Gravitas Ventures Acquires North American Rights to Carlos Gomez’s Latest Film “Spiked”

Carlos Gomez’s latest project is getting a spike in attention…

Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, has acquired North American rights to distribute the 59-year-old Latin America actor’s film Spiked, which hails from writer/director Juan Martinez Vera.

Carlos Gomez

In addition to Gomez, who starred the in the short-lived series The Baker and the Beauty, the film also stars Aidan Quinn, Deirdre Lovejoy, Danay Garcia, Wendy Makkena, Lovensky Jean-Baptiste and Walter Belenky.

Sal Lopez, and Christopher Rich star in this indie feature drama.  

Spiked is a dramatic story rooted in the injustices that immigrant workers experience along the U.S./Mexico border. Principal photography on the indie feature was completed in 2019 on location in and around southern Arizona.

“Anchored by an outstanding performance by Aidan Quinn, Juan’s film integrates issues around immigration, law enforcement, and journalistic integrity into a compelling real-life narrative. We look forward to presenting this timely film to North American audiences,” said Tony Piantedosi, Vice President of Acquisitions at Gravitas Ventures.

The story follows John Wilson, a newspaper publisher in a small U.S./Mexico border town who denounces the abuse of power by local law enforcement. John has been at it for years and has made more than a few enemies and stepped on more than a few toes. Following the killing of an immigrant worker, an incident that the police are unwilling to do anything about, the newspaper publisher and his team take on the plight of the family and of the community to find those responsible and bring them to justice. At every turn, his efforts are thwarted by an uncooperative police chief who seems to have her own agenda. Matters escalate when John succumbs to a mysterious illness that threatens his life and his investigation.

Spiked follows the personal stories of characters along the border and how their lives collide when they attempt to fight for justice,” Martinez Vera said. “I was inspired to write and direct this project after hearing real-life stories of immigrants suffering abuse of power from law enforcement agencies some 20-years ago and incredibly moved by how relevant these stories are today as immigrant families continue to grapple with inhuman and unjust treatment. I’m thrilled that Gravitas will bring this film to audiences in the U.S., while we look toward announcing plans for distribution throughout Latin American and other markets.”

The film will be produced by Per Melita.

On March 26th, Gravitas will launch the film across multiple VOD platforms, including Amazon Prime, Apple iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Vimeo, Gravitas Movies, and release on SVOD platforms to follow later this year.

First Trailer Released for Brigitte Kali Canales’ Horror Film “The Old Ways”

Brigitte Kali Canales is reverting to her old ways

The first trailer has been released for the Sitges Film Festival horror The Old Ways, starring the Mexican, Cuban and Spanish American actress.

Brigitte Kali Canales

The film follows Cristina Lopez, a Mexican American reporter who returns to her ancestral homeland of Veracruz chasing a story on witchcraft and faith healers. But Lopez becomes the subject of her own story, kidnapped by a local “bruja” and her son.

In addition to Canales, the film also stars Andrea Cortés, Julia Vera, Sal Lopez and AJ Bowen.

Christopher Alender directs from a script by Marcos Gabriel.

The English and Spanish-language movie will get its world premiere at the festival.

The Old Ways has been picked up for sales by genre specialist XYZ Films.

Canales’ previous credits include Baby Driver and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Briarcliff Entertainment Acquires US Rights to Raúl Castillo’s Latino Superhero Film “El Chicano”

El Chicano will be sweeping into theaters next year…

Briarcliff Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to the Latino superhero film with an all-Hispanic cast, including star Raúl Castillo.

El Chicano

The action film tells the story of twin brothers Diego and Pedro (both played by Castillo), who grew up together on the streets of East Los Angeles. As adults, their lives took radically different paths as Diego became a celebrated detective for the LAPD, and Pedro turned to a dead-end life of crime. When clues start connecting Pedro’s death to a case Diego is working on, a mythological figure from his youth, The Ghetto Grim Reaper, draws Diego in deeper than he ever expected. He becomes that figure, a Hispanic version of Batman or Black Panther.

The film also stars George Lopez, Aimee Garcia, Emilio Rivera, Kate del Castillo, Mr. Criminal, Noel G. Marco Rodriguez, Marlene Forte, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Sal Lopez, David Castañeda and Armida Lopez.

El Chicano marks the feature film directorial debut of 25-year veteran stuntman Ben Hernandez Bray, who co-wrote the script with Joe Carnahan.

Carnahan was frustrated waiting for Bad Boys 3 to come together, he succumbed to Bray’s rationale and bailed on one franchise in hopes of starting another.

“I was frustrated with Bad Boys 3, and Ben had been talking about this for a decade,” Carnahan said. “He would tell me that 25% of movie tickets are purchased by Latinos, and so where are their big heroes? We wrote this on spec, and these white oil and gas guys from Canada gave us the money to make it at an under $8 million budget. It got an amazing response at the L.A. Film Festival. We believe in this, and that it can find a big audience and launch a franchise.”

Said Bray: “Just the fact that we’re making this announcement during Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates the vital and important presence of Hispanics and Latinos in North America, is wonderful to me. The time is now for a film like El Chicano. A Latino superhero franchise is long overdue, but to have the forces of Joe Carnahan, Frank Grillo, Tom Ortenberg and Lorenzo di Bonaventurain the mix just makes it even sweeter and well worth the wait!”

The film will be released theatrically on March 22, 2019, with a reported target of 600-800 screens.

Raúl Castillo to Star in the Indie Film “El Chicano”

Raúl Castillo has landed a super new role…

The 39-year-old Mexican American actor will star in El Chicano, the indie film directed by Ben Bray (Supergirl) from a script he co-wrote with Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces).

Raúl Castillo

It’s described as a dark, urban-inspired superhero movie, detailing the crime-fighting exploits of the mysterious barrio vigilante known as “El Chicano.”

The film also stars Lucifer star Aimee Garcia, George Lopez and Kate Del Castillo.

David Castaneda, Noel G, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Marco Rodriguez, Sal Lopez, and Mr. Criminal are also among the cast of the film, which is currently in production.

Castillo recurs in the Netflix series Atypical and was cast as a regular in the streaming giant’s upcoming crime drama series Seven Seconds.

Garcia recently wrapped shooting the film What They Had, opposite Michael Shannon and Hilary Swank.

Lopez currently stars in the TVLand sitcom Lopez.

del Castillo stars in the Netflix series Ingobernable.

Ferrera Among 683 Stars Invited to Become Members of The Academy

America Ferrera is joining the Academy…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited a record 683 people to joins its ranks, including the 32-year-old Honduran American actress, more than double last year’s 322 invitees.

America Ferrera

Best known for her Golden Globe-, Screen Actors Guild Award and Emmy-winning role on ABC’s Ugly Betty, Ferrera has also starred in several acclaimed films including Real Women Have Curves, Under the Same Moon, End of Watch, Cesar Chavez and Lords of Dogtown.

The Academy was careful to include a breakdown by gender and race, with the new list comprising of 46% women, including Girl in Progess star Eva Mendes and Fast & Furious star Michelle Rodriguez, and 41% people of color, including Luis Guzman, Oscar Isaac and Spanish director J.A. Bayona.

“We’re proud to welcome these new members to the Academy and know they view this as an opportunity and not just an invitation — a mission and not just a membership,” Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement. “This class continues our long-term commitment to welcoming extraordinary talent reflective of those working in film today. We encourage the larger creative community to open its doors wider and create opportunities for anyone interested in working in this incredible and storied industry.”

The new invitees include 28 Oscar winners, range in age from 24 to 91 and represent 59 countries.

 

Other Latinos invited to join AMPAS include Enrique Castillo, Sal Lopez, Marisa Paredes, Jacob Vargas, Daphne Zuniga, Ciro Guerra and Nicole Garcia.

 

Check out the complete list here.