Spain Selects J.A. Bayona’s “Society of Snow” as Its Entry for the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film Race

J.A. Bayona is in the running for a potential Academy Award

Spain has selected the 48-year-old Spanish filmmaker’s latest film, Society of the Snow as its entry for the Best International Feature Film race at the 2024 Oscars.

J.A. BayonaThe announcement marks the first time a Netflix-backed film has been selected by Spain and the second time J.A. Bayona has made the cut following his 2007 film The Orphanage.

Society of the Snow closed this year’s Venice Film Festival. Based on the book of the same name by Pablo Vierci, first published in 2008, the film charts the story of the 45 people who, on October 13, 1972, boarded Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 from Montevideo to Chile. There were five crew members on board and 40 passengers, including 19 members of the Old Christians Club rugby team. Tragedy struck when the pilot began his descent too early, crashing into the Andes and killing 12 immediately. The survivors clung to the belief that help was coming, but none did. After weeks of hunger, having exhausted everything in the plane’s hold, they were forced to do the unthinkable and eat the flesh of those who had died. The story was told by Frank Marshall in the 1993 film Alive.

J.A. Bayona, La Sociedad De La Nieve, Society of the SnowStarring in the Spanish-language film are Enzo Vogrincic, Matías Recalt, Agustín Pardella, Esteban Kukuriczka and Tomas Wolf.

The film is produced by Belén Atienza, Sandra Hermida and Bayona. The screenplay comes from Bayona, Bernat Vilaplana, Jaime Marques and Nicolás Casariego from the novel by Pablo Vierci. The director of photography is Pedro Luque.

Last year Spain selected Carla Simón’s Berlinale winner Alcarràs for the Best International Feature Film race. The film didn’t make the final shortlist.

J.A. Bayona’s “La Sociedad De La Nieve” to Have Its World Premiere at Venice Film Festival

J.A. Bayona’s latest project will have its big debut in Italy…

The Venice Film Festival will close with the world premiere of the 48-year-old Spanish Goya Award-winning filmmaker’s Netflix Spanish-language survival thriller La Sociedad De La Nieve (Society of the Snow).

J.A. BayonaThe latest film from The Orphanage and The Impossible director charts the iconic true story of a 1970s rugby team whose plane crashes on a glacier in the Andes.

The few passengers who survived the crash find themselves in one of the world’s toughest environments.

J.A. Bayona, La Sociedad De La Nieve, Society of the SnowThe story was told by Frank Marshall in 1993 film Alive.

The Out Of Competition screening will take place on September 9 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema after the awards ceremony.

Starring in the Spanish-language film are Enzo VogrincicMatías RecaltAgustín PardellaEsteban Kukuriczka and Tomas Wolf.

The film is produced by Belén AtienzaSandra Hermida and Bayona. The screenplay comes from Bayona, Bernat Vilaplana, Jaime Marques and Nicolás Casariego from the novel by Pablo Vierci. Director of photography is Pedro Luque.

Bayona is also known for movies A Monster Calls (2016) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and for directing on series including Penny Dreadful (2014-2016) and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022).

Society of the Snow is his fifth feature film, and his first to be shot in Spanish in sixteen years.

John Leguizamo to Star in the Off Broadway Streaming Production of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”

There’s more waiting in John Leguizamo’s future…

The 56-year-old Colombian actor, stand-up comedian, producer, playwright and screenwriter will star opposite Ethan Hawke in an Off Broadway streaming production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, directed by Scott Elliott and premiering online on Tuesday, May 6.

John Leguizamo

The New Group production will co-star Wallace Shawn, Tarik Trotter and Drake Bradshaw.

Leguizamo will portray Estragon, Hawke will play Vladimir.

The production is the first in a new venture called The New Group Off Stage, from The New Group in association with John Ridley’s Nō Studios and Frank Marshall.

“This project is the epitome of what we mean by ’theatrical expressions in different media’: bringing together top tier artists across disciplines – film, television, stage, music – to collaborate in a hybrid, on-screen world, finding a way to make a play newly alive for themselves,” said Elliott, Artistic Director of The New Group. “It was a unique and singularly meaningful experience for all of us.”

The New Group describes the production as an “experimental exploration of a storied play” that “combines theatrical invention and innovative filmmaking.”

Waiting for Godot will be co-produced by MiLa Media, with production design by Derek McLane and costume design by Qween Jean. Director of Photography is Kramer Morgenthau.

Waiting for Godot will premiere online o Thursday, May 6 at 7:00 pm ET, and will be available to stream at www.thenewgroup.org.

Tickets can be purchased for 72-hour or seven-day rentals.