Exclusive: David Unger’s Artist International Group (Aig) and Barcelona-based Infinito Studios have launched a joint venture that will focus on international production and talent representation.
The company will produce and package English, Spanish-language and multi-lingual content while also representing a diverse set of international clients across film and television on a global basis. Aig’s Raquel Elfassi will coordinate the joint venture’s activities.
Aig has offices in Los Angeles, London, Paris, Barcelona, Mexico City, Seoul and Hong Kong, and reps clients including Donnie Yen, Anil Kapoor, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Gong Li, among others.
“Together we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the explosive growth from international opportunities and partnerships,” Unger said. “Today, more than ever, content across film and television must speak to diverse audiences with global appeal”.
Infinito Studios is headed by brothers Albert and Oriol Uria, and Mexican showrunner and director Daniel Posada.
The company will produce and package English, Spanish-language and multi-lingual content while also representing a diverse set of international clients across film and television on a global basis. Aig’s Raquel Elfassi will coordinate the joint venture’s activities.
Aig has offices in Los Angeles, London, Paris, Barcelona, Mexico City, Seoul and Hong Kong, and reps clients including Donnie Yen, Anil Kapoor, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Gong Li, among others.
“Together we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the explosive growth from international opportunities and partnerships,” Unger said. “Today, more than ever, content across film and television must speak to diverse audiences with global appeal”.
Infinito Studios is headed by brothers Albert and Oriol Uria, and Mexican showrunner and director Daniel Posada.
- 3/18/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has picked up select rights to Deadtectives from Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural. Deadtectives will be released on July 21, 2020 on DVD for an Srp of $27.97. Check out the trailer:
Directed and co-written by Tony West (“The Soup”), the horror/comedy stars Chris Geere, Tina Ivlev (“Shameless”), David Newman (“Victoria”) and Martha Higareda (“Altered Carbon”). The film is Produced by Jason Tamasco of Bad Idea and Daniel Posada (“El Chapo”). Jerry Careccio and Charles Barsamian are Executive Producers.
Now you can win the Win the DVD of The Deadtectives . We Are Movie Geeks has two copies to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite movie with the word ‘Dead’ in the title. (mine’s Dawn Of The Dead. It’s so easy!)
1. You Must Be A Us Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To Us Addresses.
Directed and co-written by Tony West (“The Soup”), the horror/comedy stars Chris Geere, Tina Ivlev (“Shameless”), David Newman (“Victoria”) and Martha Higareda (“Altered Carbon”). The film is Produced by Jason Tamasco of Bad Idea and Daniel Posada (“El Chapo”). Jerry Careccio and Charles Barsamian are Executive Producers.
Now you can win the Win the DVD of The Deadtectives . We Are Movie Geeks has two copies to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite movie with the word ‘Dead’ in the title. (mine’s Dawn Of The Dead. It’s so easy!)
1. You Must Be A Us Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To Us Addresses.
- 7/10/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Feature premiered at Sitges, will screen at Fantaspoa in Brazil.
AMC Networks’ genre streaming platform Shudder has acquired all rights across its territories to the horror-comedy Deadtectives.
Writer-director Tony West’s feature debut tells of a team of hapless reality TV ghost-hunters who encounter actual paranormal activity while filming in the most haunted mansion in Mexico.
Facing the cancellation of their show and supernatural entities, the team must work out how to bust the ghosts, deliver the episode of a lifetime, and escape with their lives intact.
Chris Geere and Martha Higareda star, and Tina Ivlev, Jose Maria de Tavira,...
AMC Networks’ genre streaming platform Shudder has acquired all rights across its territories to the horror-comedy Deadtectives.
Writer-director Tony West’s feature debut tells of a team of hapless reality TV ghost-hunters who encounter actual paranormal activity while filming in the most haunted mansion in Mexico.
Facing the cancellation of their show and supernatural entities, the team must work out how to bust the ghosts, deliver the episode of a lifetime, and escape with their lives intact.
Chris Geere and Martha Higareda star, and Tina Ivlev, Jose Maria de Tavira,...
- 5/7/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Damián Alcázar and Tamara Vallarta (Paquita la del Barrio) are heading the cast of upcoming original drama Tijuana, a co-production of Netflix and Univision-owned Story House Entertainment.
The show is billed as an unvarnished look at what journalists in Mexico face every day in the pursuit of the truth. As with other series in the companies’ long-term partnership, Tijuana will premiere in the U.S. on Univision later this year, followed by its global rollout on Netflix.
Alcázar plays Antonio Borja, co-founder and director of the renowned newspaper Frente Tijuana, and Vallarta plays Gabriela Cisneros, an idealistic young reporter fighting her way into his newsroom.
When the gubernatorial front-runner is shot in the street, the reporters of Frente Tijuana race to cover the story, but the facts they uncover run much deeper than the assassination—insidious corruption has been allowed to grow in the shadows.
The show is billed as an unvarnished look at what journalists in Mexico face every day in the pursuit of the truth. As with other series in the companies’ long-term partnership, Tijuana will premiere in the U.S. on Univision later this year, followed by its global rollout on Netflix.
Alcázar plays Antonio Borja, co-founder and director of the renowned newspaper Frente Tijuana, and Vallarta plays Gabriela Cisneros, an idealistic young reporter fighting her way into his newsroom.
When the gubernatorial front-runner is shot in the street, the reporters of Frente Tijuana race to cover the story, but the facts they uncover run much deeper than the assassination—insidious corruption has been allowed to grow in the shadows.
- 6/7/2018
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Young entrepreneurs Phillip Sull and Alex Stephenson have launched what they claim to be the world’s first film discovery site powered by humans.
FilmFish uses the expertise of film buffs, not algorithms, to match users with appropriate titles from a roster of more than 15,000 recommendations.
Mexican producer and Dark Factory Productions co-founder Daniel Posada is one of the people behind the service.
Joining Posada are actor Topher Grace, critic Joyce Kulhawik, entrepreneur Simon Borrero, and MIT professors Donald Sull and David Hartzband.
FilmFish offers numerous collections of titles grouped into headings like ‘The Golden Age Of Female Comedy’, ‘Smart Indie Sci-Fi’, ‘Modern British Crime Movies’ and ‘Best Comedy Movies 2014’.
Users can also search by title, when they will be presented with lists of recommendations. Next to each listing are links to streaming and VOD sites carrying the films.
The curators replacing the algorithms titles are: film writer Adrienne McIlvaine, Boston critic...
FilmFish uses the expertise of film buffs, not algorithms, to match users with appropriate titles from a roster of more than 15,000 recommendations.
Mexican producer and Dark Factory Productions co-founder Daniel Posada is one of the people behind the service.
Joining Posada are actor Topher Grace, critic Joyce Kulhawik, entrepreneur Simon Borrero, and MIT professors Donald Sull and David Hartzband.
FilmFish offers numerous collections of titles grouped into headings like ‘The Golden Age Of Female Comedy’, ‘Smart Indie Sci-Fi’, ‘Modern British Crime Movies’ and ‘Best Comedy Movies 2014’.
Users can also search by title, when they will be presented with lists of recommendations. Next to each listing are links to streaming and VOD sites carrying the films.
The curators replacing the algorithms titles are: film writer Adrienne McIlvaine, Boston critic...
- 4/27/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The revenge thriller Bound To Vengeance will be hitting the theater and VOD on June 25, 2015.
Dig on the kick ass poster and details below.
From The Press Release
An Official Selection of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival - Park City at Midnight, IFC Midnight is proud to announce the theatrical and VOD release of Bound To Vengeance on June 26, 2015.
Bound To Vengeance will open in theaters in NYC and La on June 26th
Film Synopsis
Bound To Vengeance is a gritty revenge thriller about a young woman, Eve (Tina Ivlev), who fights back and manages to escape a malicious abductor. However, after discovering she may not be the only victim, Eve unravels a darker truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor.
The film is directed by J.M. Cravioto and stars breakout actress Tina Ivlev and Richard Tyson. The screenplay was written by Rock Shaink, Jr., and Keith Kjornes.
Dig on the kick ass poster and details below.
From The Press Release
An Official Selection of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival - Park City at Midnight, IFC Midnight is proud to announce the theatrical and VOD release of Bound To Vengeance on June 26, 2015.
Bound To Vengeance will open in theaters in NYC and La on June 26th
Film Synopsis
Bound To Vengeance is a gritty revenge thriller about a young woman, Eve (Tina Ivlev), who fights back and manages to escape a malicious abductor. However, after discovering she may not be the only victim, Eve unravels a darker truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor.
The film is directed by J.M. Cravioto and stars breakout actress Tina Ivlev and Richard Tyson. The screenplay was written by Rock Shaink, Jr., and Keith Kjornes.
- 6/2/2015
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Content Media has bulked up its Efm slate with international rights to Dark Factory’s recent Sundance revenge thriller Reversal.
IFC Midnight snapped up Us rights to the Park City At Midnight selection marking Mexican film-maker José Manuel Cravioto’s English-language debut.
Tina Ivlev stars in a potential breakout role alongside Richard Tyson in the story of a woman who flees her abductor and engages in a game of cat-and-mouse when she discovers she may not be the only victim.
Content will screen Reversal this week. Rock Shaink Jr and Keith Kjornes co-wrote the screenplay with Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez producing alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
“Jose Manuel’s energetic and supremely confident directorial style really caught our eye — along with the breakout performance of Tina Ivlev,” said Content film president Jamie Carmichael.
Dark Factory’s nascent slate includes One Shot, which wrapped recently in Mexico and stars Topher Grace and Anne Heche...
IFC Midnight snapped up Us rights to the Park City At Midnight selection marking Mexican film-maker José Manuel Cravioto’s English-language debut.
Tina Ivlev stars in a potential breakout role alongside Richard Tyson in the story of a woman who flees her abductor and engages in a game of cat-and-mouse when she discovers she may not be the only victim.
Content will screen Reversal this week. Rock Shaink Jr and Keith Kjornes co-wrote the screenplay with Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez producing alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
“Jose Manuel’s energetic and supremely confident directorial style really caught our eye — along with the breakout performance of Tina Ivlev,” said Content film president Jamie Carmichael.
Dark Factory’s nascent slate includes One Shot, which wrapped recently in Mexico and stars Topher Grace and Anne Heche...
- 2/5/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Welcome once again to "This Week in Horror," HitFix's ongoing series that rounds up the most pertinent fright-genre news to break over the last seven days. In this week's edition: the reboot of a beloved slasher title gets a big push (into 2016), that long-gestating "Crow" reboot loses another star, and an acclaimed Netflix anthology series may be getting a U.S. version. #1 "Friday the 13th," "Paranormal Activity 6" and "Rings" do the release-date shuffle Paramount did the franchise-movie shuffle this week with the latest installments of three major horror series: their mysterious "Friday the 13th" reboot (moved from November 13, 2015 to May 13, 2016); "Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension" (moved from March 13, 2015 to October 23, 2015); and "Rings," the belated third entry in the haunted VHS tape franchise, which will take "Friday the 13th's" November 13, 2015 slot. Let's hear it for unoriginality! [Deadline] #2 Luke Evans is no longer Eric Draven Luke Evans has dropped out of Relativity's remake of "The Crow,...
- 1/31/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Sundance: IFC Midnight has swooped on Us rights to Dark Factory Entertainment’s revenge thriller following its world premiere at Sundance.
Mexican film-maker J M Cravioto’s English-language debut stars Tina Ivlev and Richard Tyson in the story of a young woman who flees her captor only to learn more about his sadistic plan. Rock Shaink Jr and Keith Kjornes co-wrote the screenplay.
Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez produced the Park City At Midnight entry alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
IFC brokered the deal with Paradigm on behalf of the film-makers.
Dark Factory’s slate includes One Shot starring Topher Grace and Anne Heche and the upcoming Cravioto collaboration, 100 Cries Of Horror scheduled to start for production this year.
Mexican film-maker J M Cravioto’s English-language debut stars Tina Ivlev and Richard Tyson in the story of a young woman who flees her captor only to learn more about his sadistic plan. Rock Shaink Jr and Keith Kjornes co-wrote the screenplay.
Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez produced the Park City At Midnight entry alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
IFC brokered the deal with Paradigm on behalf of the film-makers.
Dark Factory’s slate includes One Shot starring Topher Grace and Anne Heche and the upcoming Cravioto collaboration, 100 Cries Of Horror scheduled to start for production this year.
- 1/30/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
IFC Midnight acquired the U.S. rights to gritty Sundance revenge thriller “Reversal,” the distribution company announced Friday.
José Manuel Cravioto directed the film, which stars up-and-coming actress Tina Ivlev (“The Devil’s in the Details”) as Eve, a tough young woman fighting to escape a malicious abductor. Richard Tyson (“There’s Something About Mary”) co-stars.
Also Read: Watch Sundance Interviews From TheWrap’s Studio With the Fest’s Biggest Stars (Video)
Rock Shaink Jr. and Keith Kjornes wrote the screenplay for “Reversal,” with Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez producing alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
“Reversal” premiered Jan.
José Manuel Cravioto directed the film, which stars up-and-coming actress Tina Ivlev (“The Devil’s in the Details”) as Eve, a tough young woman fighting to escape a malicious abductor. Richard Tyson (“There’s Something About Mary”) co-stars.
Also Read: Watch Sundance Interviews From TheWrap’s Studio With the Fest’s Biggest Stars (Video)
Rock Shaink Jr. and Keith Kjornes wrote the screenplay for “Reversal,” with Dark Factory’s Daniel Posada and Rodolfo Marquez producing alongside Alex Garcia of Ag Studios.
“Reversal” premiered Jan.
- 1/30/2015
- by Travis Reilly
- The Wrap
Representing Latin American, U.S. Latino, and non-Latino artists who explore multicultural relationships from singular perspectives, the films at this year's Sundance Film Festival include an array of stories that showcase the diverse creative voices that exist within the Latino filmmaking community.
This list includes both films that have been created fully or partially by Latin American or U.S. Latino filmmakers, as well as those that deal with themes and ideas relevant to the Latino experience in or outside the Unites States, even if these were not created by Latino artists. The increasing interest in these stories testifies to how rapidly Latinos are becoming constant and strong voices in all areas of the film industry.
In order to highlight as many of these talented creators and films as possible, we’ve created a list that includes all the films at the festival that are helmed by or that incorporate Latino talent and those that focus on a specific aspect pertinent to the Latino community. Some are obvious standouts like Argentina's acclaimed dark comedy "Wild Tales" or Colombia's "Liveforever" from Carlos Moreno.
Then there are those who at first sight might not fit the parameters of what one could think is a Latino film. This is the case of films like Eli Roth's "Knock Knock," which is an English-language horror film whose co-writers, producers, and part of the cast are originally from Chile. There is also " Aloft," a drama in the Spotlight section, which is set between Canada and Minnesota and stars Jennifer Connelly. It was written and directed by Academy Award nominated Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa.
The third case includes those films that deal with subjects that have Latino elements or that explore diversity in the U.S in some way. Examples of these are "The Strongest Man" from Kenny Riches, a film narrated in Spanish by its protagonist "Beef," a charming, yet lost Cuban-American man in Miami; or "Cartel Land" by Matthew Heineman, which focuses on the violence shared between Mexico and U.S due to the drug-fueled chaos that afflicts the region. On a lighter note, there are films like “City of Gold” by Laura Gabbert, in which Los Angeles is seen through its ethnic food and local idiosyncrasies.
In an effort to give exposure to those films in the program that don’t get as much attention, the list below starts with the Shorts Programs and ends with the Dramatic Premieres. Each title is linked to its page on the Sundance website where screening times and locations can be found. Regardless of what films you watch at the festival, it is likely that your eyes will be expose to the work of some amazingly talented Latino filmmaker, writer or actor, or those who appreciate our stories as much as we do.
Shorts
"Spring" (Primavera) - Shorts Program 2
Latino Talent: Dir. Tania Claudia Castillo
Latino Theme: The short was created theough Mexico's renowned Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (Ccc), and it focuses on
Elba, an introverted, lonely 14-year-old, who wants to bond with her sister Fernanda before she leaves home.
"Papa Machete" - Shorts Program 3
Latino Theme: Two hundred years ago, Haitian slaves defeated Napoleon's armies with the same tool used to work the land: the machete. "Papa Machete" explores a martial art evolved from this victory through the practice of one of its few remaining masters.
"Making it in America" - Shorts Program 4
Latino Theme: A Salvadoran immigrant who fled to the United States as a teenager is now a single mother striving to build a future for her family in Los Angeles.
"Stop" - Shorts Program 5
Latino Talent: Dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green, Producer Rashaad Ernesto Green, Cinematographer Federico Cesca, Actors J.W. Cortes and Joshua Rivera.
Latino Theme: A young man's livelihood is put to the test when he is stopped by the police on his way home. Although not specific the Latino experience, the subject matter speaks to recent events involving minority groups and the use of excessive force by police
"Palm Rot" - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Dir. Ryan Gillis Lizama
Latino Theme: An old Florida fumigator discovers a mysterious crate in the Everglades that ruins his day.
"The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal" (El Sol Como un Gran Animal Oscuro) - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Directors Ronnie Rivera and Christina Felisgrau, Screenwriter Bernardo Britto, Producer Lucas Leyva
Latino Theme: This is Spanish-language short about a computer and a woman fall in love, only to be torn apart because of their inappropriate feelings for each other.
"{The And} Marcela & Rock" - Documentary Shorts Program 1
Latino Talent: Dir. Topaz Adizes, Assistant Directors Armando Croda and Sebastian Diaz
Latino Theme: Exploring the intimate spaces of modern-day relationships, this is the best couples therapy session you'll ever witness.
Special Events
Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge
Latino Talent: Directors Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Marialy Rivas
Latino Theme: Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge presents five winning narrative and documentary short films selected from 1,387 submissions representing 69 different countries.The project was designed to use the transformative power of storytelling to generate discussion, shift perceptions around extreme hunger and poverty, and harness the power of independent film to create a global conversation about these issues.
Sundance Kids
"The Game Maker" (El Inventor de Juegos)
Latino Talent: Dir. Juan Pablo Buscarini
New Frontier
"Liveforever" (Que Viva la Musica)
Latino Talent: Dir. Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters Alberto Ferreras and Alonso Torres, alongside the crew and cast.
Latino Theme: Hovering over the river that segregates Cali, Colombia, into haves and have-nots, a haunting presence identifies a perilous willingness among the populace to do anything that is asked of it. A blonde teenage girl, knowing she must change her life, leaves her well-appointed house and flagrantly gives herself over to this tolerant city, saying "yes" to everything provocative it offers her. Only the music tethers her body and spirit together, even as she reaches for redemption through a bold, delicious, and resplendent self-destruction. Inspired by the 1977 best-selling cult novel by Andres Caicedo.
Park City Midnight
"Knock Knock"
Latino Talent: Screenwriters Guillermo Amoedo & Nicolás López, Producers Miguel Asensio and Nicolás López, Cinematographer Antonio Quercia, Actresses Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas
"Reversal"
Latino Talent: Dir. José Manuel Cravioto, Producers Alex Garcia, Rodolfo Marquez and Daniel Posada, Editor Jorge Macaya, Actress Bianca Malinowski
Spotlight
"Aloft"
Latino Talent: Dir. Claudia Llosa
"Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
Latino Talent: Dir. Damián Szifrón, as well as most of the cast and crew.
Latino Theme: Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award, this Argentine marvel is conformed of 6 stories about people giving in to their most savage instincts. Forgiveness is out o the question because revenge has never been so deranged and insanely comedic.
Next <=>
"H."
Latino Talent: Dir. Daniel Garcia
"Nasty Baby"
Latino Talent: Dir. Sebastián Silva, Producers David Hinojosa, Juan de Dios Larraín and Pablo Larraín
Latino Theme: Brooklyn artist Freddy (Sebastian Silva) is baby obsessed. His new project centers around newborns, and he and his boyfriend, Mo, have recruited their best friend, Polly (Kristen Wiig), to help them have a baby. On top of dealing with the stress of opening an art installation and the complications of conceiving a child via artificial insemination, the three begin to be harassed by The Bishop, a mentally ill neighborhood man. An escalating series of incidents threaten to derail the comfortable lives these people have built for themselves.
"Tangerine"
Latino Talent: Actress Kiki Kitana Rodriguez
Latino Theme: It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown, and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.
"The Strongest Man"
Latino Talent: Actor Robert Lorie
Latino Theme: Beef is a beefy Cuban man who believes that he is The Strongest Man in the World. He doesn’t want children, but he wants to tell his grandchildren about his life as The Strongest Man in the World. His best friend is a slight Korean man named Conan. Conan makes him think about things he normally doesn’t think, like the fact that Beef thinks in Spanish, rather than English. Illy, the adopted daughter of a rich art collector, brings out an anxious side in Beef. But it is when his prized possession—a solid gold BMX bicycle—is stolen from him that Beef finds and loses so much more than he thought he could.
World Dramatic Competition
"The Second Mother"
Latino Talent: Dir. Anna Muylaert and her cast and crew
Latino Theme: Val is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid's uniform while serving perfect canapés; she serves her wealthy São Paulo employers day in and day out while lovingly nannying their teenage son whom she's raised since toddlerhood. Everyone and everything in the elegant house has its place until one day, Val’s ambitious, clever daughter Jessica arrives from Val’s hometown to take the college entrance exams. Jessica’s confident, youthful presence upsets the unspoken yet strict balance of power in the household; Val must decide where her allegiances lie and what she's willing to sacrifice.
U.S. Documentary Competition
"Cartel Land"
Latino Theme: In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," shepherds a citizen uprising against the Knights Templar, the violent drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to halt Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.
"City of Gold"
Latino Theme: As the unabashed cradle of Hollywood superficiality and smoggy urban sprawl, Los Angeles has long been condemned as a cultural wasteland. In the richly penetrating documentary odyssey City of Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us another Los Angeles, where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America.
"Western"
Latino Theme: In his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens famously wrote "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." That line sums up the story ofWestern, the latest film from Bill and Turner Ross, a documentary destined to become a classic itself. Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico, two towns on opposite sides of the border have shared a harmonious history until the specter of cartel violence threatens to divide them.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
Latino Talent: Dir. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
"Dope"
Latino Talent: Actors Tony Revolori, Michael Flores, Allen Maldonado, Lidia Porto, and Sergio Garcia
Latino Theme: Malcolm is a high school geek with a high-top fade, carefully navigating life in The Bottoms, one of the toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, California. He and his fellow outcasts share a voracious appreciation for all things '90s hip-hop, opting to sport Cross-Colours and Z. Cavariccis at the risk of being clowned at school. He dreams of attending Harvard, but first he has to make it home every day. When a drug dealer takes a shine to Malcolm and invites him to his birthday party, Malcolm’s crew is swirled into a hilarious blender of offbeat characters and bad choices where redemption can only be found in Bitcoin.
"The Stanford Prison Experiment"
Latino Talent: Dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Actors Moises Arias and Armand Vasquez
Documentary Premieres
"Fresh Dressed"
Latino Theme: With funky, fat-laced Adidas, Kangol hats, and Cazal shades, a totally original look was born—Fresh—and it came from the black and brown side of town where another cultural force was revving up in the streets to take the world by storm. Hip-hop, and its aspirational relationship to fashion, would become such a force on the market that Tommy Hilfiger, in an effort to associate their brand with the cultural swell, would drive through the streets and hand out free clothing to kids on the corner.
Dramatic Premieres
"Experimenter"
Latino Talent: Dir. Michael Almereyda and Actor John Leguizamo
"Last Days in the Desert"
Latino Talent: Dir. Rodrigo García and Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki
"Lila & Eve"
Latino Talent: Producers Tanya Lopez and Priscilla Porianda, Actors Jennifer Lopez, Andre Royo, Marisela Zumbado and Rey Hernandez
Latino Theme: When teenage Stephon is killed in a drive-by shooting, his mother, Lila, slips into a paralyzing grief. She joins a support group for women who have lost children to crime and meets Eve, a woman whose little girl was killed the same night as Stephon. Lila and Eve form a friendship, and Lila begins to crawl out of her depression. She develops a burning desire to find justice for her son, and she presses the authorities for answers, but they are slow-moving and ineffective. It’s Eve who has the idea first—join together, find the drug dealers who shot Stephon dead, and bring them to justice themselves.
This list includes both films that have been created fully or partially by Latin American or U.S. Latino filmmakers, as well as those that deal with themes and ideas relevant to the Latino experience in or outside the Unites States, even if these were not created by Latino artists. The increasing interest in these stories testifies to how rapidly Latinos are becoming constant and strong voices in all areas of the film industry.
In order to highlight as many of these talented creators and films as possible, we’ve created a list that includes all the films at the festival that are helmed by or that incorporate Latino talent and those that focus on a specific aspect pertinent to the Latino community. Some are obvious standouts like Argentina's acclaimed dark comedy "Wild Tales" or Colombia's "Liveforever" from Carlos Moreno.
Then there are those who at first sight might not fit the parameters of what one could think is a Latino film. This is the case of films like Eli Roth's "Knock Knock," which is an English-language horror film whose co-writers, producers, and part of the cast are originally from Chile. There is also " Aloft," a drama in the Spotlight section, which is set between Canada and Minnesota and stars Jennifer Connelly. It was written and directed by Academy Award nominated Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa.
The third case includes those films that deal with subjects that have Latino elements or that explore diversity in the U.S in some way. Examples of these are "The Strongest Man" from Kenny Riches, a film narrated in Spanish by its protagonist "Beef," a charming, yet lost Cuban-American man in Miami; or "Cartel Land" by Matthew Heineman, which focuses on the violence shared between Mexico and U.S due to the drug-fueled chaos that afflicts the region. On a lighter note, there are films like “City of Gold” by Laura Gabbert, in which Los Angeles is seen through its ethnic food and local idiosyncrasies.
In an effort to give exposure to those films in the program that don’t get as much attention, the list below starts with the Shorts Programs and ends with the Dramatic Premieres. Each title is linked to its page on the Sundance website where screening times and locations can be found. Regardless of what films you watch at the festival, it is likely that your eyes will be expose to the work of some amazingly talented Latino filmmaker, writer or actor, or those who appreciate our stories as much as we do.
Shorts
"Spring" (Primavera) - Shorts Program 2
Latino Talent: Dir. Tania Claudia Castillo
Latino Theme: The short was created theough Mexico's renowned Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (Ccc), and it focuses on
Elba, an introverted, lonely 14-year-old, who wants to bond with her sister Fernanda before she leaves home.
"Papa Machete" - Shorts Program 3
Latino Theme: Two hundred years ago, Haitian slaves defeated Napoleon's armies with the same tool used to work the land: the machete. "Papa Machete" explores a martial art evolved from this victory through the practice of one of its few remaining masters.
"Making it in America" - Shorts Program 4
Latino Theme: A Salvadoran immigrant who fled to the United States as a teenager is now a single mother striving to build a future for her family in Los Angeles.
"Stop" - Shorts Program 5
Latino Talent: Dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green, Producer Rashaad Ernesto Green, Cinematographer Federico Cesca, Actors J.W. Cortes and Joshua Rivera.
Latino Theme: A young man's livelihood is put to the test when he is stopped by the police on his way home. Although not specific the Latino experience, the subject matter speaks to recent events involving minority groups and the use of excessive force by police
"Palm Rot" - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Dir. Ryan Gillis Lizama
Latino Theme: An old Florida fumigator discovers a mysterious crate in the Everglades that ruins his day.
"The Sun Like a Big Dark Animal" (El Sol Como un Gran Animal Oscuro) - Animation Spotlight
Latino Talent: Directors Ronnie Rivera and Christina Felisgrau, Screenwriter Bernardo Britto, Producer Lucas Leyva
Latino Theme: This is Spanish-language short about a computer and a woman fall in love, only to be torn apart because of their inappropriate feelings for each other.
"{The And} Marcela & Rock" - Documentary Shorts Program 1
Latino Talent: Dir. Topaz Adizes, Assistant Directors Armando Croda and Sebastian Diaz
Latino Theme: Exploring the intimate spaces of modern-day relationships, this is the best couples therapy session you'll ever witness.
Special Events
Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge
Latino Talent: Directors Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Marialy Rivas
Latino Theme: Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge presents five winning narrative and documentary short films selected from 1,387 submissions representing 69 different countries.The project was designed to use the transformative power of storytelling to generate discussion, shift perceptions around extreme hunger and poverty, and harness the power of independent film to create a global conversation about these issues.
Sundance Kids
"The Game Maker" (El Inventor de Juegos)
Latino Talent: Dir. Juan Pablo Buscarini
New Frontier
"Liveforever" (Que Viva la Musica)
Latino Talent: Dir. Carlos Moreno, Screenwriters Alberto Ferreras and Alonso Torres, alongside the crew and cast.
Latino Theme: Hovering over the river that segregates Cali, Colombia, into haves and have-nots, a haunting presence identifies a perilous willingness among the populace to do anything that is asked of it. A blonde teenage girl, knowing she must change her life, leaves her well-appointed house and flagrantly gives herself over to this tolerant city, saying "yes" to everything provocative it offers her. Only the music tethers her body and spirit together, even as she reaches for redemption through a bold, delicious, and resplendent self-destruction. Inspired by the 1977 best-selling cult novel by Andres Caicedo.
Park City Midnight
"Knock Knock"
Latino Talent: Screenwriters Guillermo Amoedo & Nicolás López, Producers Miguel Asensio and Nicolás López, Cinematographer Antonio Quercia, Actresses Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas
"Reversal"
Latino Talent: Dir. José Manuel Cravioto, Producers Alex Garcia, Rodolfo Marquez and Daniel Posada, Editor Jorge Macaya, Actress Bianca Malinowski
Spotlight
"Aloft"
Latino Talent: Dir. Claudia Llosa
"Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
Latino Talent: Dir. Damián Szifrón, as well as most of the cast and crew.
Latino Theme: Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award, this Argentine marvel is conformed of 6 stories about people giving in to their most savage instincts. Forgiveness is out o the question because revenge has never been so deranged and insanely comedic.
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"H."
Latino Talent: Dir. Daniel Garcia
"Nasty Baby"
Latino Talent: Dir. Sebastián Silva, Producers David Hinojosa, Juan de Dios Larraín and Pablo Larraín
Latino Theme: Brooklyn artist Freddy (Sebastian Silva) is baby obsessed. His new project centers around newborns, and he and his boyfriend, Mo, have recruited their best friend, Polly (Kristen Wiig), to help them have a baby. On top of dealing with the stress of opening an art installation and the complications of conceiving a child via artificial insemination, the three begin to be harassed by The Bishop, a mentally ill neighborhood man. An escalating series of incidents threaten to derail the comfortable lives these people have built for themselves.
"Tangerine"
Latino Talent: Actress Kiki Kitana Rodriguez
Latino Theme: It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown, and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.
"The Strongest Man"
Latino Talent: Actor Robert Lorie
Latino Theme: Beef is a beefy Cuban man who believes that he is The Strongest Man in the World. He doesn’t want children, but he wants to tell his grandchildren about his life as The Strongest Man in the World. His best friend is a slight Korean man named Conan. Conan makes him think about things he normally doesn’t think, like the fact that Beef thinks in Spanish, rather than English. Illy, the adopted daughter of a rich art collector, brings out an anxious side in Beef. But it is when his prized possession—a solid gold BMX bicycle—is stolen from him that Beef finds and loses so much more than he thought he could.
World Dramatic Competition
"The Second Mother"
Latino Talent: Dir. Anna Muylaert and her cast and crew
Latino Theme: Val is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid's uniform while serving perfect canapés; she serves her wealthy São Paulo employers day in and day out while lovingly nannying their teenage son whom she's raised since toddlerhood. Everyone and everything in the elegant house has its place until one day, Val’s ambitious, clever daughter Jessica arrives from Val’s hometown to take the college entrance exams. Jessica’s confident, youthful presence upsets the unspoken yet strict balance of power in the household; Val must decide where her allegiances lie and what she's willing to sacrifice.
U.S. Documentary Competition
"Cartel Land"
Latino Theme: In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," shepherds a citizen uprising against the Knights Templar, the violent drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to halt Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.
"City of Gold"
Latino Theme: As the unabashed cradle of Hollywood superficiality and smoggy urban sprawl, Los Angeles has long been condemned as a cultural wasteland. In the richly penetrating documentary odyssey City of Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us another Los Angeles, where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America.
"Western"
Latino Theme: In his classic novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens famously wrote "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." That line sums up the story ofWestern, the latest film from Bill and Turner Ross, a documentary destined to become a classic itself. Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico, two towns on opposite sides of the border have shared a harmonious history until the specter of cartel violence threatens to divide them.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
Latino Talent: Dir. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
"Dope"
Latino Talent: Actors Tony Revolori, Michael Flores, Allen Maldonado, Lidia Porto, and Sergio Garcia
Latino Theme: Malcolm is a high school geek with a high-top fade, carefully navigating life in The Bottoms, one of the toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, California. He and his fellow outcasts share a voracious appreciation for all things '90s hip-hop, opting to sport Cross-Colours and Z. Cavariccis at the risk of being clowned at school. He dreams of attending Harvard, but first he has to make it home every day. When a drug dealer takes a shine to Malcolm and invites him to his birthday party, Malcolm’s crew is swirled into a hilarious blender of offbeat characters and bad choices where redemption can only be found in Bitcoin.
"The Stanford Prison Experiment"
Latino Talent: Dir. Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Actors Moises Arias and Armand Vasquez
Documentary Premieres
"Fresh Dressed"
Latino Theme: With funky, fat-laced Adidas, Kangol hats, and Cazal shades, a totally original look was born—Fresh—and it came from the black and brown side of town where another cultural force was revving up in the streets to take the world by storm. Hip-hop, and its aspirational relationship to fashion, would become such a force on the market that Tommy Hilfiger, in an effort to associate their brand with the cultural swell, would drive through the streets and hand out free clothing to kids on the corner.
Dramatic Premieres
"Experimenter"
Latino Talent: Dir. Michael Almereyda and Actor John Leguizamo
"Last Days in the Desert"
Latino Talent: Dir. Rodrigo García and Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki
"Lila & Eve"
Latino Talent: Producers Tanya Lopez and Priscilla Porianda, Actors Jennifer Lopez, Andre Royo, Marisela Zumbado and Rey Hernandez
Latino Theme: When teenage Stephon is killed in a drive-by shooting, his mother, Lila, slips into a paralyzing grief. She joins a support group for women who have lost children to crime and meets Eve, a woman whose little girl was killed the same night as Stephon. Lila and Eve form a friendship, and Lila begins to crawl out of her depression. She develops a burning desire to find justice for her son, and she presses the authorities for answers, but they are slow-moving and ineffective. It’s Eve who has the idea first—join together, find the drug dealers who shot Stephon dead, and bring them to justice themselves.
- 1/21/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Burn Notice, Cult, and Supernatural alum Alona Tal has joined the cast of Topher Grace’s movie musical One Shot. Grace stars as a failed star turned stage manager who must wrangle the eccentric cast and crew of a new production to save the show’s opening night. Tal will play KT, the ex-girlfriend and star of the show. Taye Diggs, Jc Chasez, and Broadway thesp Lesli Margherita also star in the backstage musical, which director Isaac Rentz is shooting in Mexico City from a script by Gerry De Leon and Greg Lisi. Daniel Posada and Jason Tamasco are producing for Mexico-based Dark Factory Entertainment with Alex Garcia of Ag Studio.
Tal next stars in Amazon Studios’ upcoming Hand of God from helmer Marc Forster. She recently hit the big screen in Broken City opposite Mark Wahlberg. She’s repped by Innovative Artists and McKeon Myones Entertainment.
Tal next stars in Amazon Studios’ upcoming Hand of God from helmer Marc Forster. She recently hit the big screen in Broken City opposite Mark Wahlberg. She’s repped by Innovative Artists and McKeon Myones Entertainment.
- 12/5/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Exclusive: The producers behind Mexico-based Dark Factory have mapped an ambitious road ahead after securing a Sundance world premiere berth for their first English-language production, Reversal.
Daniel Posada and Jason Tamasco are preparing a February start on 100 Cries, the horror follow-up from Reversal (pictured) director Jm Cravioto.
Paradigm represents domestic rights to 100 Cries, a re-imagining of Ramón Obón’s 1965 Mexican horror classic 100 Cries Of Terror that will feature a Us cast.
The project is part of Dark Factory’s slate of Us productions that will shoot in Mexico and receive marketing support to a global audience.
Next to go after 100 Cries will be The Boondoogle, a previously announced title that Dark Factory has now come on to finance and produce and will also shoot in 2015 after Nala Films withdrew from its financing position.
Steve Carr is attached to direct The Boondoogle and Rob Riggle and Thomas Lennon are attached to star and wrote the most recent draft from...
Daniel Posada and Jason Tamasco are preparing a February start on 100 Cries, the horror follow-up from Reversal (pictured) director Jm Cravioto.
Paradigm represents domestic rights to 100 Cries, a re-imagining of Ramón Obón’s 1965 Mexican horror classic 100 Cries Of Terror that will feature a Us cast.
The project is part of Dark Factory’s slate of Us productions that will shoot in Mexico and receive marketing support to a global audience.
Next to go after 100 Cries will be The Boondoogle, a previously announced title that Dark Factory has now come on to finance and produce and will also shoot in 2015 after Nala Films withdrew from its financing position.
Steve Carr is attached to direct The Boondoogle and Rob Riggle and Thomas Lennon are attached to star and wrote the most recent draft from...
- 12/4/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Topher Grace’s musical comedy One Shot has added another crooner to its cast. Singer-songwriter and record producer Jc Chasez, a founding member of the seminal boy band *Nsync, will join Grace and Taye Diggs in the film about a failed Broadway performer turned stage manager who must wrangle the eccentric cast and crew of a new play to save the show’s opening night.
Grace is starring as said stage manager in addition to producing the indie film, which shoots next month in Mexico City. Chasez will play Grace’s nemesis, the star of the musical play within the movie who sleeps with his ex-girlfriend. Isaac Rentz is directing from a script by Gerry De Leon and Greg Lisi. Daniel Posada and Jason Tamasco are also producing One Shot for Mexico-based Dark Factory Entertainment with Alex Garcia of Ag Studio.
Chasez dabbled in acting with guest starring roles...
Grace is starring as said stage manager in addition to producing the indie film, which shoots next month in Mexico City. Chasez will play Grace’s nemesis, the star of the musical play within the movie who sleeps with his ex-girlfriend. Isaac Rentz is directing from a script by Gerry De Leon and Greg Lisi. Daniel Posada and Jason Tamasco are also producing One Shot for Mexico-based Dark Factory Entertainment with Alex Garcia of Ag Studio.
Chasez dabbled in acting with guest starring roles...
- 11/21/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Topher Grace’s backstage musical comedy One Shot is getting a Broadway vet in Taye Diggs. The singer-actor has joined the cast of the indie film, about a failed star turned stage manager (Grace) who must wrangle the eccentric cast and crew of a new production to save the show’s opening night. Isaac Rentz is directing from a script by Gerry De Leon and Greg Lisi; Grace, who’s currently in theaters in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, is also producing.
Diggs will play Malcolm, a flamboyant member of the production. Diggs of course got his start originating the character of Benny in 1996′s Tony-winning Rent, a role he reprised in 2005 when the musical was adapted into a film by Sony and Chris Columbus. By then he was well into a film and TV career with How Stella Got Her Groove Back, The Wood, The Best Man, and a run...
Diggs will play Malcolm, a flamboyant member of the production. Diggs of course got his start originating the character of Benny in 1996′s Tony-winning Rent, a role he reprised in 2005 when the musical was adapted into a film by Sony and Chris Columbus. By then he was well into a film and TV career with How Stella Got Her Groove Back, The Wood, The Best Man, and a run...
- 11/20/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
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