Although it might seem like male directors stand at the forefront of Mexican cinema right now — look at recent Oscar winners such as Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, and Alejandro González Iñárritu — it’s a new wave of female filmmakers who are actually the ones to watch.
Tatiana Huezo (“The Echo”), Fernanda Valadez (“Identifying Features”), and Issa López all shine bright, yet Lila Avilés (“The Chambermaid”) might be the first to come close to Oscar success of her own with “Tótem,” which was shortlisted at this year’s Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. While Avilés’ acclaimed debut followed a maid working to bring structure and order to empty, uninhabited spaces, her follow-up feature is teeming with life, even if the subject matter might not lend itself to that at first glance.
“Tótem” begins with seven-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes) and her mother, Lucia (Lazua Larios), laughing together in a public bathroom.
Tatiana Huezo (“The Echo”), Fernanda Valadez (“Identifying Features”), and Issa López all shine bright, yet Lila Avilés (“The Chambermaid”) might be the first to come close to Oscar success of her own with “Tótem,” which was shortlisted at this year’s Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. While Avilés’ acclaimed debut followed a maid working to bring structure and order to empty, uninhabited spaces, her follow-up feature is teeming with life, even if the subject matter might not lend itself to that at first glance.
“Tótem” begins with seven-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes) and her mother, Lucia (Lazua Larios), laughing together in a public bathroom.
- 1/29/2024
- by David Opie
- Indiewire
Tótem, Mexico’s submission for this year’s Oscars, drops a bomb on you before the opening credits have even rolled. A mother, Lucia (Iazua Larios) and her daughter, Sol (Naíma Sentíes, luminescent), are goofing around in a public restroom. The seven-year-old girl is sitting on a toilet, unable — or maybe she’s simply refusing — to heed nature’s call. Tired of waiting for her to finish up, Mom ends up peeing in the sink, to the sound of much mutual laughter. The kid tries on a giant, curly, rainbow-colored wig.
- 1/28/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
A handful of indies bow or expand this weekend as Oscar hopefuls from Poor Things to The Holdovers and American Fiction crowd theaters after nominations earlier this week. Anatomy Of A Fall is getting a big bump. Oppenheimer is back on Imax.
New specialty releases include Daisy Ridley-starring Sometimes I Think About Dying by Rachel Lambert, and Tótem by Lila Avilés. Separately, Sundance has just wrapped up announcing winners from a new crop of independent films.
What we have post Oscar-nomination Tuesday, is this: Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos going wide on 2,226 screens, up from 1,400. The film starring Emma Stone had 11 nominations, second only to Oppenheimer. That Christopher Nolan blockbuster summer release from Universal is returning to 750 Imax screens worldwide, including iconic 70mm film theaters. Oppenheimer led all nominees for the 96th Oscars on Tuesday, with 13.
Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction from Amazon MGM Studios moves to 1,500 theaters from 850. Released Dec.
New specialty releases include Daisy Ridley-starring Sometimes I Think About Dying by Rachel Lambert, and Tótem by Lila Avilés. Separately, Sundance has just wrapped up announcing winners from a new crop of independent films.
What we have post Oscar-nomination Tuesday, is this: Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos going wide on 2,226 screens, up from 1,400. The film starring Emma Stone had 11 nominations, second only to Oppenheimer. That Christopher Nolan blockbuster summer release from Universal is returning to 750 Imax screens worldwide, including iconic 70mm film theaters. Oppenheimer led all nominees for the 96th Oscars on Tuesday, with 13.
Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction from Amazon MGM Studios moves to 1,500 theaters from 850. Released Dec.
- 1/26/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Pressure often mounts on directors with a breakout debut to double down on what made their first feature so acclaimed. Lila Avilés, on the other hand, ran in the opposite direction. Her debut feature, 2019’s The Chambermaid, follows a quiet hotel housekeeper in Mexico City from an austere remove as she strives to improve her station in life. Avilés’s follow-up, Tótem, leans into chaos by capturing the rambunctious energy of a family over a single day as they attempt to prepare for a big celebration.
And yet, the two films, aesthetically different as they may be, feel of a piece with one another. Be it through a claustrophobic close-up or from a sterile long shot, Avilés always brings us into an emotional communion with her characters’ innermost thoughts and desires. She’s comfortable operating within paradoxes, such as the central one at the core of Tótem: the birthday party...
And yet, the two films, aesthetically different as they may be, feel of a piece with one another. Be it through a claustrophobic close-up or from a sterile long shot, Avilés always brings us into an emotional communion with her characters’ innermost thoughts and desires. She’s comfortable operating within paradoxes, such as the central one at the core of Tótem: the birthday party...
- 1/24/2024
- by Marshall Shaffer
- Slant Magazine
Signing on to executive produce “Tótem,” the sophomore feature from writer-director Lila Avilés that was chosen to be Mexico’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar, was a no-brainer for Salma Hayek Pinault. “For me, it’s very important to support women, especially if they’re Mexican. And to support talent. And Lila’s talent is rare. It’s special, it’s unique, it’s bold, it’s brave. And also it’s delicate and personal,” said the Academy Award-nominated “Frida” actress during a conversation with IndieWire over Zoom. “I just want the world to feel her through this movie, and to be touched and moved by her talent.”
Premiering at last year’s Berlin Film Festival, where it won the Ecumenical Jury Prize, “Tótem” is a chamber piece centered on seven-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes) observing her family prepare to throw what she begins to understand to be...
Premiering at last year’s Berlin Film Festival, where it won the Ecumenical Jury Prize, “Tótem” is a chamber piece centered on seven-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes) observing her family prepare to throw what she begins to understand to be...
- 1/15/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Salma Hayek Pinault has joined José Tamez and Siobhan Flynn, her partners in Ventanarosa Productions, as an executive producer on Tótem, writer-director Lila Avilés’ follow-up to her international breakthrough The Chambermaid, which has been shortlisted as Mexico’s entry for the Best International Feature Oscar.
Poised for release by Sideshow and Janus Films, the companies behind Eo and Drive My Car, the film is set to open in New York theaters on January 26th. It will unspool in Los Angeles on February 2nd and expand nationwide in the weeks to follow.
Named one of the Top 5 International Films of the Year by the National Board of Review, Tótem is told largely from the perspective of 7-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes), as her aunt (Montserrat Marañón) and extended relatives prepare for the birthday party of the girl’s father (Mateo Garcia). As the hours wear on, building to an event both anticipated and dreaded,...
Poised for release by Sideshow and Janus Films, the companies behind Eo and Drive My Car, the film is set to open in New York theaters on January 26th. It will unspool in Los Angeles on February 2nd and expand nationwide in the weeks to follow.
Named one of the Top 5 International Films of the Year by the National Board of Review, Tótem is told largely from the perspective of 7-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes), as her aunt (Montserrat Marañón) and extended relatives prepare for the birthday party of the girl’s father (Mateo Garcia). As the hours wear on, building to an event both anticipated and dreaded,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Representing Mexico once more at the Oscars with her second film, “Totem,” Lila Avilés has proven that the critical success of her debut feature, “The Chambermaid,” was not a fluke.
The former actress, who worked in virtually all areas of film production and directed theater before venturing into filmmaking, has been hailed as part of the new wave of female talent shaping Mexican cinema. “Since I was a little girl, I always loved writing, creating my plays. And obviously, I’ve always had a fixation with photography. I hope to hold an exhibition someday, too,” she says.
Aside from racking up a slew of accolades since its world premiere at the Berlinale, “Totem” has been selected by the Independent Spirit Awards as one of five major contenders for its international film category.
Unlike the quiet, almost minimalist “The Chambermaid,” “Totem,” which Avilés also wrote, has a chaotic feel as it...
The former actress, who worked in virtually all areas of film production and directed theater before venturing into filmmaking, has been hailed as part of the new wave of female talent shaping Mexican cinema. “Since I was a little girl, I always loved writing, creating my plays. And obviously, I’ve always had a fixation with photography. I hope to hold an exhibition someday, too,” she says.
Aside from racking up a slew of accolades since its world premiere at the Berlinale, “Totem” has been selected by the Independent Spirit Awards as one of five major contenders for its international film category.
Unlike the quiet, almost minimalist “The Chambermaid,” “Totem,” which Avilés also wrote, has a chaotic feel as it...
- 12/15/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
One of our festival highlights earlier this year, Lila Avilés’ Tótem is now preparing for a U.S. release to kick off 2024 following an awards-qualifying. Mexico’s Oscar entry marks the director’s follow-up to The Chambermaid and follows a family over the course of a single, meaningful day, mainly from the perspective of 7-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes), as her mother (Montserrat Marañón) and extended relatives prepare for the birthday party of the girl’s father (Mateo Garcia). Ahead of a January 26, 2024 release for the Berlinale and Nd/Nf selection from Sideshow and Janus Films, the first U.S. trailer has now arrived.
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “The characters of Tótem don’t just appear onscreen; they take it over. From the top there’s the patriarch Roberto (Alberto Amador), who speaks using an electrolarynx and, when not dryly cajoling his flock, enjoys pruning a handsome Bonsai. There...
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “The characters of Tótem don’t just appear onscreen; they take it over. From the top there’s the patriarch Roberto (Alberto Amador), who speaks using an electrolarynx and, when not dryly cajoling his flock, enjoys pruning a handsome Bonsai. There...
- 11/14/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Presented largely from the point of view of two children, Mexican director Lila Avilés’ intimate, emotionally rich Berlin competition entry “Tótem” immerses audiences in a boisterous family gathering, where a handful of adult siblings have gathered to celebrate the birthday of their brother, a painter named Tonatiuh (Mateo Garcia). “Tona” is barely seen for most of the movie, confined to a back room where he refuses visitors. Naturally, this confuses 7-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes), who spends the day wandering the house alone, building a pillow fort in the living room or collecting snails in the garden.
“Sometimes I feel like my dad doesn’t love me when he says he doesn’t want to see me,” Sol confides to her father’s trusted nurse, Cruz. Your heart can’t help but break a little in that moment, for by this time, Avilés has already provided enough clues for us to...
“Sometimes I feel like my dad doesn’t love me when he says he doesn’t want to see me,” Sol confides to her father’s trusted nurse, Cruz. Your heart can’t help but break a little in that moment, for by this time, Avilés has already provided enough clues for us to...
- 2/25/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Desierto is a dirty, ugly thriller that muffles any possible moral quandaries in Jonás Cuarón’s border-crossing most dangerous game. Job-snatching paranoia clashes with impoverished dreams in a bloody, brutal landscape kissed by a searing desert sun, only to completely abandon tonal grittiness once tensions reach a climax.
Characters swirl a mix of emotions both from behind and in front of a high-powered hunting rifle, only to flip-flop loosely in the face of death. Cuarón’s visual and physical impact is not without power – gunshots ring and bullets strike bodies with wincing force – but a lack of character development shorts cinematic impact. Two “classes” of human are simply trying to survive, and we watch them die. Welcome to the grotesqueness of super right-wing fears come to life, something like Dick Cheney’s most vivid fever-dream.
Gael García Bernal stars as Moises, a Mexican citizen attempting to cross the Us border illegally.
Characters swirl a mix of emotions both from behind and in front of a high-powered hunting rifle, only to flip-flop loosely in the face of death. Cuarón’s visual and physical impact is not without power – gunshots ring and bullets strike bodies with wincing force – but a lack of character development shorts cinematic impact. Two “classes” of human are simply trying to survive, and we watch them die. Welcome to the grotesqueness of super right-wing fears come to life, something like Dick Cheney’s most vivid fever-dream.
Gael García Bernal stars as Moises, a Mexican citizen attempting to cross the Us border illegally.
- 10/10/2016
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
Joseph Baxter Sep 28, 2016
Jeffrey Dean Morgan stays close to his The Walking Dead work as an insane border-roaming vigilante in the Desierto trailer....
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, in spite of his dramatic range, has always excelled at playing likably irascible psychopaths, exemplified by his unforgettably perfect panel-to-picture portrayal of The Comedian in the 2009 graphic novel adaptation Watchmen. However, with Morgan having made his debut (in controversial fashion) on The Walking Dead as the bat-wielding big bad Negan, his role in the upcoming release of Desierto pushes his repertory psychoses into topical territory.
The latest trailer for dramatic thriller Desierto encapsulates waht you need to know about the pulse-pounding, surprisingly political premise. Taking place somewhere around the unforgiving, arid Mexico/U.S. border, a group of Mexican workers attempt a hazardous migration to America. But not so fast, says one man on the American side armed with a rifle, an attack dog and a perpetual stink eye.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan stays close to his The Walking Dead work as an insane border-roaming vigilante in the Desierto trailer....
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, in spite of his dramatic range, has always excelled at playing likably irascible psychopaths, exemplified by his unforgettably perfect panel-to-picture portrayal of The Comedian in the 2009 graphic novel adaptation Watchmen. However, with Morgan having made his debut (in controversial fashion) on The Walking Dead as the bat-wielding big bad Negan, his role in the upcoming release of Desierto pushes his repertory psychoses into topical territory.
The latest trailer for dramatic thriller Desierto encapsulates waht you need to know about the pulse-pounding, surprisingly political premise. Taking place somewhere around the unforgiving, arid Mexico/U.S. border, a group of Mexican workers attempt a hazardous migration to America. But not so fast, says one man on the American side armed with a rifle, an attack dog and a perpetual stink eye.
- 9/27/2016
- Den of Geek
A tense thriller of survival set against a desolate landscape of quiet austerity until the deafening sound of our heroes’ pursuer returns after a brief respite allowing these strangers the time to emotively talk about their lives—no, it’s not Gravity. Filmmaker Jonás Cuarón certainly has a type, though, since his sophomore effort in the director’s chair, Desierto, has a lot of formal similarities to his and father Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar-winning ride. Thematically different since the whole exists in the wasteland battlegrounds of the Mexican border, is fought by the impoverished rather than elite, and includes a villain possessed by a conscious psychopathy in his treatment of other human beings, it’s still difficult to separate the two when the same screenwriter worked on both.
This isn’t inherently a bad thing since Cuarón appears to have a handle on the cinematic construction of just such a suspenseful tale.
This isn’t inherently a bad thing since Cuarón appears to have a handle on the cinematic construction of just such a suspenseful tale.
- 9/21/2015
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Trying to pitch the latest work of Alfonso and Jonas Cuaron to buyers in Cannes this week, reps for Im Global fell back on Alfonso Cuaron's highly acclaimed "Gravity" as a selling point.
Im Global's Stuart Ford says "In a way, 'Forsaken' is a de facto prequel to 'Gravity'. Jonas and Alfonso were working on the screenplay of 'Forsaken,' then called 'Desierto,' when they had a very similar concept and put it in space. So 'Forsaken' has a lot of themes similar to 'Gravity.' It's about someone in a spectacularly peaceful but perilous environment trying to get home."
Directed by Jonas Cuaron, "Forsaken" stars Gael Garcia Bernal as a man crossing an unguarded part of the Sonora desert to try to get into the United States when he and his fellow travelers are shot off one by one.
Cuaron penned the screenplay with Mateo Garcia.
Im Global's Stuart Ford says "In a way, 'Forsaken' is a de facto prequel to 'Gravity'. Jonas and Alfonso were working on the screenplay of 'Forsaken,' then called 'Desierto,' when they had a very similar concept and put it in space. So 'Forsaken' has a lot of themes similar to 'Gravity.' It's about someone in a spectacularly peaceful but perilous environment trying to get home."
Directed by Jonas Cuaron, "Forsaken" stars Gael Garcia Bernal as a man crossing an unguarded part of the Sonora desert to try to get into the United States when he and his fellow travelers are shot off one by one.
Cuaron penned the screenplay with Mateo Garcia.
- 5/21/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Another day, another Cuarón story. Makes sense, considering the steady rise of the Mexican filmmaker's Hollywood stock over the years. But this time, we're not talking about Alfonso. We're talking about his son, Jonás. See, Jonás became a hot commodity himself ever since he co-wrote Gravity with his papa. We know he's working on a big budget film about Atlantis, but he's also directing a smaller film called Forsaken.
The film stars Gael Garcia Bernal, and it's a chase thriller about a man trekking through the Sonora desert trying to get into the United States, only to have his fellow travelers picked off one by one by gunmen. The film's story of survival, set in an utterly bleak situation, may seem thematically similar to Gravity, and there may be a reason for that.
Producer Stuart Ford (Dredd) spoke about the film about at Cannes, to Variety, where he revealed where...
The film stars Gael Garcia Bernal, and it's a chase thriller about a man trekking through the Sonora desert trying to get into the United States, only to have his fellow travelers picked off one by one by gunmen. The film's story of survival, set in an utterly bleak situation, may seem thematically similar to Gravity, and there may be a reason for that.
Producer Stuart Ford (Dredd) spoke about the film about at Cannes, to Variety, where he revealed where...
- 5/20/2014
- by Mario-Francisco Robles
- LRMonline.com
After their last collaboration, the breathtaking space odyssey Gravity (which I picked as the best film of 2013), was met with stunning box office numbers and a grand total of seven Oscars, father-son pair Alfonso and Jonás Cuarón are obviously excited to team up on additional projects. Currently, the duo are working on Forsaken, previously known as Desierto, a chase thriller set in the Mexican desert.
Jonás wrote the script with Mateo Garcia, will get behind the camera to direct, and will also produce alongside Alfonso. Now, we’re hearing that Forsaken may bear more similarities to Gravity than initial details about the film had suggested.
The Cuaróns were at Cannes this week, along with Im Global, to talk with potential buyers about how they envision Forsaken unfolding on the big screen. While at the festival, Im Global Founder and Chief Executive Officer Stuart Ford had some interesting comments about the film.
Jonás wrote the script with Mateo Garcia, will get behind the camera to direct, and will also produce alongside Alfonso. Now, we’re hearing that Forsaken may bear more similarities to Gravity than initial details about the film had suggested.
The Cuaróns were at Cannes this week, along with Im Global, to talk with potential buyers about how they envision Forsaken unfolding on the big screen. While at the festival, Im Global Founder and Chief Executive Officer Stuart Ford had some interesting comments about the film.
- 5/19/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Im Global has confirmed it will handle international sales in Cannes on Forsaken, the thriller formerly known as Desierto that Jonás Cuarón directs.
CEO Stuart Ford and Mexican producer and financier Alex Garcia made the announcement on the eve of Cannes (13).
Gael García Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan star in the story of a battle of wits that plays out between one of a band of immigrants on the Us border and a deranged vigilante dedicated to taking the law into his own hands.
Cuarón co-wrote the screenplay with Mateo Garcia and produces with his father Alfonso Cuarón, Carlos Cuarón, Charles Gillibert and Garcia.
David Linde of Lava Bear Films serves as executive producer alongside Bernal, Fréderique Dumas-Zajdela, Nicolás Celis and Santiago García Galván.
Im Global president Jonathan Deckter negotiated the deal with Linde and David Boyle on behalf of the filmmakers.
The Cuaróns are represented by UTA and attorney Henry Holmes.
CEO Stuart Ford and Mexican producer and financier Alex Garcia made the announcement on the eve of Cannes (13).
Gael García Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan star in the story of a battle of wits that plays out between one of a band of immigrants on the Us border and a deranged vigilante dedicated to taking the law into his own hands.
Cuarón co-wrote the screenplay with Mateo Garcia and produces with his father Alfonso Cuarón, Carlos Cuarón, Charles Gillibert and Garcia.
David Linde of Lava Bear Films serves as executive producer alongside Bernal, Fréderique Dumas-Zajdela, Nicolás Celis and Santiago García Galván.
Im Global president Jonathan Deckter negotiated the deal with Linde and David Boyle on behalf of the filmmakers.
The Cuaróns are represented by UTA and attorney Henry Holmes.
- 5/13/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Desierto
Director: Jonas Cuaron
Writers: Mateo Garcia, Jonas Cuaron
Producers: Alfonso Cuaron, Carlos Cuaron and Alex Garcia
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jonas Cuaron, son to Alfonso and writer of Gravity, will shortly begin filming his sophomore feature as director, snagging Bernal and Morgan as his leads. While we’re in the midst of awards season, Cuaron is sure to see more attention bestowed upon him in the coming months, which means his next film efforts should receive much wider interest. We’re looking forward to seeing this, and hope that Alfonso Cuaron moves ahead with their other collaboration in the pipeline, A Boy and His Shoe.
Gist: The film is centered on a group of illegal immigrants who try to cross the Us border but run afoul of a man who has taken up border patrol duties in his own racist hands.
Director: Jonas Cuaron
Writers: Mateo Garcia, Jonas Cuaron
Producers: Alfonso Cuaron, Carlos Cuaron and Alex Garcia
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jonas Cuaron, son to Alfonso and writer of Gravity, will shortly begin filming his sophomore feature as director, snagging Bernal and Morgan as his leads. While we’re in the midst of awards season, Cuaron is sure to see more attention bestowed upon him in the coming months, which means his next film efforts should receive much wider interest. We’re looking forward to seeing this, and hope that Alfonso Cuaron moves ahead with their other collaboration in the pipeline, A Boy and His Shoe.
Gist: The film is centered on a group of illegal immigrants who try to cross the Us border but run afoul of a man who has taken up border patrol duties in his own racist hands.
- 2/19/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Riding high on co-writing last year’s hugely acclaimed Gravity, currently a massive contender in the midst of the awards season, Jonás Cuarón is just a few weeks away from starting production on his sophomore feature in the director’s chair, Desierto.
Cuarón made his directorial debut back in 2007 with romantic-drama Year of the Nail, and will be moving into thriller territory this time around for his second film.
THR reports that Cuarón has now found his villain for the project, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan signing on to star opposite Gael García Bernal.
The film is centred on a group of illegal immigrants, one of which is played by Bernal, who try to cross the Us border but run afoul of a man (Morgan) who has taken up border patrol duties in his own racist hands.
Cuarón will be directing from a script he co-wrote with Mateo Garcia, with the...
Cuarón made his directorial debut back in 2007 with romantic-drama Year of the Nail, and will be moving into thriller territory this time around for his second film.
THR reports that Cuarón has now found his villain for the project, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan signing on to star opposite Gael García Bernal.
The film is centred on a group of illegal immigrants, one of which is played by Bernal, who try to cross the Us border but run afoul of a man (Morgan) who has taken up border patrol duties in his own racist hands.
Cuarón will be directing from a script he co-wrote with Mateo Garcia, with the...
- 1/11/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Fresh from the triumph of his Venice opener Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron will produce the Gael Garcia Bernal illegal immigrant drama Desierto this winter.
Cuaron and Carlos will produced with Ag Studios head Alex Garcia. Jonas Cuaron, who co-wrote Gravity, will direct.
Jonas Cuaron and Mateo Garcia wrote the story of illegal immigrants who fall foul of an American who takes border patrol into his own hands.
Bernal will serve as executive producer with Lucas Akoskin and Santiago Garcia Galvan.
Cuaron and Carlos will produced with Ag Studios head Alex Garcia. Jonas Cuaron, who co-wrote Gravity, will direct.
Jonas Cuaron and Mateo Garcia wrote the story of illegal immigrants who fall foul of an American who takes border patrol into his own hands.
Bernal will serve as executive producer with Lucas Akoskin and Santiago Garcia Galvan.
- 8/29/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
I think it’s a good thing when parents are successful in a particular field and then use that success to help their children break into the same business, or just collaborate with them.
For example, Francis Ford Coppola produced his daughter Sofia’s films Somewhere, Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette; while Ivan Reitman did the same for his son Jason on Up In the Air. Now, it appears Alfonso Cuaron will be producing his son Jonas’ Spanish language film Desierto.
The Cuarons also wrote this fall’s Gravity starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, with Alfonso directing.
On Desierto Jonas will be directing from a script he wrote with Mateo Garcia, and Variety has just reported that Gael Garcia Bernal has signed on to star in the film.
From Variety:
Jonas Cuaron and Mateo Garcia wrote the script, in which illegal immigrants crossing the border into the United...
For example, Francis Ford Coppola produced his daughter Sofia’s films Somewhere, Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette; while Ivan Reitman did the same for his son Jason on Up In the Air. Now, it appears Alfonso Cuaron will be producing his son Jonas’ Spanish language film Desierto.
The Cuarons also wrote this fall’s Gravity starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, with Alfonso directing.
On Desierto Jonas will be directing from a script he wrote with Mateo Garcia, and Variety has just reported that Gael Garcia Bernal has signed on to star in the film.
From Variety:
Jonas Cuaron and Mateo Garcia wrote the script, in which illegal immigrants crossing the border into the United...
- 8/27/2013
- by Philip Sticco
- LRMonline.com
Gael Garcia Bernal ("No," "Y Tu Mama Tambien") has joined the cast of the Spanish-language indie film "Desierto".
Jonas Cuaron and Mateo Garcia wrote the script, in which two illegal immigrants cross the border into the United States and end up in a run for their lives from a drunk American citizen who has taken border patrol into his own hands.
Alfonso Cuaron's son Jonas is directing, while the pair will produce. Shooting begins in October in Baja California.
Source: Variety...
Jonas Cuaron and Mateo Garcia wrote the script, in which two illegal immigrants cross the border into the United States and end up in a run for their lives from a drunk American citizen who has taken border patrol into his own hands.
Alfonso Cuaron's son Jonas is directing, while the pair will produce. Shooting begins in October in Baja California.
Source: Variety...
- 8/27/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
To say that "Gravity" is highly anticipated is an understatement, and it's easily the ticket to have for anyone hitting Venice this week, or Tiff next week. And as the marketing for the 3D space thriller ramps up with some TV spots hitting, director Alfonso Cuaron is helping his son Jonas Cuaron — co-writer on "Gravity" — get his next feature off the ground. Variety reports that Papa Cuaron will executive produce "Desierto," co-written by his son and Mateo Garcia, with Jonas to direct. Gael Garcia Bernal will star in the movie as Moises, one of pair of men who cross the border illegally from Mexico to the United States, and the find themselves on the run from a drunken vigilante who takes border patrol a little too far. Sounds pretty interesting, and it's a reunion for Alfonso Cuaron and Bernal. The filmmaker has produced previous Bernal starring movies including "Rudo Y Cursi,...
- 8/26/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
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