Pedro Almodovar to Direct First Full-Length English-Language Feature “A Manual for Cleaning Women”

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodovar is switching tongues, and he’s recruiting an Oscar-winning actress to help…

The 72-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning film director, screenwriter and producer is preparing to direct his first full-length English-language feature A Manual for Cleaning Women, with Cate Blanchett set to produce and star in the film.

Still in the early stages of development, the film is based on Lucia Berlin’s 43-part collection of short stories, examining the lives of women working a wide variety of demanding jobs.

Blanchett, Andrew Upton and Coco Francini will produce for Dirty Films, with Almodóvar for El Deseo, and Brian Oliver and Bradley Fischer for New Republic Pictures.

The film is Almodóvar’s follow-up to Parallel Mothers, the Sony Pictures Classic drama starring Penélope Cruz about two mothers who give birth the same day, and the English-language short The Human Voice starring Tilda Swinton, which was shortlisted by the Film Academy last year.

Almodovar has won two Academy Awards: He picked up the Best Foreign Language Film award for All About My Mother and the Best Original Screenplay award for Talk To Her.

Penelope Cruz to Executive Produce & Narrate Child Marriage Documentary Series “Not A Bride”

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Penelope Cruz will be talking child marriages…

The 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress will executive produce and narrate the four-part documentary series Not A Bride.

Hailing from VIS Social Impact, the cause-driven production division of ViacomCBS International Studios, and Pedro Almodóvar’s El Deseo and Spanish indie Mogambo, the series has been acquired by Paramount+ internationally.

Written and directed by Dario Troiani, the series aims to uncover common misconceptions surrounding child marriages. According to NGO Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18 each year, which means 23 girls every minute. Child, early and forced marriage and unions happen all over the world, and 650 million women alive today face the direct consequences of child marriage. Not A Bride will shed light on the reality that this occurs in many countries, cultures and religions.

“With the continued expansion of Paramount+ internationally, it’s important that our production slate is reflective of the ways in which our audiences see ourselves and one another. By partnering with El Deseo and Mogambo, we hope to address common misconceptions associated with child marriages, to inform our audiences around the world,” said Laura Abril, Senior Vice President and Head of VIS EMEA and Asia.

Georgia Arnold, Head of VIS Social Impact and SVP Social Responsibility, ViacomCBS Networks International added, “With the recent launch of VIS Social Impact, our studio’s mission is to develop groundbreaking social impact-driven content that addresses equity, as well as climate and health. Not A Bride will harness the power of storytelling to address the critical global issue of child marriage, and we hope its worldwide debut on Paramount+ will help to shift perceptions and create meaningful progress towards a more gender equal world.”

El Deseo’s Esther García, who will executive produce with Agustín and Pedro Almodóvar, commented, “The testimonies of the girls and women who have suffered this traumatic experience are shocking. Through this documentary we aim to give the world a better idea of this huge problem which we truly hope will begin to be solved.”

VIS Social Impact is part of Content for Change, a global ViacomCBS initiative that aims to counteract racism, bias, stereotypes and hate through the company’s culture, creative supply chain, and the content it creates. Not A Bride is the second VIS Social Impact project announced, following Protest & Progress from photographer and social activist, Misan Harriman, which will also debut on Paramount+.

Pedro Almodovar’s “Madres Paralelas,” Starring Penelope Cruz, to Open Venice Film Festival

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Penelope Cruz is ready for a big debut…

The 78th Venice Film Festival will open with Pedro Almodovar’s Madres Paralelas, starring the 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress.

The film will play in Competition and will open the fest on September 1. It also stars Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Julieta Serrano and Rossy De Palma.

The story follows two women, Janis and Ana, who coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and got pregnant by accident.

Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which chance will undertake to develop and complicate in such a decisive way that it will change the lives of both.

The film is produced by El Deseo and will be distributed in Italy by Warner Bros. Pictures. Almodóvar received Venice’s 2019 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

“I was born as a film director in 1983 in Venice,” commented Almodóvar, “In the Mezzogiorno Mezzanotte section. Thirty-eight years later I am called to open the festival. I cannot explain the joy and the honor, and how much this means to me without falling into complacency. I am very grateful to the festival for this recognition and hope to be up to it”.

Venice director Alberto Barbera added: “I am grateful to Pedro Almodóvar for having given us the privilege of opening the film festival with his new movie, an intense and sensitive portrait of two women as they contend with a pregnancy with unpredictable consequences, women’s solidarity, and sexuality that is experienced in full freedom and without hypocrisy, all against the backdrop of a reflection on the ineluctable need for truth that is to be unwaveringly pursued. This is a very welcome return to Venice in Competition for the recipient of our 2019 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, many years after the success of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown the movie that marked his definitive triumph on the international scene.”

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Rights to Penelope Cruz-Starrer “Madres Paralelas” from Pedro Almodovar

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Penelope Cruz’s latest film is going global…

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights in North America, Australia and New Zealand to Parallel Mothers (Madres Paralelas), starring the 46-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress.

It’s the 13th collaboration between the distributor and director/producer Pedro Almodóvar’s production company El Deseo.

Production began in Madrid last month on the film, which reunites the Spanish filmmaker with longtime collaborators Cruz, Julieta Serrano and Rossy de Palma.

Parallel Mothers is a drama that centers on three mothers, portrayed by Cruz, Aitana Sánchez Gijón and Milena Smit.

The film expands Almodóvar’s previous depictions of womanhood by turning his focus on imperfect mothers, in a departure from his prior work exploring mothers and motherhood.

Written by Almodóvar, the film also stars Israel Elejalde.

The film is produced by Agustín Almodóvar and Esther García through El Deseo.

Sony Pictures Classics recently released Almodóvar’s short film The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton, in theaters alongside a digitally restored re-issue of Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. It will be available to stream on HBO Max starting on April 30.

Almodóvar won two Oscars for best foreign language film for All About My Mother and original screenplay for his 2002 title Talk to Her (Hable con Ella).

Cruz has starred in several of Almodovar’s films, including All About My Mother, I’m So Excited!, Volver, Broken Embraces, and Pain and Glory.

Pedro Almodovar to Begin Filming Latest Project “Parallel Mothers” Next Month

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodovar is thisclose to starting work on his next film…

The 71-year-old Oscar-winning Spanish filmmaker is preparing to head into production on his next movie Parallel Mothers (Madres Paralelas).

The film will star Penelope Cruz alongside the newly-announced Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Israel Elejalde and Milena Smit.

The film is scheduled to begin filming by the end of March in Spain. Almodovar’s El Deseo is producing.

Almodovar said of the project:

“With Parallel Mothers I return to the female universe, to motherhood, to family. I speak of the importance of ancestors and descendants. The inevitable presence of memory. There are many mothers in my filmography, the ones that are part of this story are very different.

“As a storyteller, imperfect mothers inspire me most at this time. Penélope Cruz, Aitana Sánchez Gijón and the young Milena Smit will play the three mothers in the film, accompanied by Israel Elejalde in the main male character. I also have the collaboration of my beloved Julieta Serrano and Rossy de Palma. Parallel Mothers will be an intense drama. Or so I hope.”

This will be Cruz’s seventh film with Almodovar. She first appeared in Live Flesh in 1997. Her other Almodovar credits include All About My Mother, Volver, Broken Embraces, I’m So Excited and Pain and Glory.

Sánchez-Gijón’s previous credits include A Walk in the Clouds and The Machinist.

Pedro Almodovar’s Production Company Developing TV Series “Mentiras Pasajeras” with Viacom International Studios

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodovarwill be spreadinglies…

Viacom International Studios has set a co-development deal with El Deseo, the Spanish production company owned by the 70-year-old legendary Spanish filmmaker and his brother Agustín Almodóvar, for an eight-episode series, Mentiras Pasajeras.

Pedro Almodovar honored at MoMa Film Benefit

The companies will co-develop the series under the direction of Spanish screenwriters Nerea Castroand Blanca Andres.

El Deseo, which produces both film and television projects, was formed in 1985 by Pedro Almodovar. His latest release, Pain and Glory, earned a Best International Filmnomination and also a Best Actornod for Antonio Banderas.

“We are honored to have entered into this agreement with internationally distinguished production company, El Deseo, which will further expand our portfolio with more world-class productions and properties,” said Federico Cuervo, SVP and Head of Viacom International Studios. ”We look forward to working with Almodovar and his team, and we are certain that this co-development deal will result in even more captivating content for VIS and its partners.”

“We very much appreciate the trust VIS has placed in us, El Deseo, as producers and are convinced the joining of forces of two companies with such high standards in this industry will yield very exciting projects in this era of high demand for quality cinematic content. We hope this first venture is the first of many more to come. We are very excited! ”said Agustin Almodovar, producer of El Deseo.

The series follows a collaboration involving VIS, El Deseo, RTVE and Movistarfor the upcoming Isabel Coixet film, Snow in Benidorm. With a cast featuring Timothy Spall, Sarita Choudhury, Carmen Machi, Ana Torrentand Pedro Casablanc, the project started filming on January 20 in Benidorm, Spain.

Antonio Banderas to Receive International Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Banderas is a shining star…

The 59-year-old Spanish actor will receive the 31st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival’s International Star Award, Actor for his performance in Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory.

“Throughout his career Antonio Banderas has garnered international acclaim and world recognition from his memorable performances,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In his latest film Pain and Glory, Antonio Banderas gives another deeply moving performance as aging film director Salvador Mallo going through a creative crisis as he reflects on the choice’s he’s made throughout his life.”

Past recipients of the International Star Award include Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren, Gary Oldman and Saoirse Ronan.

Banderas, who recently earned a Goya Award nomination for his performance in Pain and Glory, will join the previously announced honorees Jennifer Lopez (Spotlight Award), Joaquin Phoenix (Chairman’s Award), Martin Scorsese Sonny Bono Visionary Award), Charlize Theron( International Star Award, Actress) and Renée Zellweger(Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress).

From Sony Picture Classicsand presented by El Deseo, Pain and Glory tells of a series of reencounters experienced by Salvador Mallo, a film director in his physical decline. Some of them in the flesh, others remembered.

The award will be presented at the festival’s Film Awards Galaon Thursday, January 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The festival runs January 2-13, 2020.

Banderas’ next project is Dolittle.

Almodovar’s “Julieta” Selected as Spain’s Official Best Foreign Language Film Entry

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Spain is putting its Oscar bet on Pedro Almodovar…

The Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected the 66-year-old Spanish filmmaker’s drama Julieta as its official submission in the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race, marking the sixth time the director has represented Spain in the category.

The film, which Sony Pictures Classics will release in the U.S. on December 21, was selected by the organization from a shortlist of three titles including Iciar Bollain’s The Olive Tree and Paula Ortiz’s The Bride.

Julieta, Almodovar’s 20th film, premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival this year and was welcomed by critics and festgoers.

Produced by Esther Garcia through brothers Pedro and Agustin Almodovar’s banner El Deseo, the film is based on three short stories by Canadian Nobel laureate Alice Munro.

It follows the story of a woman who lives in Madrid with her daughter Anita who both suffer in silence over the loss of Xoan, Anita’s father and Julieta’s husband. The grief eventually drives them apart, and Anita abandons her mother age 18 without an explanation.

Adriana Ugarte, Emma Suarez, Rossy de Palma and Michelle Jenner star in the film, which was released in Spain in April through Warner Bros. and grossed $2.4 million in the territory.

Spain has won the Foreign Language Oscar category four times with the most recent win in 2004 with Alejandro Amenabar’s The Sea Inside.

The last time an Almodovar title was selected by the Spanish Academy as the country’s Oscar submission was in 2006 with Volver.

Argentina Submits Trapero’s “The Clan” as Its Foreign Language Oscar Entry

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Pablo Trapero’s latest project is representin’…

The 43-year-old Argentine filmmaker’s The Clan, which won the Best Director Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival after its world premiere there, has been selected as Argentina‘s entry in this year’s Foreign Language Oscar race.

The film about Argentina’s notorious Puccio crime family is produced by Spain’s Agustín Almodóvar and Pedro Almodóvar and their El Deseo production company.

It’s already a box office hit at home as El Clan, beating the record set by Argentina’s last Academy Award-winning film, 2009’s The Secret In Their Eyes.

And it played well in its North American premiere in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform sidebar earlier this month.

Days after Trapero’s Venice win, he was signed by CAA; Trapero has had two films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscars, Lion’s Den and Carancho.

The film was released by 20th Century Fox with Fox International Pictures in Latin America, and Fox will release it in the U.S.

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires the Rights to Almodóvar’s Next Film

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

The anticipation is definitely building for Pedro Almodóvar’s next film, even though production hasn’t even started on the project…

Sony Pictures Classics announced Tuesday that they have acquired all North American rights to Almodóvar’s new comedy currently titled I’m So Excited from El Deseo.

The film, an ensemble comedy written and directed by Almodóvar, is set to begin production in July and will be released next summer.

The all-star cast includes Javier Cámara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas, Raul Arévalo, Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Hugo Silva, Willy Toledo, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Blanca Suárez, José Luis Torrijo, José María Yazpik and Laya Martí.

In addition, the film—which was previously known as Los Amantes Pasajeros—will include special collaborations from Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Paz Vega.

The Sony Pictures Classics team has a long history with Almodóvar that began with Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at Orion Classics and has continued with seven films at Sony Pictures Classics , including Goya-winning film The Skin I Live In, Broken Embraces, Volver, Bad Education, All About My Mother and Talk to Her.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: El Deseo