Zoe Saldana to Receive Critics Choice Association‘s Groundbreaker Award

Zoe Saldana is a special Critics Choice honoree 

The 46-year-old 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress is among the honorees from the Critics Choice Association‘s 4th Annual Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television taking place on October 22, 2024 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Zoë SaldañaSaldaña will receive the Groundbreaker Award for her starring role in Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, which won the Best Actress prize for the ensemble cast at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. 

The Director Award – Film will be awarded to Pablo Larraín for his directorial work on Netflix’s Maria.

The film competed in the Venice Film Festival and was one of the official selections for both the Telluride Film Festival and the New York Film Festival this year.

The Vanguard Award will be given to filmmaker Fede Alvarez for his writing and directorial work in creating 20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus.

The film notably earned $45.1 million in its domestic opening weekend at the box office and became the highest grossing horror film in IMAX history.

Emmy-nominated director, writer and producer Issa López will receive The Director Award – Series for her directorial work on the HBO Original Series True Detective: Night Country.

The series received 19 Emmy nominations, the most for any limited or anthology series this year and won star Jodie Foster the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for a Limited Series, Anthology, or Television Movie.

The Showrunner Award will recognize Emmy-nominated television writer and producer Francesca Sloane for her work on Prime Video’s series Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The series was nominated 16 times at this year’s Emmys and was awarded two wins.

Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress Adriana Barraza will be honored with the Actress Award – Film for her role in Roadside Attractionsfilm My Penguin Friend.

Barraza previously earned an Academy Award nomination in 2007 for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film Babel and just received a 2024 International Emmy nomination for Best Actress for her work in the award-winning Netflix film El último vagón.

Actress and writer Fernanda Torres will receive the Actress Award – International Film for her role in Sony Pictures Classics’ film I’m Still Here, which notably garnered the Best Screenplay award at this year’s Venice Film Festival and has been selected as Brazil’s 2024 submission for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.

Emayatzy Corinealdi will accept the Actress Award – Series for her performance on Hulu/Onyx Collective’s Reasonable Doubt.

Corinealdi also recently appeared in the HBO series Ballers and in the Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead. STARZ will bestow Emayatzy Corinealdi’s award with a special STARZ #TakeTheLead designation as part of its ongoing commitment to amplifying narratives by, about, and for women and underrepresented audiences.

Ramón Rodríguez will be awarded with the Breakthrough Actor Award – Series for his starring role in the ABC series Will Trent.

Rodríguez was also nominated in the Best Actor in a Drama Series category for season one at last year’s Critics Choice Awards.

The Comedy Series Award will be bestowed upon the acclaimed Apple TV+ series Acapulco, starring Emmy-winner Eugenio Derbez, Enrique Arrizon, Fernando Carsa, and Camila Perez.

The International Series Award will recognize the Apple TV+ Spanish-language drama series Familia de Medianoche, which features an entirely Latino cast and crew led by performers Renata Vaca, Joaquín Cosío, and Diego Calva.

The Celebration honors standout performances and work, both onscreen and offscreen from the Latino entertainment community.

Prime Video Releases Trailer for Gael García Bernal’s Gay Lucha Libra Luchador Film “Cassandro”

Gael García Bernal is wrestling with his future…

Amazon Prime has released the official trailer for Cassandro, starring the 44-year-old Mexican actor/producer and Bad Bunny.

Gael García Bernal, Amazon Prime, Cassandro, The film is based on the life of the wrestling and queer icon Cassandro, also known as the Liberace of Lucha Libre.

In the two-minute clip, the audience is introduced to Saúl Armendáriz (García Bernal) from El Paso, Texas, who dreams of becoming professional luchador after his father first introduced him to the sport. In the process, he transforms into Cassandro, an “exótico” who wrestles in drag.

“Are you a wrestler?” Bad Bunny asks García Bernal in the film’s new trailer. “Yes,” the Mexican actor responds. That’s the first interaction between the two in the teaser. Later in the clip, they are dancing, and there’s a first look at Bad Bunny as one of Cassandro’s love interests.

Roberta Colindrez, Perla de la Rosa, Joaquín Cosío and Raúl Castillo round out the biopic’s cast.

The world of wrestling is familiar to Bad Bunny. In 2021, the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican superstar ventured into the wrestling world by jumping off the top rope at the 2021 Royal Rumble. Most recently, the “Me Porto Bonito” singer defeated Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight at WWE’s premium live event Backlash in May.

After making its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January, Cassandro is set to hit theaters on September 15, and will premiere on Prime Video Sept. 22.

“Gentefied” Star Karrie Martin Lachney Signs with Paradigm

Karrie Martin Lachney is shifting her paradigm

The 32-year-old Honduran-American actress and producer has signed with Paradigm for representation in all areas.

Karrie Martin LachneyLachney rose to acclaim with her portrayal of Ana Morales on the Netflix dramedy series Gentefied, created by Linda Yvette Chávez and Marvin Lemus. The series followed a multigenerational, Mexican American family living and loving in Los Angeles, co-starring Joaquin Cosio, J.J. Soria, and Carlos Santos. It ran for two seasons before being canceled in January.

Lachney’s portrayal of Ana represented experiences that mirror that of many second-generation Latinos whose parents sacrificed everything in search of the American dream— a point of view rarely shown on television.

Ana had to prioritize her familial responsibilities while still a young woman herself over her own dreams and desires. She was challenged at every corner with having to choose between an upcoming art show opportunity, spending time with her girlfriend, and being a support to her mother at home while the matriarch worked long hours to support the family. And she had to do it all with a smile knowing that a few moments of freedom to follow her heart was more than what her mother was allowed.

Up next for Lachney is the release of the Disney+ animated series, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, premiering on February 23.

On the film front, she’ll topline writer-director Jigeesh Magar’s Nexus Dream opposite Daniela Azuaje, Alejandro Patiño, and James Ken Blackmon, among others.

Lachney stars as Alejandra Chavez, a young woman of immigrant parents with a gifted intellect and a promising future, which, rare enough in her neighborhood, has to be put on hold. Devotion and loyalty to the family will always come first, and hers is desperately needing help through hard times, even as she grapples with a secret tragedy from her past.

She is also developing the bestselling book series That Boy from author Jillian Dodd as a series with producer Teri Weinberg. The two have acquired the film and television rights to the book via Lachney’s production company, Southern Ave. Productions and Weinberg’s Yellow Brick Road. Lachney and Weinberg will executive produce.

Netflix Releases Trailer for Season Two of J.J. Soria’s “Gentefied”

J.J. Soria has the fighting spirit…

The first trailer has been released for the second season of Netflix’s Gentefied, starring the 35-year-old Mexican American actor.

JJ Soria

In the new clip, the Morales cousins (Soria, Karrie Martin Lachney and Carlos Santos) are dealing with drama galore as they fight to keep their grandfather Pops (Joaquín Cosío) from being deported back to Mexico.

The series, from creators Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez, follows East Los Angeles Latinos on their respective and collective search for the American Dream.

Season 2—premiering on November 10— picks up after the emotional debut season’s finale that saw Erik Morales (Soria) and his girlfriend Lidia (Annie Gonzalez) welcome their daughter, Delfina. Amid all the happiness, Erik realizes his grandfather Pops (Cosio) is missing from the hospital celebration because he’s been arrested on an outstanding warrant and his beloved pick-up truck is being impounded.

Pops is now free and staging a fight to stay in the United States armed with the help of his social media fans and his attorney Melinna Barragan (Melinna Bobadilla). But will that be enough?

As the trailer reveals, he is also reunited with his companion Lupe (Alma Martinez) who is still waiting for his dead wife’s approval so they can take their relationship to the next level.

Speaking of love, there’s a budding relationship ahead for Chris Morales (Santos), the chef of the family whose talents could take him well beyond the neighborhood. Sparks fly when he meets Sarai (Ivana Rojas), a strong Latina with big dreams who is running her own food truck.

His cousin Ana Morales (Martin) continues to mend a broken heart after her split from Yessika (Julissa Calderon) whose icy demeanor pushes Ana into the arms of someone new.

 

Gentefied is executive produced by Lemus, Chávez, Charles D. King, Marta Fernandez of MACRO, America Ferrera of Take Fountain, Aaliyah Williams, Kim Roth, and Teri Weinberg of Yellow Brick Road.

Netflix to Premiere Season 2 of JJ Soria’s “Gentefied” in November

JJ Soria is returning to East L.A. in November…

Netflix’s half-hour Latinx dramedy Gentefied, starring the 40-year-old Mexican American actor, is returning for Season 2 on November 10.

Gentefied

From creators Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez, the series follows East Los Angeles Latinos on their respective and collective search for the American Dream.

Season 2 picks up after the emotional debut season’s finale that saw Erik Morales (Soria) and his girlfriend Lidia (Annie Gonzalez) welcome a daughter, Delfina. As Erik realizes his grandfather Pops (Joaquin Cosio) is missing from the hospital celebration, it is revealed that he has been arrested for an outstanding warrant and his beloved pick-up truck is being impounded.

The streamer teases the return will tackle Erik and his cousin Chris’s (Carlos Santos) struggle to keep Pops in the country while dealing with new love, new babies, estranged fathers, and tracking down Bad Bunny at a Halloween party. They’ll fight to thrive, but along the way will question where they truly belong in a world made up of borders, family separation, and the potential loss of their beloved taco shop, Mama Fina’s.

Gentefied is a Netflix production also starring Karrie Martin Lachney, Julissa Calderon; and newly added season 2 cast Melinna Bobadilla, Manuel Uriza, Ivana Rojas, and Clarissa Thibeaux.

The series is executive produced by Lemus, Chávez, Charles D. King, Marta Fernandez of MACRO, America Ferrera of Take Fountain, Aaliyah Williams, Kim Roth, and Teri Weinberg of Yellow Brick Road.

Manuel Uriza to Appear on Netflix’s Dramedy “Gentefied”

Manuel Uriza is getting gentefied

The Latino actor has landed a recurring role on Netflix’s dramedy Gentefied.

Manuel Uriza

Uriza joins a list of new recurring cast additions that includes Clarissa Thibeaux, Ivana Rojas and Melinna Bobadilla.

The series hails from Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez, the duo behind the Sundance Film Festival darling Gente-fied: The Digital Series, and Macro.

Created by Chicano first-gen writers Lemus and Chávez, Gentefied is a half-hour dramatic comedy adapted from the 2017 Sundance digital series of the same name. Described as a badass bilingual series about family, community, brown love, and the displacement that disrupts it all, Gentefied follows three Mexican-American cousins who struggle to chase the American Dream, even while that same dream threatens the things they hold most dear: their neighborhood, their immigrant grandfather, and the family taco shop. Set in a rapidly changing Los Angeles, the dramedy navigates important themes like identity, class, and balancing insta-fame with translating memes for their parents.

Karrie Martin, JJ Soria, Carlos Santos and Joaquín Cosio star.

Uriza will play Ernesto Morales, Pop’s estranged, oldest son. By any measure, the personification of the American Dream, Pop has never forgiven him for moving his family from East LA to the calmer suburbs of Boise, Idaho. Unlike the rest of the family, Ernesto is the only one who can stand up to Pop, as their relationship reaches a boiling point.

Rojas will portray Sarai Damian. An up-and coming Chef, Sarai is career-focused, hella ambitious, and a truth-teller. She knows what she wants and she isn’t willing to compromise her dream for anyone. We meet her as she is about to be catapulted into her biggest career high, but it comes with a big price to pay.

Bobadilla will play Melinna Barragan, a fierce non-profit lawyer, she’s down for her community, even if it means working pro-bono. If your prima with the big hoops who always got into fights got her law degree at ELAC – that would be Melinna. Passionate and fierce, she treats her clients like family.

Uriza’s credits include Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-O, Rambo: Last Blood, The Last Ship and Snowfall.

Netflix to Release JJ Soria’s Latinx Dramedy “Gentefied” in February

JJ Soriais getting gentefied next month…

Netflix has scheduled the launch of Gentefied, its 10-episode Latinx dramedy starring the 33-year-old Mexican American actor, for February 21.

JJ Soria

The project hails from Marvin Lemusand Linda Yvette Chávez— the duo behind Gente-fied: The Digital Series, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festivalin 2017 — and Macro.

Described as a badass Spanglish series about family, community, brown love and the displacement that disrupts it all, Gentefied follows three Mexican-American cousins and their struggle to chase the American Dream, even while that same dream threatens the things they hold most dear: their neighborhood, their immigrant grandfather and the family taco shop. Set in a rapidly changing Los Angeles, the series will navigate important themes such as identity, class and balancing insta-fame with translating memes for their parents. And it will settle once and for all how to pronounce Latinx, Netflix notes.

In addition to Soria, the series also stars Joaquín CosíoKarrie Martin and Carlos Santos

Executive Producer America Ferrera and Wilmer Valderrama are confirmed to guest star. Ferrera directed two episodes along with co-creator Lemus, Marta CunninghamAurora Guerrero and Andrew Ahn.

JJ Soria to Star in Netflix’s 10-episode Half-Hour Latinx Dramedy “Gentefied”

JJ Soria is getting gentefied

The 32-year-old Mexican-American actor has been cast in the 10-episode half-hour Latinx dramedy Gentefied.

JJ Soria

Soria joins a main cast that includes Karrie MartinCarlos Santos and Joaquín Cosio.

The project hails from Gente-fied: The Digital Series creators Marvin Lemusand Linda Yvette Chávez, showrunner Monica MacerAmerica FerreraTeri Weinbergand Macro.

Written by Lemus and Chávez, Gentefied is adapted from the web series which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival

Described as a badass bilingual series about family, community, brown love, and the displacement that disrupts it all, Gentefiedis about three Mexican-American cousins (Martin, Soria, Santos) who struggle to chase the American Dream, even while that same dream threatens the things they hold most dear: their neighborhood, their immigrant grandfather (Cosio), and the family taco shop. Set in a rapidly changing Los Angeles, the Spanglish dramedy will navigate important themes like identity, class, and balancing insta-fame with translating memes for their parents. But most importantly,Gentefiedwill settle once and for all how to pronounce Latinx.

Martin will play Ana Morales, a sarcastic, woke, blunt, and endearing, queer artist. Ana is a Chicana who leads with her heart and fights for her art with untethered conviction. She loves her abuelo and her entire family almost to a fault.

Soria will portray Erik, a wisecracking, well-read, charismatic, but tough homie with a heart of gold. He’s a high school dropout, but there isn’t a book in the local library Erik hasn’t read. He’s a reluctant dreamer trying to find his way back to himself. But his loyalty to his grandfather who took him in keeps him from putting time into himself or Lidia, the love of his life.

Santos is Chris, the prodigal grandson, a fun-loving, know-it-all, chef-in-training. Chris is a homegrown Boyle Heights boy who moved to Idaho at a young age and was abruptly introduced to Weezer and cow-tipping. His cousins call him guero for acting and looking like a white boy, which always leaves him wondering if he’ll ever be Mexican enough for anyone.

Cosio is Pop, a hard-working, stoic, but warm, old-fashioned ranchero and the rock of the Morales family. Though gruff with his Tejanaand potty-mouth (“cabron” is his favorite word!), Pop has a huge heart, but that also means a lot of heartache trying to protect them.

“We are thrilled to have gathered a lead cast that captures the unique nuance of the chisme, chistes, and chingaderas that we grew up with in our multi-generational, bilingual, immigrant families,” said Lemus and Chavez. “Joaquin, JJ, Carlos, and Karrie are the abuelo, primos, y prima we shot the shit with as kids, the cousins we partied with, and the grandpa we cried with. They are the Morales family and we can’t wait for everyone to start sending them invites to the carne asada!”

Lemus directs the Netflix production.

A love letter to the Latinx and Boyle Heights communities, creators Lemus and Chavez hope Gentefiedwill let their little cousins rocking Adidas, hoops, and big dreams see themselves on the big screen in ways they only dreamed of growing up.

Martin has co-starred on shows like Pretty Little LiarsThe ArrangementThe Purgeand will soon be appearing in David Ayer’s film The Tax Collector

Soria most recently appeared in the series regular role of Pete Ramos on Crackle series The Oath, and has recurred on TNT’s Animal Kingdom and Freeform’s The Fosters. On the film side, Soria can next be seen in the indie John Henry alongside Terry Crews

CBS Diversity Showcase alum Santos has appeared on CBS’ 2 Broke GirlstruTV’s Adam Ruins Everything and Seeso’s Bajillion Dollar Properties. He also was the lead in the 2013 Slamdance comedy horror feature Ghost Team One and guest-starred on Fox’s The Last Man on Earth

Cosio’s credits include the role of Angel de Plata on FX’s The Strain and Don Neto in Narcos: Mexico.He’s returning for Season 2 of Narcos: Mexicoand will be seen in a starring role in Amazon’s new series CDMX.On the film side, he’ll next be seen in Emilio Portes’ horror thriller Beelzebuth,as well as the sequel to Matando Cabos, where he’ll return to portray the title character. 

Imagina International Sales to Distribute Aragón’s “A Night in Old Mexico” Globally

Emilio Aragón’s latest film could have a global reach…

Imagina International Sales has inked a deal to distribute the 54-year-old Cuba-born Spanish filmmaker’s A Night in Old Mexico in Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

Emilio Aragón

Aragón’s English-language road film stars Oscar winner Robert Duvall in the tale of a grandfather and grandson, perfect strangers, who set off on a journey in search of fun and adventure and discover their respective dreams during a frenzied pit stop in Mexico.

Along with Duvall, the film also stars War Horse‘s Jeremy Irvine, Angie Cepeda, Joaquín Cosío and Luis Tosar.

Aragón’s previous credits include Pájaros de papel.