Annecy — In major news for Mexican animation as it comes under the spotlight at Annecy, director Sofia Carrillo is teaming with “Roma” producer Nicolas Celis and ‘Dance of the 41’ writer Monika Revilla to make “Insectario,” which bids fair to become one of the first stop motion features from Mexico.
Targeting family audiences, and written by Revilla, “Insectario” is set up at Celis’ Pimienta Films.
Carrillo, who worked on the Mexican second unit on “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” based out of Guadalajara’s El Taller del Chucho, told Variety that “Insectario” will build on the same aesthetic universe of “Cerulia” using the same puppets and sometimes the same sets.
“To a certain extent, ‘Insectario’ is a prolongation of the world of ‘Cerulia,’ but with an independent story which stands by itself,” she said.
In “Cerulia,” Carrillo’s crowning triumph which made her one of the most sought-after directors in Mexico,...
Targeting family audiences, and written by Revilla, “Insectario” is set up at Celis’ Pimienta Films.
Carrillo, who worked on the Mexican second unit on “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” based out of Guadalajara’s El Taller del Chucho, told Variety that “Insectario” will build on the same aesthetic universe of “Cerulia” using the same puppets and sometimes the same sets.
“To a certain extent, ‘Insectario’ is a prolongation of the world of ‘Cerulia,’ but with an independent story which stands by itself,” she said.
In “Cerulia,” Carrillo’s crowning triumph which made her one of the most sought-after directors in Mexico,...
- 6/12/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Sony Pictures International Prods, El Estudio Set Hombres G Film, ‘Voy a Pasarmelo Bien’ (Exclusive)
Tapping a widely successful genre, Sony Pictures Int’l Productions (Spip) is producing the musical romantic comedy “Voy a pasarmelo bien” (“I’m Going to Have A Good Time”) in association with transatlantic production powerhouse, El Estudio and Spanish pop rock band Hombres G.
The film is inspired by the music of the iconic band which rose to prominence in the ‘80s with their Beatles and British new wave-influenced music.
Based in Madrid, Hombres G is formed by David Summers, Dani Mezquita, Rafa Gutiérrez and Javi Molina who have published 12 studio albums to date and sold more than 20 million records internationally. Among their multiple achievements are an Honorary Grammy Award from the Latin Recording Academy and Spain’s Gold Medal to the Fine Arts.
Spip has also acquired the worldwide distribution rights, with Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia to release the film theatrically in Spain in 2022.
In addition, Spip licensed the film’s U.
The film is inspired by the music of the iconic band which rose to prominence in the ‘80s with their Beatles and British new wave-influenced music.
Based in Madrid, Hombres G is formed by David Summers, Dani Mezquita, Rafa Gutiérrez and Javi Molina who have published 12 studio albums to date and sold more than 20 million records internationally. Among their multiple achievements are an Honorary Grammy Award from the Latin Recording Academy and Spain’s Gold Medal to the Fine Arts.
Spip has also acquired the worldwide distribution rights, with Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia to release the film theatrically in Spain in 2022.
In addition, Spip licensed the film’s U.
- 11/30/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Pantaya, Pantelion Strike First Look Deals with El Estudio, The Lift and Traziende Films (Exclusive)
In a move aimed at further building its roster of original content, LA-based Spanish-language streaming platform Pantaya and Latino Hollywood studio Pantelion have signed multi-year first look deals with Latin American companies El Estudio, The Lift and Traziende Films.
Under the terms of the pact, each company will produce direct-to-platform Spanish-language pics to stream exclusively on Pantaya in the U.S.
Pantelion will serve as the studio on the projects, tapping its long-established relationships with some of the leading producers in Mexico and beyond.
Paul Presburger, CEO of Pantaya and Pantelion said: “In the 10-plus year history of Pantelion, we have had the pleasure to work multiple times with Diego Suarez, Pablo Cruz and their team at El Estudio (“Cesar Chavez”), Avelino Rodriguez and his team at The Lift and the folks at Traziende Films (“Pulling Strings,” “Las Pildoras de Mi Novio”).
“They are all some of the best in...
Under the terms of the pact, each company will produce direct-to-platform Spanish-language pics to stream exclusively on Pantaya in the U.S.
Pantelion will serve as the studio on the projects, tapping its long-established relationships with some of the leading producers in Mexico and beyond.
Paul Presburger, CEO of Pantaya and Pantelion said: “In the 10-plus year history of Pantelion, we have had the pleasure to work multiple times with Diego Suarez, Pablo Cruz and their team at El Estudio (“Cesar Chavez”), Avelino Rodriguez and his team at The Lift and the folks at Traziende Films (“Pulling Strings,” “Las Pildoras de Mi Novio”).
“They are all some of the best in...
- 10/19/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Initiating one of Amazon’s most ambitious titles ever in Latin America, production has begun on “La cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta,” the region’s first Western Amazon Original series, Amazon Prime Video announced Tuesday.
An “action-packed” series made in Mexico, it added, “La cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta” stars top Mexican actor Juan Manuel Bernal and Alejandro Speitzer, a fast-rising star after prominent roles in Mexican hits in “Dark Desire” and “Someone Has to Die.”
Backed by a powerful creative combo, the Amazon Original series is produced by Dynamo, who handled the physical production of “Narcos” in Colombia and produced Amazon’s “Falco” and Netflix’s first-anounced Colombian Original series, “Green Frontier.”
The series is created by Dynamo’s Diego Ramírez Schrempp and Fidelio’s Mauricio Leiva-Cock.
Series episodes will be directed by Humberto Hinojosa Ozcariz and David Pablos, fresh of his success with “Dance of the 41,” and director of “The Chosen Ones,...
An “action-packed” series made in Mexico, it added, “La cabeza de Joaquín Murrieta” stars top Mexican actor Juan Manuel Bernal and Alejandro Speitzer, a fast-rising star after prominent roles in Mexican hits in “Dark Desire” and “Someone Has to Die.”
Backed by a powerful creative combo, the Amazon Original series is produced by Dynamo, who handled the physical production of “Narcos” in Colombia and produced Amazon’s “Falco” and Netflix’s first-anounced Colombian Original series, “Green Frontier.”
The series is created by Dynamo’s Diego Ramírez Schrempp and Fidelio’s Mauricio Leiva-Cock.
Series episodes will be directed by Humberto Hinojosa Ozcariz and David Pablos, fresh of his success with “Dance of the 41,” and director of “The Chosen Ones,...
- 9/7/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
by Nathaniel R
"Identifying Features" is available to rent on several services
The nominations for the 63rd annual Ariel Awards (Mexico's Oscars essentially) have been announced. Identifying Features, a drama about a mother travelling across Mexico in search of answers about her son who vanished trying to cross the border made the biggest noise with 16 nominations. In happy news All of the Best Picture nominated films are readily available online to US audiences. We've seen more of the Ariel contenders than usual thanks to their festival appearances and current availability (links in the nomination list if we've written about them). Identifying Features is up against two films we loved, Dance of the 41 and Los Lobos along with Tragic Jungle and a documentary called The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo... ...
"Identifying Features" is available to rent on several services
The nominations for the 63rd annual Ariel Awards (Mexico's Oscars essentially) have been announced. Identifying Features, a drama about a mother travelling across Mexico in search of answers about her son who vanished trying to cross the border made the biggest noise with 16 nominations. In happy news All of the Best Picture nominated films are readily available online to US audiences. We've seen more of the Ariel contenders than usual thanks to their festival appearances and current availability (links in the nomination list if we've written about them). Identifying Features is up against two films we loved, Dance of the 41 and Los Lobos along with Tragic Jungle and a documentary called The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo... ...
- 8/28/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
November 1901. Mexico City. A police raid on a high-society private party leads to the arrest of 42 men. Nineteen are found wearing lavish ball gowns that matched the opulence of the (very much illicit) affair. Among those arrested are key figures from Mexico’s ruling class, including one whose name and presence at the party is promptly erased from the record. David Pablos’ handsome period film “Dance of the 41” traces the real-life story of that man: Ignacio de la Torre, the then-son-in-law of Mexican president Porfirio Díaz.
Monika Revilla’s screenplay doesn’t begin with the political scandal that gives the film its title. Instead, it uses it as its climax, an impactful punctuation mark on a tender love story played against the backdrop of the patriarchal power structures of Mexico’s turn-of-the-century gentry. As Ignacio, who’s recently been wed to Amada Díaz and in turn appointed to Congress,...
Monika Revilla’s screenplay doesn’t begin with the political scandal that gives the film its title. Instead, it uses it as its climax, an impactful punctuation mark on a tender love story played against the backdrop of the patriarchal power structures of Mexico’s turn-of-the-century gentry. As Ignacio, who’s recently been wed to Amada Díaz and in turn appointed to Congress,...
- 5/28/2021
- by Manuel Betancourt
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has set May 12 for the worldwide premiere of “El Baile de los 41” (“Dance of the 41”), the fact-based drama about the early 20th century scandal that rocked Mexican high society.
Penned by Monika Revilla and directed by David Pablos (“The Chosen Ones”), “El Baile de los 41” focuses on the 1901 scandal of the Ball of the Forty-One where police raided a private home in Mexico City and exposed various prominent society men in drag, including the son-in-law of the president of Mexico. Although the government tried to suppress the story, the local press gave it blanket coverage, marking the first time that homosexuality was openly discussed in the Mexican media and impacting the country’s culture for years to come.
In the trailer, which Netflix bows exclusively in Variety, it opens on an officer informing the president about 42 men caught in a raid. “I only count 41,” the president replies,...
Penned by Monika Revilla and directed by David Pablos (“The Chosen Ones”), “El Baile de los 41” focuses on the 1901 scandal of the Ball of the Forty-One where police raided a private home in Mexico City and exposed various prominent society men in drag, including the son-in-law of the president of Mexico. Although the government tried to suppress the story, the local press gave it blanket coverage, marking the first time that homosexuality was openly discussed in the Mexican media and impacting the country’s culture for years to come.
In the trailer, which Netflix bows exclusively in Variety, it opens on an officer informing the president about 42 men caught in a raid. “I only count 41,” the president replies,...
- 4/14/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
“Naked Singularity,” starring John Boyega, “Socks on Fire” and “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street” are among the selections announced for the 2021 San Francisco International Film Festival, which will take place in an all-new hybrid format.
Running April 9-18, the 64th edition of the festival will incorporate both online and in-person elements. Through the Sffilm website, audiences will be able to purchase tickets for digital screenings, Q&As with filmmakers, film parties and industry networking events. Additionally, there will be live screenings and performances held at the Fort Mason Flix drive-in theater.
Featuring 103 films from 41 countries around the world, the festival lineup consists of 42 feature films, 56 short films and five mid-length films. Not quite feature-length and not quite a short, mid-length films will run between 30 and 50 minutes. 13 films will be making their world premiere with an additional 15 making their North American premiere. Among the full lineup, 57% of the...
Running April 9-18, the 64th edition of the festival will incorporate both online and in-person elements. Through the Sffilm website, audiences will be able to purchase tickets for digital screenings, Q&As with filmmakers, film parties and industry networking events. Additionally, there will be live screenings and performances held at the Fort Mason Flix drive-in theater.
Featuring 103 films from 41 countries around the world, the festival lineup consists of 42 feature films, 56 short films and five mid-length films. Not quite feature-length and not quite a short, mid-length films will run between 30 and 50 minutes. 13 films will be making their world premiere with an additional 15 making their North American premiere. Among the full lineup, 57% of the...
- 3/24/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
The San Francisco International Film Festival (Sffilm) has today announced the full lineup of this year’s festival, which includes both online and in-person events taking place at the Fort Mason Flix drive-in theater. The opening night selection will be the world premiere of Chase Palmer’s “Naked Singularity,” which stars John Boyega as a public defender wrapped up in a drug heist. The full lineup includes buzzy festival titles like “Cryptozoo,” “The Dry,” “Strawberry Mansion,” “Son of Monarchs,” “Homeroom,” “Lily Topples the World,” and “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It.”
This year’s complete program includes 42 feature films, 56 short films, and, new to the festival this year, five mid-length films. 13 films will be making their world premiere with an additional 15 making their North American premiere. The lineup includes films from 41 countries around the world. Among the full festival lineup, 57% of the films were helmed...
This year’s complete program includes 42 feature films, 56 short films, and, new to the festival this year, five mid-length films. 13 films will be making their world premiere with an additional 15 making their North American premiere. The lineup includes films from 41 countries around the world. Among the full festival lineup, 57% of the films were helmed...
- 3/24/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Netflix is rounding out the cast for the fourth and final season of its critically acclaimed series Ozark. Alfonso Herrera and Adam Rothenberg, are set as new series regulars and Felix Solis and Damian Young who both recurred in Season 3, have been promoted to series regulars for the new season. Additionally, Bruno Bichir, Cc Castillo and Tony winner Katrina Lenk have been tapped for recurring roles in the series starring and executive produced by Jason Bateman.
Created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams, Ozark is a thrilling drama set in the present-day and follows the Byrde family’s journey from their normal, suburban Chicago life to their dangerous criminal enterprise in the Ozarks, Missouri. The series explores capitalism,...
Created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams, Ozark is a thrilling drama set in the present-day and follows the Byrde family’s journey from their normal, suburban Chicago life to their dangerous criminal enterprise in the Ozarks, Missouri. The series explores capitalism,...
- 11/13/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Fernanda Valadez’s feature debut “Identifying Features” (“Sin Señas Particulares”) has collected the 18th Morelia Int’l Film Festival’s Best Film Ojo prize as well as Audience Award and best actress plaudit for its lead, Mercedes Hernandez.
In a spare and sparsely attended closing ceremony on Sunday evening, Hernandez was among only two winners who were present to come on stage. A visibly moved Hernandez said: “My son, when asked what I do, says I earn my living by crying, probably because he has seen me act in plays or movies.”
“Paradoxically, my character in this film cannot cry as she has to contain her rage, she has to persist in looking for her son… as there is nothing worse for a mother than not knowing if her son is dead or alive.”
The topical drama, about a mother searching desperately for her son who has vanished while attempting to cross into the U.
In a spare and sparsely attended closing ceremony on Sunday evening, Hernandez was among only two winners who were present to come on stage. A visibly moved Hernandez said: “My son, when asked what I do, says I earn my living by crying, probably because he has seen me act in plays or movies.”
“Paradoxically, my character in this film cannot cry as she has to contain her rage, she has to persist in looking for her son… as there is nothing worse for a mother than not knowing if her son is dead or alive.”
The topical drama, about a mother searching desperately for her son who has vanished while attempting to cross into the U.
- 11/2/2020
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
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