The Puerto Rican and Greek actor, artist and filmmaker has joined the cast of Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming feature After the Hunt.
Lio, who made their feature film debut starring in Mutt, is part of a list of new cast additions that includes Thaddea Graham, Will Price, Christine Dye and Burgess Byrd.
The joined the previously announced cast members Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny.
The film is produced by Imagine Entertainment will be released in theaters next year.
Luca Guadagnino is directing the film from a script penned by Nora Garrett.
The film follows a college professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star pupil levels an accusation against one of her colleagues, and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come to light.
Mehiel made their feature film debut starring in Sundance 2023’s Mutt, which won the festival’s top honor of Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and will be distributed theatrically this fall via Music Box.
René Pérez Joglar’s acclaimed feature film will open this year’s Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.
The Latino Film Institute has set its lineup for the 23rd Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, with the 46-year-old Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter and filmmaker’s In the Summers set to open the event.
Perez Joglar, simply known as Residente in the music world, makes his feature acting debut in the film, directed by Alessandra Lacorazza, alongside Sasha Calle, Lío Mehiel and Leslie Grace.
The film’s accolades include the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award for Lacorazza at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film tells the story of Violeta and Eva who, every summer, visit their loving but reckless father Vicente, who tries to atone for the past by creating a world of wonder for them to experience. But old wounds do not heal easily and despite the fun facade, Vicente’s battle with addiction gradually erodes the magic, culminating in a devastating tragedy.
LALIFF will close with the World Premiere of Grassland, written and directed by William Bermudez and Sam Friedman and starring Mía Maestro, Jeff Kober, Quincy Isaiah, Ravi Cabot-Conyers and Sean Convery. The film explores the failures of the criminal justice system through the lens of a single Latina mother whose illegal marijuana business is jeopardized when her young son befriends their new neighbors.
The LALIFF will take place from May 29th through June 2nd at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood.
The complete lineup includes feature films, short films, episodic works, animation, masterclasses, panels, networking sessions, musical performances and LALIFF’s first film market. Tickets are available for purchase now on the festival’s site. Additionally, LALIFF is expanding by creating a new section, LALIFF Eastside, showcasing films by L.A.-based filmmakers at the Regal L.A. Live.
“LALIFF serves as a platform to uplift and highlight the remarkable contributions of Latino creators in film and television, and as the yearly culmination of programs under our institute’s umbrella. As we expand our footprint, we will continue to be driven by a simple but powerful goal: excellence,” said Edward James Olmos, Co-Founder of LALIFF.
“This is an incredible opportunity for studios, education professionals, and the artistic Latino community to come together,” Axel Caballero, CEO of LFI shared. “The generous support of our sponsors has allowed us to broaden our offerings with an expanded industry program, a new film market, and a second venue for our screenings. Supporting our community is always top priority, and this year we are hyper-focused on amplifying the work of Latinas in front of and behind the camera. We look forward to this year’s celebration.”
Here are more details on the lineup:
Features
Feature films from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, U.S., Uruguay and Venezuela make up the program of 22 films, 7 of which will be presenting their world premieres.
This section of the festival will feature a selection of female directors including multidisciplinary artist Mabel Valdiviezo with her latest documentary Prodigal Daughter, Mar Novo with Sisters, María Zanetti with Alemania, Gabriela A. Moses with Boca Chica, Antonella Sudasassi Furniss with Memories of a Burning Body, Carolina Markowicz with Toll, Ángeles Cruz with Valentina or the Serenity, and Lillah Halla with Power Alley.
Featured world premieres include the documentaries Paper Butterfly, directed by Rafael Medina Adalfio, a co-production between Venezuela and the U.S. and Speaking Out, directed by John Solis. The Strike, a documentary directed by JoeBill Muñoz and Lucas Guilkey.
The following titles complete the international selection: About 30 by the Argentinian director Martín Shanly; the documentary film Igualada, directed by Juan Mejia Botero; Bionico’s Bachata directed by Yoel Morales, from the Dominican Republic; and Rain, a Mexican film by director Rodrigo García Saiz.
LALIFF Eastside will celebrate four world premieres with screenings at the Regal L.A. Live. Eastside’s lineup includes F.L.Y., directed by Rafael Albarran and Trent Kendrick; Say a Little Prayer, directed by Patrick Perez Vidauri; The Unexpecteds, directed by Alejandro Montoya Marín; and The Wingwalker, directed by Alonso Alvarez-Barreda.
LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED SHORTS The short film selection comprises 36 live-action and 12 animated shorts originating from over 11 countries. Out of the overall selection, 31 are directed by U.S. Latinos, 22 by women and 12 will be presenting their world premieres. The short films can be seen either as standalone screenings or paired with featured films.
Among the programs is “Nosotras,” featuring 9 shorts portraying women’s experiences, all directed by women. Notable is the Chilean film Yaya, directed by Leticia Akel Escárate. “Unhinged” offers a captivating journey through films exploring the loss of innocence, providing a compelling examination of the human condition. A highlight of this program is the Puerto Rican film Cousins, directed by Ricardo J. Varona.
“Spaces/Places” delves into the nostalgia for lost places and people, guiding viewers through an exploration of the reciprocal relationship between spaces and individuals. Anchoring the films on this program is Querido Pequeño Haití, directed by Diana Larrea. Carnívora, directed by Felipe Vargas, embodies the spirit of “Ocaso,” a program that presents a diverse array of fantasy and horror films, each featuring characters entangled in the allure of art, religion, family, death and the American dream.
The “Anímate” program showcases the work of Latino animators and the imaginative worlds they create. Highlighted in this program is The Other Side, directed by Niki López.
EPISODICS
The festival will present the World Premiere of ESPN Deportes’ Las Amazonas de Yaxunah, directed by Alfonso Algara, written by Tlatoani Carrera and narrated by Academy Award-nominated actress Yalitza Aparicio and the U.S. premiere of the animated action-comedy Rey Mysterio vs The Darkness, written and directed by Calavera Hermanos.
A selection of episodic shorts will include the world premieres of two titles. Dreams & Schemes, created by Dolores Rivera and co-directed by Daniel Fermín Pfeffer and Carlos Cardona, and Gringo Latino, created and directed by Eric Delgado. It also includes the U.S. Premieres of The LAnd, created by Andrés Orellana and co-directed with Brittany Anders Esparza, and Vida which is created and directed by Maria Valdez.
AWARDS
The Best U.S. Episodic Short will be presented by FX and the jury members for this category are: Shola Ajewole, Senior Vice President of Creative and Cultural Diversity for FX and FX Productions; Lynette Coll, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Rabble; and Anthony Nardolillo, award-winning film and television director and producer.
The Best Animated Short will be presented by LatinX in Animation (LXiA) with the support of Cartuna, and the jury members for that category are: Sydney Bright, Head of Global Animation at Wattpad WEBTOON Studios; Louis Gonzalez, animator; and Angeline Izquierdo, creative director.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
The festival will feature special screenings of all films created throughout the year by the LFI Fellowships, including the Inclusion Fellowship, the Spark Animation Fellowship and YCP Alumni Fellowship. The program will also showcase films from the 2024 NGLmitú x Walmart Filmmaker Mentorship Program, featuring directors selected in collaboration with LFI.
More than 150 short films will be showcased at LALIFF’s student festival within the festival. The Youth Cinema Project (YCP), one of LFI’s signature programs, works in the classrooms of public schools, integrating filmmaking with 21st century learning skills and utilizing a rigorous standards-based curriculum and a hands-on approach that integrates social-emotional learning and English Language Arts. YCP@LALIFF is a two-day event where students will take part in red carpets, panels, workshops, and masterclasses. The acclaimed YCP LiveReads, where Latinx Hollywood will take the stage to perform live readings of scripts written by public school students, will return this year.
LALIFF FILM MARKET
A brand new initiative from LFI, the LALIFF Film Market will offer a carefully curated catalog of commercially viable U.S. Latino films to sales agents and buyers for potential acquisition and distribution. Employing a meticulous selection process, the market will present a selected group of features that are in post-production during LALIFF 2024. Moreover, the market will showcase the U.S. Latino world premieres included in the festival’s official selection.
LALIFF INDUSTRY FORUM
The LALIFF Industry Forum will feature panels and workshops presented by Amazon MGM Studios, ESPN Films, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures Animation, Starz, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The forum will also include three-day masterclasses on distribution and visual storytelling presented by Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo.
The 45-year-old Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter and filmmaker has wrapped production on the indie feature film InThe Summers, in his acting debut.
He stars opposite Sasha Calle, Lio Mehiel and Leslie Grace.
Exile Content Studio, a Candle Media Company produced the project in association with Lexicon Development, alongside 1868 Studios and LUZ Films.
From writer and director Alessandra Lacorazza in her feature debut, In The Summers tells the story of Latine sisters, Violeta (Adult Lio) and Eva (Adult Sasha), who visit their loving but reckless father Vicente (Pérez Joglar) every summer. He creates a world of wonder but under the fun facade, he battles addiction which gradually erodes the magic, culminating in a devastating tragedy. Vicente tries to make up for the past, but wounds aren’t easily healed.
Grace portrays the character of Yenny. The character of Violeta will also be played by Dreya Renae Castillo (young) and Kimaya Thais (teen); young Eva will be played by Luciana Quinonez and as a teen by Allison Salinas. Additional casting includes Emma Ramos as Carmen; Camilla will be played by Sharlene Cruz as an adult and Gabriela Surodjawan as a teen; Indigo Montez plays Natalia.
“Alessandra is a visionary filmmaker and her script for In The Summers profoundly spoke to our mission at Exile to create content that uplifts Latin voices and tells rich, diverse stories,” said Nando Vila, Head of Exile Content Studio. “This is a powerful story, and we are thrilled to partner with Lexicon Development, 1868 Studios and LUZ Films on bringing In The Summers to life.”
“The moment I finished this screenplay I knew that it represented the kind of voice we set out to support with our mission at Lexicon,” added Alexander Dinelaris, founder, screenwriter and producer at Lexicon Development.
Academy Award-winner Alexander Dinelaris and Rob Quadrino are producing the film on behalf of Lexicon Development.
Lio Mehiel’s latest project is headed to theaters in the United States.
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to the Sundance Film Festival award-winning trans drama Mutt, starring the Puerto Rican and Greek actor, artist and filmmaker.
Penned and directed by Chilean-Serbian filmmaker Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, Mutt had its world premiere at Sundance where it won a Special Jury Acting Award for Mehiel. It went on to have its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
Described as an emotional drama overlapping past, present and future, Mutt follows Feña, a young trans man bustling through life in New York City. Over the course of a single hectic day, Feña is swept through the extremes of human emotion, when people who seemed to have disappeared when he transitioned are suddenly back in his life. He unexpectedly reconnects with an estranged ex-boyfriend (Cole Doman), is suddenly saddled with his wayward little sister (MiMi Ryder), and nervously awaits their father (Alejandro Goic), who’s arriving from Chile for a visit that promises to be anything but easy. Feña must stay afloat and resilient amidst all this despite being driven to a near breaking point.
“As a trans man, growing up I didn’t have many role models. My goal in making this film was to create room for people — of any background — to feel safe, seen, and less alone,” said Lungulov-Klotz.
“Strand is the perfect home for Mutt and I’m deeply grateful to have a platform to be able to bring it to audiences. I hope this film can help carve more space for queer identities in our culture. Given the turbulent times we’re living in, it’s more important now than ever before”, said Lungulov-Klotz.
“We’re so honored to be working with the team who created Mutt, its a rare film that transcends the typical queer stories through its unique storytelling which makes it relatable to all audiences and communities,” said Strand Releasing’s Jon Gerrans.
Lungulov-Klotz previously participated in the Sundance Institute Labs, the Tribeca Film Institute, and the Ryan Murphy HALF Initiative Program. His award winning trans-themed short film Still Liam played at several festivals and was championed by queer filmmakers Ira Sachs and Silas Howard, who have both become mentors.
Mehiel became the first talent to win best actor at Sundance. Mehiel began their career as a child actor on Broadway and starred in WeCrashed (Apple+) and Tales of the City (Netflix).
Lio, who made their feature film debut starring in Mutt, is part of a list of new cast additions that includes Thaddea Graham, Will Price, Christine Dye and Burgess Byrd.
