Dandelooo Closes Sales on Fictional Animated Film About Frida Kahlo, “Hola Frida!,” in Mexico, Spain & Greece

The animated homage to the late Frida Kahlo is going global…

Emmy-winning French animation producer-distributor Dandelooo has closed sales for the animated feature Hola Frida! in Mexico, Spain and Greece.

Frida KahloDandelooo gave audiences at Annecy an early look at footage and music from Hola Frida! back in June, but a full premiere is just around the corner, with the film set to join Coco among the ranks of animated features to world premiere at Mexico’s prestigious Morelia International Film Festival.

Hola Frida! will screen on October 25 at Morelia’s Cineteca Nacional and at Kahlo’s Casa Azul museum.

After its Morelia debut, the film will be released in France on February 12, where it will be distributed by Haut et Court Distribution.

In March, Pack Màgic will release the film in Spain.

In spring, Maison 4:3 will release the film in Canada and Rosebud21 in Greece, although specific dates have not yet been revealed.

Hola Frida!Hola Frida! tells a fictionalized story of the childhood adventures of real-life artist Frida Kahlo, growing up in Coyoacán, Mexico City. Fascinated by the world around her, the girl overcomes adversity by using her vibrant imagination.

Directed by Karine Vézina and André Kadi,“Hola Frida! is aimed at kids ages six and up and their families. The film was written by Sophie Faucher, Anne Bryan and André Kadi and produced by Haut et Court in France and Tobo Media and Du Coup Studio Production in Canada.

“It’s a great honor to be selected by Morelia International Film Festival and to present Hola Frida! at Cineteca Nacional and la Casa Azul,” said Dandelooo’s International Sales & Acquisitions Manager Luna Sirvin. “The launch of Hola Frida! could only have happened in Frida’s homeland, Mexico. These screenings are a fitting tribute to an amazing artist, as well as a starting point for the film’s global journey.”

Juan Pablo González Signs with Buchwald

Juan Pablo González has new representation…

The 38-year-old Mexican filmmaker, whose first narrative feature, Dos Estaciones, claimed a Special Jury Award for Acting and a Grand Jury Prize nom upon its premiere in World Cinematic Dramatic Competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, has signed with Buchwald.

Juan Pablo González,The drama, which picked up for distribution by Cinema Guild, is set in the bucolic hills of Mexico’s Jalisco highlands, watching as iron-willed businesswoman Maria (Teresa Sánchez) fights against the impending collapse of her tequila factory. It also notably screened at New Directors/New Films (MoMA/Lincoln Center), the San Sebastián Film Festival and the Morelia International Film Festival, where Sánchez received the Eye for Best Acting Award, additionally picking up nominations at both the Cinema Eye Honors and the Gotham Awards.

Institutions supporting the film, which González co-wrote and directed, included IMCINE, Nouvelle Aquitaine Fond de Soutien au Cinéma, the Venice Biennale, the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Film Institute and Cine Qua Non.

Previously helming the hour-long doc Caballerango, which premiered at IDFA Festival in 2018, González was also behind the 2016 narrative short La Espera, which premiered at SXSW and won the Grand Jury Prize at the New Orleans Film Festival. He has been a fellow of the Fund for Culture and Arts in Mexico, was awarded a 2021 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise, and was also named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2015, appearing there alongside the likes of Reinaldo Marcus Green, Trey Edward Shults, Pippa Bianco and recent Oscar winners The Daniels, among others.

Juan Pablo González,