Stars: Pedro Casablanc, Víctor Clavijo, Ruth Díaz, Moisés Ruiz, Manuel Morón | Written and Directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez
Writer/director F. Javier Gutiérrez returned to his native Spain to make his third film La Espera, or, in English, The Wait. It’s a title that refers not just to the passage of time but to the ten hunting stands on the estate of Don Francisco. They are watched over by Eladio, who lives on the remote property with his wife Marcia, and their son, Floren (Moisés Ruiz).
At the start of the 1973 hunting season, he’s told by Don Carlos, Don Francisco’s right-hand man, to surreptitiously add three more. At first, he refuses, saying that would crowd the hunting parties and be unsafe due to the risk of crossfires. Eventually, he relents, a decision he soon regrets when Floren is killed in a freak accident leading to Marcia’s suicide.
Writer/director F. Javier Gutiérrez returned to his native Spain to make his third film La Espera, or, in English, The Wait. It’s a title that refers not just to the passage of time but to the ten hunting stands on the estate of Don Francisco. They are watched over by Eladio, who lives on the remote property with his wife Marcia, and their son, Floren (Moisés Ruiz).
At the start of the 1973 hunting season, he’s told by Don Carlos, Don Francisco’s right-hand man, to surreptitiously add three more. At first, he refuses, saying that would crowd the hunting parties and be unsafe due to the risk of crossfires. Eventually, he relents, a decision he soon regrets when Floren is killed in a freak accident leading to Marcia’s suicide.
- 9/29/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
In his director’s statement for The Wait (La espera), F. Javier Gutiérrez describes his latest feature as a “slow-burn supernatural neo-western set in Spain in the 1970s.” That’s certainly an apt summary, but one that also underscores the movie’s main problem: It’s trying to be too many things at once, and by doing so amounts to less than the sum of its parts.
The Spanish filmmaker’s debut from 2008, Before the Fall, tried to combine a disaster flick with a home-invasion flick, yielding similarly sketchy results. In both cases, Gutiérrez showcases a keen sense of style but an inability, despite all the genre-jumping, to make something that feels truly original. World premiering at Oldenburg, with additional dates set for Sitges and Fantastic Fest, the film could provide decent streaming fodder for fans of international thrillers while finding a small theatrical audience at home in Spain.
During the rather languid opening half-hour,...
The Spanish filmmaker’s debut from 2008, Before the Fall, tried to combine a disaster flick with a home-invasion flick, yielding similarly sketchy results. In both cases, Gutiérrez showcases a keen sense of style but an inability, despite all the genre-jumping, to make something that feels truly original. World premiering at Oldenburg, with additional dates set for Sitges and Fantastic Fest, the film could provide decent streaming fodder for fans of international thrillers while finding a small theatrical audience at home in Spain.
During the rather languid opening half-hour,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Candle Media’s Exile Content Studio has joined forces with Trojan Horse Media, the team behind the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary, “Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado,” to produce premium content with international appeal. This will include scripted, unscripted and audio content.
The new partners first collaborated on the podcast series “More Than a Movie: American Me,” which dropped on Sept. 15. The podcast series delves into the true story of Edward James Olmos’s 1992 cult film classic, “American Me,” and the legacy the polemical film left behind. The 12-episode audio-documentary is hosted by Trojan Media’s Alex Fumero.
Trojan Horse was founded earlier this year by Fumero and Kareem Tabsch after the success of “Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado.” It has recently produced the critically acclaimed docuseries “Menudo: Forever Young” for HBO Max and is in production on the limited docuseries “Gigante” for Disney’s Onyx Collective.
The new partners first collaborated on the podcast series “More Than a Movie: American Me,” which dropped on Sept. 15. The podcast series delves into the true story of Edward James Olmos’s 1992 cult film classic, “American Me,” and the legacy the polemical film left behind. The 12-episode audio-documentary is hosted by Trojan Media’s Alex Fumero.
Trojan Horse was founded earlier this year by Fumero and Kareem Tabsch after the success of “Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado.” It has recently produced the critically acclaimed docuseries “Menudo: Forever Young” for HBO Max and is in production on the limited docuseries “Gigante” for Disney’s Onyx Collective.
- 9/28/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Emmy-nominated filmmakers Alex Fumero and Kareem Tabsch are partnering to form the production company Trojan Horse. The company will be based in Los Angeles and Miami.
Deadline recently announced their latest project under the banner for Onyx, the limited docuseries Gigante, in collaboration with Don Francisco.
Producing unscripted and scripted feature films, series, and podcasts, Trojan Horse recently co-produced the four-part docuseries Menudo: Forever Young, directed by Angel Manuel Soto and Kristofer Rios. The series is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival ahead of its June 23 release on HBO Max. Fumero executive produced the project.
Trojan Horse also produced the podcast Crumbs with Sonoro for iHeartMedia.
“We’re both bilingual, bicultural, first-generation Americans. Like us, there are millions more who coexist across various cultures and communities and whose stories are important, compelling, entertaining, and ready to be embraced by mainstream audiences. We’re excited to bring those stories to audiences everywhere,...
Deadline recently announced their latest project under the banner for Onyx, the limited docuseries Gigante, in collaboration with Don Francisco.
Producing unscripted and scripted feature films, series, and podcasts, Trojan Horse recently co-produced the four-part docuseries Menudo: Forever Young, directed by Angel Manuel Soto and Kristofer Rios. The series is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival ahead of its June 23 release on HBO Max. Fumero executive produced the project.
Trojan Horse also produced the podcast Crumbs with Sonoro for iHeartMedia.
“We’re both bilingual, bicultural, first-generation Americans. Like us, there are millions more who coexist across various cultures and communities and whose stories are important, compelling, entertaining, and ready to be embraced by mainstream audiences. We’re excited to bring those stories to audiences everywhere,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Disney’s Onyx Collective has ordered the four-part limited docuseries Gigante from Don Francisco and Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado filmmakers Alex Fumero and Kareem Tabsch. Gigante will be streamed exclusively on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ in all other territories at a future date.
Spanning through four distinct eras in U.S. Latino history, Gigante tells the story of how immigrants from different Latin American countries created a tenuous alliance that would come to harness the social capital, economic prowess, and political influence that forever changed the United States. With the unfettered participation of Don Francisco, access to 53 years of Sabado Gigante archives, and interviews with A-list celebrities, Gigante explores how the longest-running variety show in the history of television helped shape a new demographic and became a political force.
“To say we are enthusiastic...
Spanning through four distinct eras in U.S. Latino history, Gigante tells the story of how immigrants from different Latin American countries created a tenuous alliance that would come to harness the social capital, economic prowess, and political influence that forever changed the United States. With the unfettered participation of Don Francisco, access to 53 years of Sabado Gigante archives, and interviews with A-list celebrities, Gigante explores how the longest-running variety show in the history of television helped shape a new demographic and became a political force.
“To say we are enthusiastic...
- 5/12/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Chilean writer-actor-director Bernardo Quesney does not have all the answers. If he did, he says, he would not be making films. “If someone is very clear about what they mean or intend to mean,” he told Variety, “they should write an essay, not a script.”
Quesney’s third feature, “History and Geography,” is screening in the Works in Progress sidebar at this year’s Guadalajara Film Festival. It tells the story of Gioconda Martinez, an aging actor from an iconic theatrical family, who is trying to shake the comedic image that became glued to her when she starred in a highly successful TV series. Now, she wants to be taken seriously. She returns to her hometown to stage a play about the Mapuche, an indigenous people who were abused not only by the Spanish conquerors but by more modern-day Chileans, as well. To her chagrin, she quickly discovers that her...
Quesney’s third feature, “History and Geography,” is screening in the Works in Progress sidebar at this year’s Guadalajara Film Festival. It tells the story of Gioconda Martinez, an aging actor from an iconic theatrical family, who is trying to shake the comedic image that became glued to her when she starred in a highly successful TV series. Now, she wants to be taken seriously. She returns to her hometown to stage a play about the Mapuche, an indigenous people who were abused not only by the Spanish conquerors but by more modern-day Chileans, as well. To her chagrin, she quickly discovers that her...
- 10/1/2021
- by Jeffrey Sipe
- Variety Film + TV
Chilean bio-musical series “Los Prisioneros” had its European debut at Madrid’s inaugural Iberseries Platino Industria on Sept. 28 where it screened in the event’s Chapter One sidebar.
Taking place in the mid ‘80s, the eight-episode show kicks off with the titular iconic band Los Prisioneros playing their sardonic protest songs to a rowdy, unappreciative crowd. It’s only when they perform at Chile’s then biggest entertainment show, “Sabado Gigante,” hosted by the equally iconic Don Francisco, that their career takes flight.
Episode one shows the key moments of their debut on the show and the start of their career, which later led to their persecution by the military regime and censorship on Chilean radio and television. To this day, their songs are anthems at protest rallies in the region, most recently in Chile and Colombia.
“Their songs have become ever more relevant, they still resonate to this day,...
Taking place in the mid ‘80s, the eight-episode show kicks off with the titular iconic band Los Prisioneros playing their sardonic protest songs to a rowdy, unappreciative crowd. It’s only when they perform at Chile’s then biggest entertainment show, “Sabado Gigante,” hosted by the equally iconic Don Francisco, that their career takes flight.
Episode one shows the key moments of their debut on the show and the start of their career, which later led to their persecution by the military regime and censorship on Chilean radio and television. To this day, their songs are anthems at protest rallies in the region, most recently in Chile and Colombia.
“Their songs have become ever more relevant, they still resonate to this day,...
- 9/29/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Amara La Negra has a magnetic quality that’s followed her from her days as a child performer on the famed Spanish-language variety show Sábado Gigante to VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Miami, where she quickly became a breakout star. When she talks, people tend to listen — and she’s continually made it a point to use her voice to bring complex issues to the forefront, including anti-Blackness in the Latinx community, the pernicious colorism embedded in the entertainment industry, and body image pressures exacerbated because of social media. While...
- 8/12/2021
- by Julyssa Lopez
- Rollingstone.com
People en Español is joining forces with Telemundo for their four-hour television special Todos Unidos, a solidarity program that will be broadcast this Sunday, September 24 at 7 Pm Est. Armando Correa, the magazine’s editor-in-chief will be live all four hours from thePeople VIP studios in New York hosting celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Daddy Yankee and Carlos Ponce, among others.
The program aims to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the earthquake in Mexico this week. Mario Kreutzberger, otherwise known as Don Francisco, an icon of television always committed to causes and people most in...
The program aims to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the earthquake in Mexico this week. Mario Kreutzberger, otherwise known as Don Francisco, an icon of television always committed to causes and people most in...
- 9/24/2017
- by Daniela Herrera
- PEOPLE.com
Don Francisco, former host of Univision's Sabado Gigante, has cut a deal with Telemundo to be a senior news correspondent and lead a production venture. The TV legend, whose real name is Mario Kreutzberger, created and hosted the longest-running TV variety show in the world, according to Guinness World Records. "I am at Telemundo's disposition, am open to doing whatever they need from me," he told Variety in an exclusive interview. Kreutzberger's deal will utilize all of his experience with the Hispanic market to launch a joint production company to develop and produce original content for U.S. Hispanics. "At the end of the day Telemundo has been the fastest-growing...
- 3/1/2016
- E! Online
Just under six months since the star and creator of the seminal Spanish Language variety show Sabado Gigante left the show that made him an international star, Don Francisco is returning to television, having signed a deal with Telemundo in which he’ll serve as a senior news correpondent. In addition, Franciso – real name Mario Kreutzberger – will launch a production venture with the network to develop original content for for U.S. Hispanics and international…...
- 3/1/2016
- Deadline TV
The Chilean TV personality will collect the inaugural honour on closing night on October 25 of the Gems Festival hosted by Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival.
The award will be presented in recognition of Francisco’s “significant contributions to the story and progress in 2010 of the fate of the trapped Copiapó miners, influences that are cinematically immortalized in Patricia Riggen’s film The 33.”
Francisco, real name Mario Kreutzberger, has hosted a long-running variety show in Chile and is regarded as a champion of Hispanic identity and culture in the Americas.
People associated with the actual events in Copiapó will attend the screening and presentation alongside local dignitaries and Miami Film Society patrons.
“The festival look forwards to being able to honour Don Francisco with our heartfelt appreciation for all he has done for the Copiapó story,” said executive director and director of programming Jaie Laplante.
Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, one of the...
The award will be presented in recognition of Francisco’s “significant contributions to the story and progress in 2010 of the fate of the trapped Copiapó miners, influences that are cinematically immortalized in Patricia Riggen’s film The 33.”
Francisco, real name Mario Kreutzberger, has hosted a long-running variety show in Chile and is regarded as a champion of Hispanic identity and culture in the Americas.
People associated with the actual events in Copiapó will attend the screening and presentation alongside local dignitaries and Miami Film Society patrons.
“The festival look forwards to being able to honour Don Francisco with our heartfelt appreciation for all he has done for the Copiapó story,” said executive director and director of programming Jaie Laplante.
Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, one of the...
- 10/12/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Say it ain't so! Univision shocked fans on Friday, April 17, when the Spanish-language network canceled its longest-running show. Celebrated variety series Sabado Gigante will air its final episode on Sept. 19 after 53 years on the air. The three-hour show made its debut on August 8, 1962 and has been a banner program for the Univision in the decades since. Hosted by Mario Kreutzberger Aka Don Francisco, Sabado Gigante translates to "Giant Saturday" and found its home on Saturday evenings. The high-rated show, which is available in [...]...
- 4/17/2015
- Us Weekly
A Saturday night television tradition in many Spanish-speaking households will come to an end on Sept. 19 of this year when Sabado Gigante, hosted and created by the irrepressible Don Francisco (real name Mario Kreutzberger) and airing in the United States on Univision, will end its run of more than 53 years (the longest-running variety series in TV history). Univision says that Don Francisco will continue contributing to the network with new projects and by hosting entertainment specials and campaigns. He will also help the network look for and develop new on-air talent and professionals. “During my 40 years in … Continue reading →
The post “Sabado Gigante” ending after more than 53 years appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
The post “Sabado Gigante” ending after more than 53 years appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.
- 4/17/2015
- by Jeff Pfeiffer
- ChannelGuideMag
Univision's longest-running program, the magically campy variety show Sábado Gigante, will end on September 19 — after airing every Saturday night for the last 53 years. Mario Kreutzberger will officially retire from his "role" as host Don Francisco, after interviewing everyone from Selena to Michelle Obama (not to mention segments like "El Detector De Mentiras," in which Don gives lie-detector tests to cheaters). Good-bye Sábado Gigante! We'll always have this performance of "Gangnam Style":...
- 4/17/2015
- by Lindsey Weber
- Vulture
Univisions’s Sábado Gigante, the longest-running variety series in television history, will end its spectacular 53-year run September 19, the network has announced. Host and creator Don Francisco – real name Mario Kreutzberger – will continue to have a relationship with Univision. In addition to hosting the annual TeletónUSA charity event for disabled children, Kreutzberger will also appear in an unspecified number of special television events, and will contribute to the…...
- 4/17/2015
- Deadline TV
Millions of gente are going to have to find some other way to fill their Saturday nights: Sábado Gigante is coming to a close.
The long-running, Spanish-language variety series hosted by a man calling himself Don Francicso will broadcast its final episode on Sept. 19, the Miami Herald reported Friday.
Don Francisco (whose real name is Mario Kreutzberger) will discuss the series’ cancellation during this Saturday’s broadcast. The network declined to comment to the Herald about the reasons behind the show’s ending.
Related 2015 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?
For the uninitiated,...
The long-running, Spanish-language variety series hosted by a man calling himself Don Francicso will broadcast its final episode on Sept. 19, the Miami Herald reported Friday.
Don Francisco (whose real name is Mario Kreutzberger) will discuss the series’ cancellation during this Saturday’s broadcast. The network declined to comment to the Herald about the reasons behind the show’s ending.
Related 2015 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?
For the uninitiated,...
- 4/17/2015
- TVLine.com
Adios, “Sabado Gigante”: Univision is ending its top-rated variety show after a staggering 53-year run. Host and creator Don Francisco (his stage name, real name Mario Kreutzberger) will stay with the network beyond “Gigante’s” final episode, which is set to air on Sept. 19 — the end of the broadcast network’s 2014-2015 television season. The face of the Saturday night show plans to host entertainment specials and campaigns, such as “TeletonUSA,” which is held every year to benefit disabled children. He will also take part in Univision’s ongoing efforts to discover and develop new on-air talent and professionals,...
- 4/17/2015
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Mario Kreutzberger has been an eminent figure in the world of Hispanic entertainment. The TV personality, better known as "Don Francisco" host of Univision’s legendary "Sabado Gigante,” prepares to say goodbye and give an opportunity to new talent.
Filling the shoes of such an important figure for the Latino community might seem difficult. The first brave people to attempt to break into this adventure will be actors and TV hosts Chiquinquirá Delgado and Julián Gil, reports People en Español magazine.
Starting next week, the Venezuelan and Puerto Rican artists will seek to rejuvenate the program and earn the affection of the public, who will ultimately determine if the presenters are a good fit for the project.
"After this celebration I have to reinvent and the program has to reinvent ... We're on it," said Don Francisco last October during the show’s 50th anniversary celebration. "We are looking for a younger audience,...
Filling the shoes of such an important figure for the Latino community might seem difficult. The first brave people to attempt to break into this adventure will be actors and TV hosts Chiquinquirá Delgado and Julián Gil, reports People en Español magazine.
Starting next week, the Venezuelan and Puerto Rican artists will seek to rejuvenate the program and earn the affection of the public, who will ultimately determine if the presenters are a good fit for the project.
"After this celebration I have to reinvent and the program has to reinvent ... We're on it," said Don Francisco last October during the show’s 50th anniversary celebration. "We are looking for a younger audience,...
- 2/5/2013
- by Zuania Ramos
- Huffington Post
It’ll be a special “Sábado Gigante” tonight.
Univision’s variety show celebrates its 50th anniversary Saturday. The three-hour show has aired continuously since 1962, when its iconic host “Dan Francisco” launched it as “Sábados Gigantes” in Chile -- earning it’s place as the longest-running television show in the Guiness Book of World Records. Univision acquired the program in 1986 and brought it to Miami.
For the uninitiated, NPR’s Mandalit del Barco proffered a good description of the cooky program:
For half a century, Sábado Gigante has been a raucous romp, with hours and hours of musical guests and dancers. It's a variety show; it's a talk show; it's a game show. Think Price Is Right meets American Idol meets The Gong Show. Francisco has his regular sidekicks, like "La Cuatro," who gets slapped for being naughty and sings very badly, and a masked character known as "El Chacal," the jackal.
Univision’s variety show celebrates its 50th anniversary Saturday. The three-hour show has aired continuously since 1962, when its iconic host “Dan Francisco” launched it as “Sábados Gigantes” in Chile -- earning it’s place as the longest-running television show in the Guiness Book of World Records. Univision acquired the program in 1986 and brought it to Miami.
For the uninitiated, NPR’s Mandalit del Barco proffered a good description of the cooky program:
For half a century, Sábado Gigante has been a raucous romp, with hours and hours of musical guests and dancers. It's a variety show; it's a talk show; it's a game show. Think Price Is Right meets American Idol meets The Gong Show. Francisco has his regular sidekicks, like "La Cuatro," who gets slapped for being naughty and sings very badly, and a masked character known as "El Chacal," the jackal.
- 10/27/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running variety show in television history, Univision’s Sábado Gigante began in 1962 on a Chilean TV network, created and hosted by Mario Kreutzberger (better known as “Don Francisco”), and eventually became an international hit. Sabado Gigante will be celebrating its milestone 50th anniversary with a special programming event this Saturday, Oct. 27, on Univision. The four hours of festivities are set to begin at 7pm Et with a red-carpet broadcast covering the arrivals of international stars and Univision personalities attending the anniversary gala. This portion of the show will be hosted [...]...
- 10/25/2012
- by Jeff Pfeiffer
- ChannelGuideMag
Don Francisco, who hosts the popular Spanish variety show "Sabado Gigante," has been slapped with a paternity lawsuit from a Chilean man who claims the veteran TV personality is his father.
Francisco, 70, who's real name is Mario Kreutzberger, hasn't denied the claim, but says he is seeking legal help in Chile.
Forty-three-year-old Patricio Abraham Flores Mundaca claims that all he wants is for Francisco to take a DNA test, according to reports from Chilean newspaper La Cuarta.
The claim was filed in October in Francisco's native country of Chile.
Francisco, 70, who's real name is Mario Kreutzberger, hasn't denied the claim, but says he is seeking legal help in Chile.
Forty-three-year-old Patricio Abraham Flores Mundaca claims that all he wants is for Francisco to take a DNA test, according to reports from Chilean newspaper La Cuarta.
The claim was filed in October in Francisco's native country of Chile.
- 1/6/2011
- icelebz.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.