Sequel Planned for Louis C.K.’s Hit Animated Film “The Secret Life of Pets”

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Louis C.K. is heading back to the pet park

Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures have announced plans to release their sequel to the unexpected hit The Secret Life of Pets, which features the 48-year-old Mexican American actor as part of the voice cast, in the summer of 2018.

The announcement comes on the heels that the animated film has barked, meowed and hopped its way to more than $400M at the worldwide box office.

Domestically, the total through Tuesday is $300.3M. Internationally, where there is still a lot of rollout to come, the total is $103.5M.

The sequel is set for release on July 13, 2018.

Domestically, Pets debuted in early July as the best opening for an original film, animated or otherwise, with a $104.4M start, and held the No. 1 spot for two weekends.

Voiced by Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart and a litter of other well-known names, its next high-profile Continental launch will be at the Venice Film Festival, where Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri will be honored.

For pet owners and the pet-curious, the concept of what our pets get up to when we leave the house is universal and clearly has clicked in a highly animated summer. Pets has opened No. 1 in 18 offshore markets to date and has 48 more territories to go.

Trapero to Direct Fox Searchlight’s “The Man In The Rockefeller Suit”

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Pablo Trapero is ready to Rock(efeller)…

The 44-year-old Argentine filmmaker has been tapped to direct The Man In The Rockefeller Suit for Fox Searchlight Pictures.

The film tells the true story of Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, an imposter who conned his way into various jobs on Wall Street — as well a marriage — posing as a member of the Rockefeller family. After achieving a life in rarefied social circles, his past finally catches up with him and he fears losing custody of his only daughter.

David Barr Katz has adapted the book by Mark Seal.

This part weekend, Trapero won the Goya Award for Best Ibero-American film for The Clan, which will have a platform release in the U.S. beginning March 19 through Fox. He won the Silver Lion for the picture at last year’s Venice Film Festival, just at it broke the record for largest local-language opening of all time in Argentina.
Trapero has twice had films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscars, for Lion’s Den and Carancho.

Trapero, whose White Elephant premiered in Un Certain Regard at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, chaired the Cannes jury for Un Certain Regard at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

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.

Kino Lorber Acquires North American Rights to Mascaro’s “Neon Bull”

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Gabriel Mascaro’s latest project is headed north…

Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Neon Bull, The 31-year-old writer-director’s film that won a Special Jury Prize this month at the Venice Film Festival and played the Platform section at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Mascaro’s second film centers on a son of a motley, makeshift traveling rodeo family in the northeast of Brazil who dreams of becoming a fashion designer along their journey through one of the country’s most culturally rich and yet, economically forsaken areas.

Juliano Cazarré plays the young man, and Carlos Pessoa and Maeve Jinkings co-star.

The foreign-film distribution specialist is a theatrical run in the first half of 2016, with a VOD and home media release toward the end of next year after more festival runs.

“Neon Bull is a stunning work by an up-and-coming filmmaker we’ve been tracking for a while now,” Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber said. “We believe Gabriel Mascaro has not only made a film that will continue to impress critics worldwide, but will also become an audience favorite in the upcoming months, as we take it to cinema screens all over North America. This is just terrific filmmaking that demands to be seen on the big screen, and that’s exactly our plan for the film.”

Cuarón to Preside Over the International Jury at This Year’s Venice Film Festival

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Alfonso Cuarón is ready to chair, and chair alike…

The 53-year-old Mexican director and Oscar-winner will chair the International Jury for the Competition at the 72nd Venice Film Festival in September.

The appointment by the board of directors comes two years after Cuarón’s Gravity opened the festival out of competition and one year after his friend Alejandro G. Inarritu raised the curtain with Birdman.

Both men went on to win the directing Academy Award (among others) for their respective films.

Two of Cuarón’s other Oscar nominated films have also premiered on the Lido: 2001’s Y Tu Mamà También and 2006’s Children Of Men. The former won the Osella Award for Best Screenplay and the Marcello Mastroianni Award (for stars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna).

Children Of Men later won the Osella Award for Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography.

The Venice Film Festival runs from September 2-12.

Rodriguez Earns First-Ever Golden Globe Nomination

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez is a globe-al sensation…

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican actress has earned her first-ever Golden Globe nomination.

Rodriguez picked up the nod from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in the Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy category for her breakout starring-role on the CW’s Jane the Virgin.

She’s up against Girls’ Lena Dunham, Nurse Jackie’s Edie Falco, Veep’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Orange Is the New Black’s Taylor Schilling.

Additionally, Rodriguez’s Jane the Virgin, which made the American Film Institute’s list of the best televisions shows of the year, was nominated in the Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy category.

But Rodriguez isn’t the only Hispanic Golden Globe nominee…

Louis C.K. has picked up his second career nomination from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The 47-year-old Mexican American received the nod in the Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy category for his starring role in FX’s He’s up against House of Lies’ Don Cheadle, Derek’s Ricky Gervais, Shameless’ William H. Macy and Transparent’s Jeffrey Tambor.

In the motion picture categories, Alejandro González Iñárritu has earned two individual nominations for his dark comedy Birdman.

The Mexican filmmaker is up for Best Director – Motion Picture, as well as Best Screenplay – Motion Picture for co-penning the script for Birdman with Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo.

In addition, González Iñárritu’s Birdman is nominated for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.

Antonio Sanchez, meantime, has picked up his first-ever Golden Globe nomination.

The 43-year-old Mexican jazz drummer and multiple Grammy winner has been nominated in the Best Original Score – Motion Picture category for his work on Birdman.

Sanchez’s drumming serves as the main musical ingredient in Iñarritu’s film. His work has already won the Sound Stars Award for best Film Score at the 2014 Venice Film Festival and won the Hollywood Music in Media Awards prize for best original film score.

The Guillermo del Toro-produced The Book of Life has received a nod in the Best Animated Feature category. The Day of the Dead-themed film is up against Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, How to Train Your Dragon 2 and The Lego Movie.

The 72nd Golden Globe Awards will be held on January 11 with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler returning as the show’s hosts.

Here’s a look at the categories with Latino/a nominees:

MOTION PICTURES

Best Comedy
“Birdman,” produced by Alejandro González Iñárritu
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“Into the Woods”
“Pride”
“St. Vincent”

Best Director
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Ava Duvernay, “Selma”
David Fincher, “Gone Girl”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”

Best Screenplay
Wes Anderson, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”

Best Animated Feature
“Big Hero 6”
“The Book of Life,” produced by Guillermo del Toro
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“The Lego Movie”

Best Score
“The Imitation Game”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Gone Girl”
“Birdman,” composed by Antonio Sanchez
“Interstellar”

TELEVISION

Best TV Comedy or Musical
“Girls”
“Jane the Virgin”
“Orange Is the New Black”
“Silicon Valley”
“Transparent”

Best Actress in a TV Comedy
Lena Dunham, “Girls”
Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Gina Rodriguez, “Jane the Virgin”
Taylor Schilling, “Orange Is the New Black”

Best Actor in a TV Comedy
Louis CK, “Louie”
Don Cheadle, “House of Lies”
Ricky Gervais, “Derek”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”

Hayek’s “The Prophet” to Have Its Middle East Premiere at the Ajyal Film Festival

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek is bringing her latest behind-the-scenes project to the Middle East.

The Doha Film Institute has revealed its lineup for the 2nd annual Ajyal Film Festival. The fest, which takes place December 1-6, will host 90 films from 43 countries including the Middle East premiere of Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, produced by the 48-year-old Mexican actress and directed by Roger Allers.

The animated film, based on the Lebanese writer’s iconic long-form meditative poem, features the voices of Liam Neeson, John Krasinski and Hayek. DFI co-financed and co-produced the film, which will close the festival. Hayek will attend the premiere.

Festival director and acting DFI chief exec Fatma Al-Remaihi has also placed a firm emphasis on local filmmaking talent with a Made In Qatar section that boasts 20 short films by Qatari filmmakers.

“This year, we were overwhelmed by the number of submissions by professionals and aspiring filmmakers. We are also delighted that we have been able to support their ambitions through our filmmaking challenges and look forward to sharing the results of these initiatives through the Made in Qatar programs,” said Al-Remaihi.

“The thematic diversity and quality of projects in the Made in Qatar section is a testament to the growth and vibrancy within the creative community of our nation.”

Also confirmed to attend is Jordanian director Naji Abu Nowar to present Theeb, which also received financing from DFI. The film, a coming-of-age story of a Bedouin boy who embarks on a perilous journey across the desert as the Ottoman Empire crumbles, has already won the Orrizonti Award for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival this year; as well as best Arab Film and the FIPRESCI Prize for best narrative feature at the recent Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

Iñárritu’s “Birdman” to Open Poland’s Camerimage Festival

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest film is flying to Poland…

The 50-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s dramedy Birdman has been chosen as one of the two films to open the 2014 edition of Poland’s Camerimage Festival.

The critically acclaimed film which Iñárritu co-wrote and directed, will kick off the event November 15, alongside The Imitation Game.

Birdman, which also opened this year’s Venice Film Festival, stars Michael Keaton as an aging actor, once famous for playing an iconic superhero, who is trying to reignite his career and launch a Broadway play.

After receiving glowing reviews, Birdman is now being considered as a prime awards season contender.

The Camerimage Festival is the world’s leading film fest honoring the art of cinematography.

The 22nd edition runs November 15-22 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Grindstone Entertainment Acquires North American Rights to Leguizamo’s “Cymbeline”

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

John Leguizamo’s latest project will hit U.S. theaters in the near future…

Lionsgate’s Grindstone Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to the modern-day film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, starring the 50-year-old Colombian actor/comedian.

The film, which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, centers on a battle between dirty cops and a drug dealing biker gang, set in a corruption-riddled contemporary America. Shakespeare’s play centered on the daughter of the British king Cymbeline, who discovers she has secretly married a man raised in her father’s court, resulting in his banishment from the court.

In addition to Leguizamo, the film also stars Ethan Hawke, Ed Harris, Milla Jovovich, Penn Badgley, Dakota Johnson and Anton Yelchin.

Cymbeline, which re-teams director Michael Almereyda with Hawke more than a decade after their collaboration on Hamlet in 2000, will be distributed in the spring.

It’s Leguizamo’s latest appearance in a film adaptation of a William Shakespeare work. He previously starred in 1996’s Baz Luhrmann-directed Romeo + Juliet, an abridged modernization of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman” to Close the New York Film Festival

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu is bringing his bird to the Big Apple…

Birdman, a dramedy co-written and directed by the 50-year-old Mexican filmmaker, has been selected as the closing night film at this year’s New York Film Festival on October 12, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film, which is being distributed by Fox Searchlight and will be released in theaters on October 17, will have its world premiere on the opening night of the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 27.

Birdman stars Michael Keaton as a washed-up movie star trying to revive his career on Broadway. The cast also includes Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough, Zach Galifianakis, Merritt Wever, Edward Norton, Amy Ryan and Naomi Watts.

The film was lensed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity), reportedly in a way that gives the appearance that the entire film is one continuous shot.

A González Iñárritu film closed the NYFF once before: 21 Grams screened in that slot in 2003. (The director’s first trip to the fest, though, was in 2000, with Amores Perros.)

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