Tanya Saracho to Make Film Directorial Debut with Adaptation of Her Off Broadway Play “Mala Hierba”

Tanya Saracho is in the (bad) weeds…

The Mexican-American actress, playwright, dramaturge, screenwriter and Vida creator is bringing her 2014 Off Broadway play Mala Hierba to the big screen, and she’ll be directing the film adaptation of her acclaimed project.

Tanya Saracho

In her film directorial debut, Saracho has teamed up with Anonymous Content to adapt the Texas border town set drama.

The film version of Mala Hierba  will be produced by AC Studios, with Dawn Olmstead, David Levine, and Whitney Dibo overseeing the project for outfit.

Former Vida EP Stephanie Langhoff, and Christine Davila, head of development and production at Saracho’s Ojala Productions, will serve as producers on Mala Hierba.

Originally opening at Second Stage Uptown nearly six years ago, the play unravels the coiffured life of a Lone Star State trophy wife who begins to see the cracks in her life of wealth and privilege as her first and perhaps true love reappears. The possibility of a renewed life together for the two women forces the Liliana character to make a searing decision about what she wants and who she is.

The stage production of Mala Hierba was directed by Jerry Ruiz and starred Marta Milans, Sandra Marquez, and Ana Nogueira in the primary roles.

The union with Anonymous comes just over a couple of weeks after the active Saracho launched the Ojalá Ignition Lab in conjunction with UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Part of the acclaimed playwright and filmmaker’s 2020 inked development deal with the studio, the incubator program for Latinx voices will provide five writers and their own proposed projects with mentoring from experienced showrunners and EPs, including self-described “den mother” Saracho and an extended network to draw on for the future.

Since Vida, which won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, finished its three-season stint on Starz in May 2020, Saracho stayed in Britain during the pandemic to work with musician and Lovesick actor Johnny Flynn for an upcoming project.

Alejandra Guzman Releases Confessional Power Ballad “Lado Oscuro”

 

Alejandra Guzmán is facing her dark side…

The 52-year-old Mexican musician, singer, composer and actress comes face-to-face with her demons in her newly released single “Lado Oscuro,” a confessional power ballad that finds her as vulnerable as ever.

Alejandra Guzmán

“We all have that side, the dark side. Even the moon has a dark side,” the Mexican rock icon tells Billboard. “[In ‘Lado Oscuro’] I am talking about myself and what I’ve learned in life. I am talking about making peace with my own demons instead of taking care of them or hiding them.”

Known for her anthemic rock en español tracks like “Eternamente Bella” and “Mala Hierba” and characterized by her hoarse vocals and fierce, rebellious attitude, Guzmán is set to release a new album this year. Without revealing much, she previews it will stay true to her “old sound with a new Alejandra” twist.