Tag Archives: Carmen

Vertigo Releasing Acquires “Your Monster,” Starring Melissa Barrera

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Melissa Barrera’s monster hit is going global…

Vertigo Releasing has acquired Your Monster, starring the 33-year-old Mexican actress, from Bankside Films.

Melissa Barrera, Your MonsterThe debut feature from writer-director Caroline Lindy blends romantic musical elements with comedy-horror.

In addition to Barrera, the film also stars Meghann Fahy, Tommy Dewey, Kayla Foster and Edmund Donovan.

The story centers on Laura (Barrera), an actress who, after battling illness and a breakup, returns to her childhood home. There, she discovers a monster (Dewey) living in her closet. As they bond, the monster helps Laura confront her ex and reclaim a promised Broadway role. Their relationship evolves as Laura rediscovers her voice and embraces her inner strength.

Your Monster premiered in the Midnight section at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and won the Audience Favorite Award at the festival’s London edition.

Vertigo Releasing will distribute the film in the U.K. and Ireland in the fall.

Vertigo head of acquisitions and business development, Ed Caffrey, said: “We fell in love with Your Monster during Sundance so it was very exciting to see the Sundance London audience connect so strongly with the film. We can’t wait to bring it to U.K. cinemas.”

Your Monster is a Bombo and Merman Films production, in association with Gentile Entertainment Group, with international sales represented by Bankside Films.

Barrera’s previous credits include Abigail, Carmen and Scream 6.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Earns Three Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominations for “The Little Mermaid” Music

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is this year’s Hollywood Music in Media Awards darling. 

The 43-year-old Puerto Rican songwriter, actor, filmmaker and playwright has earned three HMMA award nominations in the film categories.

Lin-Manuel MirandaMiranda earned two nods in the Song – sci-fi / fantasy category for writing the lyrics for two tracks from The Little Mermaid: “For The First Time,” performed by Halle Bailey, and “Wild Uncharted Waters,” performed by Jonah Hauer-King.

In addition, Miranda is up for the Music themed film, biopic or musical award for being a producer on The Little Mermaid soundtrack. He’ll compete against Mimi Valdez, who is nominated for producing Carmen.

Gaby Moreno is nominated in the Song – independent film category for writing and performing the single “El Saber” for the film Radical.

Carla Morrison is nominated in the Song – documentary film category for co-writing and performing “Todo Fue Por Amor,” for the film With This Light.

In the Score – independent film (foreign language) category, Carla F. Benedicto is nominated for Last Wishes, while Arturo Cardelús is up for Los Reyes Magos: La Verdad. 

Ariana DeBose’s ““This Wish” from Wish is up for Song – animated film, while Becky G’s “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot is up for Song – feature film.

The HMMAs are often seen as a bellwether for the Oscars. Past HMMA winners who’ve gone on to win Oscars include Billie Eilish and Finneas for No Time to Die; Hans Zimmer for Dune; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste for Soul; Hildur Guðnadóttir for Joker; Ludwig Göransson for Black Panther and Alexandre Desplat for The Shape of Water.

Unlike the Oscars, which have just one category each for songs and scores, the HMMAs have six categories for songs and seven for scores.

Not all of the nominated films have been released yet. The HMMAs allow films to compete if the composers “submit up to 15 minutes of score to picture as it appears in the visual media project.” The HMMAs note that “several films were only available to see in the context of the scenes provided.”

The HMMA presents awards for a wide range of visual media, including film, television series and video games.

The awards will be presented on Wednesday, November 15, at 8:00 pm PT at The Avalon in Hollywood, Calif.

Here are the nominees in the film categories. For a complete list of nominees in all categories, visit the HMMA site.

Score – feature film
American Fiction – Laura Karpman
Chevalier – Kris Bowers
Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson
Nyad – Alexandre Desplat
Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson
Rustin – Branford Marsalis
Saltburn – Anthony Willis, Music By
The Killer – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross 

Score – animated film
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget – Harry Gregson-Williams
Elemental – Thomas Newman
Migration – John Powell
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken – Stephanie Economou
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Daniel Pemberton
The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Brian Tyler 

Score – sci-fi / fantasy film
Asteroid City – Alexandre Desplat
Barbie – Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
The Creator – Hans Zimmer
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – James Newton Howard
The Marvels – Laura Karpman
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – Jongnic Bontemps

Score – horror/thriller film
A Haunting in Venice – Hildur Guđnadóttir
Deliver Us – Tóti Guðnason
Knock at the Cabin – Herdís Stefánsdóttir
M3gan – Anthony Willis
The Boogeyman – Patrick Jonsson
The Exorcist: Believer – David Wingo, Amman Abbasi

Score – documentary
Kangaroo Valley – H. Scott Salinas and Logan Stahley
Split at the Root – Lili Haydn
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie – John Powell
The Deepest Breath – Nainita Desai
The Pigeon Tunnel – Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan 

Score – independent film
Dalíland – Edmund Butt
Dream Scenario – Owen Pallett
Jules – Volker Bertelmann
Miranda’s Victim – Holly Amber Church
She Came to Me – Bryce Dessner
The Zone of Interest – Mica Levi 

Score – independent film (foreign language)
Society of the Snow – Michael Giacchino
Control – Taisuke Kimura
Last Wishes – Carla F. Benedicto
Los Reyes Magos: La Verdad – Arturo Cardelús
Paradice – Sandrine Rudaz
The Promised Land – Dan Romer

Song – feature film
“I’m Just Ken” from Barbie. Written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. Performed by Ryan Gosling (featuring Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen)
“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie. Written by Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell. Performed by Billie Eilish.
“The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot. Written by Diane Warren. Performed by Becky G.
“High Life” From Flora and Son. Written by Gary Clark, John Carney, Eve Hewson. Performed by Eve Hewson, Orén Kinlan, Jack Reynor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
“I Am” From Origin. Written by Stan Walker, Michael Fatkin, Vince Harder, Te Kanapu Anasta. Performed by Stan Walker.
“Road to Freedom” from Rustin. Written and performed by Lenny Kravitz.
“This” From The Beanie Bubble. Written by Damian Kulash, Jr. and Timothy Nordwind. Performed by OK Go.
“Keep It Movin’” from The Color Purple. Written by Halle Bailey, Denisia Andrews, Brittany Coney, and Morten Ristorp. Performed by Halle Bailey and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi.

Song – animated film
“Steal the Show” from Elemental. Written by Ari Leff, Michael Matosic, Thomas Newman. Performed by Lauv.
“Down Like That” from Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie. Written by Bryson Tiller, Chantry Johnson, Michelle Zarlenga, and Charlie Heath. Performed by Bryson Tiller.
“Am I Dreaming” from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Written by Mike Dean, Peter Lee Johnson, Rakim Mayers, Roisee, Landon Wayne and Leland Wayne. Performed by A$AP Rocky, Metro Boomin and Roisee.
“Better Place” from Trolls Band Together. Written by Shellback, Justin Timberlake, Amy Allen. Performed by NSYNC.
“Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Written by Jack Black, John Spiker, Eric Osmond, Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath. Performed by Jack Black.
“This Wish” from Wish. Written by Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and JP Saxe. Performed by Ariana DeBose.

Song – sci-fi / fantasy
“A World of Your Own” from Wonka. Music written by Neil Hannon, Lyrics by Neil Hannon, Simon Farnaby, Paul King. Performed by Timothée Chalamet
“Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Written by Dan Nigro and Olivia Rodrigo. Performed by Olivia Rodrigo.
“For The First Time” from The Little Mermaid. Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Performed by Halle Bailey
“Wild Uncharted Waters” from The Little Mermaid. Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Performed by Jonah Hauer-King
“You’ve Never Had Chocolate Like This” from Wonka. Written by Neil Hannon, Simon Farnaby, Paul King. Performed by Timothée Chalamet & Cast. 

Song – independent film
“Stardust” from A Good Person. Written by Cary Brothers & Scott Effman. Performed By Cary Brothers.
“I Got You” from Holiday Twist. Written by Michael Jay and Alan Demoss. Performed by Jake Miller
“Space and Time” from Master Gardener. Written by S.G. Goodman, Performed by Mereba
“Quiet Eyes” from Past Lives. Written by Sharon Van Etten and Zachary Dawes. Performed by Sharon Van Etten.
“El Saber” from Radical. Written and performed by Gaby Moreno.
“Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone” from Sons 2 The Grave. Written by Sean Jones, Michael Shand, Miku Graham. Performed by Sean Jones.

Song – onscreen performance
Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Orén Kinlan, Jack Reynor – “High Life” from Flora and Son
Halle Bailey – “For the First Time” from The Little Mermaid
Halle Bailey and Phylicia Pearl Mapsi – “Keep It Movin’” from The Color Purple
Megan Thee Stallion – “Out Alpha The Alpha” from Dicks: The Musical
NSYNC – “Better Place” from Trolls Band Together
Oil Factory feat. Chlöe, Jekalyn Carr, Loren Lott – “Praise Nationals Finale” from Praise This
Ryan Gosling – “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie
Timothée Chalamet – “A World of Your Own” from Wonka 

Song – documentary film
“Everything Is Gonna Be Alright” from Bobi Wine: The People’s President. Written and performed by Bobi Wine
“Forty Foot Man” from Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming With Dave Letterman. Written and performed by Bono and The Edge.
“Speechless” from Louder Than Rock. Written by Israel Houghton and Adam Ranney. Performed by Caleb Quaye and Judith Hill.
“Dream Your Little Dream” from The Jewel Thief. Written by Dan Braun and Josh Braun. Performed by The Braun Brothers.
“Todo Fue Por Amor” from With This Light. Written by Carla Morrison, Carla Patricia Morrison Flores, Juan Alejandro Jimenez Perez, Mario Demian Jimenez Perez. Performed by Carla Morrison.

Music themed film, biopic or musical
Carmen – Produced by Rosemary Blight, Dimitri Rassam and Mimi Valdes. Directed by Benjamin Millepied.
The Little Mermaid – Produced by John Deluca, Rob Marshall, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Marc Platt. Directed by Rob Marshall.
Theater Camp – Produced by Jessica Elbaum, Erik Feig, Will Ferrell and Noah Galvin. Directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman.
Trolls Band Together – Produced by Gina Shay. Directed by Walt Dohrn and Tim Heitz.
Wonka – Produced by Alexandra Derbyshire, David Heyman and Luke Kelly. Directed by Paul King.

Music documentary – special program
Dear Mama: “Panther Power” – Directed by Allen Hughes. Produced by Joshua Garcia, Loren Gomez, Quincy Jones III, Stef Smith.
Immediate Family – Directed by Denny Tedesco. Produced by Greg Richling, Jack Piatt, Jonathan Sheldon.
Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop – Directed by Hannah Beachler, Dream Hampton, Raeshem Nijhon. Produced by Shawna Carroll, Syreeta Gates, Cherice Hunt, Janice James, Princess A. Hairston.
Little Richard: I Am Everything – Directed by Lisa Cortés. Produced by Robert Friedman, Lisa Cortés, Liz Yale Marsh, Caryn Capotosto.
San Francisco Sounds: A Place in Time – Directed by Alison Ellwood & Anoosh Tertzakian. Produced by Michael Wright, Jill Burkhart, Mark Pinkus, Charlie Cohen, Tom Mackay, Richard Story, Jeff Jampol, Aly Parker, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Jeff Pollack, Frank Marshall, Alison Ellwood.
Wynonna Judd: Between Hell and Hallelujah – Directed by Patty Ivins Specht. Produced by Reese Witherspoon, Sara Rea, Wynonna Judd, Cactus Moser, Jason Owen, Bruce Gillmer, Margaret Comeaux, Leslie Fram, Patty Ivins Specht; Producer: Cassie Lambert Scalettar.

Residente Partnering with Alexander Dinelaris to Co-Write the New Film “Porto Rico”

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Residente is bringing on the drama…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and songwriter, whose real name is René Pérez Joglar, has teamed up with Academy Award-winner Alexander Dinelaris to co-write the new film Porto Rico.

ResidentePorto Rico is a historical drama based on the life of Puerto Rican revolutionary, José Maldonado Román, known as Águila Blanca, set on the island in the late 19th century. Maldonado Román fought against colonialism by leading a gang of ex-convicts to vindicate Puerto Rico as it sought its identity as a country.

“It has been amazing to work with Alex,” said Residente in a statement about the screenwriter he was introduced to by Alejandro Gonzalez-Iñarritu. “It took me a while to find a great writer because I was looking for someone who not only is talented but also connects with the subject matter. I found both in Alex, an amazing writer who is highly skilled at dialogues as was evident in Birdman,” he added.

Residente and Dinelaris found they shared a special cultural connection via Puerto Rico, the island where both Residente and Dinelaris’ grandmother were born. Dinelaris’ passion for his ancestral land helped cement the partnership.

“When Rene and I were introduced, I knew about him but wasn’t familiar with his body of work. When he sent me a treatment of his idea for Porto Rico, I was immediately hooked,” Dinelaris said. “My grandmother was from Ponce but I never got to meet my family there. I’ve always felt a connection to Puerto Rico, it’s where I often go to get away— and where I wrote Birdman and Still Life. I relish the opportunity to explore its history, my history.”

Along the way, Dinelaris has familiarized himself with Residente and his music, which helped him make the “easy decision” to partner with the artist. He said, “He and his work are defined by his courage, conviction, and artistry; which is also what I admire about Alejandro, who has been my mentor, brother, and partner.”

He continued, “I think we have an opportunity to tell a unique story and shed light on a corner of history that until now has been undiscovered by a large part of the world. It’s a story about the spectacular courage and resilience of someone unwilling to bend the knee at any price. I think that’s a story that now more than ever deserves to be told.”

The duo is already at work on the screenplay with plans to share bigger development news in the near future. In the meantime, Residente shared an update on how the story is shaping up.

“The writing sessions have been amazing so far, Residente said. “We’ve been taking our time shaping the story and focusing on being not only clever or interesting but also writing dialogue that generates an emotional connection, similar to how I create music.”

Porto Rico will be the first film from 1868 Studios, a multi-year joint venture between Residente and Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division that creates, produces, and globally distributes original content projects across multiple formats. Residente, who leads all creative aspects, focuses on properly representing cultural narratives on-screen, including Latinx stories, and most importantly for him, behind the camera.

Residente is a multiple award-winning Puerto Rican rapper, writer, filmmaker, and activist who has earned more Latin Grammys than any other artist as of 2022. In addition to music, he has gained recent success as a screenwriter and director. His projects include a self-titled documentary released in 2017 followed by the doc Rubén Blades Is Not My Name a year later.

Dinelaris is best known for his award-winning work as the screenwriter of Birdman, and as co-producer of the Academy Award-winning film, The Revenant. Additional credits include Benjamin Millepied’s film Carmen as well as writing and directing the film adaptation of his play, Still Life.

Melissa Barrera Starring in New Genre Film “God’s Country”

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Melissa Barrera is heading to God’s country…

Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho is teaming up with ZQ Entertainment to produce God’s Country, a new genre film starring the 32-year-old Mexican actress and Scream reboot star.

Melissa BarreraThe film will mark the American directorial debut of Egor Abramenko.

The film, which will head into production this summer, will see Barrera playing a young Salvadoran woman who travels to Kentucky to meet her fiancé. What she uncovers is something sinister beyond comprehension, as her American dream curdles into a nightmare of biblical proportions.

Will Soodik wrote the script. Reeves and Rafi Crohn will produce for 6th & Idaho, alongside ZQ Entertainment’s Ara Keshishian and Petr Jákl (who financed the development), Adam Kassan (End of Watch), and Barrera.

“Egor is an exciting emerging talent,” Reeves told Deadline, “and I’m thrilled to be making a monster movie together.”

Barrera is best known for her turns in Paramount/Spyglass’ Scream reboot, Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical In the Heights for Warner Bros. and HBO Max and the acclaimed Starz series Vida.

She’ll next be seen in Scream VI, which is out March 10; Sony Pictures Classics’ Carmen with Paul Mescal; and the Anthony McCarten-scripted feature The Collaboration, based on the acclaimed play.

STXfilms Acquires Worldwide Rights to Melissa Barrera-Starrer “Bed Rest”

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Melissa Barrera’s latest project is going global…

STXfilms has acquired the worldwide rights to Bed Rest, a supernatural thriller to star the 31-year-old Mexican actress/singer and In The Heights star.

Melissa Barrera

Writer-director Lori Evans Taylor will make her directorial debut on the project.

After years of struggling to start a family, Julie Rivers (Barrera) is pregnant again and moving into a new home with her husband as they embrace a fresh start. Upon being ordered to mandatory bed rest, Julie begins to slowly unravel as she suffers through the monotony and anxiety of her new constraints. Soon, terrifying ghostly experiences in the home begin to close in on Julie, stirring up her past demons and causing others to question her mental stability. Trapped and forced to face her past and the supernatural, Julie fights to protect herself and her unborn baby.

Bed Rest is being produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein through their Project X banner, along with Evans Taylor and Barrera. Cameras roll next month in Winnipeg.

STXfilms will release Bed Rest directly in the US, UK and Ireland, and in the rest of the world through its network of foreign distribution partners.

“Bed Rest is a chilling supernatural cinematic thriller,” said Adam Fogelson, chairman, STXfilms Motion Picture Group. “Lori Evans Taylor’s script was on the Black List for a reason: her compelling writing comes from a personal point of view we haven’t often seen on the big screen, and that will elevate the material. We’re also big believers in Melissa Barrera’s talent as an actress to bring this character to life. Horror has been a consistently successful genre for us at STX, and as a studio with a strong track record supporting female filmmakers, we are proud to be releasing Lori’s directorial debut. We’re also thrilled to be in business with William, James, Paul and the Team at Project X on a movie that will keep audiences riveted.”

Project X partners Sherak, Vanderbilt and Neinstein added, “We have known Lori both personally and professionally for years and have always been huge fans of her writing. This screenplay was so unnerving and deeply felt, we knew she was the right director to bring this to the screen. We had just worked with Melissa on Scream, where we saw her incredible talent first hand. We’re thrilled to have put them together, and that our longtime friends at STX will be our partners on this project. Their success with low and mid budget films and their commitment to female and diverse talent, both in front of and behind the camera, make them the ideal home for this film.”

In addition to In the Heights, and the upcoming Scream from Spyglass Media and Paramount, Barrera starred in the musical Carmen, and the Netflix series Breathe. She previously starred in the Starz series Vida and the independent film All The World Is Sleeping, which recently premiered at the New York Latino Film Festival. She was recently announced as Clinique’s new Global Ambassador.

Melissa Barrera to Star in the Netflix Survival Drama Series “Breathe”

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Will Melissa Barrera make it through the wilderness?

The 30-year-old Mexican actress and singer has been cast as the lead in Breathe, Netflix’s one-hour drama series from Blindspot creator Martin Gero and writer-executive producer Brendan Gall, and Warner Bros. Television.

Melissa Barrera

Barrera, who rose to acclaim in Starz’s Latinx series Vida, will portray a lone woman who must battle the elements and odds to survive after her plane crashes in the middle of the Canadian wilderness.

Barrera’s Eve is a razor-sharp Manhattan attorney who finds herself profoundly out of her comfort zone when her plane crashes and she must battle for survival.

Gero executive produces via his Quinn’s House production company, along with Gall. Warner Bros. Television is the studio.

Barrera most recently starred as co-lead Lyn in Tanya Saracho’s Vida, which aired for three seasons on Starz.

She next stars in In the Heights, the feature adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical, and also will be seen in a key role in the upcoming Scream 5.

She recently wrapped Sony Pictures Classics’ Carmen, the modern-day reimagining of the classic opera.

Melissa Barrera to Star in “Scream 5”

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Melissa Barrera is ready to Scream…

The 30-year-old Mexican actress, who recently ended her three-season run on Starz’s Vida, has landed akey role in Scream 5.

Melissa Barrera

Barrera is the first new cast member to be announced for the anticipated Spyglass Media and Paramount Pictures relaunch.

Friends alum and legacy cast member Courteney Cox will be reprising her role in the franchise as dogged reporter Gale Weathers alongside David Arquette, who is coming back as Dewey Riley. Neve Campbell, who portrayed Sidney Prescott in the slasher film, told press in May that she was in talks to join the movie.

Cameras are due to roll in Wilmington, North Carolina, this fall and the project is due to wrap by year’s end. Additional casting is underway on the ensemble horror.

Scream 5 is being directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick.

Creator Kevin Williamson and Chad Villella are executive producing.

The Scream franchise, through four films dating back to 1996, has grossed more than $600M at the global box office. The late Wes Craven directed all four movies. Williamson wrote the original film as well as Scream 2 and Scream 4.

Barrera, who was named to Variety’s 10 Latinxs to Watch list earlier this year, will next appear in Warner Bros.’ film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical hit In The Heights. That film is due for release next year.

This fall she’ll star as the title character in the film Carmen, the modern-day reimagining of the classic opera. The movie will mark the feature debut of Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied and will feature music from composer Nicholas Britell and Grammy winner Julieta Venegas.