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,

Strand Releasing Acquires North American Rights to Lio Mehiel’s Trans Drama “Mutt”

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.

Lio MehielPenned 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).

Rita Moreno to Receive Casting Society’s Career Honor

Rita Moreno is getting a cast-tastic honor..

The 91-year-old Puerto Rican living legend, an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award) winner is set to receive the Casting Society’s career honor, the Lynn Stalmaster Award, at the 38th annual Artios Awards next month.

Rita Moreno,Yvette Nicole Brown will host the ceremony on March 9 at the Beverly Hilton.

Moreno, whose 80 for Brady hits theaters this Friday, won an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in West Side Story. She also received the Producers Guild’s Stanley Kramer Award in 2002. Those are among the latest accolades in a seven-decade career that began with her Broadway debut at 13. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films and countless television series including most recently Norman Lear’s remake of One Day at a Time. Her documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

Moreno’s EGOT-qualifying awards also include two Emmys, a Grammy in 1973 and a Tony two years later. She also has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush, the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama, the SAG Life Achievement Award, the Peabody Career Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honor.

MTV Documentary Films Acquires Worldwide Rights to Maite Alberdi’s “The Eternal Memory”

Maite Alberdi’s latest project is going global…

MTV Documentary Films has acquired the worldwide rights to the love story The Eternal Memory, the 39-year-old Chilean film producer, director, documentarian, screenwriter and film critic’s follow-up to her Oscar nominated documentary The Mole Agent.

Maite Alberdi,The price is said to be approaching $3 million in a competitive situation with a number of bidders.

The film, which screened in the Sundance Film Festival World Documentary Competition section, will have its international premiere at the Berlinale next month in the Panorama Section and the company is planning a theatrical release and robust awards campaign later this year.

The Eternal Memory was produced by Alberdi, Juan De Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín and Rocío Jadue.

In the film, Augusto and Paulina have been together and in love for 25 years. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and his wife has since become his caretaker. As one of Chile’s most prominent cultural commentators and television presenters, Augusto is no stranger to building an archive of memory, having been responsible for that herculean task following the Pinochet dictatorship and its systematic erasure of collective consciousness. Now he turns that work to his own life, trying to hold on to his identity with the help of his beloved wife. Day by day, the couple face this challenge head-on, adapting to the disruptions brought on by the taxing disease while relying on the tender affection and sense of humor shared between them that remains intact.

“I am so happy that The Eternal Memory has found its home at MTV Documentary Films, which in recent years, has believed in the artistic innovation of documentaries and has released documentaries that I greatly admire,” said Alberdi. “Working with Sheila Nevins is an honor, and I admire what she has built in the documentary industry.”

“The gift of love that lasts is revealed in The Eternal Memory. One cannot be cynical in Maite’s verité film – a remarkable achievement that allows us to observe what remains as memory fades. We reconsider the value of a long life lived and consider in our own lives the eternal reach of comfort and caring to an otherwise merciless end,” said Nevins, Executive Producer, MTV Documentary Films.

Nina Diaz and Liza Burnett Fefferman, Co-Head, MTV Documentary Films, called the doc “an extraordinary and sublime love story, we simply couldn’t take our eyes off the screen. The Eternal Memory left us so deeply moved and devoted to Augusto and Pauli – we can’t stop thinking, talking and marveling about the beautiful work Maite has done and how elated we are to bring this film out into the world.”

The film is a Micromundo and Fabula production. Submarine and United Talent Agency Independent Film Group brokered the deal with MTV Documentary Films on behalf of the filmmakers.

UTA also represents Alberdi, the first Chilean woman to be nominated at the Academy Awards, and an important voice in Latin American documentary. She premiered her last film The Mole Agent at Sundance in 2020. It was the first Chilean documentary to be nominated for an Oscar.

In 2011, Alberdi released her first feature film, The Lifeguard. Through Micromundo, her production company, she directed her second film Tea Time, which won more than 12 international awards, and was nominated for the 2016 Goya Award for Best Ibero-American Film. In 2016, she released the short film I am not from here nominated for the European Films Award and also premiered her third feature The Grown-Ups that got 10 international awards.

Eddie Alcazar Partnering with Paul Wedgwood to Launch LA and London-Based Production Company Entropy Pictures

Eddie Alcazar is expanding his empire…

The Bolivian American writer-director is teaming up with British gaming mogul Paul Wedgwood to launch the Los Angeles and London-based production company Entropy Pictures.

Eddie Alcazar,Alcazar’s most recent project is the Sundance Film Festival thriller Divinity, starring Stephen Dorff, Bella Thorne and Scott Bakula.

Wedgwood, who most recently executive-produced thriller The Kill Room starring Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, was a co-founder of successful video game developer Splash Damage.

The duo’s new film, TV and transmedia firm Entropy will look to “seed and develop IP which is character-driven, high-concept and has commercial appeal”. The company will look to make three to five films a year with financial backing from Wedgwood’s investment firm Supernova Capital.

Veteran games and studio executive Nick Bridger will serve as Head of Development and Production, while line producer James Allen — who has worked on all of Alcazar’s productions — is also aboard.

The first film on the slate is a hybrid live action-animated thriller called Absolute, which Alcazar wrote and will direct as his next feature, producing alongside Wedgwood.

The film follows a pair of college friends who are working on a device that will change humanity’s relationship with the universe. The device can transport a person into a neighboring dimension using one’s mind to complete a roadmap. When one of the friends experiences a devastating relationship breakup, he makes a choice to enter the portal they have created in search of a better version of his girlfriend.

According to the partners, financing is in place and the film is due to shoot this summer.

Alacazar wrote, directed and produced Divinity with a guiding hand from Steven Soderbergh, who served as executive producer. The black and white Sundance NEXT project is set in an otherworldly human existence where a serum named “Divinity” is all powerful.

“Creating a foundation for this type of film is very motivating as there are so many opportunities to explore different worlds and each can lend itself to many formats such as film, digital and animation to truly immerse the audience in a specific style of emotion,” said Alcazar. “Ultimately this is a story about young adults striving to be recognized and significant in an imperfect world. They follow grandiose ideas in order to give their lives meaning and end up realizing peace of mind and love are found in simplicity, not absolute perfection.”

Wedgwood added: “I want to work with the most talented storytellers in the business – and Eddie is of course in that upper echelon of multitalented next generation writer/directors who really challenge audiences. In Absolute, he has created a gripping and evocative story that is a distinctly original cinematic experience. This is the type of bold film that will define Entropy.”

Wedgwood commented about Entropy: “As a company, we see ourselves as hyper-creative, nimble and collaborative. Eddie, Nick and myself are creators at heart and have complex projects we’ll develop and nurture very carefully. With the film landscape continuing to shift and evolve, our approach to championing distinctive material and bringing our creative visions to life is what drives us. I’m thrilled to start this exciting new endeavor with Eddie and Nick and work creatively and collaboratively to build a specialized brand.”

Added Alcazar: “With Entropy, we have an exciting new model for making films –  one that empowers creators and their vision. Paul and I share a unique creative vision and underlying business philosophies that will fuel us as we grow the company and our output.”

Alejandra Vasquez Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Alejandra Vasquez has new representation…

The Mexican-American filmmaker and Sam Osborn, the directors behind the Sundance Film Festival-bound feature documentary Going Varsity in Mariachi, have signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME).

Alejandra VasquezMarking Vasquez’s feature directorial debut and Osborn’s sophomore feature, the film makes its world premiere in U.S. Documentary Competition on January 22.

It’s set in the competitive world of high school mariachi, where the musicians from the South Texas borderlands reign supreme. Under the guidance of Coach Abel Acuña, the teenage captains of Edinburg North High School’s acclaimed team must turn a shoestring budget and diverse crew of inexperienced musicians into state champions.

The film is produced by James Lawler and Julia Pontecorvo of Osmosis Films and Luis A. Miranda, Jr. for Embeleco Unlimited. Impact Partners and Embeleco Unlimited co-financed with Fifth Season, which is also handling worldwide sales.

Vasquez is a director and producer raised in rural Texas who, with Osborn, directed the short Folk Frontera, which was awarded the Jury Prize for Texas Short Film at SXSW 2022 and premiered on PBS’ The Latino Experience. She also helmed the short When It’s Good, It’s Good, co-produced with Latino Public Broadcasting.

The up-and-comer cut her teeth on the producing side as part of the teams behind the award-winning features Matangi/Maya/M.IA. (2018) and Us Kids (2020) and is set to co-produce an upcoming feature from Sundance and SXSW prize winner Nanfu Wang.

Cinema Guild Acquires U.S. Distribution Rights to Juan Pablo González’s Drama “Dos Estaciones”

Juan Pablo González’s acclaimed film is heading to U.S. theaters…

Cinema Guild has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the 37-year-old Mexican film director, screenwriter and editor’s fiction feature debut Dos Estaciones, which won a special jury award for lead actor Teresa Sánchez’s performance when it premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

Juan Pablo GonzálezThe drama follows 50-year-old businesswoman María García (Sánchez), who owns Dos Estaciones—a once-majestic tequila factory now struggling to stay afloat. The factory is the final hold-over from generations of Mexican-owned tequila plants in the highlands of Jalisco, the rest having folded into foreign corporations. Once one of the wealthiest people in town, María knows her current financial situation is untenable. When a persistent plague and an unexpected flood cause irreversible damage, she is forced to do everything she can to save her community’s primary economy and source of pride.

Dos Estaciones was also an official selection of the True/False Film Festival, where González was honored with the True Vision Award, and will screen as part of New Directors/New Films later this month.

The film, which was written by González, Ilana Coleman and Ana Isabel Fernández, also stars Rafaela Fuentes, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Tatín Vera.

“As great admirers of Juan Pablo’s non-fiction work, we’re thrilled to be releasing Dos Estaciones in the U.S.,” said Cinema Guild president Peter Kelly. “The film offers a window on issues facing contemporary Mexico with stunning images and a central performance of remarkable power and grace from Teresa Sánchez.”

“We are so humbled to be working with Cinema Guild, a company that we’ve long admired,” added González. “It’s evident from their catalog that they have a special love for cinema and we fully share that love. They’re the best home we could wish for Dos Estaciones and are so excited to be partnering with them to release such a special film for us.”

Cinema Guild is a premier distributor of world cinema, independent films and documentaries, whose upcoming releases include Hong Sangsoo’s In Front of Your Face and Anthony Banua-Simon’s Cane Fire. Recent releases include Ramon and Silvan Zürcher’s The Girl and the Spider, Fern Silva’s Rock Bottom Riser and Payal Kapadia’s A Night of Knowing Nothing.

Bleecker Street Acquires U.S. Rights to Dramatic Thriller “892,” Starring Selenis Leyva

Things are looking pretty Bleecker for Selenis Leyva.

Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the dramatic thriller 892, starring the 49-year-old Cuban and Dominican American actress and former Orange Is the New Black star.

Selenis Leyva

Leyva is among a cast that includes John Boyega, the late Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie Olivia Washington, Connie Britton, London Covington and Jeffrey Donovan.

The film recently made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in U.S. Dramatic Competition, where it won its Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast.

Based on a true story, the feature directorial debut of Abi Damaris Corbin picks up with former U.S. Marine Brian Brown-Easley (Boyega) as his disability check from Veterans Affairs fails to materialize, watching as he finds himself on the brink of poverty. Desperate and with no other options, he walks into a Wells Fargo Bank and says, “I’ve got a bomb.” What ensues is an edge-of-your-seat narrative that reminds us of the social responsibility we have to our soldiers, our colleagues, our families as well as to strangers.

Corbin penned 892 with Kwame Kwei-Armah, who serves as artistic director for the Young Vic in London.

Salman Al-Rashid and Sam Frohman produced the film for Salmira Productions with Ashley Levinson and Kevin Turen of Little Lamb Productions and Mackenzie Fargo of Epic.

Boyega executive produced.

“We put our hearts and souls into the honest telling of Brian’s story,” said Corbin, “and it is a joy to partner with the team at Bleecker Street, knowing they are committed to do the same.”

“Abi’s depiction of Brian’s story is an absolutely essential film that we feel deserves the widest possible audience in theaters. It thrillingly delivers an important message and features an incredible performance from John Boyega in addition to the rest of the cast,” added Bleecker Street’s co-founder and CEO Andrew Karpen. “We look forward to sharing this with audiences across the country.”

Bleecker Street is planning a late-summer release in theaters nationwide.

K.D. Davila Wins Sundance Film Festival’s Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Dark Comedy Short “Emergency”

K.D. Davila has a big reason to (sun)dance

Sundance Film Festival organizers have revealed the award winners for its 2022 edition, with the Mexican-American screenwriter among the honorees.

K.D. Davila

Davila was awarded the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for penning the dark comedy short Emergency.

The 12-minute film centers on a group of college students who must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an unusual emergency.

Selenis Leyva was among the winners of the Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast.

The 49-year-old Cuban and Dominican American actress and former Orange Is the New Black star won her award, alongside John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, London Covington and Michael K Williams for their work in 892, the real-life thriller drama film written and directed by Abi Damaris Corbin and co-written by Kwame Kwei-Armah.

There were several Latinx winners in the World Cinema Dramatic competition…

The Grand Jury Prize went to Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s feature debut, the Bolivian film Utama.

Teresa Sánchez picked up the Special Jury Award: Acting for her work in the Mexican film Dos Estaciones. 

Zélia Duncan, Bruna Linzmeyer, Camila Rocha, Clarissa Ribeiro and Lorre Motta won the Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast for their work in Brazil’s A wild patience has taken me here from director-writer Érica Sarmet.

Due to the recent Omicron surge, the Sundance Film Festival revealed the award winners via Twitter, with honors spread around across the diverse lineup unlike last year.

Here’s the full list of winners:

FESTIVAL FAVORITE AWARD
Navalny
Director: Daniel Roher

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Audience Award
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Director-Writer: Cooper Raiff

Grand Jury Award
Nanny
Director-Writer: Nikyatu Jusu

Directing
Jamie Dack
Palm Trees and Power Lines

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
K.D. Dávila
Emergency

Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast
John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, London Covington and Michael K Williams
892

Special Jury Award: Uncompromising Artistic Vision
Bradley Rust Gray
blood

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Audience Award
Navalny
Director: Daniel Roher

Grand Jury Prize
The Exiles (U.S.)
Directors: Ben Klein, Violet Columbus

Directing
Reid Davenport
I Didn’t See You There

Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award
Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput
Fire Of Love

Special Jury Award: Impact for Change
Aftershock
Directors: Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee

Special Jury Award: Creative Vision
Descendant
Director: Margaret Brown

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Audience Award
The Territory (Brazil/Denmark/U.S.)

Grand Jury Prize
All That Breathes (India/UK)
Director: Shaunak Sen

Directing
Simon Lereng Wilmont
A House Made Of Splinters (Denmark)

Special Jury Award: Documentary Craft
The Territory (Brazil/Denmark/U.S.)
Director: Alex Pritz

Special Jury Award: Excellence In Verité Filmmaking
Midwives (Myanmar)
Director: Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Audience Award
Girl Picture (Finland)
Director: Alli Haapasalo

Grand Jury Prize
Utama (Bolvia/Uruguay/France)
Director-Writer: Alejandro Loayza Grisi

Directing
Maryna Er Gorbach
Klondike (Ukraine/Turkey)

Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit
Leonor Will Never Die (Philippines)
Director-Writer: Martika Ramirez Escobar

Special Jury Award: Acting
Teresa Sánchez
Dos Estaciones (Mexico)

NEXT

Audience Award
Framing Agnes (Canada/U.S.)
Director: Chase Joynt

SHORT FILMS AWARDS

Grand Jury Prize
The Headhunter’s Daughter (Philippines)
Director-Writer: Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan

Jury Award: U.S. Fiction
If I Go Will They Miss Me (U.S.)
Director-writer: Walter Thompson-Hernández

Jury Award: International Fiction
Warsha (France/Lebanon)
Director-writer: Dania Bdeir

Jury Award: Nonfiction
Displaced (Kosovo)
Director-writer: Samir Karahoda

Jury Award: Animation
Night Bus (Taiwan)
Director-writer: Joe Hsieh

Special Jury Award: Ensemble Cast
Zélia Duncan, Bruna Linzmeyer, Camila Rocha, Clarissa Ribeiro and Lorre Motta
A wild patience has taken me here (Brazil)
Director-writer: Érica Sarmet

Special Jury Award: Screenwriting
Sara Driver
Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver (U.S.)
Directors: Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster; Writer: Sara Driver

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
After Yang

Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Nonfiction
Su Kim, Free Chol Soo Lee (U.S. Documentary Competition)

Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Award for Fiction
Amanda Marshall, God’s Country (Premieres)

Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Nonfiction
Toby Shimin

Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Fiction
Dody Dorn

Sundance Institute | NHK Award
Hasan Hadi, The President’s Cake

Producers Guild to Honor Rita Moreno with Stanley Kramer Award

Rita Moreno is earning yet another honor…

The Producers Guild will present the 90-year-old Puerto Rican actress, singer and dancer with the 2022 Stanley Kramer Award at the 33rd annual PGA Awards, set for March 19 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.

Rita MorenoThe honor goes to a production, producer or other individuals “whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues.”

Moreno, an EGOT winner, will join previous recipients including Jane Fonda as well as Get Out, Loving, Fruitvale Station, The Normal Heart, Bombshell, The Hunting Ground, An Inconvenient Truth and Hotel Rwanda.

Kramer’s work included such iconic films as Inherit the Wind, On the Beach, The Defiant Ones and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

“With grace, intelligence, charisma, and kindness, Rita Moreno made her mark in history as a brilliant entertainer and leveraged that star power to shepherd stories that tap into the human experience and represent people and communities we rarely see celebrated in film and TV,” PGA presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher said Wednesday. “Beyond her on-screen contributions, she has used her unmistakable voice to hold a mirror to the prejudices and inequities that she so often experienced throughout her career. Her activism, strength, and artistic contributions set the precedent for how to be a changemaker in Hollywood, and it is our great honor to present Rita with the Stanley Kramer Award this year.”

Moreno most recently appeared and executive produced Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story after winning an Oscar for the original film, the latest in a seven-decade career that began with her Broadway debut at 13. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films and countless TV series including most recently Norman Lear’s remake of One Day at a Time. Her documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It had its world debut at Sundance Film Festival last year.

Moreno previously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush, the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama, the SAG Life Achievement Award, the Peabody Career Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honor.

“The last thing I ever dreamed of in my young life was being honored in any circumstance,” Moreno said. “That the Producers Guild of America has chosen to honor me not only for my work but for the principles I have tried to uphold and live by throughout my life is so gratifying. I am thrilled.”