Filmax Acquires World Sales Rights to Iglesias’ “Innocent Killers”

Maxi Iglesias may soon thrill global audiences…

Filmax, Spanish production-distribution-sales force has acquired world sales rights to Gonzalo Bendala’s Innocent Killers, starring the 23-year-old Spanish actor.

Maxi Iglesias

The Barcelona-based company will also distribute Iglesias’ latest film domestically in Spain.

Innocent Killers will have its world premiere at March’s Miami International Film Festival, playing in its Cinema 360º section.

Iglesias, Luis Fernandez and Aura Garrido star in the murder imbroglio from Seville-based production house Aralan, which marks the feature directorial debut of Bendala.

“A suspenser, echoing elements of [Alfred] Hitchcock,” in the words of Aralan CEO Marta Velasco, “Killers turns on a university student (Iglesias) who, in dire straits, suddenly receives an godsend offer of money – if he kills his psychology teacher (Miguel Angel Sola).

What makes the offer so singular is that it is his psychology teacher that makes him the offer.

“This is a suspense film, of situations, characters, intrigue, a genre-blender. Hitchcock, for example, was a master at this. The Sting, Catch Me If You Can, Match Point have been other sources of inspiration,” said Bendela.

Lauded for his shorts – Penumbra 3D, the Goya-nominated Spaghetti Western – Bendala wrote the Killers screenplay with fellow short-film scribe-helmer Jose Manuel Asensio .

Innocent Killers will open in Spain in the second-half 2015.

Vazquez’s “Rob the Mob” to Premiere at the Miami International Film Festival

Yul Vazquez is preparing to rob the mob in Miami…

The Cuban American actor’s latest film, Rob the Mob, will have its world premiere at the Miami International Film Festival in March.

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Directed by Raymond De Felitta and starring Andy Garcia, the film also stars Michael Pitt, Ray Romano, Burt Young, Griffin Dunne, Frank Whaley, Cathy Moriarty, Aida Turturro and Nina Arianda.

Rob the Mob, which centers on a couple that targets the Mafia for heists and stumbles upon something big at an underground club, is one of nearly 100 films set to be screened at the Miami International Film Festival.

The North American premiere of the Shirley MacLaineChristopher Plummer pairing Elsa & Fred will take place at the 10-day event, which runs March 7-16.

Directed by Michael Radford, the film is a remake of the 2008 Argentine/Spanish film of the same name. Also in the cast are Marcia Gay HardenGeorge Segal, Chris Noth, James Brolin, Wendell Pierce, Jaime Camil and Osvaldo Rios.

In total, 92 feature films and 28 shorts representing 38 countries will premiere at this year’s festival, which marks its 31st edition.

“The programming team believes the selection of films showcased in the festival this year is a reflection of our passion for film, and we hope that it will strengthen our community’s love and appreciation for the art of filmmaking,” MIFF executive director Jaie Laplante said.

The festival will present actor-director John Turturro with its Career Achievement Tribute. Turturro will present his latest film, the Woody Allen starrer Fading Gigolo. The film, which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, also stars Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara. 

Here’s the complete list of competition films:

Festival Competition Categories:

The Knight Competition, open to dramatic works from Latin America, Spain and Portugal as well as Latino-themed works produced in the United States:

All About The Feathers (Por las plumas) (Costa Rica, directed by Neto Villalobos) U.S. Premiere
Asteroid (Asteroide) (Mexico, directed by Marcelo Tobar) World premiere
Club Sandwich (Mexico, directed by Fernando Eimbcke)
The Man of the Crowd (O homem das multidões) (Brazil, directed by Marcelo Gomes and Cao Guimarães) North American premiere
Memories of the Desert (Romance policial) (Brazil/Chile, directed by Jorge Durán) World premiere
Natural Sciences (Ciencias naturales) (Argentina, directed by Matias Lucchesi) North American premiere
Séptimo (Spain/Argentina, directed by Patxi Amexcua) North American premiere
To Kill A Man (Matar un hombre) (Chile/France, directed by Alejandro Fernández Almendras)
We All Want What’s Best For Her (Tots volem el millor per a ella) (Spain, directed by Mar Coll) North American premiere
A Wolf at the Door (O lobo atrás da porta) (Brazil, directed by Fernando Coimbra)

Knight Documentary Competition, open to engaging and thought-provoking feature-length documentaries created by international filmmakers that examine social issues, diverse cultures, icons and inspiring people:

The Art Rush (France, directed by Marianne Lamour) North American premiere
The Dog (U.S.A., directed by Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren)
Europe in 8 Bits (Spain, directed by Javier Polo)
Finding Vivian Maier (U.S.A., directed by Charlie Siskel and John Maloof)
Ivory Tower (USA, directed by Andrew Rossi)
Locations: Looking For Rusty James (Locaciones: buscando a Rusty James) (Chile, directed by Alberto Fuguet)
The Notorious Mr. Bout (U.S.A./Russia, directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin)
The Overnighters (U.S.A., directed by Jesse Moss)
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon (U.S.A., directed by Mike Myers)
Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger (U.S.A., directed by Joe Berlinger)

The Lexus Ibero-American Opera Prima Competition for first-time feature filmmakers emerging from Spain, Portugal and Latin America:

Here’s the Deal (Somos gente honrada) (Spain, directed by Alejandro Marzoa) U.S. premiere
Mateo (Colombia/France, directed by Maria Gamboa) World premiere
Stockholm (Estocolmo) (Spain, directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen) U.S. premiere
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa) (Mexico, directed by Samuel Kishi Leopo)

Papi Shorts Competition:

A Big Deal (China, directed by Yoyo Yao) U.S. premiere
Blue (U.S.A., directed by Justin Malone) World premiere
Chub (U.S.A., directed by Samuel Albis) World premiere
Flamingo (Venezuela, directed by Carl Zitelmann)
Grace (Graça) (Brazil, directed by Anna Clara Peltier) North American premiere
The Phone Call (United Kingdom, directed by Mat Kirkby)
Skin (France, directed by Cédric Prévost) North American premiere
Shirt Out, Game Over! (Switzerland, directed by Eric Paternot) World premiere
Unicorn (Unicornio) (Bolivia, directed by Rodrigo Bellott)
Xenos (United Kingdom/Greece/Denmark, directed by Mahdi Fleifel) North American premiere

A list of noncompetition films and seminars can be found at MiamiFilmFestival.com.

Guevara & Jorge’s “Tanta agua” Wins Big at the Miami International Film Festival

Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge’s latest project has been knighted in Miami…

The Uruguayan directors’ film Tanta agua, which was produced by CTRL Z Films, won the Knight Grand Jury Prize at the Miami International Film Festival this weekend.

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For earning the festival’s top honors, Guevara and Jorge will receive $15,000. If the film’s sales agent, France’s Alpha Violet of France sells the film to a US distributor within 30 days, that US distributor will also receive $15,000. If not, the additional $15,000 will be added to CTRL Z Films‘ prize.

In addition, Guevara and Jorge picked up the award – and a $5,000 prize – for penning the script for Tanta agua.

TEASER TANTA AGUA ENG from Control Z Films on Vimeo.

The festival, sponsored by Miami Dade College, featured 138 films from 41 countries, and celebrated its 30th edition this year.

Here’s a look at the big winners:

KNIGHT IBERO-AMERICAN COMPETITION:

Knight Grand Jury Prize:  Tanta agua (Uruguay/Mexico/Netherlands), by Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge

Grand Jury Best Performance: The cast of Una pistola en cada mano, by Cesc Gay (Spain), ·

Grand Jury Best Director: Ana Piterbarg of Todos tenemos un plan) (Spain/Argentina /Germany),

 

JORDAN ALEXANDER RESSLER SCREENWRITING AWARD:

Winner: Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge for Tanta agua by Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge (Uruguay/Mexico/Netherlands)

 

KNIGHT DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:

Knight Grand Jury Prize: Gideon’s Army, by Dawn Porter (USA)

 

LEXUS IBERO-AMERICAN OPERA PRIMA COMPETITION:

The jury selected two films to tie as winners in this category:

Solo, by Guillermo Rocamora (Uruguay/Argentina/Netherlands/France)

The Swimming Pool (La piscina), by Carlos Machado Quintela (Cuba/Venezuela)

Honorable Mention: Villegas, by Gonzalo Tobal (Argentina/Netherlands/France)