Latin TV personality Ana María Polo and Chile’s Forastero, producer of the Golden Globe-nominated film “The Maid,” are teaming to develop and produce a feature based on her renowned Telemundo show “Caso Cerrado.”
Polo will play a leading role in the movie.
Diego Ayala, co-scribe on Netflix musical bio series “Luis Miguel” and Nicolás López hit comedy “Sin filtro,” has been tapped to write the film.
Ángel Zambrano, a former Svp of content for Turner Latin America and founder of development company Condeco, is joining the project as executive producer.
“Caso Cerrado: La Película” will roll during the second half of the year in México, Panamá and the Caribbean, among other locations. It is planned for release in early 2021.
A popular Cuban-American lawyer, Polo has hosted her hit court show “Caso Cerrado” for more than 18 years in which it has broadcast across the U.S. and 22 Latin American countries.
Polo will play a leading role in the movie.
Diego Ayala, co-scribe on Netflix musical bio series “Luis Miguel” and Nicolás López hit comedy “Sin filtro,” has been tapped to write the film.
Ángel Zambrano, a former Svp of content for Turner Latin America and founder of development company Condeco, is joining the project as executive producer.
“Caso Cerrado: La Película” will roll during the second half of the year in México, Panamá and the Caribbean, among other locations. It is planned for release in early 2021.
A popular Cuban-American lawyer, Polo has hosted her hit court show “Caso Cerrado” for more than 18 years in which it has broadcast across the U.S. and 22 Latin American countries.
- 1/21/2020
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Second year of the event will see 16 titles presented at the Marché du Film.
A total of 16 projects have been selected to take part in the Frontières Platform at this year’s Cannes Marché du Film, with the second edition of the genre event set to run from May 12-13.
The Frontières Proof Of Concept Presentation on May 12 will include 10 projects in advanced financing stages, presenting completed teaser trailers to prospective partners. Among the 10 are Whitaker directed by Casey Walker, with the Rook Films team of Andy Starke, Pete Tombs and Ben Wheatley producing. It was previously one of the...
A total of 16 projects have been selected to take part in the Frontières Platform at this year’s Cannes Marché du Film, with the second edition of the genre event set to run from May 12-13.
The Frontières Proof Of Concept Presentation on May 12 will include 10 projects in advanced financing stages, presenting completed teaser trailers to prospective partners. Among the 10 are Whitaker directed by Casey Walker, with the Rook Films team of Andy Starke, Pete Tombs and Ben Wheatley producing. It was previously one of the...
- 4/17/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Chilean authorities and representatives participate once more in one of the most important film festivals in the world and CinemaChile’s Executive Director, Constanza Arena, will again coordinate the mission. Among the authorities traveling with the delegation are:ProChile’s Roberto Paiva, the Europe Department coordinator,Patricia Matta, ProChile’s representatives in France,Pedro Durán andCamille Perón, representing the Cnca the Arts and Audiovisual Industry Council’s Executive Secretary,Martin Rodríguez, and the Strategic Programs and International Affairs Director, Tatiana Emden, also present, Joyce Zylberberg, Film Commission Chile general Coordinator.
CinemaChile’s Executive Director, Constanza Arena, noted the ongoing presence of the Chilean delegation abroad, which accounts for the powerful Chilean audiovisual industry development and stated regarding the Cannes Film Festival, “This is simply the most important yearly mission for our country and we are fully prepared”.
Culture Minister till last week, Claudia Barattini, claims that Chilean cinematography has obtained incredible international acknowledgments in recent years, this being the result of several factors: A state that invested in audiovisual production and filmmakers that have created quality works. Films are the most potent instruments for the country’s image today, as others were in other times. At some point, Chile was known for the dictatorship, sadly, Chile was known by its political aspects, but today people talk about Chilean films around the world and they know about Chile via its cinematography”, states Barattini.
Chilean Films at Marche du Film
This year Chile participates with a 45-person delegation integrated by filmmakers, producers, directors and authorities that attend the festival’s industry market with 40 projects in different stages of production, including several titles that have already been awarded in other film festivals.
According to ProChile’s Director, Roberto Paiva, who reassures the support of the agency to the national audiovisual industry: “Creative industries in its cultural and economic dimension, contribute to the establishment a powerful country image abroad. That is why we support the audiovisual sector in a joint effort with the private sector, with CinemaChile’s sector trademark and our Creative Industries sector plan. Both projects’ objectives are to diversify the sectors and markets that national artists and entrepreneurs aim for."
ProChile France- Commercial Director, Pedro Durán, “Our presence at the Cannes Film Festival with the highest quality films and production abilities, convey the culture and creativity that are the essential basis for our country’s development. It also fosters Chile’s image placing it at the highest level in France, where education and culture are the building blocks that portray our new generation’s projections for the Xxi century”.
The task will be completed with the help of the Arts and Audiovisual Industry Council (Caia) of the Cnca. Martín Rodríguez, Caia’s Executive Secretary states, “It has been 45 years since the last screening of a Chilean film at the Director’s Fortnight and powerful political and social content is the common denominator of the films that reach Cannes. 45 years ago the new Chilean Cinema showed a strong connection with the political-social accounts of what happened in our country. This year the Chile Factory film, as well as, 'Allende, mi Abuelo Allende,' are marked by the 70’s heritage, which was branded in our souls and memory”.
Precisely due to the support and funding from the Arts and Audiovisual Industry Council of the Cnca, via its program to support International Market and Festival attendance, 8 production houses, their delegates and their projects will be in attendance.
The official delegation includes Errante Productions, represented by the producer Paola Castillo, who takes the projects: "El último lugar," "Cielo," "La Frontera," "La directiva" and "Allende, mi abuelo Allende;" ChileDoc, represented by Flor Rubina and the documentaries: "Escapes de Gas," "Habeas Corpus," "Surire," "Chicago Boys," "Sin Alma," "Al final del día," "Aquí nos quedamos," "Estadio en el Desierto" and "Temporeras."
Fábula, represented by Juan de Dios Larraín, with: "La Princesita," "Neruda" and "Una mujer fantástica;" Invercine, represented by Esteban Larraín, with the films: "Mary & Mike" and "El fotógrafo de Dios." Also part of the delegation, Josephine Schroeder of Cinestación, with "1976," "Tarde para morir joven," "Mar," "San Cristóbal," "Lo que queda," "La última Tierra;" Producer Karina Yuri –representing Miguel Littin and his production house, Miguel Littin Eirl, who will attend with "Allende en su laberinto;" StoryBoard, represented by Gabriela Sandoval, with "La mujer de Barro," "El Paraíso" and "Forastero," represented by Gregorio González with: "No soy Lorena," "Aurora," "Tierra Yerma," "Mucha ex poco Sex" and "Invumche."
The rest of the delegation is comprised by 21 directors and producers, among these, Marcia Tambutti, director of "Allende, mi abuelo Allende," the only national feature in the official selection of the Director’s Fortnight; Mariana Tejos (producer) and Ignacio Juricic (director), with the short film, "Locas perdidas," competing in Cinéfondation along with school films from all over the world. Also attending, Manuela Martelli, Ignacio Rodríguez, Matías Rojas Valencia and Teresita Ugarte, selected directors of the Chile Factory program, produced in alliance with the Cannes Director’s Fortnight, CinemaChile, The Culture and Arts National Council and Quijote Films.
In regards to new talents, Rodrigo Espinosa, director of Dirac (Cultural Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), confirms their support, “Chilean filmmaking has shown undeniable growth, which translates into ongoing presence on International festivals, receiving awards and extending widely within distribution circuits. For Dirac, it’s fundamental to contribute to the visibility of a new generation of creators, who reflect in their works the different realities and problems of our current Chilean society. We proudly present, via these new talents, our sponsorship to national cinema."
Chile Factory
Within the Chile Factory project, The four Chilean filmmakers were selected: Manuela Martelli, Ignacio Rodríguez, Matías Rojas Valencia and Teresita Ugarte, they each co-directed a short film with a foreign director. Their premieres will take place at the Cannes Director’s Fortnight. The Taipei Factory and the Nordic Factory preceded this initiative unheard of in Chile; these are milestones that highlight the trajectory of these four productions that will represent our country. The Factory aims to reveal new talents through a selective workshop that concludes with a feature film made collectively by all four national directors and four international directors. Each pair creates a 15-minute short film that gives way to the Chile Factory feature, which will have its international premiere at the Directors’ Fortnight opening.
“The Cannes Film Festival is the most important showcase and gathering point for the international audiovisual industry in the world. The Chile Film Commission is part of these efforts to foster the promotion done by the national audiovisual industry, reinforcing Chile’s positive image, which is not only seen as privileged with spectacular filming locations, but also relying on a powerful and united filming community that meets international standards, ready to take on the most demanding international productions on Chilean soil," said Joyce Zylberberg, Chilean Film Commission General Manager.
CinemaChile’s Executive Director, Constanza Arena, noted the ongoing presence of the Chilean delegation abroad, which accounts for the powerful Chilean audiovisual industry development and stated regarding the Cannes Film Festival, “This is simply the most important yearly mission for our country and we are fully prepared”.
Culture Minister till last week, Claudia Barattini, claims that Chilean cinematography has obtained incredible international acknowledgments in recent years, this being the result of several factors: A state that invested in audiovisual production and filmmakers that have created quality works. Films are the most potent instruments for the country’s image today, as others were in other times. At some point, Chile was known for the dictatorship, sadly, Chile was known by its political aspects, but today people talk about Chilean films around the world and they know about Chile via its cinematography”, states Barattini.
Chilean Films at Marche du Film
This year Chile participates with a 45-person delegation integrated by filmmakers, producers, directors and authorities that attend the festival’s industry market with 40 projects in different stages of production, including several titles that have already been awarded in other film festivals.
According to ProChile’s Director, Roberto Paiva, who reassures the support of the agency to the national audiovisual industry: “Creative industries in its cultural and economic dimension, contribute to the establishment a powerful country image abroad. That is why we support the audiovisual sector in a joint effort with the private sector, with CinemaChile’s sector trademark and our Creative Industries sector plan. Both projects’ objectives are to diversify the sectors and markets that national artists and entrepreneurs aim for."
ProChile France- Commercial Director, Pedro Durán, “Our presence at the Cannes Film Festival with the highest quality films and production abilities, convey the culture and creativity that are the essential basis for our country’s development. It also fosters Chile’s image placing it at the highest level in France, where education and culture are the building blocks that portray our new generation’s projections for the Xxi century”.
The task will be completed with the help of the Arts and Audiovisual Industry Council (Caia) of the Cnca. Martín Rodríguez, Caia’s Executive Secretary states, “It has been 45 years since the last screening of a Chilean film at the Director’s Fortnight and powerful political and social content is the common denominator of the films that reach Cannes. 45 years ago the new Chilean Cinema showed a strong connection with the political-social accounts of what happened in our country. This year the Chile Factory film, as well as, 'Allende, mi Abuelo Allende,' are marked by the 70’s heritage, which was branded in our souls and memory”.
Precisely due to the support and funding from the Arts and Audiovisual Industry Council of the Cnca, via its program to support International Market and Festival attendance, 8 production houses, their delegates and their projects will be in attendance.
The official delegation includes Errante Productions, represented by the producer Paola Castillo, who takes the projects: "El último lugar," "Cielo," "La Frontera," "La directiva" and "Allende, mi abuelo Allende;" ChileDoc, represented by Flor Rubina and the documentaries: "Escapes de Gas," "Habeas Corpus," "Surire," "Chicago Boys," "Sin Alma," "Al final del día," "Aquí nos quedamos," "Estadio en el Desierto" and "Temporeras."
Fábula, represented by Juan de Dios Larraín, with: "La Princesita," "Neruda" and "Una mujer fantástica;" Invercine, represented by Esteban Larraín, with the films: "Mary & Mike" and "El fotógrafo de Dios." Also part of the delegation, Josephine Schroeder of Cinestación, with "1976," "Tarde para morir joven," "Mar," "San Cristóbal," "Lo que queda," "La última Tierra;" Producer Karina Yuri –representing Miguel Littin and his production house, Miguel Littin Eirl, who will attend with "Allende en su laberinto;" StoryBoard, represented by Gabriela Sandoval, with "La mujer de Barro," "El Paraíso" and "Forastero," represented by Gregorio González with: "No soy Lorena," "Aurora," "Tierra Yerma," "Mucha ex poco Sex" and "Invumche."
The rest of the delegation is comprised by 21 directors and producers, among these, Marcia Tambutti, director of "Allende, mi abuelo Allende," the only national feature in the official selection of the Director’s Fortnight; Mariana Tejos (producer) and Ignacio Juricic (director), with the short film, "Locas perdidas," competing in Cinéfondation along with school films from all over the world. Also attending, Manuela Martelli, Ignacio Rodríguez, Matías Rojas Valencia and Teresita Ugarte, selected directors of the Chile Factory program, produced in alliance with the Cannes Director’s Fortnight, CinemaChile, The Culture and Arts National Council and Quijote Films.
In regards to new talents, Rodrigo Espinosa, director of Dirac (Cultural Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), confirms their support, “Chilean filmmaking has shown undeniable growth, which translates into ongoing presence on International festivals, receiving awards and extending widely within distribution circuits. For Dirac, it’s fundamental to contribute to the visibility of a new generation of creators, who reflect in their works the different realities and problems of our current Chilean society. We proudly present, via these new talents, our sponsorship to national cinema."
Chile Factory
Within the Chile Factory project, The four Chilean filmmakers were selected: Manuela Martelli, Ignacio Rodríguez, Matías Rojas Valencia and Teresita Ugarte, they each co-directed a short film with a foreign director. Their premieres will take place at the Cannes Director’s Fortnight. The Taipei Factory and the Nordic Factory preceded this initiative unheard of in Chile; these are milestones that highlight the trajectory of these four productions that will represent our country. The Factory aims to reveal new talents through a selective workshop that concludes with a feature film made collectively by all four national directors and four international directors. Each pair creates a 15-minute short film that gives way to the Chile Factory feature, which will have its international premiere at the Directors’ Fortnight opening.
“The Cannes Film Festival is the most important showcase and gathering point for the international audiovisual industry in the world. The Chile Film Commission is part of these efforts to foster the promotion done by the national audiovisual industry, reinforcing Chile’s positive image, which is not only seen as privileged with spectacular filming locations, but also relying on a powerful and united filming community that meets international standards, ready to take on the most demanding international productions on Chilean soil," said Joyce Zylberberg, Chilean Film Commission General Manager.
- 5/17/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
More from the Latino scene from our woman in L.A., free lance festival programmer extraordinaire, Christine Davila, from her blog Chicana from Chicago:
Looking at yesterday’s announcement of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival reveals a healthy Latino presence among the 62 features and 48 short films in the program. Here’s how I break down the Latino/ Ibero/ U.S. Latino component of the program.
Chile continues to give Argentina a run for its cache of exciting and growing cinematic output from South America with the inclusion of Thursday Til Sunday (Isa & Distributor: FiGa) written and directed by Dominga Sotomayor ♀, in Narrative Competition.
Although the traveling Mexican film festival Ambulante is no longer a program spotlight, Mexican films continue to be a mainstay of the festival. There are four feature-length films and three short films from/about Mexico. In Narrative Competition, The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man (Isa: Kafilms, Argentina) written and directed by Arturo Pons [about a young Mexican aiming for Chicago], and in Documentary Competition, Drought by Everado González (recently awarded Best Documentary at FICG27) . Out of competition is the gorgeously shot documentary, Canícula, and although the funding is mainly stateside, Bernardo Ruiz paints a fascinating portrait of the risky journalistic practice and history of the seminal Tijuana weekly, Zeta in Reportero.
Also of note in the program is that four short films list Cuba as a co-production/origin of country.
But what of the U.S. Latino filmmakers and stories? Last year Los Angeles Film Festival was a great launchpad for Mamitas (Distributor: ScreenMedia, Producer rep: Traction Media), an authentic Chicano portrayal of young love set in Echo Parque written and directed by Nicolas Ozeki (a non-Latino), co-starring fast rising hot talents Veronica Diaz-Carranzo (Blaze You Out) and E.J. Bonilla. The film is currently in theaters now. (Big recommend,theater listings here-go support it!)
The closest we have to representing U.S. Latino in the features section is Four, the feature debut of Joshua Sanchez who hails from Houston, Texas. Based on a Christopher Shinn play, the July 4th-eve-set story is a snapshot of two disparate relationships tensely intertwined and their at-odd dynamics of desire. Coincidentally, E.J. Bonilla also stars (this guy is blowing up!). I would also include as U.S. Latino, Searching for Sugar Man, the documentary by Malik Bendjelloul about singer songwriter Sixto Rodriguez’s fascinating rise and fall into obscurity as a Uj.S. Latino story. As a matter of fact, the film seems to suggest that perhaps Sixto’s Mexican-American identity might have been a reason he was not embraced by the 60s and 70s mainstream. [Per Sydney: The film was snatched up at Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics and by Isa Protagonist who is screening it twice in Cannes.]
As for U.S. Latino shorts, Fireworks written and directed by Victor Hugo Duran, which is also incidentally centered around 4th of July, is an L.A. set story about boys trying to rap on girls.
My favorite Miami based hooligans, Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva, keep representing with their fresh and experimental short film, Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke. They are part of a collective of go-there filmmakers, Borscht Corp who had four crazy shorts screen at SXSW (and they were a riot to bootie shake dance with at SXSW Film’s Closing Night Party). You must carve out an hour and look at their work on the site (Nsfw!)
And lastly, in front of camera there’s some America Ferrera in Todd Berger’s It’s a Disaster (Isa: Maya), and rising boriqua actress April Hernandez Castillo, of hit webseries East Willy B, Dexter and other TV, is in The History of Future Folk [Per Sydney: one of 7 horror films in the festival, another being It's A Disaster per Dread Central, so take note Latino distributors like Lionsgate because horror films are a favorite of a certain Latino demographic!] by J. Anderson Mitchell and Jeremy Kipp Walker, described as a “sweet sci-fi musical comedy”. Below is the rest of the Latino and Ibero-American (includes Spain and Portugal). Descriptions provided by L.A. Film Festival, and bold cap commentary by me.
Narrative Competition:
o All Is Well – Portugal (Director Pocas Pascoal ♀, Producer Luis Correia Cast Cheila Lima, Ciomara Morais) – Strangers in a strange land, two beautiful Angolan sisters fleeing a civil war in their homeland struggle to survive in Lisbon. Pocas Pascoal’s deeply personal saga shows us the face of exile with quietly stunning power. North American Premiere
o The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man – Mexico (Director/Writer Arturo Pons Producer Ozcar Ramírez González Cast Gael Sanchez Valle, Pedro Gamez, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Eligio Melendez, Luis Bayardo, Marco Perez) – A young man and a dead man journey north through a subtly surreal desert landscape, picking up a wagonful of odd characters as they go in this darkly humorous satire of contemporary Mexico. North American Premiere
o Four – (Director/Writer Joshua Sanchez Producer Christine Giorgio Cast Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, E.J. Bonilla) – Over the course of a steamy 4th of July night, a father and daughter, each trapped in loneliness, reach out for sexual connection — he with a self-hating teenage boy, she with a smooth-talking wannabe homeboy — in this psychologically complex, beautifully acted drama. World Premiere
o Thursday till Sunday – Chile (Director/Writer Dominga Sotomayor ♀ Producers Gregorio González, Benjamin Domenech Cast Santi Ahumada, Emiliano Freifeld, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Paola Giannini) – With uncommon beauty and style, this Chilean road movie finds a family at a crossroads, as the daughter slowly realizes the divide between the adults in the front seat and the kids in back. North American Premiere
Documentary Competition:
o Drought – Mexico (Director Everado González Producer Martha Orozco) – Contrasting the lives of a cattle-ranching community with the arid northeastern Mexican landscape that surrounds them, this cinema vertité documentary paints a poetic portrait of a community on the verge of extinction. Us Premiere
o Sun Kissed – (Directors Maya Stark ♀, Adi Lavy ♀ Producers Jocelyn Glatzer, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy) – With remarkable strength of spirit, a husband and wife examine their lives and why their children and others have been struck with a rare genetic disorder in this powerful portrait of a small Navajo community. World Premiere ~ Okay Not Latino But It'S Native American So I’M Giving It A Shout Since There Are Not Enough Native American Stories.
International Showcase:
o Canícula – Mexico (Director José Álvarez Writers Sebastián Hoffman, José Álvarez Producer Mauricio Fabre Cast Hermelinda Santes, Esteban González, Mario García) – This is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of the rituals and crafts of contemporary Indians in remote Veracruz, who teach their boys to fly. ~ See My Interview With Jose Here.
o The Last Elvis – Argentina (Director Armando Bo Writers Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone Producers Steve Golin, Hugo Sigman, Patricio Alvarez Casado, Victor Bo, Armando Bo Cast John McInerny, Griselda Siciliani, Margarita Lopez) – John McInerny gives a staggering performance in this poignant tale of a Buenos Aires Elvis impersonator who only comes alive when he dons the King’s clothes to perform. How can he reconcile his dreams of glory with his dead end factory job and an estranged wife and daughter who can’t live inside his fantasies?
o Neighboring Sounds – Brazil (Director/Writer Kleber Mendonça Filho Producer Emilie Lesclaux Cast Irandhir Santos, Gustavo Jahn, Maeve Jinkings, W.J. Solha) – Kleber Mendonca Filho’s astonishing, suspenseful debut film focuses on one upscale street in the seaside town of Recife, where a private security team is enlisted to protect the residents from crime. By its startling conclusion, you feel you’ve seen all of Brazilian society exposed.
o The Strawberry Tree – Canada/Cuba/Italy (Director/Producer Simone Rapisarda Casanova) – Filmed in a small Cuban fishing village mere weeks before a hurricane decimated the entire region, this stunning documentary unknowingly captures the town’s final days even as it reframes the usual filmmaker-film subject relationship.
Summer Showcase:
o La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus – USA/Guatemala (Director Mark Kendall Producers Mark Kendall, Rafael González, Bernardo Ruiz) – The journey and transformation of a yellow American school bus into a vibrant Central American camionetasensitively reveals both the beauty and violence of everyday life in Guatemala.
o Reportero – (Director Bernardo Ruiz Producers Bernardo Ruiz, Patricia Benabe, Anne Hubbell Featuring Sergio Haro Cordero, Adela Navarro Bello) – A look at the incredible danger facing journalists in Mexico through the eyes of investigative reporter Sergio Haro and other staff at Zeta, the defiant Tijuana-based newsweekly.~ See My Interview With Bernardo Here
o Searching for Sugar Man – (Director/Writer Malik Bendjelloul Producers Simon Chinn, Nicole Stott, George Chignell) – Years after fading into obscurity at home, the music of ’70s U.S. singer/songwriter Rodriguez became an underground sensation in South Africa. Decades after his disappearance, two fans uncover the startling truth behind the legend.
Beyond:
o Juan of the Dead – Cuba (Director/Writer Alejandro Brugués Producers Gervasio Iglesias, Inti Herrera Cast Alexis Días de Villegas, Jorge Molina, Andrea Duro, Andros Perugorría, Jazz Vila, Eliecer Ramírez) – The streets of Havana are alive with the undead in Cuba’s first zombie comedy, a wild and bloody romp that sinks its sharp satirical teeth into the Cuban body politic. Castro may not be amused, but you will be.
Short Film Competition:
Against the Sea (Contra el mar) – Mexico, USA (Director) Richard Parkin
Black Doll (Prita Noire) – Mexico (Director) Sofia Carrillo
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke – (Directors) Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva ~Crazy Talented! Miami Represent!
Fireworks – (Director) Victor Hugo Duran -
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Paraíso – (Director) Nadav Kurtz ~Doc Subject Is About 3 Mexicans
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Voice Over – Spain (Director) Martín Rosete
For full lineup and more info go to L.A. Film Festival...
Looking at yesterday’s announcement of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival reveals a healthy Latino presence among the 62 features and 48 short films in the program. Here’s how I break down the Latino/ Ibero/ U.S. Latino component of the program.
Chile continues to give Argentina a run for its cache of exciting and growing cinematic output from South America with the inclusion of Thursday Til Sunday (Isa & Distributor: FiGa) written and directed by Dominga Sotomayor ♀, in Narrative Competition.
Although the traveling Mexican film festival Ambulante is no longer a program spotlight, Mexican films continue to be a mainstay of the festival. There are four feature-length films and three short films from/about Mexico. In Narrative Competition, The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man (Isa: Kafilms, Argentina) written and directed by Arturo Pons [about a young Mexican aiming for Chicago], and in Documentary Competition, Drought by Everado González (recently awarded Best Documentary at FICG27) . Out of competition is the gorgeously shot documentary, Canícula, and although the funding is mainly stateside, Bernardo Ruiz paints a fascinating portrait of the risky journalistic practice and history of the seminal Tijuana weekly, Zeta in Reportero.
Also of note in the program is that four short films list Cuba as a co-production/origin of country.
But what of the U.S. Latino filmmakers and stories? Last year Los Angeles Film Festival was a great launchpad for Mamitas (Distributor: ScreenMedia, Producer rep: Traction Media), an authentic Chicano portrayal of young love set in Echo Parque written and directed by Nicolas Ozeki (a non-Latino), co-starring fast rising hot talents Veronica Diaz-Carranzo (Blaze You Out) and E.J. Bonilla. The film is currently in theaters now. (Big recommend,theater listings here-go support it!)
The closest we have to representing U.S. Latino in the features section is Four, the feature debut of Joshua Sanchez who hails from Houston, Texas. Based on a Christopher Shinn play, the July 4th-eve-set story is a snapshot of two disparate relationships tensely intertwined and their at-odd dynamics of desire. Coincidentally, E.J. Bonilla also stars (this guy is blowing up!). I would also include as U.S. Latino, Searching for Sugar Man, the documentary by Malik Bendjelloul about singer songwriter Sixto Rodriguez’s fascinating rise and fall into obscurity as a Uj.S. Latino story. As a matter of fact, the film seems to suggest that perhaps Sixto’s Mexican-American identity might have been a reason he was not embraced by the 60s and 70s mainstream. [Per Sydney: The film was snatched up at Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics and by Isa Protagonist who is screening it twice in Cannes.]
As for U.S. Latino shorts, Fireworks written and directed by Victor Hugo Duran, which is also incidentally centered around 4th of July, is an L.A. set story about boys trying to rap on girls.
My favorite Miami based hooligans, Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva, keep representing with their fresh and experimental short film, Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke. They are part of a collective of go-there filmmakers, Borscht Corp who had four crazy shorts screen at SXSW (and they were a riot to bootie shake dance with at SXSW Film’s Closing Night Party). You must carve out an hour and look at their work on the site (Nsfw!)
And lastly, in front of camera there’s some America Ferrera in Todd Berger’s It’s a Disaster (Isa: Maya), and rising boriqua actress April Hernandez Castillo, of hit webseries East Willy B, Dexter and other TV, is in The History of Future Folk [Per Sydney: one of 7 horror films in the festival, another being It's A Disaster per Dread Central, so take note Latino distributors like Lionsgate because horror films are a favorite of a certain Latino demographic!] by J. Anderson Mitchell and Jeremy Kipp Walker, described as a “sweet sci-fi musical comedy”. Below is the rest of the Latino and Ibero-American (includes Spain and Portugal). Descriptions provided by L.A. Film Festival, and bold cap commentary by me.
Narrative Competition:
o All Is Well – Portugal (Director Pocas Pascoal ♀, Producer Luis Correia Cast Cheila Lima, Ciomara Morais) – Strangers in a strange land, two beautiful Angolan sisters fleeing a civil war in their homeland struggle to survive in Lisbon. Pocas Pascoal’s deeply personal saga shows us the face of exile with quietly stunning power. North American Premiere
o The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man – Mexico (Director/Writer Arturo Pons Producer Ozcar Ramírez González Cast Gael Sanchez Valle, Pedro Gamez, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Eligio Melendez, Luis Bayardo, Marco Perez) – A young man and a dead man journey north through a subtly surreal desert landscape, picking up a wagonful of odd characters as they go in this darkly humorous satire of contemporary Mexico. North American Premiere
o Four – (Director/Writer Joshua Sanchez Producer Christine Giorgio Cast Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, E.J. Bonilla) – Over the course of a steamy 4th of July night, a father and daughter, each trapped in loneliness, reach out for sexual connection — he with a self-hating teenage boy, she with a smooth-talking wannabe homeboy — in this psychologically complex, beautifully acted drama. World Premiere
o Thursday till Sunday – Chile (Director/Writer Dominga Sotomayor ♀ Producers Gregorio González, Benjamin Domenech Cast Santi Ahumada, Emiliano Freifeld, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Paola Giannini) – With uncommon beauty and style, this Chilean road movie finds a family at a crossroads, as the daughter slowly realizes the divide between the adults in the front seat and the kids in back. North American Premiere
Documentary Competition:
o Drought – Mexico (Director Everado González Producer Martha Orozco) – Contrasting the lives of a cattle-ranching community with the arid northeastern Mexican landscape that surrounds them, this cinema vertité documentary paints a poetic portrait of a community on the verge of extinction. Us Premiere
o Sun Kissed – (Directors Maya Stark ♀, Adi Lavy ♀ Producers Jocelyn Glatzer, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy) – With remarkable strength of spirit, a husband and wife examine their lives and why their children and others have been struck with a rare genetic disorder in this powerful portrait of a small Navajo community. World Premiere ~ Okay Not Latino But It'S Native American So I’M Giving It A Shout Since There Are Not Enough Native American Stories.
International Showcase:
o Canícula – Mexico (Director José Álvarez Writers Sebastián Hoffman, José Álvarez Producer Mauricio Fabre Cast Hermelinda Santes, Esteban González, Mario García) – This is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of the rituals and crafts of contemporary Indians in remote Veracruz, who teach their boys to fly. ~ See My Interview With Jose Here.
o The Last Elvis – Argentina (Director Armando Bo Writers Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone Producers Steve Golin, Hugo Sigman, Patricio Alvarez Casado, Victor Bo, Armando Bo Cast John McInerny, Griselda Siciliani, Margarita Lopez) – John McInerny gives a staggering performance in this poignant tale of a Buenos Aires Elvis impersonator who only comes alive when he dons the King’s clothes to perform. How can he reconcile his dreams of glory with his dead end factory job and an estranged wife and daughter who can’t live inside his fantasies?
o Neighboring Sounds – Brazil (Director/Writer Kleber Mendonça Filho Producer Emilie Lesclaux Cast Irandhir Santos, Gustavo Jahn, Maeve Jinkings, W.J. Solha) – Kleber Mendonca Filho’s astonishing, suspenseful debut film focuses on one upscale street in the seaside town of Recife, where a private security team is enlisted to protect the residents from crime. By its startling conclusion, you feel you’ve seen all of Brazilian society exposed.
o The Strawberry Tree – Canada/Cuba/Italy (Director/Producer Simone Rapisarda Casanova) – Filmed in a small Cuban fishing village mere weeks before a hurricane decimated the entire region, this stunning documentary unknowingly captures the town’s final days even as it reframes the usual filmmaker-film subject relationship.
Summer Showcase:
o La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus – USA/Guatemala (Director Mark Kendall Producers Mark Kendall, Rafael González, Bernardo Ruiz) – The journey and transformation of a yellow American school bus into a vibrant Central American camionetasensitively reveals both the beauty and violence of everyday life in Guatemala.
o Reportero – (Director Bernardo Ruiz Producers Bernardo Ruiz, Patricia Benabe, Anne Hubbell Featuring Sergio Haro Cordero, Adela Navarro Bello) – A look at the incredible danger facing journalists in Mexico through the eyes of investigative reporter Sergio Haro and other staff at Zeta, the defiant Tijuana-based newsweekly.~ See My Interview With Bernardo Here
o Searching for Sugar Man – (Director/Writer Malik Bendjelloul Producers Simon Chinn, Nicole Stott, George Chignell) – Years after fading into obscurity at home, the music of ’70s U.S. singer/songwriter Rodriguez became an underground sensation in South Africa. Decades after his disappearance, two fans uncover the startling truth behind the legend.
Beyond:
o Juan of the Dead – Cuba (Director/Writer Alejandro Brugués Producers Gervasio Iglesias, Inti Herrera Cast Alexis Días de Villegas, Jorge Molina, Andrea Duro, Andros Perugorría, Jazz Vila, Eliecer Ramírez) – The streets of Havana are alive with the undead in Cuba’s first zombie comedy, a wild and bloody romp that sinks its sharp satirical teeth into the Cuban body politic. Castro may not be amused, but you will be.
Short Film Competition:
Against the Sea (Contra el mar) – Mexico, USA (Director) Richard Parkin
Black Doll (Prita Noire) – Mexico (Director) Sofia Carrillo
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke – (Directors) Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva ~Crazy Talented! Miami Represent!
Fireworks – (Director) Victor Hugo Duran -
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Paraíso – (Director) Nadav Kurtz ~Doc Subject Is About 3 Mexicans
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Voice Over – Spain (Director) Martín Rosete
For full lineup and more info go to L.A. Film Festival...
- 5/2/2012
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
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