Paulina Villegas’ written words will be coming to life soon…
Exile Content has partnered with producer Lawrence Bender to acquire the rights to the Latina reporter and Azam Ahmed’s New York Timesarticle, “He Was One of Mexico’s Deadliest Assassins. Then He Turned on His Cartel.”
Exile and Bender are currently developing the story into a film or series with Ahmed and Caitlin Roper as producers.
Ahmed and Villegas’ article was published in December 2019. It tells the story of a man who became one of the deadliest assassins in Mexico, who eventually taken into custody via a makeshift witness protection program. He eventually fell back into the deadly trade. “This will never end, no matter what I do,” he said in the story. “But I just won’t be a part of it anymore.”
This isn’t the first story from Ahmed to be acquired for development.
The French Venezuelan filmmaker and biologist’s US-Mexico film Hijo de Monarcas has won the 2021 Alfred P. Sloan Prize for film.
Gambis’ film, which stars Tenoch Huerta, Paulina Gaitan and William Mapother centers on a Mexican scientist (Huerta) living in New York, who returns to his hometown, nestled in the majestic butterfly forests of Michoacán. The journey forces him to confront past traumas and reflect on his hybrid identity, sparking a personal metamorphosis.
The annual award from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation recognizes a film screening at the Sundance Film Festival that focuses on science or technology or portrays a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character.
Hijo de Monarcas is directed and written by Gambis and features a cast that includes Alexia Rasmussen, Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez and Noé Hernández.
Hijo de Monarcas, which was filmed in New York and Mexico in both English and Spanish, will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 29, with a second screening on January 31.
“As we celebrate the wonderful news for Son of Monarchs, I just wanted to take a minute to point at this injustice and call to action to save the endangered monarch butterfly,” posted Gambis on Facebook, referring to his movie’s selection for Sundance, before the award was announced. He highlights the risks and challenges now facing the butterflies in light of reported huge population declines in the past few years. “The monarch butterfly is threatened with extinction but will not come under federal protection because other species are a higher priority, federal officials announced Tuesday,” he added citing a New York Times article.
Gambis’ filmmaking mixes documentary and fiction, often honoring animal perspective. His artistic craft and scientific background led him to launch various projects like the Imagine Science Film Festival in 2008 and the science-focused streaming platform and online magazine Labocine. Eight years later, he directed his first narrative feature, The Fly Room, a biographical drama that also deals with science, in this case genetics.
The Alfred P. Sloan Prize has been handed out at the Sundance Film Festival since 2003. The winner receives a $20,000 cash award.
The late Miriam Rodriguez’s story is headed to the big screen…
Blumhouse has won the screen rights to a December 13 New York Times story which chronicled the late Mexican human rights activist and desperate mother’s revenge spree in Mexico, when she avenged her daughter’s murder by taking on the drug cartels and tracking down the perpetrators by herself.
She saw 10 of them apprehended by police before she was shot and killed in front of her home on Mother’s Day, 2017.
NYT will produce with Blumhouse, and Caitlin Roper, NYT’s executive producer for scripted projects, is producing alongside the article’s writer, Azam Ahmed, and Jason Blum.
Anonymous Content represented the article in the sale process.
Ahmed is NYT bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. His article tells the story of the 56-year-old Rodriguez, whose whole world came crashing down on her when she lost her daughter, despite paying multiple ransom demands after the 20-year-old was kidnapped in 2014.
Getting no help from law enforcement, Rodriguez took things into her own hands. Using disguises and different identities, she went after the alleged kidnappers. She even used a gun to hold the culprits until she could get them handcuffed and arrested. Her story is juxtaposed with the plight of another family desperate for a happier outcome after their son is kidnapped.
Ahmed reported a series on the homicide crisis in Latin America, the deadliest region in the world, outlining the root causes of the violence. Each piece delved into a specific issue in a specific country, using intimate portraits of those living on the front lines of the crisis: the inescapable cycles of violence in Honduras, the scourge of femicide in Guatemala, the pervasiveness of illegally smuggled U.S. guns in Jamaica, the making of a cartel assassin in Mexico and the violence of the state in Brazil.
Last month, Azam won the Michael Kelly Award for his courageous and moving work for this series.
Azam’s reporting for this series has also been recognized this year with a Polk award, an Overseas Press Club award and the James Foley Medill Medal, which recognizes courage in pursuit of a story. Ahmed’s investigative work on corruption and the illegal use of spyware, Pegasus, helped launch federal investigations in México and led to major arrests and reform and the project was submitted by The Times for a Pulitzer Prize. Azam was previously the NYT bureau chief in Afghanistan, where he worked for nearly three years covering the war.
Mariah Carey is bringing the Magic this holiday season…
AppleTV+ has release the trailer and key art for the half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer’s Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special, which will start streaming on December 4.
The show will feature Carey, the unofficial Queen of Christmas, with Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and Mykal-Michelle Harris, as well as Carey’s 9-year-old twins, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe.
The special finds the world faced with a holiday cheer crisis, which the North Pole knows only one person can solve: Santa’s great friend, Mariah Carey. Combining musical performances, dancing and animation, the show finds Carey saving the day.
The soundtrack single and new music video for “Oh Santa!,” co-written by and featuring Carey performing with Grande and Hudson, will be distributed by Sony Music and released on Apple Music and other streaming platforms December 4.
The companion soundtrack to the special will include Snoop Dogg and Jermaine Dupri as additional musical guests, in addition to a new version of “Sleigh Ride.” The soundtrack will be available exclusively on Apple Music on December 4, and all other platforms December 11.
The Apple TV+ subscription service is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung, LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and at tv.apple.com.
Carey is the bestselling female artist of all time, with more than 200 million albums sold to date and 19 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles (18 self-penned), more than any solo artist in history. She recently published her memoir, TheMeaning of Mariah Carey, which debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Tanya Saracho is calling for more Latinx representation in Hollywood…
The Mexican playwright, screenwriter and actress is among some of the top creators in television and film who are demanding for change when it comes to Latinx representation as Hispanic Heritage Months comes to an end.
In an open letter to Hollywood more than 270 Latinx showrunners, creators, and television and feature writers, including Saracho, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Gloria Calderon-Kellett, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Steven Canals, John Leguizamo, Linda Yvette-Chavez, Carolina Paiz, Marco Ramirez, Javier Grillo-Marxuach and more are calling for systemic change in the entertainment industry.
The letter begins: “As we come to the end of Hispanic Heritage Month in the midst of a global pandemic and continued racial injustice, many of us in the Latinx community have found it difficult to celebrate. Inspired by the activism of the Black and Indigenous communities, many of whom also identify as Latinx, we stand in solidarity with our fellow Black, Native and Indigenous writers, co-signing their WGAW Open Letters and echoing their demands for systemic change in our industry.”
“As Latinx Showrunners, Creators, TV and Feature Writers, we are incensed by the continued lack of Latinx representation in our industry, especially among the Black and Indigenous members of our community,” the letter continues. “Our stories are important, and our erasure onscreen contributes to the persistent prejudice that prevents real change in this country. This prejudice is not as overt as the one that keeps immigrant children in cages and separates families at the border, or as violent as the racism that is killing our Black, Brown, and Indigenous community members at the hands of police.”
“But when we are onscreen, we’re often relegated to stereotypes or villains. And as a recent New York Times OpEd states, ‘White elites cannot muffle a huge, vibrant community for decades and not expect consequences. For Latinos in the Trump era, these consequences are deadly, from Hurricane Maria to the Walmart shooting in El Paso and the pandemic, as well as soaring hate crimes.’”
The letter points out that the Latinx community makes up 18.3% of the U.S. population but it is not reflected in film and TV. There are only 4.7% feature writers and 8.7% TV writers that are Latinx. As Latinx writers move up to Showrunner level, the stats only get more dismal. “By refusing to tell our stories AND by refusing to put us in charge of telling them — Hollywood power brokers are complicit in our exclusion,” the letter remarks.
This is even further supported by a recent study from CAA and Parrot Analytics, which shows that even though television shows are a lot more diverse than they were three years ago, not all racial and ethnic groups were equally well represented in scripted debuts. Latinos and Hispanics remain significantly underrepresented despite being one of the fastest-growing demographics in the country.
While there are shows like One Day At A Time that having managed to get multiple season orders, there have been other Latino-fronted shows in the past years, like The Baker and the Beauty and United We Fall — that have been canceled before getting the chance to find their footing beyond one season.
The letter can be summarized with three words included heavily throughout: “We are tired.”
The open letter does not mince words with the demands and draws out exactly what needs to be done including creating stories for and about the Latinx community by Latinx creators; greenlighting Latinx-fronted projects; respecting all aspects and intersections of the Latinx cultural representation; and hiring Latinx creators for non-Latinx projects.
The letter, which was posted on social channels with the hashtag #EndLatinXclusion, closes with “Stories are powerful. Stories change the world. Let’s get on the right side of history so we can continue to create needed change and tell captivating stories together.”
This initiative was launched by the Untitled Latinx Project (ULP) founded by Saracho. It’s an all-Latina advocacy group formed to increase representation of Latinx created stories for television. The goal of this call to action was uniting the professional community of Latinx writers, creators and showrunners.
The 37-year-old Dominican American television personality, writer and comedian will join Larry Willmore to discuss the U.S. presidential election.
Willmore and Kid Mero, whose real name is Joel Martinez, will be joined by Robin Thede, Desus and co-hosts of Pod Save AmericaJon Lovett and Jon Favreau.
The Peacock late-night comedy, which airs on Friday evenings, will tackle the topic of ‘But Her Emails’, comparing where we are three weeks before this election to where we were three weeks before the 2016 election and drawing lessons.
Thede is the creator, showrunner, executive producer, writer and star of HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show. She was also the first African American woman to be the head writer of a late-night show when she worked on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, before becoming a host of The Rundown with Robin Thede.
Desus Nice and Kid Mero are the stars of the eponymous Showtime series, which airs twice a week.
They’ll join Wilmore for his lightning round this week, following the launch of their New York Times best-selling book God-Level Knowledge Darts – Life Lessons From The Bronx.
Lovett and Favreau are co-hosts of political podcast Pod Save America and co-founder of Crooked Media, the media company behind it. They’ve also recently launched Vote Save America, a one-stop-shop for voter engagement, which helps people get educated and activated ahead of the election.
Wilmore is going into his fifth show since launching on the streamer.
Robert Trujillo is helping the people affected by West Coast’s wildfires…
The 55-year-old Mexican American bassist and his Metallica band mates have donated $250,000 to five organizations on the front lines of the area’s devastating wildfire crisis through their All Within My Hands charity.
The donations are earmarked for the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund, the Oregon Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief and Recovery Fund, the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County’s Fire Response Fund, the Community Foundation of North Central Washington NCW Fire Relief Fund and the North Valley Community Foundation Wildfire Relief and Recovery Fund.
“Communities across the west coast of our country are suffering,” Metallica tweeted. “The @AWMHFoundation is donating $250,000 to assist in wildfire relief efforts.”
In a statement from AWMH, the non-profit organization founded by the metal icons in 2017 explains, “Wildfires have become a cruel and unwelcome annual benchmark in California, and this year we have seen them tragically extend across the entire west coast of our country. This is the fourth consecutive year, dating back to the formation of the Foundation, that All Within My Hands has activated to support fire relief: the critical local services component of our mission.”
The band is also encouraging fans to join in supporting first responders and those in need in any way they can by donating money, non-perishable food, clothing and other supplies. This year’s fire season in California, Oregon and Washington have combined to create the worst fire season on record, with more than a month left to go.
According to the New York Times, more than five million acres have burned in the three states so far, destroying thousands of buildings and killing more than two dozen people and thick smoke and ash have fouled the air up and down the coast.
DC Comics has unveiled the new young adult graphic novel anthology Wonder Women of History, which celebrates real-life heroes, including the 30-year-old Bronx-born Puerto Rican politician who currently serving as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district.
Ocasio-Cortez, or simply AOC, as she’s known, drew national recognition when she won the Democratic Party‘s primary election for New York’s 14th congressional district in June 2018, defeating Democratic Caucus chair Joe Crowley, a 10-term incumbent, in what was widely seen as the biggest upset victory in the 2018 midterm election primaries. She defeated Republican opponent Anthony Pappas in the November general election.
Taking office at age 29, Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress.She has been noted for her substantial social media presence relative to her fellow members of Congress
Female and non-binary writers and artists tell 17 stories of those “who take up Wonder Woman‘s iconic mantle” in their respective fields of science, sports, entertainment, politics, social justice and more, according to the DC Comics blog.
New York Timesbestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson edited the collection after recently writing the original graphic novel Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed.
In addition to Ocasio-Cortez, Wonder Women of History also spotlights singer-actress Janelle Monáe, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Iskwew Air CEO and Founder Teara Fraser, LGBTQ+ rights activist Edith Windsor, transgender activist and Stonewall uprising figure Marsha P. Johnson, Parkland shooting survivor and gun control advocate Emma Gonzalez, disability rights activist Judith Heumann, NASA‘s first Hispanic female astronaut Ellen Ochoa, deputy director of Wuhan Institute of Virology and China’s “Bat Woman” Dr. Shi Zhengli, 23-time Grand Slam winning tennis player Serena Williams, stand-up comic Tig Notaro, actress Keiko Agena, and the first African American gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal Dominique Dawes.
The graphic novel will officially hit bookstore shelves everywhere on December 1. The anthologywill also include portraits of illustrators Weshoyot Alvitre, Colleen Doran, Agnes Garbowska, Bex Glendining, Ashley A. Woods, and Safiya Zerrougui.
The 29-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer has been cast in Between the World and Me, HBO’s adaptation of the stage show based on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ New York Times bestseller.
Rodriguez joins a lineup of cast additions that includes Jharrel Jerome, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Janet Mock, Jason Moran, Wendell Pierce, Kendrick Sampson, Yara Shahidi and Michelle Wilson.
They join previously announced cast members Angela Bassett, Alicia Garza, Joe Morton, Phylicia Rashad, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Courtney B. Vance, Pauletta Washington, Susan Kelechi Watson and Oprah Winfrey.
Originally adapted and staged by the Apollo Theater in 2018, the special will combine elements of that production, including readings from Coates’ book, and will again be directed by award-winning director and Apollo Theater executive producer Kamilah Forbes.
It will also incorporate documentary footage from the actors’ home life, archival footage and animation.
The book, first published in 2015 by One World, is written as a letter to Coates’ teenage son and recounts the author’s experiences growing up in Baltimore’s inner city and his growing fear of daily violence against the Black community. The narrative explores Coates’ notion that American society structurally supports white supremacy.
The special, which is currently in production under COVID-19 guidelines, debuts this fall on HBO and will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
Rodriguez rose to acclaim on FX’s series Pose. Her other credits include television appearances on Luke Cage, The Carrie Diaries and Nurse Jackie.
In November 2019, Rodriguez landed a contract with OlayBody, becoming the first Latina trans woman to enter a partnership with the company.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is set to make a major splash…
The 30-year-old Puerto Rican politician and current the U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district will have a speaking slot at next week’s virtual Democratic National Convention, which, because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be almost entirely virtual from locations across the country.
Ocasio-Cortez, the star of the progressive left, had yet to enter elective politics in the last cycle.
The first-time congresswoman will speak on Tuesday, August 18, on the same nice a virtual roll call of delegates will take place to formally nominate Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Catherine Cortez Masto will also take the national stage.
The 56-year-old half-Mexican American lawyer and politician, who has served as a United States senator from Nevada since 2017, will appear on Monday, August 17.
And, Michelle Lujan Grisham will speak at the convention.
The 60-year-old Mexican American politician, the current governor of New Mexico, will speak on Wednesday, August 19.
In 2018, Lujan Grisham became the first Democratic woman elected governor of New Mexico, as well as the first Democratic Hispanic elected state governor in U.S. history.
Other speakers include Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders.
Some of the speakers are pre-recording their speeches. The New York Times reported that Michelle Obama was pre-taping her appearance, while a source said the Bill Clinton was doing the same.
The proceedings will take place from 9:00 -11:00 pm ET each evening, starting on Monday.
The lineup:
Monday
Bernie Sanders, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), John Kasich, Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Tuesday
Former acting attorney general Sally Yates, Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Secretary of State John Kerry, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DL), Bill Clinton, and Jill Biden. Also planned that evening are keynote address, with the speaker yet to be identified, and a virtual roll call of delegates to formally nominate Joe Biden.
Wednesday
Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Barack Obama.
Thursday
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Newsom, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former South Bend, IN mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DL), Harris, the Biden family and Biden.
Democrats also announced nine speakers “from all walks of life,” designed to showcase everyday Americans at the convention.
