Most first failures stop careers in their tracks, and many early successes lead to nothing for lack of financing. But there are success stories of another kind we rarely hear about. Journeys through back alleys and down long treacherous roads that lead to a sustainable career.
I am a producer specializing in micro-budget production. I first met writer-director Henry Barrial in 2000 when I was an executive at Next Wave Films. We were giving finishing funds to exceptional low-budget features, which included Chris Nolan’s “Following.” We invested in Henry’s feature film debut, “Some Body,” a $3,000 drama shot on Canon Xl-1’s with a two-man crew and no script. When it was accepted into Dramatic Competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, we repped its sale to Lot 47 Films, which ultimately released it theatrically in over 15 cities. A remarkable result for an improvised no-budgeter made out of necessity, several years before...
I am a producer specializing in micro-budget production. I first met writer-director Henry Barrial in 2000 when I was an executive at Next Wave Films. We were giving finishing funds to exceptional low-budget features, which included Chris Nolan’s “Following.” We invested in Henry’s feature film debut, “Some Body,” a $3,000 drama shot on Canon Xl-1’s with a two-man crew and no script. When it was accepted into Dramatic Competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, we repped its sale to Lot 47 Films, which ultimately released it theatrically in over 15 cities. A remarkable result for an improvised no-budgeter made out of necessity, several years before...
- 11/26/2018
- by Mark Stolaroff
- Indiewire
"How'd it go? Any weirdos?" Sundance Selects/IFC have debuted the first trailer for an indie drama titled DriverX, which premiered at a few small film festivals last year. The film is about a stay-at-home dad who decides to take a job driving for a hip rideshare company called DriverX, an obvious reference to Uber/Lyft. At first it seems like a fresh new start, but low pay and wild La nights put an even greater strain on his marriage. Patrick Fabian (from "Better Call Saul") stars as Leonard, and the cast includes Tanya Clarke, Desmin Borges, Oscar Nunez, Travis Schuldt, and Melissa Fumero. This trailer makes it seem like this film will end with them saying hey, these apps are good, look what kind of new life it can give you! But I'm not sure. This is also lightly humorous, riding down the middle of the genre road without picking a lane.
- 11/5/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Sundance Selects has acquired U .S. rights to Henry Barrial’s Uber-inspired “DriverX” starring Patrick Fabian (“Better Call Saul”) and Tanya Clarke (“Banshee”).
The movie stars Fabian as Leonard Moore, a 50-something stay-at-home dad in Los Angeles who is desperate to find a job and signs up to drive for the popular ride-share company DriverX, leading his marriage to fray at home. The film follows Leonard as he navigates L.A.’s late-night, Tinder-fueled party scene while adjusting to the new technology and the young millennials he drives around.
“The film was inspired by my own experiences as an Uber driver while waiting in vain for another movie to get green-lit,” said Barriel, who also wrote the script. “From the first moment where I was hired via text, without ever meeting or speaking to another human being, I felt something different was happening here that might be worth investigating in a film.
The movie stars Fabian as Leonard Moore, a 50-something stay-at-home dad in Los Angeles who is desperate to find a job and signs up to drive for the popular ride-share company DriverX, leading his marriage to fray at home. The film follows Leonard as he navigates L.A.’s late-night, Tinder-fueled party scene while adjusting to the new technology and the young millennials he drives around.
“The film was inspired by my own experiences as an Uber driver while waiting in vain for another movie to get green-lit,” said Barriel, who also wrote the script. “From the first moment where I was hired via text, without ever meeting or speaking to another human being, I felt something different was happening here that might be worth investigating in a film.
- 10/1/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
October 1
– Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization promoting equality by creating, sharing, and protecting Lgbtq stories on the screen, will honor the producers and cast of FX Networks “Pose” at the 2018 Legacy Awards on Sunday, October 28.
Outfest will also honor writer/director Justin Simien (“Dear White People”), as well as 39-time Academy Award winner, Sony Pictures Classics.
– Sundance Selects has picked up the rights to “DriverX,” directed by Henry Barrial, starring Patrick Fabian, Tanya Clarke, Desmin Borges, Travis Schuldt, Melissa Fumero, Oscar Nunez, and Iqbal Theba, produced by Mark Stolaroff and executive produced by Alex Cutler. Sundance Selects is planning a theatrical release beginning on November 30, 2018.
– The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor Hugh Jackman with the thirteenth annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film. The award will be presented at a black-tie Gala dinner at The Ritz Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara on Monday, November 19, 2018. Since 2006, the annual...
– Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization promoting equality by creating, sharing, and protecting Lgbtq stories on the screen, will honor the producers and cast of FX Networks “Pose” at the 2018 Legacy Awards on Sunday, October 28.
Outfest will also honor writer/director Justin Simien (“Dear White People”), as well as 39-time Academy Award winner, Sony Pictures Classics.
– Sundance Selects has picked up the rights to “DriverX,” directed by Henry Barrial, starring Patrick Fabian, Tanya Clarke, Desmin Borges, Travis Schuldt, Melissa Fumero, Oscar Nunez, and Iqbal Theba, produced by Mark Stolaroff and executive produced by Alex Cutler. Sundance Selects is planning a theatrical release beginning on November 30, 2018.
– The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor Hugh Jackman with the thirteenth annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film. The award will be presented at a black-tie Gala dinner at The Ritz Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara on Monday, November 19, 2018. Since 2006, the annual...
- 10/1/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Driverx screens Sunday, November 5th at 3:15pm at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis) as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Producer Mark Stolaroff will be in attendance. Ticket information can be found Here.
Skidding into middle age, a stay-at-home dad must drive for an Uber-like ride-share company to help support his working wife and two young daughters. Leonard (Patrick Fabian of “Better Call Saul”), a middle-aged man living in the suburbs, has lost his mojo. It’s been two years since the demise of his record store, and now he’s a stay-at-home dad taking care of two young daughters while wife Dawn (Tanya Clarke) works during the day. With both kids now in elementary school, he’s been interviewing for jobs, but
record companies aren’t looking for a 50-year-old music lover with a knowledge of classic rock and pre-’80s hip-hop.
Skidding into middle age, a stay-at-home dad must drive for an Uber-like ride-share company to help support his working wife and two young daughters. Leonard (Patrick Fabian of “Better Call Saul”), a middle-aged man living in the suburbs, has lost his mojo. It’s been two years since the demise of his record store, and now he’s a stay-at-home dad taking care of two young daughters while wife Dawn (Tanya Clarke) works during the day. With both kids now in elementary school, he’s been interviewing for jobs, but
record companies aren’t looking for a 50-year-old music lover with a knowledge of classic rock and pre-’80s hip-hop.
- 11/3/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Driverx screens Sunday, November 5th at 3:15pm at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis) as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Actor Patrick Fabian and producer Mark Stolaroff will be in attendance. Ticket information can be found Here.
Skidding into middle age, a stay-at-home dad must drive for an Uber-like ride-share company to help support his working wife and two young daughters. Leonard (Patrick Fabian of “Better Call Saul”), a middle-aged man living in the suburbs, has lost his mojo. It’s been two years since the demise of his record store, and now he’s a stay-at-home dad taking care of two young daughters while wife Dawn (Tanya Clarke) works during the day. With both kids now in elementary school, he’s been interviewing for jobs, but record companies aren’t looking for a 50-year-old music lover with a knowledge of classic rock and pre-’80s hip-hop.
Skidding into middle age, a stay-at-home dad must drive for an Uber-like ride-share company to help support his working wife and two young daughters. Leonard (Patrick Fabian of “Better Call Saul”), a middle-aged man living in the suburbs, has lost his mojo. It’s been two years since the demise of his record store, and now he’s a stay-at-home dad taking care of two young daughters while wife Dawn (Tanya Clarke) works during the day. With both kids now in elementary school, he’s been interviewing for jobs, but record companies aren’t looking for a 50-year-old music lover with a knowledge of classic rock and pre-’80s hip-hop.
- 11/2/2017
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Charming award winning Boricua, E.J. Bonilla can currently be see in a festival favorite, "The House That Jack Built" which tells the story of Jack Maldonado, a hot-blooded, ambitious young hustler who buys a small apartment building in the Bronx and moves his boisterous Latino family into the complex to live rent-free. Tension builds as he imposes his views on everyone around him, including his fiancee (Melissa Fumero), while hiding the fact that his corner store is a front for selling marijuana. E.J. talks to LatinoBuzz about upbringing and his skyrocketing career so far.
LatinoBuzz: What was the moment you decided you wanted to be an artist?
E.J: For a long time I didn't know what I wanted or what I loved to do. Friends had that blessing and I remember thinking when I would have my turn. Then, in 9th Grade I sort of fell into playing Danny Zuko randomly in that years Grease themed portion of the dance show. The moment I hit the stage I think something in me knew. Even in rehearsals. I'd fallen in Love.
LatinoBuzz: Did you grow up in a household of artists?
E.J.: For a while I felt like I spoke a different language than my immediate family. It wasn't until my teens that I met and got to know better members of my extended family (my cousin Alma in particular) that self- identified as artists. Something in us clicked together; in the way we thought, in the language we chose to use, in what we enjoyed. She helped me see and appreciate a lot both about myself and my loved ones. And when I look back I recognize now that I indeed do come from a large family of artists. Whether they necessarily realize it or not.
LatinoBuzz: Were you aware of 'House' writer Joseph B. Vasquez' work or his life when you got involved with The House That Jack Built? And what did you think? Please, tell me you have seen Vasquez' 'Hanging With The Homeboys'!
E.J.: I was not aware of Joe before this movie but 'Jack' has certainly allowed me an education and an opportunity. Hanging With The Homeboys was one of my first homework assignments by Henry Barrial, our director. I welcomed it. We could say Joseph Vasquez was before his time but really I just think he was a real artist and Real art stand the test of time. 'The Homeboys' is no different. Even with the theatricality of cinema at the time, Joe made it feel intentional. Painting a portrait of our time in the 90's within urban New York with colorful and lavish brush strokes. I Loved it. It was a powerful film.
LatinoBuzz: What drew you to the role of 'Jack'? Could you relate to the core of the character?
E.J.: To me, 'Jack' is an ode to the males in my family. Strong. Opinionated. Loving. And with that special "hint" of machismo, to say the least. I loved having the opportunity to play him. This film is in honor of my mother and those males in my family, specifically my brother Ivan from whom I borrowed most of Jacks mannerisms.
LatinoBuzz: How does working with Henry (House), Cruz (Drown) and Nick (Mamitas), Joshua (Four) differ from one another? (btw I recommend you for Mamitas!) and did you have to adjust your approach as an actor?
E.J.: First of all, thank you for the recommendation. Lol. And yes honestly, they are all very different directors. Some are more specific, some are calmer than others when the pressure is on, some use more colorful language and they all communicate differently. But they all have love and care in common. They are all artists. And they have voices that I believe shine through within their films. To add to that, as a director myself I have learned so much from all three. I would like to thank them for that.
LatinoBuzz: Ok, Ideal role: What's the story, who is the director and who is your co-star?
E.J.: Lol. Always one of the hardest questions to answer.... I don't know. I love telling truthful honest stories. I suppose I'd love the opportunity to be a superhero within a realistic dramatic piece. It would have opportunity for humor too of course. And ideally I would be the writer/director? (Though I suppose if I was, it is Possible I would give myself a meaty but smaller part so I could focus on the latter of my duties... Maybe). Annnnnnnd my co-star would be... One of my actual best friends. I am blessed to have so many beautiful talented people around me, I would like them all in my film please!!!
LatinoBuzz: What is next for you?
E.J.: I'm working on creating a sitcom with some of those best friends as we speak. We recently just shot our pitch video. You can follow us on our endeavor on Instagram @TheGatosNegros. Also my writing partner and I are in the midst of finalizing a final draft of our latest short film, "The Normally." We should be shooting sometime in December under the production company we're creating, Almost Dark, prod. In addition, if you guys are looking for amazing music from a brand new indie artist, I just copped "Life Happens: The BiPolar Symptoms" by Naiqui on iTunes. Seriously one of the greatest pieces of art I've ever heard. It is genius. I'm looking to see if I can have him score my next piece.
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
LatinoBuzz: What was the moment you decided you wanted to be an artist?
E.J: For a long time I didn't know what I wanted or what I loved to do. Friends had that blessing and I remember thinking when I would have my turn. Then, in 9th Grade I sort of fell into playing Danny Zuko randomly in that years Grease themed portion of the dance show. The moment I hit the stage I think something in me knew. Even in rehearsals. I'd fallen in Love.
LatinoBuzz: Did you grow up in a household of artists?
E.J.: For a while I felt like I spoke a different language than my immediate family. It wasn't until my teens that I met and got to know better members of my extended family (my cousin Alma in particular) that self- identified as artists. Something in us clicked together; in the way we thought, in the language we chose to use, in what we enjoyed. She helped me see and appreciate a lot both about myself and my loved ones. And when I look back I recognize now that I indeed do come from a large family of artists. Whether they necessarily realize it or not.
LatinoBuzz: Were you aware of 'House' writer Joseph B. Vasquez' work or his life when you got involved with The House That Jack Built? And what did you think? Please, tell me you have seen Vasquez' 'Hanging With The Homeboys'!
E.J.: I was not aware of Joe before this movie but 'Jack' has certainly allowed me an education and an opportunity. Hanging With The Homeboys was one of my first homework assignments by Henry Barrial, our director. I welcomed it. We could say Joseph Vasquez was before his time but really I just think he was a real artist and Real art stand the test of time. 'The Homeboys' is no different. Even with the theatricality of cinema at the time, Joe made it feel intentional. Painting a portrait of our time in the 90's within urban New York with colorful and lavish brush strokes. I Loved it. It was a powerful film.
LatinoBuzz: What drew you to the role of 'Jack'? Could you relate to the core of the character?
E.J.: To me, 'Jack' is an ode to the males in my family. Strong. Opinionated. Loving. And with that special "hint" of machismo, to say the least. I loved having the opportunity to play him. This film is in honor of my mother and those males in my family, specifically my brother Ivan from whom I borrowed most of Jacks mannerisms.
LatinoBuzz: How does working with Henry (House), Cruz (Drown) and Nick (Mamitas), Joshua (Four) differ from one another? (btw I recommend you for Mamitas!) and did you have to adjust your approach as an actor?
E.J.: First of all, thank you for the recommendation. Lol. And yes honestly, they are all very different directors. Some are more specific, some are calmer than others when the pressure is on, some use more colorful language and they all communicate differently. But they all have love and care in common. They are all artists. And they have voices that I believe shine through within their films. To add to that, as a director myself I have learned so much from all three. I would like to thank them for that.
LatinoBuzz: Ok, Ideal role: What's the story, who is the director and who is your co-star?
E.J.: Lol. Always one of the hardest questions to answer.... I don't know. I love telling truthful honest stories. I suppose I'd love the opportunity to be a superhero within a realistic dramatic piece. It would have opportunity for humor too of course. And ideally I would be the writer/director? (Though I suppose if I was, it is Possible I would give myself a meaty but smaller part so I could focus on the latter of my duties... Maybe). Annnnnnnd my co-star would be... One of my actual best friends. I am blessed to have so many beautiful talented people around me, I would like them all in my film please!!!
LatinoBuzz: What is next for you?
E.J.: I'm working on creating a sitcom with some of those best friends as we speak. We recently just shot our pitch video. You can follow us on our endeavor on Instagram @TheGatosNegros. Also my writing partner and I are in the midst of finalizing a final draft of our latest short film, "The Normally." We should be shooting sometime in December under the production company we're creating, Almost Dark, prod. In addition, if you guys are looking for amazing music from a brand new indie artist, I just copped "Life Happens: The BiPolar Symptoms" by Naiqui on iTunes. Seriously one of the greatest pieces of art I've ever heard. It is genius. I'm looking to see if I can have him score my next piece.
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
- 11/21/2015
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
A couple of years ago writer/director Henry Barrial appeared on our radar when his low budget, big brains sci-fi thriller Pig made waves across the American and International festival circuits. For his follow-up, Barrial has taken on something completely different: a drama written by acclaimed writer/director Joseph B. Vasquez (of Hangin' With The Homeboys fame) which has been sitting for nearly 20 years.
The House that Jack Built stars E.J. Bonilla as the titular Jack, a charismatic young man who seems to have everything. He owns an apparently successful business, an apartment building in the Bronx that he's moved his entire family into and he has a beautiful fiancé. He's the family success story, the one who will do whatever is necessary to take care of the [Continued ...]...
The House that Jack Built stars E.J. Bonilla as the titular Jack, a charismatic young man who seems to have everything. He owns an apparently successful business, an apartment building in the Bronx that he's moved his entire family into and he has a beautiful fiancé. He's the family success story, the one who will do whatever is necessary to take care of the [Continued ...]...
- 4/30/2014
- QuietEarth.us
Hispanicize 2014 Reveals Official Film Festival Selections, Presented by: Aarp, MyLingo.com, and Regal Cinemas
Festival will feature filmmaking stars Edward James Olmos, Nicholas Gonzales, Diego Luna, and many more
Miami Beach, Fl – March 28, 2014 – (Hispanicize Wire) – With a strong star presence and a national Hispanic media and social media stage as the backdrop, Hispanicize 2014 organizers today unveiled the event’s film festival selections, celebrity screenings and professional development sessions. Hispanicize 2014 (http://www.hispanicizeevent.com/), the largest annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in social media, journalism, advertising, public relations, film, music and innovation, will take place at the Intercontinental in downtown Miami, April 1-4.
This year’s film selections are: “ Cesar Chavez”, “Water and Power”, “Sleeping with The Fishes”, “Avenues”, “The House That Jack Built”, and six short films: “Missing Grandma,” “J-1”, “Tender Love”, “Reason Y I’m Single”, “ The Price We Pay” and “Stereotypically Me”.
Hollywood celebrities confirmed to...
Festival will feature filmmaking stars Edward James Olmos, Nicholas Gonzales, Diego Luna, and many more
Miami Beach, Fl – March 28, 2014 – (Hispanicize Wire) – With a strong star presence and a national Hispanic media and social media stage as the backdrop, Hispanicize 2014 organizers today unveiled the event’s film festival selections, celebrity screenings and professional development sessions. Hispanicize 2014 (http://www.hispanicizeevent.com/), the largest annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in social media, journalism, advertising, public relations, film, music and innovation, will take place at the Intercontinental in downtown Miami, April 1-4.
This year’s film selections are: “ Cesar Chavez”, “Water and Power”, “Sleeping with The Fishes”, “Avenues”, “The House That Jack Built”, and six short films: “Missing Grandma,” “J-1”, “Tender Love”, “Reason Y I’m Single”, “ The Price We Pay” and “Stereotypically Me”.
Hollywood celebrities confirmed to...
- 3/30/2014
- by El Mayimbe
- LRMonline.com
Inspired by Ray Kurzweil's book The Singularity Is Near, Henry Barrial's Pig quickly evolves from a film about a man's confounding rediscovery of his own identity into a science fiction treatise on the future of neurobiological science. To dismiss Pig as merely being derivative of Memento totally discredits the intellectual prowess of Barrial's film. Pig functions as an existential diatribe on how one's past informs one's sense of self. Then, by wiping the protagonist's memory, Barrial tests the epistemological theory of tabula rasa, allowing the man to be "reborn" without built-in mental content so that he can learn purely from his experiences and perceptions. The "reveal" might seem a bit rushed, but otherwise Pig is an intense rollercoaster ride in which we (thankfully!) never know more than the protagonist.
- 3/19/2014
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Some great news today for fans of interesting and through provoking sci-fi drama: Henry Barrial's Pig is finally available to the masses.
You may remember the movie from a few years ago when it won a major prize at Sci-Fi London before crossing the waters to play the B-Movie Celebration. The trailer, featuring a man who wakes up in the middle of the desert with no recollection of either his name or how he got there, looked intriguing. I had the opportunity to see the movie a few years back and was really impressed with what Barrial and his team managed to scrape together, a movie that doesn't feel at all limited by its budget and instead, manages to tell an interesting and dynamic [Continued ...]...
You may remember the movie from a few years ago when it won a major prize at Sci-Fi London before crossing the waters to play the B-Movie Celebration. The trailer, featuring a man who wakes up in the middle of the desert with no recollection of either his name or how he got there, looked intriguing. I had the opportunity to see the movie a few years back and was really impressed with what Barrial and his team managed to scrape together, a movie that doesn't feel at all limited by its budget and instead, manages to tell an interesting and dynamic [Continued ...]...
- 3/13/2014
- QuietEarth.us
Now that a new year is upon us let's reflect back on 2013. Something like a year in Latino film. Latin American filmmakers continued to kill it on the international film festival circuit. Chile, in particular, has been conquering the world one film festival award at a time.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 1/1/2014
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
Review by Dana Jung
Families have a way of defining us. Who we are, what we feel, the choices we make; all these things can be traced to the quality (or lack thereof) in our family life. The new film The House That Jack Built tells heartfelt and sometimes humorous story that reverberates throughout with themes on the impact and importance of the people we call family.
To all the world, Jack (E.J. Bonilla) has it all. He runs a successful business, has a pretty girlfriend (Melissa Fumero), and owns the nice high rise apartment building that his extended family and friends live in. However, Jack’s idealistic dreamworld is beginning to crumble down around him: his parents (Saundra Santiago and John Herrera) constantly fight, mostly because his father is an alcoholic; his sister is about to come out as lesbian; his girlfriend is starting to pressure him to get...
Families have a way of defining us. Who we are, what we feel, the choices we make; all these things can be traced to the quality (or lack thereof) in our family life. The new film The House That Jack Built tells heartfelt and sometimes humorous story that reverberates throughout with themes on the impact and importance of the people we call family.
To all the world, Jack (E.J. Bonilla) has it all. He runs a successful business, has a pretty girlfriend (Melissa Fumero), and owns the nice high rise apartment building that his extended family and friends live in. However, Jack’s idealistic dreamworld is beginning to crumble down around him: his parents (Saundra Santiago and John Herrera) constantly fight, mostly because his father is an alcoholic; his sister is about to come out as lesbian; his girlfriend is starting to pressure him to get...
- 11/18/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Film to Premiere at a special one-night, invitation-only, engagement sponsored by HBO(R) on October at the AMC Empire 25 on 42nd Street
New York, NY – September 25, 2013 – (Hispanicize Wire) – ProyectoNEXT, a new showcase for emerging Latino and Urban talent sponsored by HBO, will debut next month with the New York premiere of director Henry Barrial’s “The House That Jack Built.” The one-night, invitation-only feature presentation will take place October 2 in Manhattan at the AMC Empire 25.
Hailed by The Hollywood Reporter as a “convincing portrait of a neighborhood and its Nuyorican culture,” and “a majestic journey of crime, family drama, and redemption” by The Awards Circuit, “The House That Jack Built” stars Bronx native E.J. Bonilla and features an all-Latino cast of Caribbean descent from New York, including Melissa Fumero, Leo Minaya, Flor De Liz Perez, Saundra Santiago, John Herrera, and Rosal Colon.
“HBO is extremely excited to partner in the...
New York, NY – September 25, 2013 – (Hispanicize Wire) – ProyectoNEXT, a new showcase for emerging Latino and Urban talent sponsored by HBO, will debut next month with the New York premiere of director Henry Barrial’s “The House That Jack Built.” The one-night, invitation-only feature presentation will take place October 2 in Manhattan at the AMC Empire 25.
Hailed by The Hollywood Reporter as a “convincing portrait of a neighborhood and its Nuyorican culture,” and “a majestic journey of crime, family drama, and redemption” by The Awards Circuit, “The House That Jack Built” stars Bronx native E.J. Bonilla and features an all-Latino cast of Caribbean descent from New York, including Melissa Fumero, Leo Minaya, Flor De Liz Perez, Saundra Santiago, John Herrera, and Rosal Colon.
“HBO is extremely excited to partner in the...
- 9/26/2013
- by El Mayimbe
- LRMonline.com
New photos Michael Fassbender and Javier Bardem in The Counselor, Aaron Eckhart and Yvonne Strahovski in I, Frankenstein, Russell Brand in Diablo Cody's Paradise, Jude Law in Dom Hemingway, Liam Hemsworth in Cut Bank, and another shot of Dwayne Johnson on the set of Hercules.
Posters for Romeo and Juliet, Saving Mr. Banks, Tom at the Farm, The Canyons, Oldboy, Getaway, Edge of Tomorrow, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Gravity, Elysium, Rush and The To Do List.
"Fox Searchlight has set a May 2nd 2014 U.S. release date for Amma Asante's British period drama 'Belle', and an April 4th 2014 release date for the Jude Law-led British black comedy crime caper 'Dom Hemingway' Both films premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September…" (full details)
"Sony Pictures Classics has announced that Alex Gibney's documentary on disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong...
Posters for Romeo and Juliet, Saving Mr. Banks, Tom at the Farm, The Canyons, Oldboy, Getaway, Edge of Tomorrow, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Gravity, Elysium, Rush and The To Do List.
"Fox Searchlight has set a May 2nd 2014 U.S. release date for Amma Asante's British period drama 'Belle', and an April 4th 2014 release date for the Jude Law-led British black comedy crime caper 'Dom Hemingway' Both films premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September…" (full details)
"Sony Pictures Classics has announced that Alex Gibney's documentary on disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong...
- 7/25/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Kino Lorber's Horizon Movies label has acquired all North American rights to "Pig," the latest sci-fi flick from Henry Barrial ("The House That Jack Built"). The sci-fi/mystery feature had garnered great success on the festival circuit this past year. The film stars Rudolf Martin ("Swordfish," "High Art," "NCIS") and features Patrick Fabian ("The Last Exorcism"), Steve Tom (HBO's "Funny Or Die") and Keith Diamond ("The Drew Carey Show"). "Pig" tells the story of a man (Rudolf Martin), who wakes up alone and in critical condition in the middle of the desert with a black hood on his head and his hands tied behind his back. He is discovered by a woman and is nursed back to health, only to realize he has amnesia, and has no idea who he is. His only clue, a piece of paper in his pocket with the name "Manny Elder" on it, sends him...
- 7/22/2013
- by Madeline Raynor
- Indiewire
So, you wake up in the desert one day, with absolutely no memory of anything that's happened to you or even how you got here. In my younger days I would refer to that as Thursday, but when it comes to the movie biz, what we are talking about is the sci-fi thriller Pig.
Deadline reports that Kino Lorber’s Horizon Movies scooped up North American rights to writer-director Henry Barrial’s Pig.
The flick has done well on the sci-fi fest circuit during the past year, and it tells the story of a man who wakes up in the desert with his hands bound and a hood over his head. After being rescued by a local woman, he realizes he has amnesia and has no idea of who he is and how he got there. A lone clue sends him on a dangerous journey of discovery.
Rudolf Martin, Heather Ankeny...
Deadline reports that Kino Lorber’s Horizon Movies scooped up North American rights to writer-director Henry Barrial’s Pig.
The flick has done well on the sci-fi fest circuit during the past year, and it tells the story of a man who wakes up in the desert with his hands bound and a hood over his head. After being rescued by a local woman, he realizes he has amnesia and has no idea of who he is and how he got there. A lone clue sends him on a dangerous journey of discovery.
Rudolf Martin, Heather Ankeny...
- 7/22/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Jack Be Simple: Barrial’s New York Story Buoyed by Strong Performances
For his fifth feature film, indie filmmaker Henry Barrial takes to the Bronx for a familial relations drama examining notions of family, marriage, and the forced archaic notion of patriarchal authority. While The House That Jack Built is unable to completely sidestep some well-worn clichés, both of a universal nature and those particular to the community within which it is set, Barrial is able to conjure a compelling level of engagement that makes you invested in the eventual outcome. Even better, he manages to do so even with an almost wholly unlikeable lead protagonist.
Jack (E.J. Bonilla) is a hot headed and handsome young patriarchal head of his extended family, and it has long been his life’s goal to provide for them all. Still a very young man, he has purchased an entire apartment complex for his whole family to live in,...
For his fifth feature film, indie filmmaker Henry Barrial takes to the Bronx for a familial relations drama examining notions of family, marriage, and the forced archaic notion of patriarchal authority. While The House That Jack Built is unable to completely sidestep some well-worn clichés, both of a universal nature and those particular to the community within which it is set, Barrial is able to conjure a compelling level of engagement that makes you invested in the eventual outcome. Even better, he manages to do so even with an almost wholly unlikeable lead protagonist.
Jack (E.J. Bonilla) is a hot headed and handsome young patriarchal head of his extended family, and it has long been his life’s goal to provide for them all. Still a very young man, he has purchased an entire apartment complex for his whole family to live in,...
- 6/16/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Shortly before its debut at the Los Angeles Film Festival next week, we've got the exclusive trailer for Henry Barrial's family drama "The House That Jack Built." The film is set to make its world premiere on Sunday, June 16th at the Regal Cinemas 10 in Los Angeles. From a script written 20 years ago by the late screenwriter Joseph Vasquez, "The House That Jack Built" tells the story of Jack, a hot-blooded and ambitious kind of guy who takes care of his own. He sets his extended family up in a single Bronx apartment complex and then expects them to play by his rules. But his parents still bicker non-stop, his brother can barely keep it together, and his sister continues to entertain lady lovers. Tensions rise, and his dream unravels into an uncontrollable hot mess. Take a look at the trailer below.
- 6/7/2013
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Upon the Los Angeles Film Festival announcing their 2013 roster I was excited to see a title familiar to me that would be having its world premiere there. That film is 'The House That Jack Built' – from a screenplay written by Joseph B. Vasquez (Hangin' With The Homeboys) that I'd read close to 15 years earlier as an intern and it was rumored that it would be a Spike Lee/John Leguizamo collaboration. The film itself is a 20 year old journey in the making for the producers. The story revolves around Jack, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who yearns for those long gone memories of what was once a happy, united family where he remembers everything as ethereal-like. So he decides to buy a tenement where they can all be under the same roof in hopes of re-creating that joy, when in reality it will never be the same again as his well intentioned gesture tests the families bond to the point of irreparable dysfunction.
The joy for me at the time was reading the last screenplay written by Joe before he passed away in 1995. My friends and I used to quote the hell out of 'Hangin' With The Homeboys' and laugh at the way he wrote these richly drawn urban characters that could walk a very fine line and he was never afraid to push a few buttons when it came to sex, race and class. He knew the comedy in tragedy. The melancholy in reading his last screenplay was that it was his last screenplay.
Born to drug addicted parents in the South Bronx, Joseph started making movies on a Super 8mm camera at the age of 12. Eventually this would lead him to study film at City College in New York where he honed his craft and would later make a low budget, gritty, if not unwatchable film called 'Street Story' (later barely released as 'Street Hitz') where according to Joe, he was writer, director, cinematographer, editor, sound editor, gaffer, negative cutter and music editor. Working with a slightly larger budget and a little more experience his next film would be 'The Bronx War' (which I own on DVD courtesy of a spot on 125th st). It was another film with a story line firmly cemented in the street life that he was familiar and comfortable with. 'The Bronx War' would be the one to catch the attention of New Line Cinema. After all, there weren't many Puerto Rican/Black filmmakers coming out of the Bronx, especially ones that spoke to the surging urban market like he did. They would decide to finance a semi-autobiographical screenplay he wrote in about three days called 'Hangin' With The Homeboys' about an epic, odyssey-like guys night out in New York City with four friends. Each of the four characters represented a different part of Vasquez. He was now making a film for a studio and not paying for it out of his own pocket. But Joseph's life played out much like one of his screenplays. During the shoot, he was slashed down the middle of his forehead to his nose by a homeless man as he took the subway to the set, ending what he believed could have been another career as an actor. The tension on the set was unbearable according to his leads. Still, the film was completed and premiered at the '91 Sundance Film Festival to great success and even walked away with a best screenwriting award. Joseph, suffering from severe Bi-polar disorder started to grow wary of studios like New Line Cinema, the very studio that helped him achieve the success he had enjoyed and started turning down projects such as 'House Party 2', citing that the films had gotten too big and were slipping away from his creative and artistic grasp. Instead he opted to do things his own way as before. A result was 'Manhattan Merengue'. This film, understandably failed to move his career to the next level and Joseph began suffering from manic depression when the offers that once presented themselves to him stopped coming in. Once thought to be the next Spike Lee (a comparison he didn't care for), he alienated those around him and at some later point claimed to be Jesus. His behavior became increasingly erratic and drew great concern from those around him as his health deteriorated. At the time no one knew he had AIDS, to which he would succumb to far from the South Bronx he loved and wrote about. At aged 33 he passed away in San Diego, CA. penniless but with his mother, who got clean, by his side.
Producer Mike Lieber, who had known Joe for many years including during his tumultuous times, held on to the script of 'The House That Jack Built', hoping that one day he could finally get it made. It was something he promised Joseph on his death bed that he would do. After attaching Cuban-American, Henry Barrial (Pig) to direct, they raised a budget that was enough to cover a shoot on HD and raised the rest on Kickstarter to bring it home. Casting was primarily done in the Bronx with E.J Bonilla (Four, Mamitas) cast to play 'Jack' and joined by an all Latino cast that includes Melissa Fumero, Leo Minaya, Saundra Santiago, John Herrera, Flor De Liz Perez and Rosal Colon.
Mike Lieber fulfilled his promise and Joseph Benjamin Vasquez' new film will premiere at The Los Angeles Film Festival which runs June 13-23. Tickets can be bought at http://www.lafilmfest.com . Give them a “Like”: https://www.facebook.com/thehousethatjackbuiltmovie.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
The joy for me at the time was reading the last screenplay written by Joe before he passed away in 1995. My friends and I used to quote the hell out of 'Hangin' With The Homeboys' and laugh at the way he wrote these richly drawn urban characters that could walk a very fine line and he was never afraid to push a few buttons when it came to sex, race and class. He knew the comedy in tragedy. The melancholy in reading his last screenplay was that it was his last screenplay.
Born to drug addicted parents in the South Bronx, Joseph started making movies on a Super 8mm camera at the age of 12. Eventually this would lead him to study film at City College in New York where he honed his craft and would later make a low budget, gritty, if not unwatchable film called 'Street Story' (later barely released as 'Street Hitz') where according to Joe, he was writer, director, cinematographer, editor, sound editor, gaffer, negative cutter and music editor. Working with a slightly larger budget and a little more experience his next film would be 'The Bronx War' (which I own on DVD courtesy of a spot on 125th st). It was another film with a story line firmly cemented in the street life that he was familiar and comfortable with. 'The Bronx War' would be the one to catch the attention of New Line Cinema. After all, there weren't many Puerto Rican/Black filmmakers coming out of the Bronx, especially ones that spoke to the surging urban market like he did. They would decide to finance a semi-autobiographical screenplay he wrote in about three days called 'Hangin' With The Homeboys' about an epic, odyssey-like guys night out in New York City with four friends. Each of the four characters represented a different part of Vasquez. He was now making a film for a studio and not paying for it out of his own pocket. But Joseph's life played out much like one of his screenplays. During the shoot, he was slashed down the middle of his forehead to his nose by a homeless man as he took the subway to the set, ending what he believed could have been another career as an actor. The tension on the set was unbearable according to his leads. Still, the film was completed and premiered at the '91 Sundance Film Festival to great success and even walked away with a best screenwriting award. Joseph, suffering from severe Bi-polar disorder started to grow wary of studios like New Line Cinema, the very studio that helped him achieve the success he had enjoyed and started turning down projects such as 'House Party 2', citing that the films had gotten too big and were slipping away from his creative and artistic grasp. Instead he opted to do things his own way as before. A result was 'Manhattan Merengue'. This film, understandably failed to move his career to the next level and Joseph began suffering from manic depression when the offers that once presented themselves to him stopped coming in. Once thought to be the next Spike Lee (a comparison he didn't care for), he alienated those around him and at some later point claimed to be Jesus. His behavior became increasingly erratic and drew great concern from those around him as his health deteriorated. At the time no one knew he had AIDS, to which he would succumb to far from the South Bronx he loved and wrote about. At aged 33 he passed away in San Diego, CA. penniless but with his mother, who got clean, by his side.
Producer Mike Lieber, who had known Joe for many years including during his tumultuous times, held on to the script of 'The House That Jack Built', hoping that one day he could finally get it made. It was something he promised Joseph on his death bed that he would do. After attaching Cuban-American, Henry Barrial (Pig) to direct, they raised a budget that was enough to cover a shoot on HD and raised the rest on Kickstarter to bring it home. Casting was primarily done in the Bronx with E.J Bonilla (Four, Mamitas) cast to play 'Jack' and joined by an all Latino cast that includes Melissa Fumero, Leo Minaya, Saundra Santiago, John Herrera, Flor De Liz Perez and Rosal Colon.
Mike Lieber fulfilled his promise and Joseph Benjamin Vasquez' new film will premiere at The Los Angeles Film Festival which runs June 13-23. Tickets can be bought at http://www.lafilmfest.com . Give them a “Like”: https://www.facebook.com/thehousethatjackbuiltmovie.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 5/15/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
The summertime, downtown set, glitzy yet ‘cashz’ La Film Festival, presented by Film Independent has announced their film lineup today. The verdict on the Latino rep? Compared to the last three festivals I’ve examined this year, Sundance, SXSW and Tribeca, La Film Festival comes through with arguably the most valuable representation; there are three films representing American Latino in the narrative competition and one in documentary competition.
The lineup consists of a handful of new American indies mixed in with many favorited international films from last year’s Toronto, Venice, London and Berlin film festivals, and seven Sundance films screening out of competition including Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, which won both the Audience and Jury Awards in Park City. Starring Boricua Melonie Diaz as Oakland police murder victim Oscar Grant’s girlfriend, Fruitvale will be given the gala treatment (like last year’s Sundance awarded, Black film, Middle of Nowhere), alongside the direct-from-Cannes, Only God Forgives, the reteaming of director Nicolas Winding Refyn and GQ sensitive alpha hero Ryan Gosling (Drive).
But I’m not here to comb and recycle through the ‘high profile’ films that come armed with buzz. As always I’m spotlighting U.S. films in which the writer/director/cast are native born whose ethnic/cultural roots originates from Mexico, Central or South America. In addition, films by filmmakers who may not be Latino, but whose narratives explore and relate to the relevant bi-cultural experience/subjects. And finally I also like to mention the Latin films (international).
While I’m happy to acknowledge and give it up for La, it’s still painful for this blogger/programmer to know there are so many more fresh American Latino films out there ready to be discovered. Game-changing films offering such fresh and original perspectives, which have by and large been dismissed by most of the major Us Film Festivals. With the futures of the two highest profile Latino niche festivals in limbo, The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and HBO’s NY International Latino Film Festival, it’s especially crushing to know that these films might also be robbed of their only community platform. It’s cause for alarm and high time to address this void. But wait, lets save that for another post. For now, lets get back to the Latino stories coming at you at this year’s La Film Festival. For official synopsis and pics check the Film Guide here.
Narrative Competition – Notably 9 of the 12 are Us, hopefully giving the scrappy indies a better chance to compete and win the cash prize against the healthy subsidized production value of foreign movies. Five are first features and only one female narrative director.
40 Years From Yesterday written and directed by Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian
This is the first feature from the writing/directing team who got a lot of attention with their 2010 short Charlie and The Rabbit. Ojeda-Beck (whose parents are from Peru) and Machoian who is from the heavily Mexican populated King City, met at Cal State, Monterey Bay where they forged a tight artistic collaboration. Forty Years from Yesterday is described as Machoian’s imagination of how his mother’s death would unfold for his own family, capturing the loss his siblings would feel in losing a parent and his father’s pain in facing the death of his partner.
The duo have their way with documentary, fiction and experimental form, instilling an aura of temporality in an anchored realism. This unique evocative alchemy is found in Machoian’s doc short, Movies Made from Home #16, a 4 minute existential moment which screened at Sundance this year. The cosmic life themes they tend to broach are treated in such a down to earth and sensitive way, which is further made relatable by the natural non-pro performances they employ. Robert’s father, Bill Graham has starred in a few of his films and in Forty Years from Yesterday, both Robert’s parents and siblings play themselves. See this endearing behind the scenes clip of the making of the film:
The House That Jack Built written by Joseph B. Vasquez and directed by Henry Barrial
Written by the late Joseph B. Vasquez (d 1995) whose 1991 movie, Hanging with the Homeboys, was a groundbreaking urban comedy when it came out, now very much a classic albeit sadly forgotten gem. The only one of Vasquez’s five movies that was distributed (by New Line), Hanging with the Homeboys was shot in the South Bronx where he was born and raised. About four homeys, two Puerto Rican (one of them played by a baby-faced Johnny Leguizamo) and two Black, the movie, available on dvd from Amazon (or, I found it in 6 parts on Youtube) screened at the Sundance Film Festival at its indie darling peak. Its good-natured humor is derived from neighborhood beefs, trying to rap to ladies, and the racial tensions of the day delivered with unapologetic commentary. An overall glimpse into a day in the barrio slice life, the film is clearly an early influence for the Ice Cube Friday series.
The House that Jack Built similarly has that raw and authentic Nuyorican energy but pushed into a rollercoaster of a dysfunctional family drama with warmth, affection and intensity. The director, born from Cuban parents and raised in Washington Heights, Henry Barrial, is also an alumni of Sundance (Somebody 2001). The film stars E.J. Bonilla as the hot-blooded self-imposed king of his family who buys an apartment building to keep his family close, only to start dictating everybody’s life since he’s letting them live rent free. Bonilla is a fiercely charismatic up and coming actor who was last at the festival with the film Mamitas in 2011 and was also in Don’t Let Me Drown (Sundance 2010). An uproarious and high-edged Harlem set chamber piece, the heavy conflict of gravity that besets Jack is from being pulled in opposite directions by his street values on one side and deeply rooted family values on the other. See the trailer on their Kickstarter page.
My Sister’S Quinceanera written and directed by Aaron Douglas Johnston
This was reportedly one of the most talked about American films in the experimental leaning Rotterdam Film Festival this year. The filmmaker who was born and raised in Iowa, Aaron Douglas Johnston, has an impressive academic pedigree having attended world prestigious universities, Oxford and Yale. His first feature, the small town, gay life set, Bumblefuck, USA screened at Outfest 2011. In My Sister’s Quinceanera, he uses the local Mexican-American Iowa residents as his non-pro actors with whom he collaborated with on the story. It’s a gentle and earnest portrayal of a young man named Silas who is convinced he has to leave town to become independent and start his life but must first see his sister’s Quinceanera take place.
Workers written and directed by Jose Luis Valle (Mexico/Germany) - A quietly simmering artful drama about a retiring factory worker and housemaid in Tijuana circumstantially reunited and trying to compensate for their spent lives. An accomplished and arresting feature debut, the film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section and won Best Mexican Film at the Guadalajara film Festival. A full investment into the contemplative tone and rhythm yields an appreciation for the film’s visceral and dry humor undertones. Born in El Salvador, Jose Luis Valle previously made a documentary short called Milagro del Papa.
Documentary Competition: 7 out 10 are Us, 4 first features, six female directors (incl. 2 co-directors)
Tapia directed by Eddie Alcazar
The 5 time world boxing champion and emotionally damaged blue-eyed Chicano from the 505, Johnny Lee Tapia, survived a series of near deaths before his turbulent life ended at the young age of 45 last year. The sheer volume of tragedy and coping afflictions Johnny endured in his Vida Loca, as he openly shares in his autobiography, includes the scarring experience of seeing his mother’s kidnapping and violent murder at the tender age of eight. Tapia funneled his heartbreaking life to fuel a successful professional boxing career. Tapia’s confrontation to such tumult is so impressive, it’s no wonder that former EA video game designer Eddie Alcazar decided to both dramatize and document his harrowing real life story. Originally announced as a biopic, subsequently the documentary was born of it, in which Eddie captures final interviews and archival footage with the haunted boxer. Remarkably, watching the clip below, a slight zeal and spirit, however low key and worn, emanates from the towering rumble of his battered lifetime – unquestionably his refusal to be knocked out. This is actually the first feature out of the gate for filmmaker Eddie Alcazar whose radical sci-fi film 0000 has been curiously tracked as in production for a couple years now. The ambitious looking trailer only piqued mad interest when it was released last year.
Purgatorio directed by Rodrigo Reyes (Mexico) - An elegiac and cinematically shot poem filled with emotional narration and iconography, this border film is told by way of a tapestry of stories that culminates into a strong cry for human compassion. Imagining the border as if purgatory, where migrants must suffer in order to get through to the other side, the dangerous plight in crossing the Us/Mexico border is viewed outside political context but rather a metaphysical prism. This is the fourth film from Reyes, a talented young documentarian from Mexico.
International Showcase
Europa Report directed by Sebastian Cordero and written by Philip Gelatt - From award winning Ecuador born filmmaker Sebastian Cordero (Rabia, Cronicas, Pescador) Europa Report marks his first film in English. Somewhat shrouded in mystery, the story is written by Philip Gelatt, an adult comic book author, and is set aboard the first manned mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. The genre bending sounding sci-fi thriller was recently picked up by Magnolia’s Magnet division and will go straight to VOD on June 27 after its La Film Festival premiere. Cordero, who is a UCLA grad, has a well-controlled gritty realism to his aesthetic, which might inhabit and distinguish this deep space thriller among the genre’s canon.
Crystal Fairy written and directed by Sebastian Silva (Chile) - From the crafty young Chilean filmmaker whose first first film, The Maid put him on the international map, this is one of two films he screened at Sundance this year. A road trip of self-discovery featuring the charming free spirited Gaby Hoffman pitted against a smarmy American tourist Michael Cera in the long and vast Chilean coast side, the film explores their unusual and fluid character dynamic and opposing auras.
The Women And The Passenger directed by Valentina Mac-Pherson, Patricia Correra (Chile) - A 45 minute version of this screened at the prestigious documentary film festival in Amsterdam Idfa. An unobtrusive camera follows four maids as they clean the rooms of one of those clandestine by-the-hour motels. Amid the moans behind doors and bed aftermaths of torrid love affairs, the women reveal their own perspectives about life, love and sex in some kind of visual love letter to the special place. I don’t believe the title is translated to interpret its full meaning, its more like, “The Transients’ women”.
Shorts
I Was Born In Mexico But…. written and directed by Corey OHama - 12min (Us) - Per the IMDb description, “using found footage to tell the story of an undocumented young woman who grew up thinking she was American, only to find out as a teenager that she didn’t have papers because she was brought to the U.S. as a young child. “ Sounds like the thousands of Dreamers plights whose stories are being suppressed.
Misterio written and directed by Chema Garcia Ibarra (Spain) 12min - So even though this is from Spain (not the Americas), I mention it if because I’m a huge fan of Chema’s shorts, Protoparticles and The Attack of the Robots from Nebula-5. I have no doubt this will share that similar strange, whimsical vibe.
Al Lado De Norma written and directed by Camila Luna, Gabriela Maturana 14min (Chile) - 49 year-old Jorge is a silent, tired man, whose life seems to revolve around Norma, his elderly mother who has Alzheimer’s. But Antonio, who rents a small room in their home, will provide him with the chance to examine himself and question his monotonous life, which might just make for a radical change.
Papel Picado – written and directed by Javier Barboza - From a 2007 Cal Arts Alumnus, and independent animation teacher and filmmaker, this looks wild! Check out his vimeo works here.
Saint John, The Longest Night, written and directed by Claudia Huaiquimilla (Chile) 18 min - The filmmaker is of the indigenous Mapuche tribe of Southern Chile. Set amid the happy Saints celebration of June 24, a young boy must wrestle with the reappearance of his violent father.
Too Much Water (Demasiada Agua) written and directed by Nicolas Botana, Gonzalo Torrens (Uruguay) 14 min - A young woman fills her backyard pool every night and finds it empty in the morning. Strange neighbors and even stranger circumstances stir her paranoia.
Lastly, I have to mention dance beat rapper Kid Cudi’s feature film acting debut in Goodbye World directed by Denis Hennelly (Rock the Bells doc about Wu Tang Clan) and written by Sarah Adina Smith. Essentially, the film is about a group of friends hanging out when some kind of apocalypse hits. Hijinks ensue. (There’s a trend here after It’s A Disaster and the upcoming “look-we’re-so-cool-celebs partying of This is The End). Although it’s a small role, it is the first of a number of films Kid Cudi is in that are coming through the pipelines. Born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi in Cleveland Ohio, he is a beautiful brown blend of African American on his mother’s side and Native/Mexican mix on his father’s side.
The La Film Festival kicks off with Pedro Almodovar’s, I’m So Excited on June 13 and runs until the 23. Tickets and info here.
The lineup consists of a handful of new American indies mixed in with many favorited international films from last year’s Toronto, Venice, London and Berlin film festivals, and seven Sundance films screening out of competition including Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, which won both the Audience and Jury Awards in Park City. Starring Boricua Melonie Diaz as Oakland police murder victim Oscar Grant’s girlfriend, Fruitvale will be given the gala treatment (like last year’s Sundance awarded, Black film, Middle of Nowhere), alongside the direct-from-Cannes, Only God Forgives, the reteaming of director Nicolas Winding Refyn and GQ sensitive alpha hero Ryan Gosling (Drive).
But I’m not here to comb and recycle through the ‘high profile’ films that come armed with buzz. As always I’m spotlighting U.S. films in which the writer/director/cast are native born whose ethnic/cultural roots originates from Mexico, Central or South America. In addition, films by filmmakers who may not be Latino, but whose narratives explore and relate to the relevant bi-cultural experience/subjects. And finally I also like to mention the Latin films (international).
While I’m happy to acknowledge and give it up for La, it’s still painful for this blogger/programmer to know there are so many more fresh American Latino films out there ready to be discovered. Game-changing films offering such fresh and original perspectives, which have by and large been dismissed by most of the major Us Film Festivals. With the futures of the two highest profile Latino niche festivals in limbo, The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and HBO’s NY International Latino Film Festival, it’s especially crushing to know that these films might also be robbed of their only community platform. It’s cause for alarm and high time to address this void. But wait, lets save that for another post. For now, lets get back to the Latino stories coming at you at this year’s La Film Festival. For official synopsis and pics check the Film Guide here.
Narrative Competition – Notably 9 of the 12 are Us, hopefully giving the scrappy indies a better chance to compete and win the cash prize against the healthy subsidized production value of foreign movies. Five are first features and only one female narrative director.
40 Years From Yesterday written and directed by Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian
This is the first feature from the writing/directing team who got a lot of attention with their 2010 short Charlie and The Rabbit. Ojeda-Beck (whose parents are from Peru) and Machoian who is from the heavily Mexican populated King City, met at Cal State, Monterey Bay where they forged a tight artistic collaboration. Forty Years from Yesterday is described as Machoian’s imagination of how his mother’s death would unfold for his own family, capturing the loss his siblings would feel in losing a parent and his father’s pain in facing the death of his partner.
The duo have their way with documentary, fiction and experimental form, instilling an aura of temporality in an anchored realism. This unique evocative alchemy is found in Machoian’s doc short, Movies Made from Home #16, a 4 minute existential moment which screened at Sundance this year. The cosmic life themes they tend to broach are treated in such a down to earth and sensitive way, which is further made relatable by the natural non-pro performances they employ. Robert’s father, Bill Graham has starred in a few of his films and in Forty Years from Yesterday, both Robert’s parents and siblings play themselves. See this endearing behind the scenes clip of the making of the film:
The House That Jack Built written by Joseph B. Vasquez and directed by Henry Barrial
Written by the late Joseph B. Vasquez (d 1995) whose 1991 movie, Hanging with the Homeboys, was a groundbreaking urban comedy when it came out, now very much a classic albeit sadly forgotten gem. The only one of Vasquez’s five movies that was distributed (by New Line), Hanging with the Homeboys was shot in the South Bronx where he was born and raised. About four homeys, two Puerto Rican (one of them played by a baby-faced Johnny Leguizamo) and two Black, the movie, available on dvd from Amazon (or, I found it in 6 parts on Youtube) screened at the Sundance Film Festival at its indie darling peak. Its good-natured humor is derived from neighborhood beefs, trying to rap to ladies, and the racial tensions of the day delivered with unapologetic commentary. An overall glimpse into a day in the barrio slice life, the film is clearly an early influence for the Ice Cube Friday series.
The House that Jack Built similarly has that raw and authentic Nuyorican energy but pushed into a rollercoaster of a dysfunctional family drama with warmth, affection and intensity. The director, born from Cuban parents and raised in Washington Heights, Henry Barrial, is also an alumni of Sundance (Somebody 2001). The film stars E.J. Bonilla as the hot-blooded self-imposed king of his family who buys an apartment building to keep his family close, only to start dictating everybody’s life since he’s letting them live rent free. Bonilla is a fiercely charismatic up and coming actor who was last at the festival with the film Mamitas in 2011 and was also in Don’t Let Me Drown (Sundance 2010). An uproarious and high-edged Harlem set chamber piece, the heavy conflict of gravity that besets Jack is from being pulled in opposite directions by his street values on one side and deeply rooted family values on the other. See the trailer on their Kickstarter page.
My Sister’S Quinceanera written and directed by Aaron Douglas Johnston
This was reportedly one of the most talked about American films in the experimental leaning Rotterdam Film Festival this year. The filmmaker who was born and raised in Iowa, Aaron Douglas Johnston, has an impressive academic pedigree having attended world prestigious universities, Oxford and Yale. His first feature, the small town, gay life set, Bumblefuck, USA screened at Outfest 2011. In My Sister’s Quinceanera, he uses the local Mexican-American Iowa residents as his non-pro actors with whom he collaborated with on the story. It’s a gentle and earnest portrayal of a young man named Silas who is convinced he has to leave town to become independent and start his life but must first see his sister’s Quinceanera take place.
Workers written and directed by Jose Luis Valle (Mexico/Germany) - A quietly simmering artful drama about a retiring factory worker and housemaid in Tijuana circumstantially reunited and trying to compensate for their spent lives. An accomplished and arresting feature debut, the film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section and won Best Mexican Film at the Guadalajara film Festival. A full investment into the contemplative tone and rhythm yields an appreciation for the film’s visceral and dry humor undertones. Born in El Salvador, Jose Luis Valle previously made a documentary short called Milagro del Papa.
Documentary Competition: 7 out 10 are Us, 4 first features, six female directors (incl. 2 co-directors)
Tapia directed by Eddie Alcazar
The 5 time world boxing champion and emotionally damaged blue-eyed Chicano from the 505, Johnny Lee Tapia, survived a series of near deaths before his turbulent life ended at the young age of 45 last year. The sheer volume of tragedy and coping afflictions Johnny endured in his Vida Loca, as he openly shares in his autobiography, includes the scarring experience of seeing his mother’s kidnapping and violent murder at the tender age of eight. Tapia funneled his heartbreaking life to fuel a successful professional boxing career. Tapia’s confrontation to such tumult is so impressive, it’s no wonder that former EA video game designer Eddie Alcazar decided to both dramatize and document his harrowing real life story. Originally announced as a biopic, subsequently the documentary was born of it, in which Eddie captures final interviews and archival footage with the haunted boxer. Remarkably, watching the clip below, a slight zeal and spirit, however low key and worn, emanates from the towering rumble of his battered lifetime – unquestionably his refusal to be knocked out. This is actually the first feature out of the gate for filmmaker Eddie Alcazar whose radical sci-fi film 0000 has been curiously tracked as in production for a couple years now. The ambitious looking trailer only piqued mad interest when it was released last year.
Purgatorio directed by Rodrigo Reyes (Mexico) - An elegiac and cinematically shot poem filled with emotional narration and iconography, this border film is told by way of a tapestry of stories that culminates into a strong cry for human compassion. Imagining the border as if purgatory, where migrants must suffer in order to get through to the other side, the dangerous plight in crossing the Us/Mexico border is viewed outside political context but rather a metaphysical prism. This is the fourth film from Reyes, a talented young documentarian from Mexico.
International Showcase
Europa Report directed by Sebastian Cordero and written by Philip Gelatt - From award winning Ecuador born filmmaker Sebastian Cordero (Rabia, Cronicas, Pescador) Europa Report marks his first film in English. Somewhat shrouded in mystery, the story is written by Philip Gelatt, an adult comic book author, and is set aboard the first manned mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. The genre bending sounding sci-fi thriller was recently picked up by Magnolia’s Magnet division and will go straight to VOD on June 27 after its La Film Festival premiere. Cordero, who is a UCLA grad, has a well-controlled gritty realism to his aesthetic, which might inhabit and distinguish this deep space thriller among the genre’s canon.
Crystal Fairy written and directed by Sebastian Silva (Chile) - From the crafty young Chilean filmmaker whose first first film, The Maid put him on the international map, this is one of two films he screened at Sundance this year. A road trip of self-discovery featuring the charming free spirited Gaby Hoffman pitted against a smarmy American tourist Michael Cera in the long and vast Chilean coast side, the film explores their unusual and fluid character dynamic and opposing auras.
The Women And The Passenger directed by Valentina Mac-Pherson, Patricia Correra (Chile) - A 45 minute version of this screened at the prestigious documentary film festival in Amsterdam Idfa. An unobtrusive camera follows four maids as they clean the rooms of one of those clandestine by-the-hour motels. Amid the moans behind doors and bed aftermaths of torrid love affairs, the women reveal their own perspectives about life, love and sex in some kind of visual love letter to the special place. I don’t believe the title is translated to interpret its full meaning, its more like, “The Transients’ women”.
Shorts
I Was Born In Mexico But…. written and directed by Corey OHama - 12min (Us) - Per the IMDb description, “using found footage to tell the story of an undocumented young woman who grew up thinking she was American, only to find out as a teenager that she didn’t have papers because she was brought to the U.S. as a young child. “ Sounds like the thousands of Dreamers plights whose stories are being suppressed.
Misterio written and directed by Chema Garcia Ibarra (Spain) 12min - So even though this is from Spain (not the Americas), I mention it if because I’m a huge fan of Chema’s shorts, Protoparticles and The Attack of the Robots from Nebula-5. I have no doubt this will share that similar strange, whimsical vibe.
Al Lado De Norma written and directed by Camila Luna, Gabriela Maturana 14min (Chile) - 49 year-old Jorge is a silent, tired man, whose life seems to revolve around Norma, his elderly mother who has Alzheimer’s. But Antonio, who rents a small room in their home, will provide him with the chance to examine himself and question his monotonous life, which might just make for a radical change.
Papel Picado – written and directed by Javier Barboza - From a 2007 Cal Arts Alumnus, and independent animation teacher and filmmaker, this looks wild! Check out his vimeo works here.
Saint John, The Longest Night, written and directed by Claudia Huaiquimilla (Chile) 18 min - The filmmaker is of the indigenous Mapuche tribe of Southern Chile. Set amid the happy Saints celebration of June 24, a young boy must wrestle with the reappearance of his violent father.
Too Much Water (Demasiada Agua) written and directed by Nicolas Botana, Gonzalo Torrens (Uruguay) 14 min - A young woman fills her backyard pool every night and finds it empty in the morning. Strange neighbors and even stranger circumstances stir her paranoia.
Lastly, I have to mention dance beat rapper Kid Cudi’s feature film acting debut in Goodbye World directed by Denis Hennelly (Rock the Bells doc about Wu Tang Clan) and written by Sarah Adina Smith. Essentially, the film is about a group of friends hanging out when some kind of apocalypse hits. Hijinks ensue. (There’s a trend here after It’s A Disaster and the upcoming “look-we’re-so-cool-celebs partying of This is The End). Although it’s a small role, it is the first of a number of films Kid Cudi is in that are coming through the pipelines. Born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi in Cleveland Ohio, he is a beautiful brown blend of African American on his mother’s side and Native/Mexican mix on his father’s side.
The La Film Festival kicks off with Pedro Almodovar’s, I’m So Excited on June 13 and runs until the 23. Tickets and info here.
- 5/1/2013
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
Despite having passed away far too young in 1995, promising writer-director Joseph B. Vasquez is getting another film before cameras. The late filmmaker’s screenplay, “The House That Jack Built,” has just begun production in New York under the direction of Henry Barrial, whose “Some Body” played in the Sundance competition in 2001. In 1991, Vasquez's debut film “Hangin’ With the Homeboys” played at the Sundance Film Festival in competition with Richard Linklater’s “Slacker,” Hal Hartley’s “Trust” and Todd Haynes’ grand jury prize-winning “Poison.” Vasquez shared the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award with Hartley and was considered a talent to watch until mental illness derailed his career and AIDS took his life. He only made one more film, the 1995 romance “Manhattan Merengue.” “The House That Jack Built” stars E.J. Bonilla (“Guiding...
- 5/29/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
What make us who we are? Is it our family and friends? Is it our memories of our past? Or is it the future that lies ahead of us? For a lot of people, the answer could be all of the above. It’s a complicated issue when you begin to think why you are who you are. Many people will agree that every single person and event that has been incorporated in their life since day one has helped form who they have become. However, what if you wake up one morning not knowing any of those people or events. Your memory is blank. Would you want to search out those individuals and rediscover those occurrences? Would you want to find out who you are?
Henry Barrial’s 2011 film Pig poses these exact questions. A confused and helpless “man” (Rudolf Martin) wakes up in the middle of the desert with a hood cloaking him.
Henry Barrial’s 2011 film Pig poses these exact questions. A confused and helpless “man” (Rudolf Martin) wakes up in the middle of the desert with a hood cloaking him.
- 11/22/2011
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
“Pig” can be defined in many ways. A common farm animal, a person inclined to eat too much, a derogatory slang toward law enforcement, or a fitting short hand for a selfish, sexist man who hates every bone in a woman’s body. None of these truly fit within the confines of the film Pig, which can lead an audience astray. The title is most likely derived from the ramblings of the main character in reflection on his own past behavior, but this plays only a supplementary role in this complex science-fiction story of one man’s odyssey to regain his own mind.
Written and directed by Henry Barrial, Pig is as much a psychological thriller as it is science-fiction. This surely has its roots in Barrial’s education in psychology, which comes through in the script. Rudolph Martin plays the nameless main character, who wakes up in the middle...
Written and directed by Henry Barrial, Pig is as much a psychological thriller as it is science-fiction. This surely has its roots in Barrial’s education in psychology, which comes through in the script. Rudolph Martin plays the nameless main character, who wakes up in the middle...
- 11/13/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Los Angeles: Shriekfest, the Los Angeles International Film Festival & Screenplay Competiton was a huge success!
Shriekfest took place on Sept 29-Oct 2nd at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. Shriekfest screened almost 40 films and had 40 screenplay finalists & 9 original song finalists. “Absentia” directed by Mike Flanagan took the Grand Jury prize for Best Horror Feature Film, “Pig” directed by Henry Barrial took the Best SciFi Feature Film award, “Isle of Dogs” directed by Tammi Sutton took the Best Thriller Feature Film award, “The Dead Inside” directed by Travis Betz took the Best Supernatural Feature Film Award. “Negative Image”… More...
Shriekfest took place on Sept 29-Oct 2nd at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. Shriekfest screened almost 40 films and had 40 screenplay finalists & 9 original song finalists. “Absentia” directed by Mike Flanagan took the Grand Jury prize for Best Horror Feature Film, “Pig” directed by Henry Barrial took the Best SciFi Feature Film award, “Isle of Dogs” directed by Tammi Sutton took the Best Thriller Feature Film award, “The Dead Inside” directed by Travis Betz took the Best Supernatural Feature Film Award. “Negative Image”… More...
- 10/8/2011
- by HorrorNews.net
- Horror News
And the praise continues to come in for director Mike Flanagan's stunning atmospheric thriller Absentia as the film nabbed the Grand Jury prize during the 2011 Shriekfest Film Festival awards ceremony last night, closing out the Shriekfest's four-day celebration of the world of independent horror.
Other winners of the night included Henry Barrial's Pig, which was named the Best Sci-Fi Feature Film of Shriekfest, Tammi Sutton's Isle of Dogs took home the Best Thriller Feature Film award, and Travis Betz's The Dead Inside was chosen as the Best Supernatural Feature Film during the festival.
In terms of short film winners, Karl Holt's Negative Image won the Best Short Film prize, and Certified by Luke Asa Guidici took home the best Super Short Film award. Screenplay awards were also handed out during the 2011 Shriekfest Film Festival with the Best Horror Feature Screenplay honors going to "Shut In" by T.J. Cimfel and David White.
Other winners of the night included Henry Barrial's Pig, which was named the Best Sci-Fi Feature Film of Shriekfest, Tammi Sutton's Isle of Dogs took home the Best Thriller Feature Film award, and Travis Betz's The Dead Inside was chosen as the Best Supernatural Feature Film during the festival.
In terms of short film winners, Karl Holt's Negative Image won the Best Short Film prize, and Certified by Luke Asa Guidici took home the best Super Short Film award. Screenplay awards were also handed out during the 2011 Shriekfest Film Festival with the Best Horror Feature Screenplay honors going to "Shut In" by T.J. Cimfel and David White.
- 10/3/2011
- by thehorrorchick
- DreadCentral.com
The Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival is, once again, set to push the boundaries of modern horror with their sixth annual edition that will run for four terrifying nights on Oct. 13-16 at the Artisphere theater in Washington, D.C.
For the opening night event on Oct. 13, Spooky Movie proves its international flair with the over-the-top Japanese zombie gorefest and action flick Helldriver, directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, which will have two screenings, one for the early birds at 7:00 p.m. and one for the late-night crowd at 10:00 p.m.
The closing night film on the 16th is also an international affair: Joe Bauer’s The Killage, an Australian horror comedy that sends up the teen camp counselors slasher genre. Plus, there will be several Aussie short films accompanying this final feature.
Smooshed in between these two events are some of the most original and provocative terror flicks around,...
For the opening night event on Oct. 13, Spooky Movie proves its international flair with the over-the-top Japanese zombie gorefest and action flick Helldriver, directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, which will have two screenings, one for the early birds at 7:00 p.m. and one for the late-night crowd at 10:00 p.m.
The closing night film on the 16th is also an international affair: Joe Bauer’s The Killage, an Australian horror comedy that sends up the teen camp counselors slasher genre. Plus, there will be several Aussie short films accompanying this final feature.
Smooshed in between these two events are some of the most original and provocative terror flicks around,...
- 9/8/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The B-Movie Underground and Trash Film Festival brings their unique collection of international sleaze on Sept. 7-11 in the city of Breda in the Netherlands. Violence, gore, general grossness and perversion are, once again, near and dear to the heart of this fun fest.
From the U.S., the But Fest is screening a few modern underground classics while also celebrating a few of the old masters. Included in the lineup are Usama Alshaibi‘s mind-blowing Muslim sex worker flick Profane, Zach Clark‘s wild weekend of debauchery Vacation! and Dan Nelson & Drew Bolduc‘s over-the-top The Taint.
Plus, But is honoring Cinema of Transgression mastermind Nick Zedd with several screenings of his classic works, such as Thrust in Me, Police State and Whoregasm, as well as his recent public access TV series Electra Elf.
Other films from around world include horror hits like César Ducasse & Mathieu Peteul’s Dark Souls,...
From the U.S., the But Fest is screening a few modern underground classics while also celebrating a few of the old masters. Included in the lineup are Usama Alshaibi‘s mind-blowing Muslim sex worker flick Profane, Zach Clark‘s wild weekend of debauchery Vacation! and Dan Nelson & Drew Bolduc‘s over-the-top The Taint.
Plus, But is honoring Cinema of Transgression mastermind Nick Zedd with several screenings of his classic works, such as Thrust in Me, Police State and Whoregasm, as well as his recent public access TV series Electra Elf.
Other films from around world include horror hits like César Ducasse & Mathieu Peteul’s Dark Souls,...
- 9/7/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
I would tell you to close your eyes to fully enjoy the telling of this story but alas, if you did that, you wouldn't be reading this little write up and that would, to put it plainly, suck. So image instead that you wake up in the middle of the desert. You're alone and injured, you don't know where you are other than to note that there isn�t much around and to make matters worse, you can't remember who you are or how you got there. A woman finds you, helps you get back on your feet and with a clue you find scribbled on a piece of paper in your pocket, you head to La to figure out who you are and what happed.
That's the premise of Henry Barrial's new indie Pig, the film that took home the best feature film prize at Sci-Fi London earlier...
That's the premise of Henry Barrial's new indie Pig, the film that took home the best feature film prize at Sci-Fi London earlier...
- 9/1/2011
- QuietEarth.us
If you have a deep rooted love for b-movies and will be in or near Franklin, Indiana this September, there’s a film festival taking place that is just for you. With everything from b-movie classics to world premieres and several top names from the world of B-filmdom in attendance, think of the B Movie Celebration as the Cannes Film Festival for aficionados of fine schlock.
The annual center of all b-Movie fandom celebration is back again September 23rd-25th in Franklin, Indiana. This year, besides a Huge list of classic films being screened, there are also a few world premieres and screenings of some very eagerly anticipated films. There's the world premieres of Fred Olen Ray's "Dino Wolf" [aka "Dire-Wolf"], David A. Prior's "Night Claws", Jim Wynorski's "Camel Spiders", and screenings of other hotly anticipated titles such as "The Millennium Bug", "El Monstro Del Mar", "Rare Exports:...
The annual center of all b-Movie fandom celebration is back again September 23rd-25th in Franklin, Indiana. This year, besides a Huge list of classic films being screened, there are also a few world premieres and screenings of some very eagerly anticipated films. There's the world premieres of Fred Olen Ray's "Dino Wolf" [aka "Dire-Wolf"], David A. Prior's "Night Claws", Jim Wynorski's "Camel Spiders", and screenings of other hotly anticipated titles such as "The Millennium Bug", "El Monstro Del Mar", "Rare Exports:...
- 8/8/2011
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
It may not be as well known as San Diego Comic-Con, its Southern California counterpart, but the San Francisco WonderCon is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year as one of the country's best comics and popular arts events. On the fence about attending? Here's a rundown of what genre fans can look forward to at the show.
WonderCon runs at the Moscone Center South from April 1 through 3 with an incredible roster of comics' greatest writers and artists as special guests and featured in spotlight panels throughout the weekend. The show's programming schedule includes panels and previews from the comics industry's biggest publishers, including DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Aspen, Idw, Boom!, Slg, and many more. All of these publishers have booths in the giant Exhibit Hall so you can visit and interact with them all weekend plus shop in a pop culture paradise! The Exhibit Hall includes vendors selling items...
WonderCon runs at the Moscone Center South from April 1 through 3 with an incredible roster of comics' greatest writers and artists as special guests and featured in spotlight panels throughout the weekend. The show's programming schedule includes panels and previews from the comics industry's biggest publishers, including DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Aspen, Idw, Boom!, Slg, and many more. All of these publishers have booths in the giant Exhibit Hall so you can visit and interact with them all weekend plus shop in a pop culture paradise! The Exhibit Hall includes vendors selling items...
- 3/26/2011
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
As horror archetypes go, the “demonic possession” subgenre is one that didn’t really hit its stride until the 1973 release of the William Friedkin production of William Peter Blatty’s bestselling novel The Exorcist. Before that there were sporadic cinematic mentions of demons taking over the bodies of the living, but it was The Exorcist and the cultural phenomena it created that set the tone from then on.
After reports of people literally throwing up in theaters, passing out in their seats, and – most importantly – record box office numbers being tallied, the list of films that wanted a piece of the demonic action came fast and furious with titles such as Ovidio G. Assonitis and Robert Barrett’s Beyond The Door, aka The Devil Within Her (1974); the great Mario Bava’s La Casa Dell’Esorcismo, aka House of Exorcism, aka Lisa and the Devil (1974); and on through the years until...
After reports of people literally throwing up in theaters, passing out in their seats, and – most importantly – record box office numbers being tallied, the list of films that wanted a piece of the demonic action came fast and furious with titles such as Ovidio G. Assonitis and Robert Barrett’s Beyond The Door, aka The Devil Within Her (1974); the great Mario Bava’s La Casa Dell’Esorcismo, aka House of Exorcism, aka Lisa and the Devil (1974); and on through the years until...
- 12/21/2010
- by Carnell
- DreadCentral.com
Casting is now underway for writer-director Henry Barrial 's Pig, which is a new low budget indie pic. I'm not sure what the genre is, but it sounds like a psychological-thriller as a man wakes up in the desert with a black hood over his head and his hands tied behind his back. He can't remember who he is or how he got there. The only clue he finds is a piece of paper in his pocket with the name "Manny Elder" scribbled on it. Shooting begins March 15 in Los Angeles.
- 3/11/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
"Some Body" is an American version of a Dogma film. This is the kind of film that digital video technology is increasingly going to make possible, where actor-filmmakers with full-time jobs can nevertheless grab a camera at odd moments and shoot footage with buddies or forgiving relatives. They can even make up their movie as they go along, and no one is likely to complain about bad lighting or uncertain acting.
If one keeps in mind the aesthetic of John Cassavetes, "Some Body" is a mildly interesting superindie film. But it comes perilously close to being the cinematic equivalent of masturbation: The movie might be more exciting and therapeutic for its makers than an audience.
Commercial prospects are bleak, but a Sundance dramatic competition film is always a likely bet for a cable playdate.
"Some Body" began life with audio interviews that director Henry Barrial conducted with actress Stephanie Bennett about her life. This turned into video interviews, which became the basis of a script the two penned. Which in turn grew into digital video footage based on that script and improvisations by actors.
The film is not really formless. It has a beginning, middle and does finally end. But the structure is understandably unstable and the heroine, much as many people in life do, goes in circles without any clear direction.
Bennett bravely exposes her own problems with intimacy and relationships. Leaving a loving but boring live-in relationship with boyfriend Anthony (Jeramy Guillory) with whom she feels more familial than sexual, Bennett's Samantha moves into a nondescript apartment from which she boldly ventures into her new life.
A Los Angeles schoolteacher of small children, Samantha barges into a series of exciting but ultimately unsatisfying nighttime sexual encounters with men, nearly all of whom are jerks. Her best relationship remains with her boyfriend's dog, but he claims custody rights.
The story line forges ahead -- bars, guys, parties, more guys -- but never does Samantha stop to consider she may be consuming too many drinks and too many male bodies.
The acting is all over the place. Bennett delivers a clearheaded portrait of a woman who is anything but. The actress is amazingly gutsy and perceptive about her own troubles in life, troubles that always stem from her own choices.
As for the other actors, the filmmakers mostly went with friends or people "playing themselves and the true relationship they had with Stephanie in life," to quote press notes. Going with actors might have been a better idea. Or if some of these are actors, then ones with more training.
Barrial throws in interviews with the characters and documentary-style shooting of certain sequences in what he describes as a quest to blur the line between documentary and narrative films. But in sticking unnecessarily close to his actress' "real life" and not giving imagination and story development a greater emphasis than he has, Barrial winds up illustrating the drawbacks that can arise from blurring that distinction.
SOME BODY
Next Wave Films presents a Rhythm Films
and Cubano Films production
Producers: Stephanie Bennett, Henry Barrial, Geoffrey Pepos
Director: Henry Barrial
Writers: Stephanie Bennett, Henry Barrial
Executive producer: Peter Bennett
Director of photography, music, editor: Geoffrey Pepos
Color/stereo
Cast:
Samantha: Stephanie Bennett
Billy: Billy Ray Gallion
Anthony: Jeramy Guillory
Tony T.: Tom Vitorino
Eve: Laura Katz
Bobby: Sean Michael Allen
Running time -- 80 minutes
No MPAA rating...
If one keeps in mind the aesthetic of John Cassavetes, "Some Body" is a mildly interesting superindie film. But it comes perilously close to being the cinematic equivalent of masturbation: The movie might be more exciting and therapeutic for its makers than an audience.
Commercial prospects are bleak, but a Sundance dramatic competition film is always a likely bet for a cable playdate.
"Some Body" began life with audio interviews that director Henry Barrial conducted with actress Stephanie Bennett about her life. This turned into video interviews, which became the basis of a script the two penned. Which in turn grew into digital video footage based on that script and improvisations by actors.
The film is not really formless. It has a beginning, middle and does finally end. But the structure is understandably unstable and the heroine, much as many people in life do, goes in circles without any clear direction.
Bennett bravely exposes her own problems with intimacy and relationships. Leaving a loving but boring live-in relationship with boyfriend Anthony (Jeramy Guillory) with whom she feels more familial than sexual, Bennett's Samantha moves into a nondescript apartment from which she boldly ventures into her new life.
A Los Angeles schoolteacher of small children, Samantha barges into a series of exciting but ultimately unsatisfying nighttime sexual encounters with men, nearly all of whom are jerks. Her best relationship remains with her boyfriend's dog, but he claims custody rights.
The story line forges ahead -- bars, guys, parties, more guys -- but never does Samantha stop to consider she may be consuming too many drinks and too many male bodies.
The acting is all over the place. Bennett delivers a clearheaded portrait of a woman who is anything but. The actress is amazingly gutsy and perceptive about her own troubles in life, troubles that always stem from her own choices.
As for the other actors, the filmmakers mostly went with friends or people "playing themselves and the true relationship they had with Stephanie in life," to quote press notes. Going with actors might have been a better idea. Or if some of these are actors, then ones with more training.
Barrial throws in interviews with the characters and documentary-style shooting of certain sequences in what he describes as a quest to blur the line between documentary and narrative films. But in sticking unnecessarily close to his actress' "real life" and not giving imagination and story development a greater emphasis than he has, Barrial winds up illustrating the drawbacks that can arise from blurring that distinction.
SOME BODY
Next Wave Films presents a Rhythm Films
and Cubano Films production
Producers: Stephanie Bennett, Henry Barrial, Geoffrey Pepos
Director: Henry Barrial
Writers: Stephanie Bennett, Henry Barrial
Executive producer: Peter Bennett
Director of photography, music, editor: Geoffrey Pepos
Color/stereo
Cast:
Samantha: Stephanie Bennett
Billy: Billy Ray Gallion
Anthony: Jeramy Guillory
Tony T.: Tom Vitorino
Eve: Laura Katz
Bobby: Sean Michael Allen
Running time -- 80 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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