Salma Hayek-Starrer “Without Blood” to World Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival

Salma Hayek’s latest film is headed to Canada’s largest film festival…

Organizers of the 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival have announced the full lineup of Galas and Special Presentations, with the 57-year-old Mexican Oscar-nominated actress and film producer’s war drama Without Blood set to make its world premiere at the event.

Salma HayekDirected by Angelina Jolie and based on the novel by Alessandro Baricco, the film also stars Demián Bichir.

Among the feature directorial debuts at the fest, there’s Argo editor William Goldenberg’s Amazon sports biopic Unstoppable, starring Jennifer Lopez.

There’s a lot of this past Cannes Film Festival’s greatest hits as well, including the award-winning Spanish musical noir Emilia Perez, starring Selena Gomez.

In total, the Galas and Special Presentations section counts 63 movies from 25 countries.

Per TIFF, “The Gala and Special Presentations programs are recognized for celebrating the very best of contemporary cinema across all genres and styles, from all corners of the world.”

Here are the TIFF films revealed so far:

Galas 2024

Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe Cosima Spender | UK
World Premiere

Better Man Michael Gracey | USA
Canadian Premiere

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight Embeth Davidtz | South Africa
Canadian Premiere

*Eden Ron Howard | USA
World Premiere

*Elton John: Never Too Late R.J. Cutler, David Furnish | USA
World Premiere

*Harbin Woo Min-ho | South Korea
World Premiere

Meet the Barbarians Julie Delpy | France
International Premiere

*Nutcrackers David Gordon Green | USA
World Premiere

Oh, Canada Paul Schrader | USA
North American Premiere

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Thom Zimny | USA
World Premiere

*Superboys of Malegaon Reema Kagti | India
World Premiere

*The Deb Rebel Wilson | Australia
World Premiere

The Friend Scott McGehee, David Siegel | USA
International Premiere

The Penguin Lessons Peter Cattaneo | Spain/United Kingdom
World Premiere

The Return Uberto Pasolini | Italy/United Kingdom
World Premiere

The Shrouds David Cronenberg | Canada/France
North American Premiere

*The Wild Robot Chris Sanders | USA
World Premiere

Unstoppable William Goldenberg | USA
World Premiere

Will & Harper Josh Greenbaum | USA
International Premiere

Special Presentations 2024 (in alphabetical order)

40 Acres R.T. Thorne | Canada
World Premiere

All of You William Bridges | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title – Rights Available

All We Imagine as Light Payal Kapadia | France/India/Netherlands/Luxembourg
Canadian Premiere

Anora Sean Baker | USA
Canadian Premiere

Bird Andrea Arnold | United Kingdom
North American Premiere

Bring Them Down Christopher Andrews | Ireland/Belgium
World Premiere

Can I Get a Witness? Ann Marie Fleming | Canada
World Premiere

Carnival is Over Fernando Coimbra | Brazil/Portugal
World Premiere
Sales Title – Rights Available

Caught by the Tides Jia Zhang-Ke | China
North American Premiere

Conclave Edward Berger | USA/United Kingdom
International Premiere

Emilia Pérez Jacques Audiard | France/USA/Mexico
Canadian Premiere

Hard Truths Mike Leigh | United Kingdom/Spain
World Premiere

Harvest Athina Rachel Tsangari | United Kingdom
North American Premiere

Heretic Scott Beck, Bryan Woods | Canada
World Premiere

I’m Still Here Walter Salles | Brazil/France
North American Premiere

I, the Executioner Ryoo Seung-wan | South Korea
North American Premiere

*K-Pops Anderson .Paak | USA
World Premiere

Love in the Big City E.oni | South Korea
World Premiere

Millers in Marriage Edward Burns | USA
World Premiere

Misericordia Alain Guiraudie | Spain/Portugal/France
Canadian Premiere

*Nightbitch Marielle Heller | USA
World Premiere

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl Rungano Nyoni | Zambia/United Kingdom/Ireland
North American Premiere

Piece by Piece Morgan Neville | USA
International Premiere

Quisling – The Final Days Erik Poppe | Norway
International Premiere

Relay David Mackenzie | USA
World Premiere

Rez Ball Sydney Freeland | USA
World Premiere

Riff Raff Dito Montiel | USA
World Premiere

Rumours Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson | Canada/Germany
North American Premiere

Sharp Corner Jason Buxton | Canada/Ireland
World Premiere

*Shepherds Sophie Deraspe | Canada/France
World Premiere

Sketch Seth Worley | USA
World Premiere

The Assessment Fleur Fortuné | United Kingdom/Germany/USA
World Premiere

The Cut Sean Ellis | United Kingdom
World Premiere

The End Joshua Oppenheimer | Denmark/UK
Canadian Premiere

The Fire Inside Rachel Morrison | USA
World Premiere

The Girl with the Needle Magnus von Horn | Denmark/Poland/Sweden
North American Premiere

The Last Showgirl Gia Coppola | USA
World Premiere

*The Life of Chuck Mike Flanagan | USA
World Premiere

The Order Justin Kurzel | Canada/USA
North American Premiere

The Piano Lesson Malcolm Washington | USA
International Premiere

*We Live in Time John Crowley | United Kingdom/France
World Premiere

Went Up the Hill Samuel Van Grinsven | New Zealand/Australia
World Premiere

Without Blood Angelina Jolie | USA/Italy
World Premiere

Young Werther José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço | Canada
World Premiere

*previously announced

Ricky Martin to Appear at CAA’s Seventh Annual Amplify Summit

Ricky Martin is amplifying his voice…

CAA’s seventh annual Amplify summit, a day dedicated to convening artists, brands and leaders of color, has set its lineup of speakers and attendees, with the 52-year-old Puerto Rican superstar among the participants.

Ricky MartinThe Grammy-winning artist, actor and activist most recently starred on Apple TV+’s Palm Royale.

Martin appears on a roster that includes former First Lady of the United State Michelle Obama; Oscar and Emmy-winning actor, producer and director Regina King; and NBA Hall of Famer, activist and entrepreneur Dwyane Wade (who returns after sitting for a keynote conversation with his fellow NBA legend Chris Paul in 2023.

The invitation-only event kicks off on June 10th, in Ojai, Calif. and is organized by a diverse cross-section of CAA agents and executives to discuss ways to “accelerate transformational change in rooms of leadership and popular culture” via business opportunities, social justice initiatives and other various forms of collaboration.

“Our super power is connecting luminaries across business, philanthropy, entertainment, technology, politics, and beyond to inform, strategize, and take action to create a more optimistic future,” said CAA’s Natalie Tran, who has helped organize the event since it launched in 2017. “Now, more than ever, as commitments to impact become less visible, the collective expertise and collaboration within the CAA Amplify network are essential to driving meaningful opportunities for those that help shape culture, storytellers, and global brands.”

The full lineup of speakers and attendees also includes entertainment notables like this year’s best adapted screenplay Oscar winner Cord Jefferson (American Fiction); Emmy-winner Lee Sung Jin (Beef); and Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy, and Academy Award-winning singer and songwriter Jon Batiste, as well as Emmy nominee Padma Lakshmi; Ego Nwodim (Saturday Night Live); Ashley Park (Emily in Paris), Emmy-nominated producer and principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater Misty Copeland; Roy Wood Jr. (former The Daily Show correspondent); Oscar nominee Demián Bichir; and Peabody winner Mo Amer (“Mo”).

Also among the group will be athlete and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick; news anchor and chief legal analyst Laura Coates (Laura Coates Lives); Errin Haines (editor-at-large at the 19th and MSNBC analyst); ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero; National Women’s Law Center Action Fund president and CEO Fatima Goss Graves; Human Rights Campaign (HRC) president Kelley Robinson; and Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Imran Ahmed.

Camila Sodi Signs with AFA Prime Talent Media

Camila Sodi has new representation…

The 37-year-old Mexican singer, actress, producer and model has signed with AFA Prime Talent Media, a division of Kenan Thompson’s Artists for Artists company, in all areas.

Camila Sodi Sodi is currently shooting the series El Dentista alongside Demián Bichir for ViX and Movistar Plus +. She plays Sofia Roth, a brilliant chemist who aids Bichir’s character, Nolasco Black, in solving a case involving the infamous Jack The Ripper. The series is produced by Oscar-winning brothers Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín.

Also, earlier this year, Sodi created and executive produced the series Cualquier Parecido for Viacom CBS and ViX. The series, also starring the actress, is based loosely on her own romantic experiences and explores stories of love and heartbreak, friendship, family and sex, as well as the process of rediscovering oneself and becoming empowered. The show tells the tale of Carlota, who, after separating from the person she thought was the love of her life, discovers that the saying “happily ever after” is not always true, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be happy.

The signing heralds a reunion for Sodi and Cuban Talent Manager Eliseo Ruiz; they worked together in the past when Ruiz was an up-and-coming talent agent in Mexico City.

“I am honored to join forces with Eliseo and AFA Prime Talent, said Sodi in an exclusive statement to Deadline. “Their commitment to nurturing talent and strategic vision aligns perfectly with my goals. I look forward to this collaboration and the exciting projects that lie ahead. I have no doubts we will create some magic together.”

Andrés Delgado to Star in Hulu’s Limited Series “La Máquina”

Andrés Delgado is an acting machine

The Latino actor has landed a recurring guest star role in Hulu’s limited series La Máquina.

Andrés DelgadoDelgado — whose credits include Gabriel Ripstein’s Prime Video series An Unknown Enemy directed by Gabriel Ripstein, HBO Max’s Sierra Madre and Netflix’s Pedal to the Metal — has been cast as Saul, an obedient right-hand man to Diego Luna’s Andy in the Searchlight TV and 20th Television boxing drama.

The character’s described as too sweet for the cut-throat world of professional sports but with sincere affection for Andy and Esteban (Gael García Bernal).

La Máquina follows aging boxer Esteban, whose crafty manager Andy secures him one last shot at a title only to find they have to first deal with a mysterious underworld force to make fight night.

Delgado’s other roles include appearing in Angelina Jolie’s Without Blood opposite Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir and No Man’s Land, in which he’s starring opposite Andie MacDowell, Frank Grillo and Jorge A Jiménez.

Salma Hayek to Star in Angelina Jolie-Directed Film “Without Blood”

Salma Hayek has landed her next project…

The 55-year-old Mexican Oscar-nominated actress has joined the cast of Angelina Jolie’s Without Blood, alongside fellow Mexican actor Demian Bichir.

Salma HayekIt’s the debut film from Jolie’s three-year deal with Fremantle.

Hayek and Bichir will lead the project, which kicked off principal photography in Southern Italy and Rome this month.

Based on the international bestselling novel by Alessandro Baricco, it’s a fable set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict in a farmhouse deep in the Italian countryside.

Without Blood is Jolie’s fifth directing project and the first under her Fremantle mega-deal, which will see the Changeling star produce, direct and star in a slate of films, TV series and documentaries.

“I’m honored to be here in Italy to bring this very special material to film, and to have been entrusted by Alessandro Baricco with the adaptation of his book — with its unique poetry and emotion and way of looking at war, and the questions it poses about what we search for after trauma or loss or injustice,” said Jolie.

The film is produced by Fremantle, Jolie Productions, Fremantle-backed The Apartment Pictures and De Maio Entertainment.

Hayek is filming Magic Mike’s Last Dancewhile Bichir is preparing to enter production on Let the Right One In.

Fernanda Andrade to Appear on Paramount+’s Crime Thriller “Finestkind”

It’s the finest hour for Fernanda Andrade.

The 38-year-old Brazilian actress and model has joined the cast of Paramount+’s crime thriller, Finestkind.

Fernanda AndradeAndrade joins an ensemble cast that includes Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Aaron Stanford, Scotty Tovar, Tim Daly, Lolita Davidovich, Clayne Crawford, Meghan Leathers and Ismael Cruz Cordova.

Set in America’s biggest commercial fishing port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Finestkind tells the story of two brothers (Foster and Wallace) from opposite sides of the tracks, who are reunited as adults over one fateful summer. When desperate circumstances force them to strike a deal with a dangerous Boston crime syndicate, a young woman (Ortega) finds herself caught in the middle. Along the way, sacrifices must be made, and bonds between brothers, friends, and a father (Jones) and his son are put to the test. Andrade plays Anne Marie, a great mom and loving wife to Cordova’s fisherman, Costa.

Brian Helgeland wrote and is directing the film, which will debut exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. later this year, becoming available for streaming in Australia, Canada, Latin America, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and South Korea when the service launches in those markets.

Andrade was recently seen on Disney+’s Moon Knight, and will soon recur on Showtime’s vampire drama series Let the Right One In, opposite Demián Bichir and Nick Stahl. The actress has also been seen on series including Next, Narcos: MexicoThe First, NCIS: Los AngelesHere and NowScorpion and Sons of Anarchy, among others.

Additional film credits include Lying and StealingDie Like Lovers and The Devil Inside.

Fernanda Andrade to Appear in Showtime’s Vampire Drama Series “Let The Right One In”

Fernanda Andrade is letting the right role in…

The 37-year-old Brazilian actress and model will appear in the new Showtime series Let The Right One In in a recurring role.

Fernanda AndradeAndrade, known for her work in Narcos: Mexico and Songs of Anarchy, will play Elizabeth, the spirited wife of Mark (Demián Bichir) and devoted mother of Eleanor (Madison Taylor Baez). Elizabeth’s love for her family motivates her to go to any length to protect them.

The roles has been recast. Andrade replaces Susan Santiago, who played the role in the pilot.

The vampire drama series is inspired by the bestselling 2004 novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist and its 2008 Swedish film adaptation. It’s described as an exploration of human frailty, strength, and compassion through an elevated genre lens.

It centers on Mark and his daughter Eleanor, whose lives were changed forever 10 years earlier when she was turned into a vampire. Locked in at age 12, perhaps forever, Eleanor lives a closed-in life, able to go out only at night, while her father does his best to provide her with the human blood she needs to stay alive.

Let the Right One In is produced by Tomorrow Studios. Bichir will serve as a producer on the series.

Andrade most recently appeared in Fox’s NeXt in the role of Shea Salazar. She also has credits in big and small screen projects including Sons of AnarchyScorpionNCIS: Los Angeles, and Narcos: Mexico.

Jimmy Gonzales to Star in George Lopez’s Amazon Drama Pilot “Once Upon a Time in Aztlan”

Jimmy Gonzales is right on Time

The Mexican actor has been cast as a lead alongside Arianna Williams on Amazon’s Once Upon a Time in Aztlan, the drama pilot from George Lopez.Jimmy Gonzales

They join previously announced cast LopezJesse Garcia and Annie Gonzalez.

Gonzales stars as the morally compromised Hector, whose pursuit of ‘get rich or die trying’ dreams landed his partner Arturo Duran in prison for thirteen years. Since then, he’s further cemented his influence over the Duran family: He has a son with Lola (Gonzalez) and is the de facto father figure for Angela (Williams). Despite his overtures to legitimize himself, he’s a lifelong hustler who’s baiting the attention of the FBI.

Willians portrays the character of Angela, a Gen-Z Afro Latina, who is described as fiercely independent, confident, and always adapting. The face of our modern Los Angeles. The Duran family have hung their hopes on Angela as their luminary, but she’s in deep debt to her nefarious uncle, who’s co-signed her loans to USC. Her father, Arturo (Garcia) returns to her life after a long absence, presenting a challenging new vision of her future.

Written by Javier Rodriguez, the one-hour drama from STXtelevision and Amazon Studios revolves around a Chicano family in the deep suburbs of Los Angeles as they come to terms with the falsehoods of the American dream, and their ability to defy expectations. The pilot will be directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, who helmed Eva Longoria and Demián Bichir in the Blumhouse/Imagine East L.A.-set drama, Lowriders.

Rodriguez executive produces with de Montreuil, photographer/director Estevan Oriol, LA-based artist Mister Cartoon, and Michael Connolly who put the Latinx package together under his STXtelevision-based Mad Hatter Entertainment banner.

Gonzales can currently be seen as the lead in Netflix/Endeavor Content’s Blue Miracle opposite Dennis Quaid. He can next be seen on Fox Searchlight’s biopic Flamin’ Hot as Hector Morales and currently is a recurring guest star on FX’s Mayans M.C.

Other credits include AMC’s Lodge 49, AMC’s The Walking Dead, and David E. Kelley’s Mr. Mercedes.

Williams played a supporting lead in a 2021 Lifetime Movie opposite Denise Richards. Although a relative newcomer to the small screen, she’s worked with Phylicia Rashad, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Ruben Santiago Hudson at the Billie Holliday Theatre.

Showtime Picks Up “Let the Right One In” Vampire Drama Starring Demian Bichir

Demián Bichir’s latest project is on the Right track…

Showtime has picked up to series the Let the Right One In, starring the 58-year-old Mexican Oscar-nominated actor, completing the vampire drama’s long journey to the small screen.

Demián Bichir

The project, which also stars Anika Noni Rose, Grace Gummer, Madison Taylor Baez, Kevin Carroll, Ian Foreman and Jacob Buster, hails from Andrew Hinderaker, who wrote the pilot and serves as showrunner; Seith Mann, who directed the pilot and will also direct additional episodes; and Tomorrow Studios, which has been the driver behind the drama in its various incarnations for about seven years.

Inspired by the bestselling 2004 novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist and its 2008 Swedish film adaptation, the series is described as an exploration of human frailty, strength and compassion through an elevated genre lens. It centers on Mark (Bichir) and his daughter Eleanor (Baez), whose lives were changed forever 10 years earlier when she was turned into a vampire. Locked in at age 12, perhaps forever, Eleanor lives a closed-in life, able to go out only at night, while her father does his best to provide her with the human blood she needs to stay alive.

The series, which has received a 10-episode order and will go into production in New York City in early 2022, is executive produced by Hinderaker, Mann, and Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements for Tomorrow Studios, a partnership between Adelstein and ITV Studios.

Alissa Bachner serves as co-executive producer, and Bichir is a producer.

Let the Right One In originally was developed by Tomorrow Studios and set up at A&E and A+E Studios in 2015. A year later, it moved to TNT, where a pilot was ordered and cast but did not go to production. That version was closer to the original source material and was described as an eerie drama about a young boy, long tormented by his classmates, who finds solace in a friendship with a charismatic female vampire who appears to be near his age. Tomorrow Studios shopped the project and it ultimately landed at Showtime for redevelopment with a new writer, resulting in the incarnation that went to series.

Critics Choice Association to Honor Rita Moreno at Inaugural “Celebration of Latino Cinema”

It’s a special celebration for the legendary Rita Moreno

The 89-year-old Puerto Rican actress, dancer and singer will be honored alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda and Demián Bichir at the Critics Choice Association’s inaugural Celebration of Latino Cinema.

Rita MorenoMoreno, Miranda and Bichor will be honored alog with a group of additional honorees, many associated with upcoming 2021 films, still to be announced.

The Celebration of Latino Cinema, to be presented virtually, will take place on Thursday, December 9, 2021 and aims to put a spotlight on the contributions of great Oscar-winning and -nominated artists like Moreno, Miranda and Bichir, but also Latino filmmaking in general, a facet of the motion picture industry that doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves during awards season.

Among other things, the CCA’s Celebration of Latino Cinema aims to change that.

“We are thrilled to be launching the first annual Celebration of Latino Cinema which recognizes the talented performers and skilled professionals who create the acclaimed films we are so proud to honor,” said Claudia Puig, a CCA member and co-programmer of the event.

“Films by our honorees represent the diverse and multi-faceted Latino community, and reflect our increasingly inclusive industry” said CCA board member and event co-programmer Clayton Davis.

The Celebration of Latino Cinema will be produced by Madelyn Hammond and Javier Infante of Madelyn Hammond & Associates. Stagedge will be responsible for transforming the show into an immersive virtual experience.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to LA Collab, whose mission is to accelerate Latino access, visibility and representation in the entertainment industry.

Moreno has won all four of the most prestigious awards in show business: an Oscar, a Tony, two Emmys, and a Grammy. She recently co-starred in the Latinx reimagining of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom One Day at a Time, and her documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival before being released in theaters; it will be broadcast on PBS’ American Masters in October. Moreno also co-stars in and executive produces Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story.

She is a recipient of the Peabody Career Achievement Award, a Kennedy Center Honor, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts.

Miranda is a Pulitzer-, Grammy-, Emmy– and Tony Award-winning songwriter, actor and director, and creator and original star of Broadway’s Hamilton and In the HeightsA recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Award, a Kennedy Center Honor and the Portrait of a Nation Prize, he received an Emmy with Tom Kitt for their song “Bigger” from the 67th Tony Awards. Upcoming projects include Disney’s Encanto and his directorial film debut, tick, tick… BOOM!

Bichir received a Best Actor Oscar nomination in 2012 for his role in Chris Weitz’s A Better Life, becoming the first Mexican-born actor to be nominated in that category by the Academy since Anthony Quinn in 1957. He more recently received rave reviews for his performance in the film Land, directed by Robin Wright. His film credits include Steven Soderbergh’s Che, Oliver Stone’s Savages, Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills, Paul Feig’s The Heat, Richard Shepard’s Dom Hemingway, Ridley Scott’s Alien, George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky, and Adam Wingard’s Godzilla Vs. Kong.