Residente Signs with United Talent Agency for Representation in All Areas

René “Residente” Pérez has new representation…

The 48-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning rapper, best known as one of the founders of the alternative rap band Calle 13, has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA) for representation in all areas.

ResidenteUTA also will represent his production company, 1868 Studios.

The announcement comes on the heels of news that Residente will be making his directing and screenwriting debut with the film Porto Rico.

Residente has assembled his own supergroup of actors to lead his epic Caribbean western and historical drama depicting the realities of colonialism and paternalism.

In his lead acting role, Benito “Bad Bunny” Martínez Ocasio will star alongside heavy hitters Edward Norton, Javier Bardem and Viggo Mortensen to be executive produced by the legendary filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu.

Residente co-wrote the screenplay with Birdman‘s Alexander Dinelaris, a fellow Puerto Rican talent.

While exploring this new facet of his career, Residente never will abandon his musical roots, which began as the frontman of the group Calle 13.

In 2017, he made his solo debut with the self-titled album Residente. The popularity of his infusion of Latin hip-hop and reggaeton sounds has taken him to major stages all over the world, including notable performances with Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic in 2020 and in front of a crowd of 180,000 fans at Mexico City’s historic Zócalo last year.

He’s a four-time Grammy and 29 Latin Grammy Award winner and shares the title of most Latin Grammy wins with Édgar Barrera.

In 2020 show, Residente expressed his desire to act, write and direct. Four years later, he made his acting debut alongside Sasha Calle and Leslie Grace in the indie feature In the Summers, which garnered much buzz at the Sundance Film Festival that year and won the Grand Jury Prize.

He recently returned to the festival as part of the cast of the feature Frank and Louis, starring opposite Kingsley Ben-Adir.

To continue expanding as a multi-hyphenate creative, Residente launched his 1868 Studios banner through a multi-year joint venture between Sony Music Latin-Iberia and Sony Music Vision. The company develops, produces and globally distributes original content centered on authentic, culturally driven storytelling. Committed to elevating Latin culture and bringing Latin stories to global audiences, 1868 Studios creates premium projects that highlight heritage, identity and bold creative expression across formats.

Residente was most recently represented at CAA.

Nicolás Pereda’s Narco Culture-Themed Film “Fauna” to Premiere at This Year’s Reimagined Toronto Film Festival

Nicolás Pereda is bringing the faunato this year’s reimagined Toronto Film Festival.

The 38-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s latest film Fauna will be among the film’s screened at the festival, which is North America’s largest festival.

Nicolás Pereda

The film is an exploration of the impact of “narco” culture on Mexican society.

It’ll be Fauna’s official global premiere. An excerpt from the film was screened as part of the “Works in Progress” section of the Los Cabos International Film Festival in 2019,and won the Cinecolor Mexico Award.

This year’s edition will run from September 10–19. As expected, the festival will look different due to the coronavirus.

Organizers say the 45th TIFF will be “tailored to fit the moment,” with a combination of physical screenings and drive-ins, digital screenings, virtual red carpets, press conferences and industry talks. 

There’ll be considerably fewer movies — a selection comprising 50 new features — and the festival isn’t expecting large numbers of international press or industry to attend in person.

In addition to Pereda’s Fauna, this year’s strong crop of early movies confirmed to screen at the festival are the Kate Winslet-starrer AmmoniteThomas Vinterberg’s Another RoundConcrete Cowboy with Idris ElbaGood Joe Bell starring Mark WahlbergSuzanne Lindon’s Spring BlossomTrue Mothers by Naomi Kawase and Halle Berry’s directorial debut BruisedMore titles will be announced over the summer.

The movies will play over the event’s first five days as physical, socially distanced screenings. There will also be five programs of short films, interactive talks, film cast reunions, and Q&As with cast and filmmakers.

However, the festival has acknowledged that its plans for an in-person festival will be contingent on the local government’s “reopening framework to ensure that festival venues and workplaces practice, meet and exceed public health guidelines.” Large gatherings still aren’t permitted in Toronto.

TIFF temporarily closed its year-round offices and cinemas at TIFF Bell Lightbox in March due to the pandemic. The organization is now taking steps to prepare for reopening and working with medical advisors and public health officials to ensure safe conditions.

Meanwhile, TIFF is launching a bespoke digital platform for the festival. The organization has partnered with Shift72 on the platform, which will host digital screenings, talks and special events.

The Industry Conference will be online-only this year, with screenings for press and industry taking place on the digital platform only. The fest says there will be “advanced security and anti-piracy measures, access to buyers, and opportunities for networking.”

For 2020, TIFF says it will welcome 50 filmmakers and actors as TIFF Ambassadors to help the festival deliver its program. They will include Ava DuVernayTaika Waititi, Anurag KashyapNicole KidmanMartin ScorseseNadine LabakiAlfonso CuarónTantoo CardinalRiz Ahmed, Isabelle HuppertClaire DenisAtom EgoyanPriyanka Chopra, Viggo MortensenZhang ZiyiDavid OyelowoLulu Wang, Rosamund PikeSarah Gadon and Denis Villeneuve.

TIFF will also present its annual TIFF Tribute Awards, acknowledging and celebrating outstanding contributors to the film industry. 

Now in its third year, TIFF’s Media Inclusion Initiative will continue to accredit eligible black, indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+ and female emerging film critics. New this year, TIFF is also offering companies and individuals the opportunity to gift industry access to 250 underrepresented emerging filmmakers from around the world.

Amorim to Direct “Crossface,” a Film About Pro Wrestler Chris Benoit

Vicente Amorim is about to get a little cross(face)…

SRG Films has named the 47-year-old half-Brazilian filmmaker as the director of its latest project Crossface, a feature adaptation of Matthew Randazzo’s book Ring Of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry.

Vicente Amorim

Amorim, who directed the Viggo Mortensen-starrer Good, will chronicle the pressures that WWE superstar Chris Benoit faced during his wrestling career and how a lethal combination of drug-use, depression and head trauma became unbearable for him.

In 2007, Benoit murdered his wife and young son before taking his own life.

Sarah Coulter wrote the script; and production is expected to begin next year.

“Wrestling is showbiz taken to the extreme and ‘Crossface’ is Limelight on steroids,” said Amorim, who with other directors is currently working on Rio, I Love You. “Chris Benoit’s story is the perfect vehicle for a fiercely honest film that is as much about him and the world of wrestling as it is about America and show business. I am very happy to be on board to help tell this story.”

Amorim’s past directing credits include Too Much Brazil, The Middle of the World and Dirty Hearts.

SRG Films chief Dale Alexander Carnegie called Amorim’s work “not only thrilling, but also touching, two things we hope to bring to our film.”

AMC Networks Acquires Braga’s “On the Road”

It looks like Alice Braga’s latest film will be released in theaters this fall…

The 29-year-old Brazilian actress’ On the Road has been acquired by AMC Networks a week before it premieres in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Alice Braga

Buying all U.S. rights to Walter Salles’ adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s classic novel of the same name, AMC Networks announced that its distribution labels IFC Films and Sundance Selects will release the film later this fall in theaters.

Along with Braga—who rose to fame following her starring role opposite Will Smith in I Am Legend—the film stars Twilight’s Kristen Stewart, TRON: Legacy’s Garrett Hedlund, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, Elisabeth Moss and Viggo Mortensen.

Alice Braga's On the Road Poster

Jose Rivera wrote the screenplay for the film, which brings to life the classic novel based on the spontaneous cross-country adventures of Kerouac and his friends during the middle of the 20th century.

On the Road is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat Generation that was inspired by jazz, poetry and drug experiences. While many of the names and details of Kerouac’s experiences are changed for the novel, hundreds of references in On the Road have real-world counterparts.