life story about an older bus driver who gambles away his vehicle and the younger man who works with him. Production is through Amin’s KinoKabul company, Eva Blondiau from Color of May in Germany, and Dominique Welinski of Dw in France.
Rediance is also selling Cannes titles “Ghost Tropic,” by Bas Devos, in the Quinzaine des Realisateurs, and restored title “The Horse Thief” by Tian Zhuangzhuang in Cannes Classics.
As a financier, Rediance recently boarded “Memoria” by Thai Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
- 5/20/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Beijing-based Rediance also co-financing Miguel Gomes’ Savagery.
Beijing-based Rediance, which launched a film financing arm at Cannes last year, has boarded Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria and Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes’ Savagery as co-financier.
Memoria stars Tilda Swinton and Jeanne Balibar and is scheduled to start shooting in Colombia in August. The producers on the film include Kick the Machine, Burning Blue and Keith Griffiths and Simon Field’s Illuminations Films. Chinese producer Maxx Tsai is also backing the film.
Gomes’ Savagery is based on Euclides da Cunha’s Backlands, The Canudos Campaign, a non-fiction account of the war...
Beijing-based Rediance, which launched a film financing arm at Cannes last year, has boarded Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria and Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes’ Savagery as co-financier.
Memoria stars Tilda Swinton and Jeanne Balibar and is scheduled to start shooting in Colombia in August. The producers on the film include Kick the Machine, Burning Blue and Keith Griffiths and Simon Field’s Illuminations Films. Chinese producer Maxx Tsai is also backing the film.
Gomes’ Savagery is based on Euclides da Cunha’s Backlands, The Canudos Campaign, a non-fiction account of the war...
- 5/17/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Beijing-based Rediance also co-financing Miguel Gomes’ Savagery.
Beijing-based Rediance, which launched a film financing arm at Cannes last year, has boarded Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria and Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes’ Savagery as co-financier.
Memoria stars Tilda Swinton and Jeanne Balibar and is scheduled to start shooting in Colombia in August. The producers on the film include Kick the Machine, Burning Blue and Keith Griffiths and Simon Field’s Illuminations Films. Chinese producer Maxx Tsai is also backing the film.
Gomes’ Savagery is based on Euclides da Cunha’s Backlands, The Canudos Campaign, a non-fiction account of the war...
Beijing-based Rediance, which launched a film financing arm at Cannes last year, has boarded Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria and Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes’ Savagery as co-financier.
Memoria stars Tilda Swinton and Jeanne Balibar and is scheduled to start shooting in Colombia in August. The producers on the film include Kick the Machine, Burning Blue and Keith Griffiths and Simon Field’s Illuminations Films. Chinese producer Maxx Tsai is also backing the film.
Gomes’ Savagery is based on Euclides da Cunha’s Backlands, The Canudos Campaign, a non-fiction account of the war...
- 5/17/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Americana singer-songwriter Rob Baird reflects on mortality, heartbreak and bad decisions throughout his heavy new song “Burning Blue.” The track highlights his upcoming fourth LP, After All, out January 11th via Hard Luck Recording Company.
“Room and a bed with a parking lot view/ Star-crossed souls without a clue,” Baird sings over acoustic strums and staccato strings. “We’re all just ashes floating through the night/ Holding on what’s left of sweet time,” he observes, building to a lengthy, lonesome slide-guitar solo.
“This song relives most of the first...
“Room and a bed with a parking lot view/ Star-crossed souls without a clue,” Baird sings over acoustic strums and staccato strings. “We’re all just ashes floating through the night/ Holding on what’s left of sweet time,” he observes, building to a lengthy, lonesome slide-guitar solo.
“This song relives most of the first...
- 12/12/2018
- by Ryan Reed
- Rollingstone.com
A heavyweight feature debut from Writer / Director Dmw Greer and writer Helene Kvale, starring Trent Ford, Tammy Blanchard and Morgan Spector, military-set love story Burning Blue will be available for digital download from 7th November and to celebrate we are offering you the chance to win one of 5 digital copies. U.S Navy fighter […]
The post Win Burning Blue on digital download appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Win Burning Blue on digital download appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 11/7/2016
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Claudia Pedraza’s debut feature scooped the $20,000 top prize at the Bogotá Audiovisual Market.
The seventh edition of the Bogotá Audiovisual Market closed on Friday (July 15) with this year’s award-winners illustrating the energy and diversity of the Colombian film industry.
La Sed (The Thirst) won the Efd (Equipment and Film Design Colombia) Prize, which comes with $20,000 (€18,000) worth of Efd shooting equipment. The film marks director Claudia Pedraza’s [pictured] debut feature after working as first assistant director on Ciro Guerra’s Embrace Of The Serpent.
La Sed, a Marejada Films production, is a drama set in a world where the lack of water has made living conditions extreme. With a budget of $490,000 (€443,000), the film will be shot next year in La Guajira desert in Colombia, the same location where Ciro Guerra is planning to shoot Pájaros De Verano, his next feature following the success of Embrace Of The Serpent, which won at Director’s Fortnight in Cannes...
The seventh edition of the Bogotá Audiovisual Market closed on Friday (July 15) with this year’s award-winners illustrating the energy and diversity of the Colombian film industry.
La Sed (The Thirst) won the Efd (Equipment and Film Design Colombia) Prize, which comes with $20,000 (€18,000) worth of Efd shooting equipment. The film marks director Claudia Pedraza’s [pictured] debut feature after working as first assistant director on Ciro Guerra’s Embrace Of The Serpent.
La Sed, a Marejada Films production, is a drama set in a world where the lack of water has made living conditions extreme. With a budget of $490,000 (€443,000), the film will be shot next year in La Guajira desert in Colombia, the same location where Ciro Guerra is planning to shoot Pájaros De Verano, his next feature following the success of Embrace Of The Serpent, which won at Director’s Fortnight in Cannes...
- 7/18/2016
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Mainstream and auteur Colombian companies join efforts for the comeback of El Páramo director.
Bam (Bogotá Audiovisual Market) runs from July 11-15 and is abuzz with positive energy this year.
Colombia’s growing economy, the country’s historic ceasefire deal and, on the film front, an effective film policy to support the local industry and attract foreign investors have given the local industry a visible confidence boost.
At the two ends of the spectrum are the international critical successes of arthouse films such as Oscar nominated Embrace Of The Serpent and Cannes Camera d’Or winner Land And Shade and more mainstream hits such as Netfflix-backed TV series Narcos.
But they are not necessarily fighting in different corners as evidenced by an intriguing new collaboration.
Diana Bustamante, from Burning Blue, the production company behind Land And Shade, has revealed to Screen that her company and Dynamo, the Colombian production powerhouse behind Narcos and The 33, with...
Bam (Bogotá Audiovisual Market) runs from July 11-15 and is abuzz with positive energy this year.
Colombia’s growing economy, the country’s historic ceasefire deal and, on the film front, an effective film policy to support the local industry and attract foreign investors have given the local industry a visible confidence boost.
At the two ends of the spectrum are the international critical successes of arthouse films such as Oscar nominated Embrace Of The Serpent and Cannes Camera d’Or winner Land And Shade and more mainstream hits such as Netfflix-backed TV series Narcos.
But they are not necessarily fighting in different corners as evidenced by an intriguing new collaboration.
Diana Bustamante, from Burning Blue, the production company behind Land And Shade, has revealed to Screen that her company and Dynamo, the Colombian production powerhouse behind Narcos and The 33, with...
- 7/15/2016
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Mainstream and auteur Colombian companies join efforts for the comeback of El Páramo director.
The Bogotá Audiovisual Market (July 11-15) is abuzz with positive energy this year.
Colombia’s growing economy, the country’s historic ceasefire deal and, on the film front, an effective film policy to support the local industry and attract foreign investors have given the local industry a visible confidence boost.
At the two ends of the spectrum are the international critical successes of arthouse films such as Oscar nominated Embrace Of The Serpent and Cannes Camera d’Or winner Land And Shade and more mainstream hits such as Netfflix-backed TV series Narcos.
But they are not necessarily fighting in different corners as evidenced by an intriguing new collaboration.
Diana Bustamante, from Burning Blue, the production company behind Land And Shade, has revealed to Screen that her company and Dynamo, the Colombian production powerhouse behind Narcos and The 33, with [link=nm...
The Bogotá Audiovisual Market (July 11-15) is abuzz with positive energy this year.
Colombia’s growing economy, the country’s historic ceasefire deal and, on the film front, an effective film policy to support the local industry and attract foreign investors have given the local industry a visible confidence boost.
At the two ends of the spectrum are the international critical successes of arthouse films such as Oscar nominated Embrace Of The Serpent and Cannes Camera d’Or winner Land And Shade and more mainstream hits such as Netfflix-backed TV series Narcos.
But they are not necessarily fighting in different corners as evidenced by an intriguing new collaboration.
Diana Bustamante, from Burning Blue, the production company behind Land And Shade, has revealed to Screen that her company and Dynamo, the Colombian production powerhouse behind Narcos and The 33, with [link=nm...
- 7/15/2016
- ScreenDaily
Elba McAllister’s Cineplex of Colombia seems to be everywhere. We met up at the Iff Panama this April and had some time to talk, a rarity at such events as Cannes or Berlin.
It seemed to me she had been in the business forever, though I only met her when Ficg (Guadalajara Film Festival) began its market maybe 10 years ago. Cineplex itself is 23 years old, having begun in 1993 in a partnership with the well-known buyers rep and producer Andre Boissier.
Twenty-three years ago, Colombia screened very few arthouse movies. Cineplex and other indie distributors introduced smaller films from Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North America. Now Colombia’s international coproductions are extending viewer’s perspectives even further. Indies captured 5.9% of the market in 2007, compared with a relatively paltry 3.6% in 2003. Local and foreign independent films now share 20% of the market.
About a decade ago, the country had 250 screens and now it has 935. In 2005 there were 15M people going to the cinema per year. Now it’s 58M. In local currency, there was a 71% increase in box office from 2011 to 2015.
Colombia has seen notable growth thanks in part to the construction of more shopping malls. Mexican exhibition giant Cinépolis opened its first megaplex in Colombia in 2008.
Cineplex is one of the leading distributors of independent films in Colombia. In 23 years in the market, it has presented and average of 20 to 25 films a year, over 300 high quality films, selected from major festivals and film markets around the world.
Elba actually began her career in the pharmaceutical industry but later joined her husband and her brother-in-law in a new venture -- film distribution, something she knew nothing about. In Colombia, the films acquired by Cineplex go first into cinemas and progress to all windows including DVD, VOD and TV in all its forms (Pan TV, VOD, Svod, Cable, Free TV).
In 2000 Cineplex expanded its distribution to include Central America & Ecuador. Elba McAllister and her husband, Juan David McAllister, have brought in such directors as Wong Kar Wai, Susanne Bier, Mike Leigh, Lars von trier, Katherine Bigelow, Claude Chabrol, Agnieszka Holland and Ken Loach and others to Colombia and its neighbors.
Cineplex began forming alliances with other Latin American indies and prebuying pan-Latin rights to name some, “Satin Rouge,” “Evil”, ¨Reconstruction¨, “Broken Flowers”, “Brokeback Mountain”, ¨My Blueberry Nights¨ and most recently ¨Mustang¨.
Two recent stand-out films include “Mustang” and “Land and Shade” the Cannes 2015 Camera d’Or and Critics’ Week Winner sold by France’s Pyramide. Lead produced by Diana Bustamante’s Burning Blue, (Diana Bustamente, currently the Director of Cartagena Film Festival as well) “Land and Shade” also won two prizes at Cannes Critics’ Week: the France 4 Visionary Award and Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers Sacd Prize. Other new releases include Academy Award winners and contenders “Carol”, “Theeb” and “Brooklyn”.
Anne Marie De La Fuente in Variety quotes Elba as saying,
“Bringing art house films to Colombia and shifting moviegoers’ attention from Hollywood blockbusters requires close work with universities, embassies and cultural institutions and creating original grassroots campaigns. Whenever possible, Cineplex gets the directors and/ or actors to fly in to help promote their pictures.”
With Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain,” which Cineplex pre-bought for Latam, it organized marketing tie-ins with Levis, Universal Music (for the soundtrack) and a gay rights foundation. Marlboro sponsored the premiere in Bogota.
Additionally Cineplex helps Colombian filmmakers representing their films for Latin America and advising the world sales agent, depending their films to name a few, Ciro Guerra, William Vega, Oscar Ruiz, Dago Garcia among others.
Last year, Diana Salcedo (Elba´s daughter) joined the family business to strengthen the distribution in different platforms (theatrical, TV, VOD, Ott) for Colombian and Latin American films in different markets. Diana is bringing wide experience after working for a major Latin American Pay TV and Ott broadcaster.
“We believe in the potential of independent cinema with the participation of strategic partners that make marketing a global business. We want to make each of our friends, colleagues, competitors and customers a community that allows a film to reach its greatest potential. We believe humanity has a chance to think and act without borders and that its only limit is in its own desire to achieve the best result using innovation and partnership with strategic partners that will be part of each project.”
“We’ve brought in what we wanted: films that don’t need pretty faces, multimillion-dollar budgets, special effects or predictable endings. Marketing Independent cinema is our passion¨.
It seemed to me she had been in the business forever, though I only met her when Ficg (Guadalajara Film Festival) began its market maybe 10 years ago. Cineplex itself is 23 years old, having begun in 1993 in a partnership with the well-known buyers rep and producer Andre Boissier.
Twenty-three years ago, Colombia screened very few arthouse movies. Cineplex and other indie distributors introduced smaller films from Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North America. Now Colombia’s international coproductions are extending viewer’s perspectives even further. Indies captured 5.9% of the market in 2007, compared with a relatively paltry 3.6% in 2003. Local and foreign independent films now share 20% of the market.
About a decade ago, the country had 250 screens and now it has 935. In 2005 there were 15M people going to the cinema per year. Now it’s 58M. In local currency, there was a 71% increase in box office from 2011 to 2015.
Colombia has seen notable growth thanks in part to the construction of more shopping malls. Mexican exhibition giant Cinépolis opened its first megaplex in Colombia in 2008.
Cineplex is one of the leading distributors of independent films in Colombia. In 23 years in the market, it has presented and average of 20 to 25 films a year, over 300 high quality films, selected from major festivals and film markets around the world.
Elba actually began her career in the pharmaceutical industry but later joined her husband and her brother-in-law in a new venture -- film distribution, something she knew nothing about. In Colombia, the films acquired by Cineplex go first into cinemas and progress to all windows including DVD, VOD and TV in all its forms (Pan TV, VOD, Svod, Cable, Free TV).
In 2000 Cineplex expanded its distribution to include Central America & Ecuador. Elba McAllister and her husband, Juan David McAllister, have brought in such directors as Wong Kar Wai, Susanne Bier, Mike Leigh, Lars von trier, Katherine Bigelow, Claude Chabrol, Agnieszka Holland and Ken Loach and others to Colombia and its neighbors.
Cineplex began forming alliances with other Latin American indies and prebuying pan-Latin rights to name some, “Satin Rouge,” “Evil”, ¨Reconstruction¨, “Broken Flowers”, “Brokeback Mountain”, ¨My Blueberry Nights¨ and most recently ¨Mustang¨.
Two recent stand-out films include “Mustang” and “Land and Shade” the Cannes 2015 Camera d’Or and Critics’ Week Winner sold by France’s Pyramide. Lead produced by Diana Bustamante’s Burning Blue, (Diana Bustamente, currently the Director of Cartagena Film Festival as well) “Land and Shade” also won two prizes at Cannes Critics’ Week: the France 4 Visionary Award and Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers Sacd Prize. Other new releases include Academy Award winners and contenders “Carol”, “Theeb” and “Brooklyn”.
Anne Marie De La Fuente in Variety quotes Elba as saying,
“Bringing art house films to Colombia and shifting moviegoers’ attention from Hollywood blockbusters requires close work with universities, embassies and cultural institutions and creating original grassroots campaigns. Whenever possible, Cineplex gets the directors and/ or actors to fly in to help promote their pictures.”
With Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain,” which Cineplex pre-bought for Latam, it organized marketing tie-ins with Levis, Universal Music (for the soundtrack) and a gay rights foundation. Marlboro sponsored the premiere in Bogota.
Additionally Cineplex helps Colombian filmmakers representing their films for Latin America and advising the world sales agent, depending their films to name a few, Ciro Guerra, William Vega, Oscar Ruiz, Dago Garcia among others.
Last year, Diana Salcedo (Elba´s daughter) joined the family business to strengthen the distribution in different platforms (theatrical, TV, VOD, Ott) for Colombian and Latin American films in different markets. Diana is bringing wide experience after working for a major Latin American Pay TV and Ott broadcaster.
“We believe in the potential of independent cinema with the participation of strategic partners that make marketing a global business. We want to make each of our friends, colleagues, competitors and customers a community that allows a film to reach its greatest potential. We believe humanity has a chance to think and act without borders and that its only limit is in its own desire to achieve the best result using innovation and partnership with strategic partners that will be part of each project.”
“We’ve brought in what we wanted: films that don’t need pretty faces, multimillion-dollar budgets, special effects or predictable endings. Marketing Independent cinema is our passion¨.
- 4/22/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Plus: Donne Yen joins xXx reboot; Film Movement acquires The Ardennes; Kino Lorber finds Cosmos; and more…
Gale Anne Hurd, Joe Swanberg, Don Cheadle, Joel Edgerton, Gaby Hoffmann, Joe Berlinger and Barbara Kopple are among the keynotes and on-stage conversation stars featuring at SXSW. The festival and conference runs in Austin, Texas, from March 11-19. For full details click here.
Martial arts star Donnie Yen has been cast as the villain opposite Vin Diesel in xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage for Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films, One Race Films and Paramount Pictures. Production is set to begin this month in Toronto and the Dominican Republic.Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Andrzej Żuławski’s Locarno 2015 best director winner Cosmos ahead of its Us premiere at the Film Comment Selects series in New York on Wednesday. The distributor brokered the deal with producer Paulo Branco of Alfama Films.Film Movement has acquired...
Gale Anne Hurd, Joe Swanberg, Don Cheadle, Joel Edgerton, Gaby Hoffmann, Joe Berlinger and Barbara Kopple are among the keynotes and on-stage conversation stars featuring at SXSW. The festival and conference runs in Austin, Texas, from March 11-19. For full details click here.
Martial arts star Donnie Yen has been cast as the villain opposite Vin Diesel in xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage for Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films, One Race Films and Paramount Pictures. Production is set to begin this month in Toronto and the Dominican Republic.Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Andrzej Żuławski’s Locarno 2015 best director winner Cosmos ahead of its Us premiere at the Film Comment Selects series in New York on Wednesday. The distributor brokered the deal with producer Paulo Branco of Alfama Films.Film Movement has acquired...
- 2/16/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Plus: Donne Yen joins xXx reboot; Film Movement acquires The Ardennes; Kino Lorber finds Cosmos; and more…
Gale Anne Hurd, Joe Swanberg, Don Cheadle, Joel Edgerton, Gaby Hoffmann, Joe Berlinger and Barbara Kopple are among the keynotes and on-stage conversation stars featuring at SXSW. The festival and conference runs in Austin, Texas, from March 11-19. For full details click here.
Martial arts star Donnie Yen has been cast as the villain opposite Vin Diesel in xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage for Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films, One Race Films and Paramount Pictures. Production is set to begin this month in Toronto and the Dominican Republic.Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Andrzej Żuławski’s Locarno Silver Leopard winner Cosmos ahead of its Us premiere at the Film Comment Selects series in New York on Wednesday. The distributor brokered the deal with producer Paulo Branco of Alfama Films.Film Movement has acquired...
Gale Anne Hurd, Joe Swanberg, Don Cheadle, Joel Edgerton, Gaby Hoffmann, Joe Berlinger and Barbara Kopple are among the keynotes and on-stage conversation stars featuring at SXSW. The festival and conference runs in Austin, Texas, from March 11-19. For full details click here.
Martial arts star Donnie Yen has been cast as the villain opposite Vin Diesel in xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage for Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films, One Race Films and Paramount Pictures. Production is set to begin this month in Toronto and the Dominican Republic.Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Andrzej Żuławski’s Locarno Silver Leopard winner Cosmos ahead of its Us premiere at the Film Comment Selects series in New York on Wednesday. The distributor brokered the deal with producer Paulo Branco of Alfama Films.Film Movement has acquired...
- 2/16/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Shout! Factory and Studio 100 Media have expanded their distribution alliance with a multi-picture deal for Studio 100’s upcoming Maya The Bee film series.
Under the terms, Shout! Factory has secured exclusive North American rights to sequels, including theatrical, VOD, digital, broadcast and home entertainment for cross-platform releases. Shout! Factory plans a strategic rollout of the new films, beginning with the first sequel, Maya The Bee 2 – The Honey Games, in 2017 through its Shout! Factory Kids division.
Shawn Williamson’s Vancouver-based Brightlight Pictures has begun production on Scorched Earth, a post-apocalyptic action project starring Gina Carano and John Hannah. Peter Howitt directs the story of a bounty hunter who learns that there might be more to life than just survival. Brightlight is producing in partnership with Lighthouse Pictures, who packaged the project. Great Point Media is financing.Production began on Thursday in Santa Marta, Colombia, on Sundowners, a dramatic comedy written and directed by Pavan Moondi. [link...
Under the terms, Shout! Factory has secured exclusive North American rights to sequels, including theatrical, VOD, digital, broadcast and home entertainment for cross-platform releases. Shout! Factory plans a strategic rollout of the new films, beginning with the first sequel, Maya The Bee 2 – The Honey Games, in 2017 through its Shout! Factory Kids division.
Shawn Williamson’s Vancouver-based Brightlight Pictures has begun production on Scorched Earth, a post-apocalyptic action project starring Gina Carano and John Hannah. Peter Howitt directs the story of a bounty hunter who learns that there might be more to life than just survival. Brightlight is producing in partnership with Lighthouse Pictures, who packaged the project. Great Point Media is financing.Production began on Thursday in Santa Marta, Colombia, on Sundowners, a dramatic comedy written and directed by Pavan Moondi. [link...
- 2/11/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Happy Birthday, Tammy Blanchard Blanchard was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for her performance in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and is best known for her portrayal of the young Judy Garland in 'Life With Judy Garland Me and My Shadows' Emmy Award, Golden Globe and AFI nominations. Her Broadway credits include Gypsy Tony nomination, Theatre World Award. She was most recently seen in the film Moneyball. Blanchard's other film credits include The Good Shepherd, Bella, Cadillac Records and Rabbit Hole, and she recently completed The Music Never Stopped, Certainty, Union Square and Burning Blue. Her television credits include 'A Gifted Man', 'We Were the Mulvaneys,' 'Sybil,' 'Living Proof,' 'Amish Grace,' 'The Good Wife,' 'Law amp Order Svu', 'Guiding Light', and the original Lifetime TV movie, 'Of Two Minds.'...
- 12/14/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Carlos Osuna’s two projects El Concursante and Sin Mover Los Labios earn Bam Projects and Screenings prizes; seven other titles headed to Locarno and San Sebastian.
The sixth Bogota Audiovisual Market (Bam) closed on Friday night (July 17) with several awards and referrals to industry events in Locarno and San Sebastian.
Screenings
The winner of Bam Screenings’ Cinecolour Fiction Prize, worth $10,000 in production services was Carlos Osuna’s Sin Mover Los Labios (With Lips Closed).
The comedy-drama, produced by Malta Cine, tells the story of an amateur ventriloquist who creates a puppet of his mother and puts on a successful show about their relationship.
Other screening winners were Marcela Lizcano’s Aislados produced by Proyección Films, which received the Cinecolor documentary prize worth $5,000; Anna De Jacques’ Toulemonde produced by Janus Films, which will be broadcast on Rtvc and receives support in securing theatrical distribution; and the documentary feature Garras De Oro: Herida Abierta A Un Continente produced...
The sixth Bogota Audiovisual Market (Bam) closed on Friday night (July 17) with several awards and referrals to industry events in Locarno and San Sebastian.
Screenings
The winner of Bam Screenings’ Cinecolour Fiction Prize, worth $10,000 in production services was Carlos Osuna’s Sin Mover Los Labios (With Lips Closed).
The comedy-drama, produced by Malta Cine, tells the story of an amateur ventriloquist who creates a puppet of his mother and puts on a successful show about their relationship.
Other screening winners were Marcela Lizcano’s Aislados produced by Proyección Films, which received the Cinecolor documentary prize worth $5,000; Anna De Jacques’ Toulemonde produced by Janus Films, which will be broadcast on Rtvc and receives support in securing theatrical distribution; and the documentary feature Garras De Oro: Herida Abierta A Un Continente produced...
- 7/19/2015
- by chrisevans78@hotmail.co.uk (Chris Evans)
- ScreenDaily
On Wednesday, May 27th, Premios Platino's hosts Alessandra Rosaldo and Juan Carlos Arciniegas alongside actor Eugenio Derbez, as well as Elvi Cano (Director Egeda Us) and Gonzalo Elvira (Fipca Mexico) will announce the nominees for the Awards in Los Angeles, CA.
During the press conference Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo will announce the recipient of the Premio de Honor (Lifetime Achievement Award). In addition Rick Nicita, Chairman of the American Cinematheque, will accept a special Platino Award to The American Cinematheque for its contribution to Iberoamerican Cinema.
Produced by Egeda, in collaboration with Fipca, the Premios Platino of Iberoamerican Cinema was born with the vocation to establish itself as a major international ceremony, promoting Latin American cinema as a whole and transcending borders. It is one of the most important tools to promote and support our film industry and all the professionals who, day after day, put forth all their effort and commitment so that audiences can enjoy the best films.
The candidates for the 2nd Platino Awards (Premios Platino) were announced during the 18th Málaga Film Festival in Spain. 73 feature films and 18 Ibero- American countries compete for the final nominations in the 14 categories for this prestigious award. The competing films had to be commercially released or premiered in an A-List Film Festival during 2014. The final nominations will be announced tomorrow at the Andaz Hotel West Hollywood. The Premios Platino Award Ceremony will take place on July 18, 2015 at Starlite Marbella in Spain.
As part of the same event The Premios Platino has distinguished the Málaga Film Festival with a special award for its contribution to the circulation and promotion of Spanish and Ibero- American cinema.
Here is the list of preselected candidates in each category ahead of tomorrow's final nominations
Premio Platino for the Best Ibero-American Fictional Film
· "Cantinflas"
(Kenio Films) (Mexico).
· "Conducta" (Behavior)
(Instituto Cubano Del Arte E Industria Cinematográfica, Rtv Comercial) (Cuba).
· "El Mudo" (The Mute)
(Maretazo Cine, Urban Factory) (Peru, Mexico).
· "El Niño"
(Vaca Films Studio, S.L., Telecinco Cinema, S.A., Ikiru Films, S.L., La Ferme! Productions, El Niño la película, A.I.E.) (Spain).
· "La Danza de la Realidad" (The Dance of Reality)
(Camera One, Pathe Y Le Soleil Films) (Chile).
· "La Dictadura Perfecta" (The Perfect Dictatorship)
(Imcine - Instituto Mexicano De Cinematografía, Estudios Churubusco Azteca, S.A., Bandidos Films, Fidecine, Eficine 226) (Mexico).
· "La Isla Mínima" (Marshland)
(Antena 3 Films, S.L., Atípica Films, S.L. y Sacromonte Films S.L.) (Spain).
· "Libertador" (The Liberator)
(Producciones Insurgentes, San Mateo Films) (Venezuela, Spain).
· "Matar a un Hombre" (To Kill a Man)
(Arizona Production, El Remanso Cine Ltda) (Chile).
· "Mr. Kaplan"
(Baobab 66 Films, S.L., Salado Media, Expresso Films) (Uruguay, Spain).
· "O Lobo Atrás da Porta" (A Wolf at the Door)
(Tc Filmes, Gullane Filmes) (Brazil).
· "Os gatos não têm vertigens" (Cats Don't Have Vertigo)
(Mgn Filmes) (Portugal).
· "Pelo Malo" (Bad Hair)
(Sudaca Films, Hanfgarn & Ufer Filmproduktion, Artefactos S.F., Imagen Latina, La Sociedad Post) (Venezuela Peru, Argentina).
· "Refugiado"
(Gale Cine, Burning Blue, El Campo Cine, Staron Films, Bellota Films, Río Rojo Contenidos) (Argentina, Colombia).
. "Relatos Salvajes" (Wild Tales)
(Kramer & Sigman Films, El Deseo P.C - S.A.) (Argentina, Spain).
Premio Platino for Best Directing
Alberto Rodríguez (Spain), for "La Isla Mínima." Alejandro Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La danza de la Realidad." Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay), for "Mr Kaplan." António-Pedro Vasconcelos (Portugal), for "Os gatos não têm vertigens." Claudia Pinto (Venezuela), for "La Distancia más Larga." Damián Szifron (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Daniel Monzón (Spain), for "El Niño." Daniel Vega (Peru) and Diego Vega (Peru), for "El Mudo." Ernesto Daranas (Cuba), for "Conducta." Fernando Coimbra (Brazil), for "O lobo atrás da porta." Fernando Pérez (Cuba), "La Pared de las Palabras." Luis Estrada (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta." Mariana Rondón (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Miguel Cohan (Argentina), for "Betibú." Sebastián del Amo (Mexico), for "Cantinflas. "
Premio Platino for Best Actor
Benicio Del Toro (Puerto Rico), for Escobar. "Paraíso Perdido." Damián Alcázar (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta. Dani Rovira (Spain), for "Ocho Apellidos Vascos." Daniel Candia (Chile), for "Matar a un Hombre." Daniel Fanego (Argentina), for "Betibú." Edgar Ramírez (Venezuela), for "Libertador." Fernando Bacilio (Peru), "El Mudo." Ghilherme Lobo (Brazil), "The Way He Looks." Javier Gutiérrez (Spain), for "La Isla Mínima." Jorge Perugorría (Cuba), for "La Pared de las Palabras." Leonardo Sbaraglia (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Oscar Jaenada (Spain), by "Cantinflas." Salvador del Solar (Peru), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Viggo Mortensen (USA), for "Jauja." Wagner Moura (Brazil), for "Futuro Beach" .
Premio Platino for Best Actress
Angie Cepeda (Colombia), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Bárbara Lennie (Spain), by "Magical Girl." Carme Elías (Spain), for "La Distancia Más Larga." Elena Anaya (Spain), for "Todos Están Muertos." Érica Rivas (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Geraldine Chaplin (USA), for "Dólares de Arena." Isabel Santos (Cuba), for "La Pared de las Palabras." Julieta Díaz (Argentina), for "Refugiado." Laura de la Uz (Cuba), for "Vestido de Novia." Leandra Leal (Brazil), for "O Lobo Atrás da Porta." Maria do Céu Guerra (Portugal), for "Os gatos não têm vertigens." Martha Higareda (Mexico), for "Cásese Quien Pueda." Paulina García (Chile), for "Las Analfabetas." Samantha Castillo (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Silvia Navarro (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta. "
Premio Platino for Best Original Score
Adán Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La Danza de la Realidad." Antonio Pinto (Brazil), for "Trash. A esperança vem do lixo." Edilio Paredes (Dominican Republic), Ramón Cordero (Dominican Republic), Benjamín de Menil (Dominican Republic), for "Dólares de Arena." Federico Jusid (Argentina), for "Betibú" Gustavo Dudamel (Venezuela), for "Libertador." Gustavo Santaolalla (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Juan A. Leyva (Cuba), Magda R. Galbán (Cuba), for "Conducta." Julio de la Rosa (Spain), for "La iIsla Mínima." Mikel Salas (Spain), for "Mr Kaplan." Pedro Subercaseaux (Chile), for "Crystal Fairy y el Cactus Mágico." Ricardo Cutz (Brazil), "O lobo atrás da porta." Roque Baños (Spain), for "El Niño." Ruy Folguera (Argentina), for" Olvidados." Selma Mutal (Peru), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Vicent Barrière (France), for "La Distancia más Larga."
Premio Platino for Best Animated Film
"Até que a Sbórnia nos Separe" (Otto Desenhos Animados) (Brazil). "Dixie y la Rebelión Zombi" (Abra Prod. S.L.) (Spain) "El Ultimo Mago o Bilembambudín" (Fabula Producciones, Aleph Media S.A., Filmar Uno) (Argentina, Chile). "Historia de Cronopios y de Famas" (Prodarte) (Argentina). "La Leyenda de las Momias de Guanajuato" (Ánima Estudios, S.A. De C.V.) (Mexico). "La Tropa de Trapo en la Selva del Arcoíris" (Continental Producciones, S.L, Anera Films, S.L., Abano Producions, S.L. La Tropa De Trapo, S.L.) (Spain, Brazil). "Meñique" (Ficción Producciones, S.L., Estudios De Animación Icaic) (Cuba, Spain). "Mortadelo y Filemón Contra Jimmy el Cachondo" (Zeta Audiovisual y Películas Pendelton) (Spain). "The Boy and the World" (Filme de Papel) (Brazil). "Pichinguitos. Tgus, la Película" (Non Plus Ultra) (Mexico, Honduras). "Ritos de Passagem" (Liberato Produçoes Culturais) (Brazil).
Premio Platino for Best Documentary Film
• "¿Quién es Dayani Cristal?" (Canana Films, Pulse Films Limited) (Mexico).
"2014, Nacido en Gaza" (La Claqueta Pc, S.L.Contramedia Films) (Spain). "Avant" (Trivial Media Srl, Tarkio Film) (Uruguay, Argentina). "Buscando a Gastón" (Chiwake Films) (Peru). "E agora? Lémbra-me" (C.R.I.M. Produçoes, Presente Edições De Autor) (Portugal). "El Color que Cayó del Cielo" (K & S Films) (Argentina). "El Ojo del Tiburón" (Astronauta Films, Gema Films) (Argentina, Spain). "El Río que Nos Atraviesa" (Ochi Producciones, Maraisa Films Producciones) (Venezuela). "El Sueño de Todos" (S3d Films, Tridi Films) (Chile). "El Vals de los Inútiles" (La Pata De Juana, Cusicanqui Films) (Chile, Argentina). "Invasión" (Apertura Films, Ajimolido Films) (Panama, Argentina). "Maracaná" (Coral Cine, S.R.L., Tenfield S.A.) (Uruguay, Brazil). "The Salt of the Earth" (Decia Films) (Brazil) "Paco de Lucía. La búsqueda" (Ziggurat Films, S.L.) (Spain) "Pichuco" (Puente Films) (Argentina).
Premio Platino for Best Screenplay
Alberto Rodríguez (Spain), Rafael Cobos (Spain), for" La Isla Mínima." Alejandro Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La Danza de la Realidad." Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay), for "Mr. Kaplan." Anahí Berneri (Argentina), Javier Van Couter (Argentina), for "Aire Libre." Carlos Vermut (Spain), for "Magical Girl." Claudia Pinto (Venezuela), for "La Distancia Más Larga." Damián Szifron (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Daniel Ribeiro (Brazil), for "The Way He Looks." Daniel Vega (Peru), Diego Vega (Peru), for "El Mudo." Ernesto Daranas (Cuba), for "Conducta." Fernando Coimbra (Brazil), for "O lobo atrás da porta." Luis Arambilet (Dominican Republic), for "Código Paz." Luis Estrada (Mexico), Jaime Sampietro (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta." Mariana Rondón (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Tiago Santos (Portugal) for "Os gatos não têm vertigens. "
Premio Platino for Best Ibero-American Fiction Debut
"10.000 Km," by Carlos Marqués- Marcet (Lastor Media, S.L., La Panda) (Spain). "23 segundos," by Dimitry Rudakov (Clever Producciones) (Uruguay). "Branco sai, preto fica," by Adirley Queirós (Cinco Da Norte Serviços Audiovisuais) (Brazil). "Ciencias Naturales," by Matías Lucchesi (Tarea Fina, Metaluna Productions) (Argentina). "Código Paz," by Pedro Urrutia (One Alliance Srl) (Dominican Republic). "Feriado" by Diego Araujo (Cepa Audiovisual S.R.L., Abacafilms, S.A., Lunafilms Audiovisual) (Ecuador, Argentina). Historias del Canal (Hypatia Films, Manglar Films, Tvn Films and Wp Films) (Panama). "La Distancia Más Larga," by Claudia Pinto (Castro Producciones Cinematograficas, S.L.U., Sin Rodeos Films C.A., Claudia Lepage) (Venezuela). "Las Vacas con Gafas," by Alex Santiago Pérez (Cozy Light Pictures) (Puerto Rico). "Luna de Cigarras," by Jorge Bedoya (Oima Films, Koreko Gua, S.R.L., Sabate Films) (Paraguay). "Mateo," by Maria Gamboa (Hangar Filmsdiafragma, Fabrica De Peliculas, Cine Sud Promotion) (Colombia). "Perro Guardian," by Bacha Caravedo, Chinón Higashionna (Señor Z)(Peru). "Vestido de Novia," by Marilyn Solaya (Icaic) (Cuba). "Visitantes," by Acan Coen (Sobrevivientes Films, Akira Producciones, Nodancingtoday) (Mexico). "Volantín Cortao," by Diego Ayala and Aníbal Jofré (Gallinazo Films) (Chile)...
During the press conference Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo will announce the recipient of the Premio de Honor (Lifetime Achievement Award). In addition Rick Nicita, Chairman of the American Cinematheque, will accept a special Platino Award to The American Cinematheque for its contribution to Iberoamerican Cinema.
Produced by Egeda, in collaboration with Fipca, the Premios Platino of Iberoamerican Cinema was born with the vocation to establish itself as a major international ceremony, promoting Latin American cinema as a whole and transcending borders. It is one of the most important tools to promote and support our film industry and all the professionals who, day after day, put forth all their effort and commitment so that audiences can enjoy the best films.
The candidates for the 2nd Platino Awards (Premios Platino) were announced during the 18th Málaga Film Festival in Spain. 73 feature films and 18 Ibero- American countries compete for the final nominations in the 14 categories for this prestigious award. The competing films had to be commercially released or premiered in an A-List Film Festival during 2014. The final nominations will be announced tomorrow at the Andaz Hotel West Hollywood. The Premios Platino Award Ceremony will take place on July 18, 2015 at Starlite Marbella in Spain.
As part of the same event The Premios Platino has distinguished the Málaga Film Festival with a special award for its contribution to the circulation and promotion of Spanish and Ibero- American cinema.
Here is the list of preselected candidates in each category ahead of tomorrow's final nominations
Premio Platino for the Best Ibero-American Fictional Film
· "Cantinflas"
(Kenio Films) (Mexico).
· "Conducta" (Behavior)
(Instituto Cubano Del Arte E Industria Cinematográfica, Rtv Comercial) (Cuba).
· "El Mudo" (The Mute)
(Maretazo Cine, Urban Factory) (Peru, Mexico).
· "El Niño"
(Vaca Films Studio, S.L., Telecinco Cinema, S.A., Ikiru Films, S.L., La Ferme! Productions, El Niño la película, A.I.E.) (Spain).
· "La Danza de la Realidad" (The Dance of Reality)
(Camera One, Pathe Y Le Soleil Films) (Chile).
· "La Dictadura Perfecta" (The Perfect Dictatorship)
(Imcine - Instituto Mexicano De Cinematografía, Estudios Churubusco Azteca, S.A., Bandidos Films, Fidecine, Eficine 226) (Mexico).
· "La Isla Mínima" (Marshland)
(Antena 3 Films, S.L., Atípica Films, S.L. y Sacromonte Films S.L.) (Spain).
· "Libertador" (The Liberator)
(Producciones Insurgentes, San Mateo Films) (Venezuela, Spain).
· "Matar a un Hombre" (To Kill a Man)
(Arizona Production, El Remanso Cine Ltda) (Chile).
· "Mr. Kaplan"
(Baobab 66 Films, S.L., Salado Media, Expresso Films) (Uruguay, Spain).
· "O Lobo Atrás da Porta" (A Wolf at the Door)
(Tc Filmes, Gullane Filmes) (Brazil).
· "Os gatos não têm vertigens" (Cats Don't Have Vertigo)
(Mgn Filmes) (Portugal).
· "Pelo Malo" (Bad Hair)
(Sudaca Films, Hanfgarn & Ufer Filmproduktion, Artefactos S.F., Imagen Latina, La Sociedad Post) (Venezuela Peru, Argentina).
· "Refugiado"
(Gale Cine, Burning Blue, El Campo Cine, Staron Films, Bellota Films, Río Rojo Contenidos) (Argentina, Colombia).
. "Relatos Salvajes" (Wild Tales)
(Kramer & Sigman Films, El Deseo P.C - S.A.) (Argentina, Spain).
Premio Platino for Best Directing
Alberto Rodríguez (Spain), for "La Isla Mínima." Alejandro Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La danza de la Realidad." Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay), for "Mr Kaplan." António-Pedro Vasconcelos (Portugal), for "Os gatos não têm vertigens." Claudia Pinto (Venezuela), for "La Distancia más Larga." Damián Szifron (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Daniel Monzón (Spain), for "El Niño." Daniel Vega (Peru) and Diego Vega (Peru), for "El Mudo." Ernesto Daranas (Cuba), for "Conducta." Fernando Coimbra (Brazil), for "O lobo atrás da porta." Fernando Pérez (Cuba), "La Pared de las Palabras." Luis Estrada (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta." Mariana Rondón (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Miguel Cohan (Argentina), for "Betibú." Sebastián del Amo (Mexico), for "Cantinflas. "
Premio Platino for Best Actor
Benicio Del Toro (Puerto Rico), for Escobar. "Paraíso Perdido." Damián Alcázar (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta. Dani Rovira (Spain), for "Ocho Apellidos Vascos." Daniel Candia (Chile), for "Matar a un Hombre." Daniel Fanego (Argentina), for "Betibú." Edgar Ramírez (Venezuela), for "Libertador." Fernando Bacilio (Peru), "El Mudo." Ghilherme Lobo (Brazil), "The Way He Looks." Javier Gutiérrez (Spain), for "La Isla Mínima." Jorge Perugorría (Cuba), for "La Pared de las Palabras." Leonardo Sbaraglia (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Oscar Jaenada (Spain), by "Cantinflas." Salvador del Solar (Peru), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Viggo Mortensen (USA), for "Jauja." Wagner Moura (Brazil), for "Futuro Beach" .
Premio Platino for Best Actress
Angie Cepeda (Colombia), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Bárbara Lennie (Spain), by "Magical Girl." Carme Elías (Spain), for "La Distancia Más Larga." Elena Anaya (Spain), for "Todos Están Muertos." Érica Rivas (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Geraldine Chaplin (USA), for "Dólares de Arena." Isabel Santos (Cuba), for "La Pared de las Palabras." Julieta Díaz (Argentina), for "Refugiado." Laura de la Uz (Cuba), for "Vestido de Novia." Leandra Leal (Brazil), for "O Lobo Atrás da Porta." Maria do Céu Guerra (Portugal), for "Os gatos não têm vertigens." Martha Higareda (Mexico), for "Cásese Quien Pueda." Paulina García (Chile), for "Las Analfabetas." Samantha Castillo (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Silvia Navarro (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta. "
Premio Platino for Best Original Score
Adán Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La Danza de la Realidad." Antonio Pinto (Brazil), for "Trash. A esperança vem do lixo." Edilio Paredes (Dominican Republic), Ramón Cordero (Dominican Republic), Benjamín de Menil (Dominican Republic), for "Dólares de Arena." Federico Jusid (Argentina), for "Betibú" Gustavo Dudamel (Venezuela), for "Libertador." Gustavo Santaolalla (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Juan A. Leyva (Cuba), Magda R. Galbán (Cuba), for "Conducta." Julio de la Rosa (Spain), for "La iIsla Mínima." Mikel Salas (Spain), for "Mr Kaplan." Pedro Subercaseaux (Chile), for "Crystal Fairy y el Cactus Mágico." Ricardo Cutz (Brazil), "O lobo atrás da porta." Roque Baños (Spain), for "El Niño." Ruy Folguera (Argentina), for" Olvidados." Selma Mutal (Peru), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Vicent Barrière (France), for "La Distancia más Larga."
Premio Platino for Best Animated Film
"Até que a Sbórnia nos Separe" (Otto Desenhos Animados) (Brazil). "Dixie y la Rebelión Zombi" (Abra Prod. S.L.) (Spain) "El Ultimo Mago o Bilembambudín" (Fabula Producciones, Aleph Media S.A., Filmar Uno) (Argentina, Chile). "Historia de Cronopios y de Famas" (Prodarte) (Argentina). "La Leyenda de las Momias de Guanajuato" (Ánima Estudios, S.A. De C.V.) (Mexico). "La Tropa de Trapo en la Selva del Arcoíris" (Continental Producciones, S.L, Anera Films, S.L., Abano Producions, S.L. La Tropa De Trapo, S.L.) (Spain, Brazil). "Meñique" (Ficción Producciones, S.L., Estudios De Animación Icaic) (Cuba, Spain). "Mortadelo y Filemón Contra Jimmy el Cachondo" (Zeta Audiovisual y Películas Pendelton) (Spain). "The Boy and the World" (Filme de Papel) (Brazil). "Pichinguitos. Tgus, la Película" (Non Plus Ultra) (Mexico, Honduras). "Ritos de Passagem" (Liberato Produçoes Culturais) (Brazil).
Premio Platino for Best Documentary Film
• "¿Quién es Dayani Cristal?" (Canana Films, Pulse Films Limited) (Mexico).
"2014, Nacido en Gaza" (La Claqueta Pc, S.L.Contramedia Films) (Spain). "Avant" (Trivial Media Srl, Tarkio Film) (Uruguay, Argentina). "Buscando a Gastón" (Chiwake Films) (Peru). "E agora? Lémbra-me" (C.R.I.M. Produçoes, Presente Edições De Autor) (Portugal). "El Color que Cayó del Cielo" (K & S Films) (Argentina). "El Ojo del Tiburón" (Astronauta Films, Gema Films) (Argentina, Spain). "El Río que Nos Atraviesa" (Ochi Producciones, Maraisa Films Producciones) (Venezuela). "El Sueño de Todos" (S3d Films, Tridi Films) (Chile). "El Vals de los Inútiles" (La Pata De Juana, Cusicanqui Films) (Chile, Argentina). "Invasión" (Apertura Films, Ajimolido Films) (Panama, Argentina). "Maracaná" (Coral Cine, S.R.L., Tenfield S.A.) (Uruguay, Brazil). "The Salt of the Earth" (Decia Films) (Brazil) "Paco de Lucía. La búsqueda" (Ziggurat Films, S.L.) (Spain) "Pichuco" (Puente Films) (Argentina).
Premio Platino for Best Screenplay
Alberto Rodríguez (Spain), Rafael Cobos (Spain), for" La Isla Mínima." Alejandro Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La Danza de la Realidad." Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay), for "Mr. Kaplan." Anahí Berneri (Argentina), Javier Van Couter (Argentina), for "Aire Libre." Carlos Vermut (Spain), for "Magical Girl." Claudia Pinto (Venezuela), for "La Distancia Más Larga." Damián Szifron (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Daniel Ribeiro (Brazil), for "The Way He Looks." Daniel Vega (Peru), Diego Vega (Peru), for "El Mudo." Ernesto Daranas (Cuba), for "Conducta." Fernando Coimbra (Brazil), for "O lobo atrás da porta." Luis Arambilet (Dominican Republic), for "Código Paz." Luis Estrada (Mexico), Jaime Sampietro (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta." Mariana Rondón (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Tiago Santos (Portugal) for "Os gatos não têm vertigens. "
Premio Platino for Best Ibero-American Fiction Debut
"10.000 Km," by Carlos Marqués- Marcet (Lastor Media, S.L., La Panda) (Spain). "23 segundos," by Dimitry Rudakov (Clever Producciones) (Uruguay). "Branco sai, preto fica," by Adirley Queirós (Cinco Da Norte Serviços Audiovisuais) (Brazil). "Ciencias Naturales," by Matías Lucchesi (Tarea Fina, Metaluna Productions) (Argentina). "Código Paz," by Pedro Urrutia (One Alliance Srl) (Dominican Republic). "Feriado" by Diego Araujo (Cepa Audiovisual S.R.L., Abacafilms, S.A., Lunafilms Audiovisual) (Ecuador, Argentina). Historias del Canal (Hypatia Films, Manglar Films, Tvn Films and Wp Films) (Panama). "La Distancia Más Larga," by Claudia Pinto (Castro Producciones Cinematograficas, S.L.U., Sin Rodeos Films C.A., Claudia Lepage) (Venezuela). "Las Vacas con Gafas," by Alex Santiago Pérez (Cozy Light Pictures) (Puerto Rico). "Luna de Cigarras," by Jorge Bedoya (Oima Films, Koreko Gua, S.R.L., Sabate Films) (Paraguay). "Mateo," by Maria Gamboa (Hangar Filmsdiafragma, Fabrica De Peliculas, Cine Sud Promotion) (Colombia). "Perro Guardian," by Bacha Caravedo, Chinón Higashionna (Señor Z)(Peru). "Vestido de Novia," by Marilyn Solaya (Icaic) (Cuba). "Visitantes," by Acan Coen (Sobrevivientes Films, Akira Producciones, Nodancingtoday) (Mexico). "Volantín Cortao," by Diego Ayala and Aníbal Jofré (Gallinazo Films) (Chile)...
- 5/26/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Read More: Cannes Reveals This Year's Critics' Week Lineup; SXSW Winner 'Krisha' Makes the Cut Stunning imagery and an assured tone characterize the debut trailer for "La tierra y la sombra," the Colombian film set to premiere in the Critics' Week competition at Cannes later this month. Director César Augusto Acevedo explores family, redemption and the ghosts of the past in this anticipated directorial debut. The movie is produced by Burning Blue, the company responsible for many of the internationally-successful Colombian films of recent years, including "La Playa D.C" and "Los Hongos." The film's official synopsis reads: "Alfonso is an old farmer who has returned home to tend to his son, who is gravely ill. He rediscovers his old house, where the woman who was once his wife still lives, with his daughter-in-law and grandson. The landscape that awaits him resembles a wasteland. Vast sugar cane plantations surround the house,...
- 5/7/2015
- by David Canfield
- Indiewire
Following the unveling of the Official Selection, news from the Cannes Film Festival (May 13-24) continues to arrive. The prestigious Critics' Week –aimed at discovering the world's most interesting directors– announced the list of films to be included in the 54th edition of this event, one of the Festival's most important, along with the Directors' Fortnight.
The big news for Colombia is the selection of director/screenwriter César Augusto Acevedo's first film, "La Tierra y la Sombra" (Land and Shade), one of the seven feature films chosen to compete from among 1,100 submissions from around the world. The film was produced by Jorge Forero, Paola Pérez Nieto and Diana Bustamante, partners and founding members of Burning Blue, the production company responsible for some of the most internationally recognized films to come out of Colombia in recent years ("El vuelco del Cangrejo," "La Playa D.C," "La Sirga," "Solecito," "Los Hongos," "Climas," "Refugiado," and many others).
In "La Tierra y la Sombra," a woman refuses to give up the land she has fought to defend all her life; a son is incapable of leaving his mother, to the point of risking his own life; a father must confront past mistakes in order to recover the loved ones he abandoned; a brave wife fights to save her family; and a child grows up in the midst of devastation. Staged in a family microcosm –a tiny house and a tree surrounded by a formidable sugar cane filed–, the film presents the final days of these characters intent on repairing the fragile ties that bind them as they face their own imminent demise in the overwhelming wake of progress. Out of this situation comes a cruel story, densely populated with metaphors and allegories for culture, the fatality of alienation and oblivion, the fragility of memory, the inevitability of family breakdown, and the solitude it provokes.
The film was produced by Burning Blue (Colombia) in co-production with Ciné-Sud Promotion (France), Tokapi Films (Holland), Rampante Films (Chile), and Preta Portê Filmes (Brazil). In addition to director/screenwriter Cesar Acevedo, the film's crew included cinematographer Mateo Guzmán; editor Miguel Schverdfinger; art director Marcela Gómez; actor trainer Fátima Toledo; and soundman Felipe Rayo. The film stars Haimer Leal as Alfonso; Hilda Ruiz as Alicia; Edison Raigosa as Alfonso's and Alicia's son Gerardo; Marleyda Soto as Gerardo's wife Esperanza; and Felipe Cárdenas as Gerardo's and Esperanza's son Manuel.
According to César Acevedo: "The idea for this film was born of personal pain. At the time I began writing the screenplay my mother was dead, my father was a ghost, and given my inability to generate memories, they seemed completely lost to me. Thus arose my need to make a film that would allow me to recover the two most important people in my life, using the language of film. What I intended at the time was a reflection on our lives together, and what they might have been, based on the most private, the most important elements of this relationship. I believed that only by returning to my roots would I be able to face what I'd forgotten. This led to my decision to create a microcosm consisting of a small house and a tree, where I could somehow be reunited with those I loved most."
That was just the beginning, however, and the film couldn't remain tied to this initial concept with time tugging it in another direction. Acevedo continues: "As I began writing the screenplay I realized that the house was inhabited by ghosts, who drifted through the rooms, incapable of speech, unrecognizable to each other. It took a long time to accept that what I was trying to accomplish was impossible, simply because everything I was looking for had disappeared with them. So I distanced myself from the original intention with the sole purpose of better developing my characters and the film's conflict and the idea arose of telling the story of a dysfunctional family's attempt to repair the ties that bind them, just before being separated for good. Not only are they forced to confront the feelings of others, but, more challenging still, they discover feelings they never knew existed, or never suspected they harbored. "
Burning Blue: Spearheading the Internationalization of Colombian Cinema
After participating in the 65th Berlin Film Festival's Forum less than two months ago with Jorge Forero's film "Violence," Burning Blue is proud to announces the inclusion of "La Tierra y la Sombra" in the Cannes Festival's Critics' Week. This selection confirms Burning Blue's role as key Colombian representative in major film events around the world.
Burning Blue's efforts to produce daring films focusing on the value and power of stories, and construction of self-sustaining formats to achieve significant results internationally, allowing Colombian films to be seen worldwide, are examples of the creativity and innovation in Latin America productions and prove that Burning Blue has succeeded in asserting itself in a depressed market with a new vision that provides transcendent stories.
The successful start-up of a co-production model allowing films to work with partners in France, Germany, Poland and Holland –not to mention Latin America, where they have co-produced with Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Brazil; the presence of the company's films in more than 200 festivals, with commercial releases in countries like the Us, Greece, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Eastern Europe, and several African nations (as well as co-producing countries); an the company's presence at the Cannes Film Festival in four consecutive years (co-producers of Argentine director Diego Lerman's "Refugiado" in 2014; co-producers of Oscar Ruíz Navia's short film "Solecito" at the 2013 Director's Fortnight; and producers of William Vega's "La Sirga" and Juan Andrés Arango's "La Playa D.C." included in the 2012 Director's Fortnight and Certain Regard sections, respectively) make Burning Blue Colombia's most visible presence on the global film market.
Although Burning Blue has achieved major recognition for its films on the international market, the company aspires, above all, to participate in the creation of films by and for Colombians and, in even more romantically ambitious terms, the creation of Latin American cinema for the Latin American subcontinent. The stories told, therefore, speak profoundly of the continent's many different peoples and uncover the traditions, imagery, dreams, desires, fears and problems facing these richly diverse, passionate, and complex cultures. To this end, Burning Blue hopes to harness the favorable international attention garnered to date to continually ignite local interest, using international platforms as a springboard to its natural audience: Colombia.
Burning Blue, led by Diana Bustamante, Jorge Forero and Paola Pérez Nieto, is currently developing the feature films "Asilo" (Jaime Osorio Márquez), in co-production with Rhayuela Cine, "Desobsesión" (Jorge Navas), and the co-production "Niño Nadie" (Fernando Guzzoni), produced for Chile's Rampante Films.
Diana Bustamante produced Ciro Guerra's "Los Viajes del Viento" (included in the 2009 Cannes Festival's Certain Regard section) and Oscar Ruiz Navia's "El vuelco del cangrejo" (2009 Toronto Film Festival premiere and Fripresci Award at the 2010 Berlinale Festival and Forum). She also designed and managed Caracol Television's film department from 2008 to 2012, taking more than 20 Colombian feature films from the financing to final promotion stages. She recently became the artistic director of the Cartagena International Film Festival (Ficci), contributing to the success of the festival's 55th edition last March, and is currently working on the 2016 festival.
"La Tierra y la Sombra" - Nothing But Success
The process of creating and financing "La Tierra y la Sombra" allowed the film to mature with assistance from specialists, tutors, and evaluation committees at a number of national and international institutions and festivals, each of them helping to move the film towards its world premiere at the upcoming Cannes Festival.
During the project's development stage it won a development grant from Colombia's Film Development Fund in 2009 and was selected the following year to participate in the Pitch Workshop at Colombia's Cali Film Festival. The project also took part in the Ibero-American Films Crossing Borders event at the 2010 Havana Film Festival and the 2012 Ibero-American Co-Production Meeting at the Huelva Film Festival in Spain.
It was, however, in 2013 that the project became a reality, winning at the Cartagena International Film Festival's Co-Production Meeting, which made it possible to attend the Cannes Marché Du Film. The film went on to win a Casa de las Américas Film Project Development grant from the Carolina Foundation and a production grant from Colombia's Film Development Fund. Also in 2013, the Hubert Bals Fund awarded the project a development grant and the San Sebastian Film Festival selected it for the Co-Production Forum.
The final push came in 2014 when the project was invited to participate in Boost! at the Rotterdam Film Festival in Holland and received production grants from both the Ibermedia and Hubert Bals Funds. Shooting took place in late 2014 with post-production following in early 2015 and, finally, the film's submission, in the company of another 1,100 feature films, to the Cannes Festival.
The big news for Colombia is the selection of director/screenwriter César Augusto Acevedo's first film, "La Tierra y la Sombra" (Land and Shade), one of the seven feature films chosen to compete from among 1,100 submissions from around the world. The film was produced by Jorge Forero, Paola Pérez Nieto and Diana Bustamante, partners and founding members of Burning Blue, the production company responsible for some of the most internationally recognized films to come out of Colombia in recent years ("El vuelco del Cangrejo," "La Playa D.C," "La Sirga," "Solecito," "Los Hongos," "Climas," "Refugiado," and many others).
In "La Tierra y la Sombra," a woman refuses to give up the land she has fought to defend all her life; a son is incapable of leaving his mother, to the point of risking his own life; a father must confront past mistakes in order to recover the loved ones he abandoned; a brave wife fights to save her family; and a child grows up in the midst of devastation. Staged in a family microcosm –a tiny house and a tree surrounded by a formidable sugar cane filed–, the film presents the final days of these characters intent on repairing the fragile ties that bind them as they face their own imminent demise in the overwhelming wake of progress. Out of this situation comes a cruel story, densely populated with metaphors and allegories for culture, the fatality of alienation and oblivion, the fragility of memory, the inevitability of family breakdown, and the solitude it provokes.
The film was produced by Burning Blue (Colombia) in co-production with Ciné-Sud Promotion (France), Tokapi Films (Holland), Rampante Films (Chile), and Preta Portê Filmes (Brazil). In addition to director/screenwriter Cesar Acevedo, the film's crew included cinematographer Mateo Guzmán; editor Miguel Schverdfinger; art director Marcela Gómez; actor trainer Fátima Toledo; and soundman Felipe Rayo. The film stars Haimer Leal as Alfonso; Hilda Ruiz as Alicia; Edison Raigosa as Alfonso's and Alicia's son Gerardo; Marleyda Soto as Gerardo's wife Esperanza; and Felipe Cárdenas as Gerardo's and Esperanza's son Manuel.
According to César Acevedo: "The idea for this film was born of personal pain. At the time I began writing the screenplay my mother was dead, my father was a ghost, and given my inability to generate memories, they seemed completely lost to me. Thus arose my need to make a film that would allow me to recover the two most important people in my life, using the language of film. What I intended at the time was a reflection on our lives together, and what they might have been, based on the most private, the most important elements of this relationship. I believed that only by returning to my roots would I be able to face what I'd forgotten. This led to my decision to create a microcosm consisting of a small house and a tree, where I could somehow be reunited with those I loved most."
That was just the beginning, however, and the film couldn't remain tied to this initial concept with time tugging it in another direction. Acevedo continues: "As I began writing the screenplay I realized that the house was inhabited by ghosts, who drifted through the rooms, incapable of speech, unrecognizable to each other. It took a long time to accept that what I was trying to accomplish was impossible, simply because everything I was looking for had disappeared with them. So I distanced myself from the original intention with the sole purpose of better developing my characters and the film's conflict and the idea arose of telling the story of a dysfunctional family's attempt to repair the ties that bind them, just before being separated for good. Not only are they forced to confront the feelings of others, but, more challenging still, they discover feelings they never knew existed, or never suspected they harbored. "
Burning Blue: Spearheading the Internationalization of Colombian Cinema
After participating in the 65th Berlin Film Festival's Forum less than two months ago with Jorge Forero's film "Violence," Burning Blue is proud to announces the inclusion of "La Tierra y la Sombra" in the Cannes Festival's Critics' Week. This selection confirms Burning Blue's role as key Colombian representative in major film events around the world.
Burning Blue's efforts to produce daring films focusing on the value and power of stories, and construction of self-sustaining formats to achieve significant results internationally, allowing Colombian films to be seen worldwide, are examples of the creativity and innovation in Latin America productions and prove that Burning Blue has succeeded in asserting itself in a depressed market with a new vision that provides transcendent stories.
The successful start-up of a co-production model allowing films to work with partners in France, Germany, Poland and Holland –not to mention Latin America, where they have co-produced with Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Brazil; the presence of the company's films in more than 200 festivals, with commercial releases in countries like the Us, Greece, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Eastern Europe, and several African nations (as well as co-producing countries); an the company's presence at the Cannes Film Festival in four consecutive years (co-producers of Argentine director Diego Lerman's "Refugiado" in 2014; co-producers of Oscar Ruíz Navia's short film "Solecito" at the 2013 Director's Fortnight; and producers of William Vega's "La Sirga" and Juan Andrés Arango's "La Playa D.C." included in the 2012 Director's Fortnight and Certain Regard sections, respectively) make Burning Blue Colombia's most visible presence on the global film market.
Although Burning Blue has achieved major recognition for its films on the international market, the company aspires, above all, to participate in the creation of films by and for Colombians and, in even more romantically ambitious terms, the creation of Latin American cinema for the Latin American subcontinent. The stories told, therefore, speak profoundly of the continent's many different peoples and uncover the traditions, imagery, dreams, desires, fears and problems facing these richly diverse, passionate, and complex cultures. To this end, Burning Blue hopes to harness the favorable international attention garnered to date to continually ignite local interest, using international platforms as a springboard to its natural audience: Colombia.
Burning Blue, led by Diana Bustamante, Jorge Forero and Paola Pérez Nieto, is currently developing the feature films "Asilo" (Jaime Osorio Márquez), in co-production with Rhayuela Cine, "Desobsesión" (Jorge Navas), and the co-production "Niño Nadie" (Fernando Guzzoni), produced for Chile's Rampante Films.
Diana Bustamante produced Ciro Guerra's "Los Viajes del Viento" (included in the 2009 Cannes Festival's Certain Regard section) and Oscar Ruiz Navia's "El vuelco del cangrejo" (2009 Toronto Film Festival premiere and Fripresci Award at the 2010 Berlinale Festival and Forum). She also designed and managed Caracol Television's film department from 2008 to 2012, taking more than 20 Colombian feature films from the financing to final promotion stages. She recently became the artistic director of the Cartagena International Film Festival (Ficci), contributing to the success of the festival's 55th edition last March, and is currently working on the 2016 festival.
"La Tierra y la Sombra" - Nothing But Success
The process of creating and financing "La Tierra y la Sombra" allowed the film to mature with assistance from specialists, tutors, and evaluation committees at a number of national and international institutions and festivals, each of them helping to move the film towards its world premiere at the upcoming Cannes Festival.
During the project's development stage it won a development grant from Colombia's Film Development Fund in 2009 and was selected the following year to participate in the Pitch Workshop at Colombia's Cali Film Festival. The project also took part in the Ibero-American Films Crossing Borders event at the 2010 Havana Film Festival and the 2012 Ibero-American Co-Production Meeting at the Huelva Film Festival in Spain.
It was, however, in 2013 that the project became a reality, winning at the Cartagena International Film Festival's Co-Production Meeting, which made it possible to attend the Cannes Marché Du Film. The film went on to win a Casa de las Américas Film Project Development grant from the Carolina Foundation and a production grant from Colombia's Film Development Fund. Also in 2013, the Hubert Bals Fund awarded the project a development grant and the San Sebastian Film Festival selected it for the Co-Production Forum.
The final push came in 2014 when the project was invited to participate in Boost! at the Rotterdam Film Festival in Holland and received production grants from both the Ibermedia and Hubert Bals Funds. Shooting took place in late 2014 with post-production following in early 2015 and, finally, the film's submission, in the company of another 1,100 feature films, to the Cannes Festival.
- 4/27/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Colombian filmmaker, Ciro Guerra announced that his next film,"Embrace of the Serpent”, due out next year, will star U.S. actor Brionne Davis (“Savaged”) and Belgium’s Jan Bijvoet, the lead in Cannes Competition entry “Borgman” a really creepy dark comedy. Two other stars are non-pro actors, Nilbio Torres, from the Cubeo Vaupes people, and Antonio Bolivar, one of the last of the Ocainas. Both are from tribes living in the Amazon where this film will shoot in Mitu, San Jose del Guaviare and Puerto Inirida. As in his previous film “The Wind Journeys”, landscape will play a major role. “Embrace of the Serpent” draws inspiration from the travel journals of German ethnologist Theodor Koch-Grunberg and American Richard Evans Schultes, a celebrated pioneer researcher into indigenous peoples’ use of plants.
His "The Wind Journeys" was produced by our German friends Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner at Razor Film Production, by Burning Blue's prolific Diana Bustamente -- who is now also heading the Carthagena Film Festival. It received some funds from Films From the South in Norway. It premiered in 2009 Cannes Un Certain Regard and was sold by Paris’ Elle Driver to 19 countries including Film Movement for North America, Madman for Australia, Eye, Film 1 and Sundance Channel for The Netherlands, Interior 13 Cine for Mexico, Cine Ojo for Argentina, Rcn CIne and Cineplex for Colombia, Camera for Denmark, Arthaus for Norway.
Guerra's next project "Taganga” was chosen to be in the Coproduction Forum in Los Cabos this past November. "Taganga" is about a fisherman from a small village by the Colombian coast where many foreign-owned scuba diving centers have been established. A new law requiring local fisherman to change the motors of their boats forces him to earn quick money, so he chooses to dynamite to fish. The owner of the largest scuba diving center opposes this use of explosives. When the fisherman receives a death threat if he continues the dynamiting of fish, he assumes the center's owner is behind the threat. In order to prove it, he begins a series of fateful actions.
Here is the official image of "Embrace of the Serpent"...
His "The Wind Journeys" was produced by our German friends Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner at Razor Film Production, by Burning Blue's prolific Diana Bustamente -- who is now also heading the Carthagena Film Festival. It received some funds from Films From the South in Norway. It premiered in 2009 Cannes Un Certain Regard and was sold by Paris’ Elle Driver to 19 countries including Film Movement for North America, Madman for Australia, Eye, Film 1 and Sundance Channel for The Netherlands, Interior 13 Cine for Mexico, Cine Ojo for Argentina, Rcn CIne and Cineplex for Colombia, Camera for Denmark, Arthaus for Norway.
Guerra's next project "Taganga” was chosen to be in the Coproduction Forum in Los Cabos this past November. "Taganga" is about a fisherman from a small village by the Colombian coast where many foreign-owned scuba diving centers have been established. A new law requiring local fisherman to change the motors of their boats forces him to earn quick money, so he chooses to dynamite to fish. The owner of the largest scuba diving center opposes this use of explosives. When the fisherman receives a death threat if he continues the dynamiting of fish, he assumes the center's owner is behind the threat. In order to prove it, he begins a series of fateful actions.
Here is the official image of "Embrace of the Serpent"...
- 12/31/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Happy Birthday, Tammy Blanchard Blanchard was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for her performance in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and is best known for her portrayal of the young Judy Garland in 'Life With Judy Garland Me and My Shadows' Emmy Award, Golden Globe and AFI nominations. Her Broadway credits include Gypsy Tony nomination, Theatre World Award. She was most recently seen in the film Moneyball. Blanchard's other film credits include The Good Shepherd, Bella, Cadillac Records and Rabbit Hole, and she recently completed The Music Never Stopped, Certainty, Union Square and Burning Blue. Her television credits include 'A Gifted Man', 'We Were the Mulvaneys,' 'Sybil,' 'Living Proof,' 'Amish Grace,' 'The Good Wife,' 'Law amp Order Svu', 'Guiding Light', and the original Lifetime TV movie, 'Of Two Minds.'...
- 12/14/2014
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Los Cabos International Film Festival took place this month of November. It was a brave move to keep it going after Cabo had been so hard hit by Hurricane Odile with winds of 125mph less than a month earlier. The vast destruction in our part of town was quickly being repaired though traces remained visible and repairs still to be done necessitated cutting the normal invitation list by half and doubling up hotel rooms for a few unlucky journalists. That being said, there were 15,000 attending the festival. Volunteers wore the worthy words on their t-shirts: #Unstoppable, and they were that.
For all the infrastructure problems of the city in the midst of rebuilding itself, the festival seemed to thrive with all sorts of invitees showing up from all over the world. It seemed like gala events, panels, master classes, coproduction meetings, works in progress, screenings and interviews were constantly taking place. It was a great team and we all felt part of it.
The festival is overseen by the executive board members Eduardo Sánchez Navarro, Alfonso Pascal Barcenas, Scott Cross and Sean Cross (who also founded Vail Film Festival) and is organized by the festival team of Alonso Aguilar (General Director), Alejandra Paulin (General Coordinator) - who was a great market director in Guadajalara before coming here, Maru Garzon (Head of Programming), Ana Molinar Trujillo (Communication Manager), and Monica Herrera (Film Programmer). My friend from Guadalajara, normally an English teacher, Fabian Cruz was also there working for the festival.
When Eduardo Sánchez Navarro Redo remembers how he first came to Los Cabos, there is no doubt in his mind that destiny and luck played an important part. When he married his wife 30 years ago, he decided to travel along the entire Pacific Coast, from Acapulco to Mazatlan, where he crossed over to La Paz eventually driving to Los Cabos. The beauty of the area impressed him and it was during this trip that he and his wife decided to buy a vacation home in Los Cabos, thus beginning a distinguished career as a principal player and developer of what is Los Cabos today. Over the course of more than 20 years, his company, Grupo Questro, has emerged as one of the most highly respected developers in all of Mexico. He, together with Juan Gallardo Thurlow, Scott Cross, and Sean Cross, founded the festival in 2012.
My job as a journalist was to explore and write, hard to do when you are having such fun 24/7. We journalists were all in one hotel where we were given space and time to bond. Travel writers mixed with trade writers: from Film Journal David Noh, whose article is worth sharing here, my colleagues Peter Rainer from NPR and Christian Science Monitor, Anne Thompson from Thompson on Hollywood on Indiewire, Godfrey Cheshire of RogerEbert.com and many others met and mixed. Also Ira Deutchman of Colombia University Film School and Emerging Pictures and Robin Brock of Creative Coalition were there with time to share dinners.
The filmmakers, in another hotel, mixed by day and at the communal lunches and parties. I will write more on them in an upcoming blog! After all, filmmakers are the backbone of our industry. Without them, we have nothing!
The agents, mostly from CAA, were placed in another hotel, luxurious and far away. As someone said, Cabos is like Cannes, only in November. If so, perhaps they were at the Eden Roc in Cap d’Antibes. (Actually they were at Hacienda Beach Club & Residences) CAA has always been an honored part of this festival. I have heard that that is because someone with lots of money from Mexico invests it in cinema through CAA and even started the festival. That is, however, pure conjecture. Under the guidance of CAA agent, Micah Green, people can be assured that the directions he sees and the decisions he makes about investing private individuals' capital into filmed entertainment is priceless. I could think of no one I would trust more --in this untrustworthy business we are in-- than Micah.
At least two other agents – Bec Smith and Rena Ronson from UTA -- were also there. Rena and Micah were on the Film Financing Panel moderated by Variety’s expert in all things Iberoamerican and my idol, John Hopewell. Other participants on the Film Finance Panel were Jonathan King, Evp of Production at Jeff Skoll’s Participant Media whose partnership with Canana formed Participant PanAmerican production fund. “No” by Pablo Lorrain was their first investment. Pp also financed "El Ardor" which played in Cannes and “Cesar Chavez”, directed by Diego Luna. Also on the panel were Mark Musselman of Canada’s 10X2yinc, the exec producer of “Eastern Promises” and most recently of “Remember” by Atom Egoyan which was also produced by Robert Lantos and son, also in Los Cabos. It went into production in 2014 and is tipped for Cannes. Other panelists included Raul Del Alto of Mexico’s Ag Studios (Itaca Films Mexico, Itaca Films USA, Itaca Films Colombia and Itaca Filkms Brazil, and Rena Ronson of UTA who, like Micah Green of CAA focuses on global film finance, distribution and marketing strategies for Independents and co-financed features and is fluent in Spanish because of her long time experience with Latin America.
At one point I looked up and found the European fund chiefs there as well, Laufey Gudjonsdottir from Iceland (where Interstellar was filmed), Katriel Schory from Israel Film Fund and Edith Sepp-Dallas from the Estonian Film Institute. They were there for Bpx. Best Practice Exchange is an initiative that brings together the leaders of film funding agencies from across the world to take part in high-level-workshops – one or two each year – designed to promote new standards of excellence in the provision of public funding for the support of film production, development and distribution. The aim of Bpx is to ensure that policies and procedures adopted by film funding agencies will act together, positively and proactively, to stimulate and sustain practices of international coproduction and cofinancing worldwide.
Triggered by the situation in which filmmaking outside the main production centers of Hollywood and Bollywood now finds itself, Bpx was created by Simon Perry, president of Ace (Ateliers du Cinéma Européen), in collaboration with Katriel Schory, executive director of the Israel Film Fund. It held its first workshop in February 2013 in Israel, and two further workshops in Toronto (September 2013) and Berlin (February 2014) and this was the third! Bravo!
Among the Mexican, Canadian and U.S. films that showed, the winners were as follow:
Mexico First
Mexico First winning film was ¨Llevate mis amores” ("All of Me") by Arturo Gonzalez. The film narrates the story of the generosity of the women of Las Patronas who feed the immigrants who ride La Bestia. The director was awarded a cash Prize of Usd $15,000. This film made me cry. I thought of it again when reading the L.A. Times article about the murder of Adrian Rodriguez and his assistant, Mexican good Samaritans who dedicated their scarce resources to feeding Central American migrants passing by on La Bestia, which is what the women in this movie do. And one of the women was at the festival too.
Los Cabos Competition
The Los Cabos Competition winner was “Güeros” by Alonso Ruizpalacios, also a winner at the Berlinale, Jerusalem Film Festival, Tribeca, Toronto and San Sebastian. Being sold internationally by Mundial, the joint venture of Canana (again!) and Im Global, the film has sold to Kino Lorber for U.S., Cannibal for Mexico, Dreams Hill for Italy, Noori for So. Korea and Maison Motion for Taiwan … "Güeros" is the undeniable triumph of a nouveau director who dares to pay homage the French New Wave on a wild detective hunt through Mexico City. In light of the 43 murdered students, this film, about students on strike, strikes a chord within the watcher. The film´s producer won a Usd $15,000 cash prize.
Work In Progress Mexico
The second Work in Progress Mexico prize was awarded to "Los Herederos," by Jorge Hernandez, a film that describes adolescent effervescence and idleness through a group of friends who spend their vacations adrenaline-seeking through parties, sex and alcohol. The winner received a Usd $10,000 cash prize.
Mexico-usa-canada Co-production Forum
The winner of the first Mexico- USA- Canada Co-production Forum was also announced: "Afronauts" by Frances Bodomo, based on the real life story of the Academia Nacional de Ciencias, Investigación Espacial e Investigación Astronómica of Zambia. Writer- Director Frances Bodomo received a Usd $8,000 cash prize. It also received funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Mexico First: Fox +
In its second year running the México Primero: Fox+ chose one of the films that participated to have its distribution rights pre-bought for the Latin American and Caribbean (Except Brazil) markets. The México Primero: Fox+ prize consists of Usd $40,000 and was awarded to Isaac Ezban´s "El Incidente" ("The Incident"), two M.C. Escher-maze-like parallel stories about characters trapped in illogical endless spaces: two brothers and a detective locked on an infinite staircase, and a family locked on an infinite road… for a very long time. The international sales agent, Shoreline, will be showing the film at Ventana Sur December 3rd at 17:00 at Cinemark 3.
Work In Progress Mexico Fox +
In its second year running as well, Work in Progress México Fox+ selected a participating film to have its distribution rights pre-bought for the Latin American and Caribbean (Except Brazil) markets. The Usd $30,000 prize was awarded to Katina Medina Mora’s "Sabras que hacer conmigo" aka "En Contraluz", produced by Gerardo Gatica and Alberto Muffelmann.
Work In Progress Mexico Chemistry
This Third edition of the Festival also witnessed the first Work In Progress México –Chemistry award. Chemistry post-production studios granted the winner, Jorge Hernandez’s "Los Herederos", $45,000 Usd in color correction services.
Mexico – USA – Canada Splendor Omnia Mantarraya Co-production Forum
On its first year running, the Coproduction Forum Mexico- USA- Canada Splendor Omnia – MANTArraya will be granting a $30,000 Usd equivalent prize worth 40 hours of color correction, 40 hours of sound mixing, as well as a paid stay in Tepoztlan Morelos, site of their studios, to the winner "Afronauts" by Francez Bodomo (U.S.).
The key phrase to understanding Cabo is "Seeing what the neighbors do" as the festival and market connects Canada, U,S, and Mexico in showing of films and exploring coproduction. And the mixing of filmmakers and journalists from all three Americas was exciting in the possibilities it offered to everyone.
As for the hard-core business done there:
Mark Kassen will be directing "Criminal Empire for Dummies" written by Cliff Dorman. Kassen will also be producing the film along with James Gibb of Cutting Edge Group and Greg Hajdarowicz of Gremi Films. The deal took place at the exclusive resort Hacienda Beach Club & Residences and was reported by Variety.
Actor and producer Luis Gerardo Mendez ("Nosotros Los Nobles") signed a representation agreement with Paradigm. Reported by Variety. So I guess Paradigm also sent agents to Los Cabos.
Pat Saperstein of Variety also attended Los Cabos and scooped a story, that “Wolverine Hotel” from director Patricia Chica who was participating in the Coproduction Forum, is closing in on production with a "recent financing commitment from Jean-Guy Després, who will serve as exec producer. The edgy crime thriller is produced by Canada-based Byron Martin. Looking to cast a Latino actor as co-star, Chica met with rising Mexican thesp Luis Gerardo Mendez ('We Are the Nobles') during Afm though he has not yet been attached. 'A Latino star opens up a market', said Martin."
Celebrated producer Monica Lozano announced the launch of Alebrije Distribución. She has had her hand in 23 productions since her first film, "Amores Perros". "Instructions Not Included" the Us$ 5.5 million film that grossed Us$ 100 million worldwide was also her production. With this Pan-American initiative, the company will acquire distribution rights for the Latin and North American markets. Reported by Variety again!! You would think John was the only real reporter there. Pinske should be proud of him! Most of us got no scoops, but then, I guess we have to prove ourselves worthy - which I am not because at heart, I am not a reporter hunting for news, but rather a gatherer of information and a writer.
Speaking of Monica Lozano, the Germany-based international sales agent, Media Luna, acquired world rights to Internet Junkie, directed by Alexander Katzowicz and produced by Monica Lozano. Variety reports on this again!
"Yamaha 300", a participating project of the 1st Mexico – USA- Canada Coproduction Forum, produced by Valerium Arts (Mayra Espinosa y Jorge Michel Grau, producer and writer-director of the horror hit "Somos lo que hay" respectively, and Grau, the writer of the remake "We Are What We Are") and Uncorked Productions (Andrew Corkin, the producer of the horror film "What We Were"), will be one of the first projects to receive the development stage and postproduction support offered by The Good Film Fund, an initiative of Media Darling (Amy Darling) and The Chatanooga Film Festival. See Variety.
New York producer Dodgeville Films ("To Be Takei") will be joining Varios Lobos in Mexico to produce "Ya no estoy aquí", Fernando Frias’s second film, which was also a winner during Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund second edition. This film in the Coproduction Forum was reported on in Variety.
"Siete Horas" ("Seven Hours"), one of the winning projects of the second Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund edition, which will be directed by Chema Rodriguez and produced by Francisco Vargas, the renowned director of the film "El violin", made an alliance with the Spanish production companies Sin un Duro and Noodles Prods to co-produce the project. (Variety)
CineTren closed deals to handle Latin American distribution for Spring, a Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead film, whose Latin American Premiere was held at Los Cabos International Film Festival. Negotiations between Nate Bolotin and Marie Katz fromLos Angeles-based Xyz and Manuel Garcia from CineTren, took place at the Hotel Grand Solmar. Next time, I'll have to visit all the hotels!! See Variety article.
BH5 Group, which participates in the executive production of "Remember" by Atom Egoyan, will be working with Alonso Ruizpalacios, director of Güeros, in his second movie: Museo, a project that participated in the Ist Mexico- USA- Canada Co-production Forum. Even though Variety wrote about this, my blog on the three year old conglomerate of companies, BH5, was more complete:
BH5 Group Makes a Splash with Three Impressive Films at Los Cabos Int'l Film Fest
BH5, a conglomerate of five formerly independent production companies all run by various friends from the same film school, will be working the international markets much more. Besides the Toronto hit, Jodorowsky's "Dance of Reality", they are working with larger companies like Pathe now. Their work in progress, "You Will Know What To Do With Me" ("Sabras que hacer conmigo" aka "En Contraluz") which just won the The Usd $30,000 prize of Fox+, is seeking an international sales agent.
"Entrevero" by Max Zunino, also winner of the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund second edition, was selected in the development project category by Ibermedia. See Variety.
And though Colombian Ciro Guerra, whose "The Wind Journeys" was produced by our German friends Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner at Razor Film Production and by Burning Blue's prolific Diana Bustamente -- who is now also heading the Carthagena Film Festival -- showed in 2009 Cannes Un Certain Regard and was sold by Paris’ Elle Driver to 19 countries including Film Movement for U.S., announced to Variety's John Hopewell that his next film, "Embrace of the Serpent" will star U.S. actor Brionne Davis (“Savaged”) and Belgium’s Jan Bijvoet, the lead in Cannes Competition entry “Borgman” a really creepy dark comedy, he did not discuss his next project "Taganga" in the Coproduction Forum. "Taganga" is about a fisherman from a small village by the Colombian coast where many foreign-owned scuba diving centers have been established. A new law requiring local fisherman to change the motors of their boats forces him to earn quick money, so he chooses to dynamite to fish. The owner of the largest scuba diving center opposes this use of explosives. When the fisherman receives a death threat if he continues the dynamiting of fish, he assumes the center's owner is behind the threat. In order to prove it, he begins a series of fateful actions.
Finally, while it seems like Variety wrote all the news, I have one item which no one has reported on. Reese Witherspoon stated at her press conference in Los Cabos, where her film "Wild" premiered in a red carpet gala, that she is talking to Eugenio Derbez ("Instructions Not Included") to make a movie with him. I heard her say it and later spoke of this to Ben Odell (my next blog on Los Cabos features him). Ben (now partners with Eugenio at 3Pas Studios) said, Actually that would be a great idea but they had not spoken about it. However, they are both represented by CAA, so it would seem like a natural and really exciting pairing. After all, aren't "Legally Blond" and "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" the same film? She is certainly on a role as a producer with "Wild" and David Fincher's "Gone Girl" as he is with his U.S. career. The studios are all courting her now, she said. More to come on this...
For all the infrastructure problems of the city in the midst of rebuilding itself, the festival seemed to thrive with all sorts of invitees showing up from all over the world. It seemed like gala events, panels, master classes, coproduction meetings, works in progress, screenings and interviews were constantly taking place. It was a great team and we all felt part of it.
The festival is overseen by the executive board members Eduardo Sánchez Navarro, Alfonso Pascal Barcenas, Scott Cross and Sean Cross (who also founded Vail Film Festival) and is organized by the festival team of Alonso Aguilar (General Director), Alejandra Paulin (General Coordinator) - who was a great market director in Guadajalara before coming here, Maru Garzon (Head of Programming), Ana Molinar Trujillo (Communication Manager), and Monica Herrera (Film Programmer). My friend from Guadalajara, normally an English teacher, Fabian Cruz was also there working for the festival.
When Eduardo Sánchez Navarro Redo remembers how he first came to Los Cabos, there is no doubt in his mind that destiny and luck played an important part. When he married his wife 30 years ago, he decided to travel along the entire Pacific Coast, from Acapulco to Mazatlan, where he crossed over to La Paz eventually driving to Los Cabos. The beauty of the area impressed him and it was during this trip that he and his wife decided to buy a vacation home in Los Cabos, thus beginning a distinguished career as a principal player and developer of what is Los Cabos today. Over the course of more than 20 years, his company, Grupo Questro, has emerged as one of the most highly respected developers in all of Mexico. He, together with Juan Gallardo Thurlow, Scott Cross, and Sean Cross, founded the festival in 2012.
My job as a journalist was to explore and write, hard to do when you are having such fun 24/7. We journalists were all in one hotel where we were given space and time to bond. Travel writers mixed with trade writers: from Film Journal David Noh, whose article is worth sharing here, my colleagues Peter Rainer from NPR and Christian Science Monitor, Anne Thompson from Thompson on Hollywood on Indiewire, Godfrey Cheshire of RogerEbert.com and many others met and mixed. Also Ira Deutchman of Colombia University Film School and Emerging Pictures and Robin Brock of Creative Coalition were there with time to share dinners.
The filmmakers, in another hotel, mixed by day and at the communal lunches and parties. I will write more on them in an upcoming blog! After all, filmmakers are the backbone of our industry. Without them, we have nothing!
The agents, mostly from CAA, were placed in another hotel, luxurious and far away. As someone said, Cabos is like Cannes, only in November. If so, perhaps they were at the Eden Roc in Cap d’Antibes. (Actually they were at Hacienda Beach Club & Residences) CAA has always been an honored part of this festival. I have heard that that is because someone with lots of money from Mexico invests it in cinema through CAA and even started the festival. That is, however, pure conjecture. Under the guidance of CAA agent, Micah Green, people can be assured that the directions he sees and the decisions he makes about investing private individuals' capital into filmed entertainment is priceless. I could think of no one I would trust more --in this untrustworthy business we are in-- than Micah.
At least two other agents – Bec Smith and Rena Ronson from UTA -- were also there. Rena and Micah were on the Film Financing Panel moderated by Variety’s expert in all things Iberoamerican and my idol, John Hopewell. Other participants on the Film Finance Panel were Jonathan King, Evp of Production at Jeff Skoll’s Participant Media whose partnership with Canana formed Participant PanAmerican production fund. “No” by Pablo Lorrain was their first investment. Pp also financed "El Ardor" which played in Cannes and “Cesar Chavez”, directed by Diego Luna. Also on the panel were Mark Musselman of Canada’s 10X2yinc, the exec producer of “Eastern Promises” and most recently of “Remember” by Atom Egoyan which was also produced by Robert Lantos and son, also in Los Cabos. It went into production in 2014 and is tipped for Cannes. Other panelists included Raul Del Alto of Mexico’s Ag Studios (Itaca Films Mexico, Itaca Films USA, Itaca Films Colombia and Itaca Filkms Brazil, and Rena Ronson of UTA who, like Micah Green of CAA focuses on global film finance, distribution and marketing strategies for Independents and co-financed features and is fluent in Spanish because of her long time experience with Latin America.
At one point I looked up and found the European fund chiefs there as well, Laufey Gudjonsdottir from Iceland (where Interstellar was filmed), Katriel Schory from Israel Film Fund and Edith Sepp-Dallas from the Estonian Film Institute. They were there for Bpx. Best Practice Exchange is an initiative that brings together the leaders of film funding agencies from across the world to take part in high-level-workshops – one or two each year – designed to promote new standards of excellence in the provision of public funding for the support of film production, development and distribution. The aim of Bpx is to ensure that policies and procedures adopted by film funding agencies will act together, positively and proactively, to stimulate and sustain practices of international coproduction and cofinancing worldwide.
Triggered by the situation in which filmmaking outside the main production centers of Hollywood and Bollywood now finds itself, Bpx was created by Simon Perry, president of Ace (Ateliers du Cinéma Européen), in collaboration with Katriel Schory, executive director of the Israel Film Fund. It held its first workshop in February 2013 in Israel, and two further workshops in Toronto (September 2013) and Berlin (February 2014) and this was the third! Bravo!
Among the Mexican, Canadian and U.S. films that showed, the winners were as follow:
Mexico First
Mexico First winning film was ¨Llevate mis amores” ("All of Me") by Arturo Gonzalez. The film narrates the story of the generosity of the women of Las Patronas who feed the immigrants who ride La Bestia. The director was awarded a cash Prize of Usd $15,000. This film made me cry. I thought of it again when reading the L.A. Times article about the murder of Adrian Rodriguez and his assistant, Mexican good Samaritans who dedicated their scarce resources to feeding Central American migrants passing by on La Bestia, which is what the women in this movie do. And one of the women was at the festival too.
Los Cabos Competition
The Los Cabos Competition winner was “Güeros” by Alonso Ruizpalacios, also a winner at the Berlinale, Jerusalem Film Festival, Tribeca, Toronto and San Sebastian. Being sold internationally by Mundial, the joint venture of Canana (again!) and Im Global, the film has sold to Kino Lorber for U.S., Cannibal for Mexico, Dreams Hill for Italy, Noori for So. Korea and Maison Motion for Taiwan … "Güeros" is the undeniable triumph of a nouveau director who dares to pay homage the French New Wave on a wild detective hunt through Mexico City. In light of the 43 murdered students, this film, about students on strike, strikes a chord within the watcher. The film´s producer won a Usd $15,000 cash prize.
Work In Progress Mexico
The second Work in Progress Mexico prize was awarded to "Los Herederos," by Jorge Hernandez, a film that describes adolescent effervescence and idleness through a group of friends who spend their vacations adrenaline-seeking through parties, sex and alcohol. The winner received a Usd $10,000 cash prize.
Mexico-usa-canada Co-production Forum
The winner of the first Mexico- USA- Canada Co-production Forum was also announced: "Afronauts" by Frances Bodomo, based on the real life story of the Academia Nacional de Ciencias, Investigación Espacial e Investigación Astronómica of Zambia. Writer- Director Frances Bodomo received a Usd $8,000 cash prize. It also received funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Mexico First: Fox +
In its second year running the México Primero: Fox+ chose one of the films that participated to have its distribution rights pre-bought for the Latin American and Caribbean (Except Brazil) markets. The México Primero: Fox+ prize consists of Usd $40,000 and was awarded to Isaac Ezban´s "El Incidente" ("The Incident"), two M.C. Escher-maze-like parallel stories about characters trapped in illogical endless spaces: two brothers and a detective locked on an infinite staircase, and a family locked on an infinite road… for a very long time. The international sales agent, Shoreline, will be showing the film at Ventana Sur December 3rd at 17:00 at Cinemark 3.
Work In Progress Mexico Fox +
In its second year running as well, Work in Progress México Fox+ selected a participating film to have its distribution rights pre-bought for the Latin American and Caribbean (Except Brazil) markets. The Usd $30,000 prize was awarded to Katina Medina Mora’s "Sabras que hacer conmigo" aka "En Contraluz", produced by Gerardo Gatica and Alberto Muffelmann.
Work In Progress Mexico Chemistry
This Third edition of the Festival also witnessed the first Work In Progress México –Chemistry award. Chemistry post-production studios granted the winner, Jorge Hernandez’s "Los Herederos", $45,000 Usd in color correction services.
Mexico – USA – Canada Splendor Omnia Mantarraya Co-production Forum
On its first year running, the Coproduction Forum Mexico- USA- Canada Splendor Omnia – MANTArraya will be granting a $30,000 Usd equivalent prize worth 40 hours of color correction, 40 hours of sound mixing, as well as a paid stay in Tepoztlan Morelos, site of their studios, to the winner "Afronauts" by Francez Bodomo (U.S.).
The key phrase to understanding Cabo is "Seeing what the neighbors do" as the festival and market connects Canada, U,S, and Mexico in showing of films and exploring coproduction. And the mixing of filmmakers and journalists from all three Americas was exciting in the possibilities it offered to everyone.
As for the hard-core business done there:
Mark Kassen will be directing "Criminal Empire for Dummies" written by Cliff Dorman. Kassen will also be producing the film along with James Gibb of Cutting Edge Group and Greg Hajdarowicz of Gremi Films. The deal took place at the exclusive resort Hacienda Beach Club & Residences and was reported by Variety.
Actor and producer Luis Gerardo Mendez ("Nosotros Los Nobles") signed a representation agreement with Paradigm. Reported by Variety. So I guess Paradigm also sent agents to Los Cabos.
Pat Saperstein of Variety also attended Los Cabos and scooped a story, that “Wolverine Hotel” from director Patricia Chica who was participating in the Coproduction Forum, is closing in on production with a "recent financing commitment from Jean-Guy Després, who will serve as exec producer. The edgy crime thriller is produced by Canada-based Byron Martin. Looking to cast a Latino actor as co-star, Chica met with rising Mexican thesp Luis Gerardo Mendez ('We Are the Nobles') during Afm though he has not yet been attached. 'A Latino star opens up a market', said Martin."
Celebrated producer Monica Lozano announced the launch of Alebrije Distribución. She has had her hand in 23 productions since her first film, "Amores Perros". "Instructions Not Included" the Us$ 5.5 million film that grossed Us$ 100 million worldwide was also her production. With this Pan-American initiative, the company will acquire distribution rights for the Latin and North American markets. Reported by Variety again!! You would think John was the only real reporter there. Pinske should be proud of him! Most of us got no scoops, but then, I guess we have to prove ourselves worthy - which I am not because at heart, I am not a reporter hunting for news, but rather a gatherer of information and a writer.
Speaking of Monica Lozano, the Germany-based international sales agent, Media Luna, acquired world rights to Internet Junkie, directed by Alexander Katzowicz and produced by Monica Lozano. Variety reports on this again!
"Yamaha 300", a participating project of the 1st Mexico – USA- Canada Coproduction Forum, produced by Valerium Arts (Mayra Espinosa y Jorge Michel Grau, producer and writer-director of the horror hit "Somos lo que hay" respectively, and Grau, the writer of the remake "We Are What We Are") and Uncorked Productions (Andrew Corkin, the producer of the horror film "What We Were"), will be one of the first projects to receive the development stage and postproduction support offered by The Good Film Fund, an initiative of Media Darling (Amy Darling) and The Chatanooga Film Festival. See Variety.
New York producer Dodgeville Films ("To Be Takei") will be joining Varios Lobos in Mexico to produce "Ya no estoy aquí", Fernando Frias’s second film, which was also a winner during Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund second edition. This film in the Coproduction Forum was reported on in Variety.
"Siete Horas" ("Seven Hours"), one of the winning projects of the second Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund edition, which will be directed by Chema Rodriguez and produced by Francisco Vargas, the renowned director of the film "El violin", made an alliance with the Spanish production companies Sin un Duro and Noodles Prods to co-produce the project. (Variety)
CineTren closed deals to handle Latin American distribution for Spring, a Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead film, whose Latin American Premiere was held at Los Cabos International Film Festival. Negotiations between Nate Bolotin and Marie Katz fromLos Angeles-based Xyz and Manuel Garcia from CineTren, took place at the Hotel Grand Solmar. Next time, I'll have to visit all the hotels!! See Variety article.
BH5 Group, which participates in the executive production of "Remember" by Atom Egoyan, will be working with Alonso Ruizpalacios, director of Güeros, in his second movie: Museo, a project that participated in the Ist Mexico- USA- Canada Co-production Forum. Even though Variety wrote about this, my blog on the three year old conglomerate of companies, BH5, was more complete:
BH5 Group Makes a Splash with Three Impressive Films at Los Cabos Int'l Film Fest
BH5, a conglomerate of five formerly independent production companies all run by various friends from the same film school, will be working the international markets much more. Besides the Toronto hit, Jodorowsky's "Dance of Reality", they are working with larger companies like Pathe now. Their work in progress, "You Will Know What To Do With Me" ("Sabras que hacer conmigo" aka "En Contraluz") which just won the The Usd $30,000 prize of Fox+, is seeking an international sales agent.
"Entrevero" by Max Zunino, also winner of the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund second edition, was selected in the development project category by Ibermedia. See Variety.
And though Colombian Ciro Guerra, whose "The Wind Journeys" was produced by our German friends Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner at Razor Film Production and by Burning Blue's prolific Diana Bustamente -- who is now also heading the Carthagena Film Festival -- showed in 2009 Cannes Un Certain Regard and was sold by Paris’ Elle Driver to 19 countries including Film Movement for U.S., announced to Variety's John Hopewell that his next film, "Embrace of the Serpent" will star U.S. actor Brionne Davis (“Savaged”) and Belgium’s Jan Bijvoet, the lead in Cannes Competition entry “Borgman” a really creepy dark comedy, he did not discuss his next project "Taganga" in the Coproduction Forum. "Taganga" is about a fisherman from a small village by the Colombian coast where many foreign-owned scuba diving centers have been established. A new law requiring local fisherman to change the motors of their boats forces him to earn quick money, so he chooses to dynamite to fish. The owner of the largest scuba diving center opposes this use of explosives. When the fisherman receives a death threat if he continues the dynamiting of fish, he assumes the center's owner is behind the threat. In order to prove it, he begins a series of fateful actions.
Finally, while it seems like Variety wrote all the news, I have one item which no one has reported on. Reese Witherspoon stated at her press conference in Los Cabos, where her film "Wild" premiered in a red carpet gala, that she is talking to Eugenio Derbez ("Instructions Not Included") to make a movie with him. I heard her say it and later spoke of this to Ben Odell (my next blog on Los Cabos features him). Ben (now partners with Eugenio at 3Pas Studios) said, Actually that would be a great idea but they had not spoken about it. However, they are both represented by CAA, so it would seem like a natural and really exciting pairing. After all, aren't "Legally Blond" and "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" the same film? She is certainly on a role as a producer with "Wild" and David Fincher's "Gone Girl" as he is with his U.S. career. The studios are all courting her now, she said. More to come on this...
- 12/1/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
These days, the number of indies premiering on a weekly basis can be both thrilling and intimidating. To help sift through the number of new releases (independent or otherwise), we've created the Weekly Film Guide. Below you'll find basic plot, personnel and cinema information for today's fresh offerings. Happy viewing! Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, June 6th. (Synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.) Anna Director: Jorge Dorado Cast: Mark Strong, Taissa Farmiga, Brian Cox, Indira Varma, Noah Taylor Synopsis: "A man with the ability to enter peoples' memories takes on the case of a brilliant, troubled sixteen-year-old girl to determine whether she is a sociopath or a victim of trauma." Theatrical Release: Los Angeles Burning Blue Director: D.M.W. Greer Cast: Trent Ford, Tammy Blanchard, Morgan Spector, Rob Mayes, William Lee Scott, Cotter Smith, Michael Cumpsty, Michael Sirow, Mark Doherty, Chris.
- 6/6/2014
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Gay drama Burning Blue arrives in select theaters and on VOD tomorrow. The film is based on the Off-Broadway play by Dmw Greer and centers on two Navy fighter pilots during the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” era. So, basically sounds like Brokeback meets Top Gun– which might not be a bad mix at all.
Today sees the release of a new preview clip as well as several hot new scene stills featuring stars Trent Ford and Rob Mayes.
Here’s the new preview clip…
Full theatrical trailer…
And here are the just released movie stills.
Trent Ford (l) and Rob Mayes
(photos: Lionsgate)
“Look out, bogey on your tail”
This one looks like it might be worth checking out!
Burning Blue, open in select theaters and on VOD tomorrow.
The post New Clip and Stills from Gay Movie “Burning Blue” appeared first on thebacklot.com.
Today sees the release of a new preview clip as well as several hot new scene stills featuring stars Trent Ford and Rob Mayes.
Here’s the new preview clip…
Full theatrical trailer…
And here are the just released movie stills.
Trent Ford (l) and Rob Mayes
(photos: Lionsgate)
“Look out, bogey on your tail”
This one looks like it might be worth checking out!
Burning Blue, open in select theaters and on VOD tomorrow.
The post New Clip and Stills from Gay Movie “Burning Blue” appeared first on thebacklot.com.
- 6/5/2014
- by Aaron Landry
- The Backlot
Honorable in intent but risible in execution, Burning Blue is a melodrama about a fighter jet crash investigation that becomes a witch-hunt for gay naval aviators.
Its inspiration was not Top Gun's oft-remarked homoeroticism, but co-screenwriter and director Dmw Greer's own experiences as a Navy pilot in the '80s, long before President Obama abolished Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2011.
Greer first staged this story as a play in London in 1995. No one goes to the theater expecting to see aerial dogfights depicted realistically, but onscreen, the low budget (and unsurprising lack of U.S. Navy cooperation) is more distracting.
It's impossible not to notice, for example, that our lead actors, Trent Ford, Rob Mayes, and Morgan Spector — who have few...
Its inspiration was not Top Gun's oft-remarked homoeroticism, but co-screenwriter and director Dmw Greer's own experiences as a Navy pilot in the '80s, long before President Obama abolished Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2011.
Greer first staged this story as a play in London in 1995. No one goes to the theater expecting to see aerial dogfights depicted realistically, but onscreen, the low budget (and unsurprising lack of U.S. Navy cooperation) is more distracting.
It's impossible not to notice, for example, that our lead actors, Trent Ford, Rob Mayes, and Morgan Spector — who have few...
- 6/4/2014
- Village Voice
The Navy is governed by a string of stringent rules, codes of conduct and tradition. But what happens when you break those bonds to pursue something personal, intimate and passionate? The upcoming drama "Burning Blue" dives right into that question, and today we have an exclusive clip from the film. Co-written and directed by D.M.W. Greer, making his directorial debut, the film stars Trent Ford, Morgan Spector, Rob Mayes, William Lee Scott, Cotter Smith and more and follows a Navy squadron torn apart after an investigation is launched following a string of accidents. And things get more heated when an affair between two of the pilots is exposed, with this scene highlighting the fragility of the situation. "Burning Blue" opens in limited release and hits VOD on June 6th. Watch below.
- 5/30/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
“Two Navy fighter pilots fall in love in the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ era.” Seems like the new movie from Lionsgate took its inspiration from of Top Gun and Brokeback Mountain, but actually the film is based on a 1992 Off-Broadway play of the same name. The new film is co-written by Dmw Greer, who wrote the original play. The cast includes Trent Ford (Gosford Park), Morgan Spector (Boardwalk Empire), Rob Mayes (The Client List) and Tammy Blanchard (Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows).
Burning Blue will be released in select theaters and on VOD June 6th. For more information visit burningbluefilm.com
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The post First Trailer for “Burning Blue”… a.k.a. “Brokeback Top Gun” appeared first on thebacklot.com.
Burning Blue will be released in select theaters and on VOD June 6th. For more information visit burningbluefilm.com
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The post First Trailer for “Burning Blue”… a.k.a. “Brokeback Top Gun” appeared first on thebacklot.com.
- 4/16/2014
- by Aaron Landry
- The Backlot
Chicago – In November of 2013, the 31st annual Chicago Lgbt International Film Festival, also known as “Reeling31,” provided a week long showcase for gay filmmakers. There were many new voices in the mix, and they were on the Red Carpet on opening night of the Fest.
HollywoodChicago.com was on the scene, which took place at the historic Music Box Theatre in Chicago. The stars of the opening night feature film. “G.B.F,” were there for interviews and photos, plus filmmakers and actors from the films “Burning Blue,” “The Happy Sad’ and “Truth” – which were shown throughout the week – also walked the fabled Red Carpet.
The “Reeling” Festival is currently sponsoring a free film series in Chicago, the fourth annual “Cinema Q.” The last week of the series will present “De-Lovely” (2004) – starring Kevin Kline as Cole Porter – on March 26th, 6:30pm, at Chicago’s Cultural Center, 78 East Washington Street.
HollywoodChicago.com was on the scene, which took place at the historic Music Box Theatre in Chicago. The stars of the opening night feature film. “G.B.F,” were there for interviews and photos, plus filmmakers and actors from the films “Burning Blue,” “The Happy Sad’ and “Truth” – which were shown throughout the week – also walked the fabled Red Carpet.
The “Reeling” Festival is currently sponsoring a free film series in Chicago, the fourth annual “Cinema Q.” The last week of the series will present “De-Lovely” (2004) – starring Kevin Kline as Cole Porter – on March 26th, 6:30pm, at Chicago’s Cultural Center, 78 East Washington Street.
- 3/24/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Happy Birthday, Tammy Blanchard Blanchard was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for her performance in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and is best known for her portrayal of the young Judy Garland in Life With Judy Garland Me and My Shadows Emmy Award, Golden Globe and AFI nominations. Her Broadway credits include Gypsy Tony nomination, Theatre World Award. She was most recently seen in the film Moneyball. Blanchard's other film credits include The Good Shepherd, Bella, Cadillac Records and Rabbit Hole, and she recently completed The Music Never Stopped, Certainty, Union Square and Burning Blue. Her television credits include A Gifted Man, We Were the Mulvaneys, Sybil, Living Proof, Amish Grace, The Good Wife, Law amp Order Svu, Guiding Light, and the original Lifetime TV movie, Of Two Minds.
- 12/14/2013
- BroadwayWorld.com
Happy Birthday, Tammy Blanchard Blanchard was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for her performance in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and is best known for her portrayal of the young Judy Garland in Life With Judy Garland Me and My Shadows Emmy Award, Golden Globe and AFI nominations. Her Broadway credits include Gypsy Tony nomination, Theatre World Award. She was most recently seen in the film Moneyball. Blanchard's other film credits include The Good Shepherd, Bella, Cadillac Records and Rabbit Hole, and she recently completed The Music Never Stopped, Certainty, Union Square and Burning Blue. Her television credits include A Gifted Man, We Were the Mulvaneys, Sybil, Living Proof, Amish Grace, The Good Wife, Law amp Order Svu, Guiding Light, and the original Lifetime TV movie, Of Two Minds.
- 12/14/2012
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
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