News

Exclusive: Sarah Jane Morris and Alexis Vazquez have joined the cast of Jorge Xolalpa’s immigration thriller Huehxolotl.

Deadline has learned that they will join Maya Zapata, Elyfer Torres, Katherine Castro and Alexander James Rodriguez in the film, which is billed as a “tense, character-driven legal thriller exploring the emotional, cultural, and systemic battles faced by undocumented immigrants in America.” We revealed news of Xolalpa’s pic in March.

Brothers & Sisters star Morris will play Helen, a district attorney who, while passing by, witnesses an illegal Ice detention attempt targeting lead character Xochitl and her sister Nayeli (Torres) outside their family-owned restaurant. Moved by the injustice, she intervenes, risking her career and personal safety to help the sisters evade an unlawful deportation.

Vazquez will portray Agent Perez, a ruthless, cold and conniving Ice officer at the center of the attempted detainment. His calculated pursuit of Xochitl becomes the catalyst...

Exclusive: Strangelove creator Jorge Xolalpa has signed with Posh Talent Agency for commercial and theatrical representation.

The Mexican-American filmmaker is known as the creator of Prime Video queer Latino comedy-drama series Strangelove, which has been dubbed by critics as “The Latinx Sex and the City” thanks to its sharp wit, unapologetic exploration of love and identity, and on-screen representation.

He’ll next be directing Huehxolotl, an intense immigration thriller that unfolds in the heart of Los Angeles, shedding light on illegal deportations happening across the United States. It stars Maya Zapata, Elyfer Torres, Katherine Castro and Alexander James Rodriguez, and follows an undocumented Mexican woman and restaurant owner whose asylum petition is denied, leaving her with just 30 days to self-deport.

Pic is currently in pre-production and slated to begin filming in the summer 2025. Xolalpa and Alfredo Widman at Mighty Aphrodite Pictures are producing with finance from Nyta Film Group, as we revealed in March.

Exclusive: Mexican-American filmmaker Jorge Xolalpa (Strangelove) has signed on to direct Huehxolotl, an immigration thriller starring an ensemble of Hispanic-Latino performers.

The cast features Maya Zapata (Amazon Studios: Cada Minuto Cuenta) Elyfer Torres (Paramount+: Tengo Que Morir Todas las Noches), Katherine Castro (Lolita), and Alexander James Rodriguez (Netflix: Bee and Puppycat).

The film follows an undocumented Mexican woman and restaurant owner whose asylum petition is denied, leaving her with just 30 days to self-deport.

Synopsis reads: When Xochit is pursued by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E) agents, a tense standoff ensues outside her restaurant, with her 8-year-old son Diego witnessing the traumatic event. Amidst the chaos, attorney Helen steps in to protect Xochitl, but Agent Walker (Castro) unlawfully arrests her, sparking a legal battle. As Xochitl’s family grapples with the aftermath, her sister Nayeli (Torres), a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) recipient, becomes Diego’s primary guardian,...

Every Minute Counts is a moving look at the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City that connects personal and public trauma in a way that feels instant and deep. Its nonlinear storytelling encourages viewers to engage with the characters’ lives before and after the disaster, revealing how such disasters change who we are.

The series reflects societal concerns about vulnerability and resilience and resonates strongly in today’s cultural environment. The characters act as mirrors, forcing us to think about our responses to crises as we deal with our own problems.

The cinematography immerses the viewer in the chaotic beauty of Mexico City, and the editing skillfully weaves together flashbacks, echoing the narrative innovations found in modern independent film. The sound design raises the tension while grounding the drama in a hauntingly current reality.

By balancing these artistic elements, Every Minute Counts walks the line between independent and popular filmmaking. It makes...

November 2024 brings an exciting lineup of Prime Video Originals, featuring a diverse range of films and series that cater to various tastes. Kicking off the month is Freedom on November 1, a gripping French thriller inspired by the true story of a notorious gangster, featuring a strong cast led by Lucas Bravo. Following this, on November 7, the Hindi action series Citadel (Honey Bunny), a spin-off of the acclaimed original, delves into the world of international spies with stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan. The disaster film Every Minute Counts arrives on November 8, chronicling the aftermath of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.

On November 10, the documentary series German Cocaine Cowboy examines the rise of gangster Joe Marx within the Cali cartel. Other highlights include the thriller series Cross on November 14, the action-adventure film Red One on November 15, and the intriguing docu-film Billions Mike on November 17. Comedy fans can look forward to Jeff Dunham...

Alonso Aguilar, head of Mexico Originals at Amazon Studios and showrunner/director Jorge Michel Grau regaled participants of the Madrid confab Iberseries & Platino Industria with a first look at the trailer of Prime Video Latin America’s most expensive production to date, “Every Minute Counts” (“Cada Minuto Cuenta”).

The new original series, that turns on the devastating earthquake that hit Mexico City on Sept. 19, 1985 made use of the Unreal Engine virtual screen technology first used by Disney’s “The Mandalorian,” unprecedented for Mexico, or Latin America for that matter.

“The technology has been used in smaller productions in Latin America but not at this scale,” Aguilar told Variety, who added that they have two ongoing projects, a movie and series, currently in production, that are also tapping into the 3D virtual technology that was originally developed by Ilm and Epic Games.

Pre-production for “Every Minute Counts” took six months and another six months to shoot,...

Myriad Pictures has boarded international sales and will commence talks in Cannes on the comedy drama, Sisters featuring Cristo Fernández from Ted Lasso.

Marta Méndez Cross, Valeria Maldonado, Virginia Novello, Maya Zapata, and Gonzalo García Vivanco star in the Las Caminantas Films production.

Sisters tells of a woman with cancer who tricks her estranged siblings into joining her on her pilgrimage to find a miracle along a path in Mexico used by their beloved grandmother.

Mar Novo directed from a screenplay by Virginia Novello, Marta Méndez Cross, Valeria Maldonado, and Youssef Delara.

Producing are Denisse Prieto, Novello, Cross, and Maldonado.

Exclusive: Production has begun on Cada Minuto Cuenta, a new Prime Video drama series set against the backdrop of Mexico’s catastrophic earthquake in 1985 that claimed the lives of at least 5k people. Osvaldo Benavides, Maya Zapata, Jesús Zavala and Antonio de la Vega will star in the production set to premiere in 2024.

From director, Jorge Michel Grau, Cada Minuto Cuenta narrates how, as a result of the terrible earthquake of 1985 In Mexico City, a doctor tied to his past, a journalist in search of fame, and a family in crisis will be forced to risk their lives in extreme situations to save themselves — alongside thousands of others who were buried. In their titanic rescue efforts, every minute becomes an opportunity to rewrite their own destiny.

Additional cast includes Miriam Balderas, Azalia Ortiz, Mónica Del Carmen, Gabriela Cartol, Luis Fernando Peña, Zamia Fandiño, Damayanti Quintanar, Daniel Martínez and Pamela Vargas.

Well, with all projects that soar high, one inevitably crashes back down to Earth.

“Top Gun: Maverick” breakout star Monica Barbaro quietly leads the Paramount+ rom-com “At Midnight,” an updated take on “Notting Hill” with a dash of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” framework. Unfortunately, with the film premiering February 10, audiences would be better off watching star-studded (and better filmed) Super Bowl ads on loop for 105 minutes.

Barbaro plays Sophie Wilder, a rising actress who leads a superhero franchise with her boyfriend of five years, Adam Clark (Anders Holm, who has made a career out of playing shitty boyfriends). When Sophie catches Adam kissing someone else in his trailer, she immediately dumps him and questions how she is going to finish the latest “Super Society” superhero installment. Production moves to Mexico, where Sophie and her posse including best friend Rachel and publicist Chris (Casey Thomas Brown) try to figure out how to...

Exclusive: Cristo Fernández has wrapped on the comedy Sisters, written by and starring Marta Cross (Criminal Minds), Valeria Maldonado (Coco), and Virginia Novello (Gone). Fernández executive produces and stars in the film via his Espectro Mx Films banner. An exclusive trailer for Sisters can be viewed above.

With their lives unraveling around them, three Mexican American sisters reunite, after years of estrangement, to complete their beloved grandmother’s pilgrimage through rural Mexico. With no hiking experience, little reception, and an old map, the sisters walk the sacred trail to Talpa de Allende and find help along the way from Kin (Fernández), a local with a dark past. They must work together through their differences in order to reach the end and find their miracle.

Sisters also stars Adam Mayfield (Ford vs Ferrari), Maya Zapata (Under the Same Moon), Ignacio Riva Palacio (Rosario Tijeras), and...

Following her turn in the hit Tom Cruise sequel, the first At Midnight trailer has been released for Monica Barbaro's rom-com. Barbaro recently starred in the box office juggernaut Top Gun: Maverick, which opened to wide critical acclaim and proved to have strong legs at the box office. At the time of this writing, Top Gun: Maverick has a 96 percent from critics and a 99 percent from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes and has made 1.48 billion at the box office. A sequel and Barbaro’s return to the franchise have not yet been announced. Barbaro has also appeared in I’m Charlie Walker and The Cathedral and has starred in such series as The Good Cop and Chicago P.D.

The trailer for Monica Barbaro’s new romantic comedy for Paramount+, At Midnight, has been released.

Out February 10, exclusively on Paramount+, At Midnight comes out in time for Valentine’s Day. A...

At Midnight is a rom-com movie directed by Jonah Feingold starring Monica Barbaro and Diego Boneta.

It’s only a matter of time. At Midnight, a new romantic comedy, premieres February 10 exclusively on Paramount+! Alejandro (Diego Boneta) is a hotel manager. Sophie (Monica Barbaro) is a movie star. They’re worlds apart. But what happens when fate brings them together in Mexico?

Storyline

Ambitious hotel manager Alejandro and movie star Sophie meet when fate strikes when the shoot brings them all to Alejandro’s hotel in Mexico. Despite their radically different lives, Alejandro and Sophie begin to secretly meet at midnight…

Release Date

February 10, 2023

Where to Watch At Midnight

Paramount+

Cast

Diego Boneta / Alejandro

Monica Barbaro / Sophie

Casey Thomas Brown / Chris

Catherine Cohen / Rachel

Fernando Carsa / Tachi

Whitney Cummings / Margot

Maya Zapata / Aurelia...

"I wish we could go somewhere we didn't have to hide…" Paramount has revealed the trailer for a romantic comedy titled At Midnight, which will be debuting directly for streaming on Paramount+ in February. This is one of these movies they're rushing out on Valentine's Day in hopes that couples might choose to watch. At Midnight is a cringe romance about two people who have made a "safe" choice not to fall in love. Despite their radically different lives, will they finally admit it's time to let the love flow after they meet in a hotel in Mexico? Of course, why would the plot show us anything else. Diego Boneta and Monica Barbaro star as Alejandro and Sophie, with a cast including Anders Holm, Casey Thomas Brown, Catherine Cohen, Fernando Carsa, Whitney Cummings, and Maya Zapata. This looks really bad. It's pretty much just a ripoff Redbox version of Forgetting Sarah Marshall,...

Diego Boneta stars as Alejandro and Monica Barbaro as Sophie Wilder in At Midnight streaming on Paramount + Credit: Paramount + © 2022 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Paramount+ has released the official trailer and key art for all-new original romantic comedy film At Midnight, premiering Friday, Feb. 10. The official trailer and key art debuted during the film’s panel at Paramount+’s Television Critics Association presentation, featuring stars Monica Barbaro, Diego Boneta and director Jonah Feingold. The film will be available to stream globally on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil and Italy, with premiere dates for other Paramount+ international markets announced at a later date. At Midnight centers around Alejandro, an ambitious hotel manager, and Sophie, a movie star navigating the politics of Hollywood. He’s focused on opening his own boutique hotel. She’s trying to focus on shooting her new superhero film,...

Diego Boneta and “Top Gun: Maverick” star Monica Barbaro will make audiences swoon this Valentine’s Day in the new Paramount+ romance “At Midnight.”

In the first trailer, released Monday, we’re introduced to Sophie (Barbaro), a Hollywood star who’s love is on the rocks after catching her boyfriend of five years cheating, and Alejandro (Boneta), a manager at the Mexican hotel she’s staying at while filming a sequel to her hit superhero franchise.

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“He’s focused on opening his own boutique hotel. She’s trying to focus on shooting her new superhero film Super Society 3, in hopes of getting her own spinoff,” a release from Paramount reads. “Fate strikes when she catches her co-star (and boyfriend!) Adam cheating and the shoot brings them all to Alejandro’s hotel in Mexico.

Top Gun: Maverick star, Monica Barbaro, anchors the upcoming romantic comedy, At Midnight, in new first-look images. The actor starred as Lieutenant Natasha "Phoenix" Trace, a F/A-18F pilot and trainee at the Topgun school under the tutelage of returning ace Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise). Although Barbaro had a solid career in film and television dating back to 2013, Phoenix in Top Gun: Maverick, the highest-grossing movie of 2022, proved to be her breakout role. She is set to star in the Army of the Dead spinoff series, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, and in Arnold Schwarzenegger's upcoming spy action series, Utap.

Barbaro gets cozy with Diego Boneta in first-look images of the Top Gun: Maverick star's upcoming romantic comedy, At Midnight. Previously featured in Terminator: Dark Fate, Die in a Gunfight, and this year's Father of the Bride adaptation, Boneta, portrays Barbaro's love interest, Alejandro, a motivated Los Angeles hotel manager.

Click here to read the full article.

Paramount Global’s streaming service Paramount+ has released first-look images from upcoming romantic comedy At Midnight, starring Top Gun: Maverick breakout Monica Barbaro, and unveiled that the original film will premiere on the streamer on Friday, Feb. 10 across the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Latin America and Italy.

Premiere dates for other Paramount+ international markets will be set at a later date.

Monica Barbaro stars as Sophie in At Midnight.

The film focuses on Alejandro, an ambitious hotel manager portrayed by Diego Boneta (Father of the Bride) and Sophie (Barbaro), a movie star navigating the politics of Hollywood. “He’s focused on opening his own boutique hotel. She’s trying to focus on shooting her new superhero film Super Society 3, in hopes of getting her own spinoff, but catches her co-star (and boyfriend!) Adam (Anders Holm, Workaholics) cheating,” according to a plot description.

TelevisaUnivision is putting the polish on ViX+ for the premium streamer’s debut next month — and will try to persuade Spanish-speaking audiences to pay for another service in their monthly mix.

The Hispanic programming powerhouse, formed through the merger of Univision and Televisa, is launching ViX+ on July 21 in the U.S and across Latin America. Its will cost 6.99 per month in the U.S. and MX119 per month in Mexico.

TelevisaUnivision touts its entry into the premium streaming wars as the biggest dedicated Spanish-language service in the market: ViX+ is slated to feature more than 10,000 hours of ad-free entertainment programming in its first year and up to 7,000 hours of live sports, including live soccer matches and coverage in the U.S. and Mexico of world’s top leagues and tournaments.

ViX+ will include more than 70 original series and movies in the first year. Originals available at launch include premium series “María Félix,...

Stars: Victoria Vertuga, Felisha Michelle Cacho, Thomas Hobson, Maya Zapata, Susan Louise O’Connor | Written by Victoria Vertuga, Eric Williford | Directed by Victoria Vertuga

Lexi opens with the standard card telling us where the footage we’re about to see came from followed by a montage of views from security cameras. Then a desperate looking woman appears followed by the film’s title card, there are no credits. It’s an effective and attention-grabbing opening.

More of a mockumentary than a found footage film, although it does incorporate plenty of it, Lexi is an investigation into the strange events surrounding the disappearance of social media influencer “Laughing Lexi” aka Alexandria Mancini.

Starting with her friend Mel (Felisha Michelle Cacho; Treason) filing a missing persons report, director Victoria Vertuga and co-writer Eric Williford examine the last six months of her life looking for clues to what might have happened. We get a...

Exclusive: Anders Holm, Whitney Cummings, Catherine Cohen, Casey Thomas Brown, Maya Zapata (Selena’s Secret), Fernando Carsa (Acapulco) and Ricardo Esquerra (Narcos: Mexico) have joined Diego Boneta and Monica Barbaro in the cast of At Midnight, a Paramount+ original film from director Jonah Feingold, which has entered production in Mexico.

At Midnight is a romantic comedy about two people who do their best not to fall in love. It’s centered on Alejandro (Boneta), who lives a predictable life according to plan, and Sophie (Barbaro), a beautiful rising movie star with an unreliable celebrity boyfriend. During a visit to Mexico’s beach to shoot scenes for her new movie, Super Society, Sophie falls in love with the hotel manager. Neither...

In a bid to keep up with the fast-evolving TV viewing habits of its audience, Telemundo has launched a new Sunday night drama franchise billed as “Series Premium.”

The new weekly program aims to bring a host of high-concept series that run 10 to 15 episodes per season, a big shift from the traditional telenovela focus of Spanish-language TV. The initial roster of shows for the Sunday night showcase include “El Recluso,” bio-series “Nicky Jam: El Ganador,” crime drama “Falco,” and “El Secreto de Selena,” among others.

“Our objective is to carve a space on Sunday nights with shorter, high-value, high-ip stories, featuring world- class talent,” said Luis Silberwasser, president of Telemundo Networks. Telemundo recently tapped former Univision programming exec Ronald Day to serve as exec VP of Programming for Telemundo Networks.

Telemundo’s push into recurring series that mirror the offerings of English-language networks reflect the NBCUniversal network’s push to draw a younger audience.

Biographical film about Sergei Eisenstein was Golden Bear nominated last year.

Independent British distributor Axiom Films has set an April 15 UK theatrical release for Peter Greenaway’s Golden Bear-nominated film about revered Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein.

Eisenstein In Guanajuato chronicles the director travelling to Guanajuato in Mexico in 1931 to shoot his feature Que Viva Mexico. While there, he falls in love with his guide.

Elmer Bäck (Where Once We Walked) stars as Eisenstein, alongside Luis Alberti (The Golden Dream) and Maya Zapata (Bordertown).

Lisa Owen, Stelio Savante, Rasmus Slatis & Jakob Öhrman are also among the cast.

Strand Releasing handled the title’s Us theatrical, which began on Feb 5.

The film premiered at the Berlinale in 2015 where Greenaway was nominated for a Golden Bear.

"What the hell does he know about film?!" Wow, this looks wacky. Strand Releasing put out this new trailer and official poster for Peter Greenway's Eisenstein in Guanajuato, a film about Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein traveling down to Mexico in 1931 to shoot a new film. Elmer Bäck plays Sergei Eisenstein, and Luis Alberti plays his guide Palomino Cañedo, and the cast includes Maya Zapata, Lisa Owen, Stelio Savante. I can't really tell if I'm into this or not. It truly looks "wonderfully mind-boggling", as one of the quotes in this trailer states, I just hope it makes some sense. The footage is definitely appealing, and some of the shots got my attention. It's a very captivating, very mesmerizing trailer that pulls you into the journey, and makes you want to see more of this story about his wacky, wild 10 days in Mexico. Take a look below. Here's the new Us...

The great Peter Greenaway is finally returning this year with his long-developing Sergei Eisenstein drama, and it was well worth the wait. Reviewing it out of last year’s Berlinale, we said, “Ostensibly, Eisenstein in Guanajuato is a chronicle of Sergei Eisenstein’s ill-fated endeavor to shoot a film in Mexico at the age of 33. However, not only is Eisenstein never shown shooting a single scene, but anyone without prior knowledge of the Soviet master is unlikely to come out of the film much wiser about his life or place in film history.”

We added, “Rather, in paying homage to one of his heroes, Greenaway delves into the director’s personality, offering an interpretation radically different from the customarily-held image of Eisenstein as a solemn and cerebral revolutionary genius. The biographical focus, unsurprisingly, is on Eisenstein’s sexuality, whereas his groundbreaking film techniques and theory are explored visually through a...

Peter Greenaway's Golden Bear nominated "Eisenstein In Guanajuato" (Isa: Film Boutique) will make its Los Angeles premiere at Outfest Los Angeles Lgbt Film Festival on Monday July 13th at 7pm.

"Eisenstein In Guanajuato" stars Elmer Back, Luis Alberti, Maya Zapata, Lisa Owen, Stelio Savante, Rasmus Slatis & Jakob Ohrman, and chronicles the journey of Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein when he traveled to Guanajuato in Mexico to shoot “Que Viva Mexico” in 1931. While in Mexico, Eisenstein fell madly in love with his guide Canedo.The biopic will be released through Strand Releasing by the beginning of 2016.

Director Peter Greenaway, and cast memeber Luis Alberti, Elmer Beck, Stelio Savante will be in attendance.

Founded in 1982, Outfest is the leading organization that promotes Lgbt equality by creating, sharing, and protecting Lgbt stories on the screen. The festival runs from July 9th - July 19th and will be presented by HBO.

Neil Armfield.s Holding the Man, Simon Stone.s The Daughter, Jeremy Sims. Last Cab to Darwin and Jen Peedom.s feature doc Sherpa will have their world premieres at the Sydney Film Festival.

The festival program unveiled today includes 33 world premieres (including 22 shorts) and 135 Australian premieres (with 18 shorts) among 251 titles from 68 countries.

Among the other premieres will be Daina Reid.s The Secret River, Ruby Entertainment's. ABC-tv miniseries starring Oliver Jackson Cohen and Sarah Snook, and three Oz docs, Marc Eberle.s The Cambodian Space Project — Not Easy Rock .n. Roll, Steve Thomas. Freedom Stories and Lisa Nicol.s Wide Open Sky.

Festival director Nashen Moodley boasted. this year.s event will be far larger than 2014's when 183 films from 47 countries were screened, including 15 world premieres. The expansion is possible in part due to the addition of two new screening venues in Newtown and Liverpool.

As previously announced, Brendan Cowell...

Strand Releasing has acquired all U.S. rights to Peter Greenaway's historical drama Eisenstein In Guanajuat. The film, which had its world premiere in competition at Berlin, centers on Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein's romance with a local male guide while shooting Que Viva Mexico in Guanajuato in 1931. Elmer Back and Luis Alberti star alongside Maya Zapata, Lisa Owen, Stelio Savante, Rasmus Slatis and Jakob Ohrman. Eisenstein is produced by Bruno Felix and Femke…...

Peter Greenaway’s Eisenstein In Guanajuato will have its world premiere in competition here in Berlin on Wednesday. The Pillow Book and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover helmer’s latest is set in 1931 and follows Battleship Potemkin director Sergei Eisenstein as he travels to Mexico to shoot Que Viva Mexico. Freshly rejected by Hollywood and under increasing pressure to return to Stalinist Russia, Eisenstein encounters a new culture and its dealings with death; he also discovers another revolution — and his own body. Elmer Bäck plays Eisenstein with Stelio Savante, Luis Alberti, Maya Zapata, Lisa Owen, Rasmus Slätis and Jakob Öhrman also in the cast. Films Boutique is selling at the Efm. Check out the trailer above.

Peter Greenaway's new film "Eisenstein In Guanajuato," starring Elmer Bäck, Luis Alberti, Maya Zapata, Lisa Owen, Stelio Savante, Rasmus Slätis, and Jakob Öhrman, will be making its world premiere at the 65th Berlinale on February 11, 2015.

The film is a Netherlands-Mexico-Finland-Belgium co-production from Submarine, Fu Works, Paloma Negra Films, Edith Film, Potemkino, and Mollywood.

The official synopsis is below:

In 1931, at the height of his artistic powers, Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein travels to Mexico to shoot a new film to be titled "Que Viva Mexico." Freshly rejected by Hollywood and under increasing pressure to return to Stalinist Russia, Eisenstein arrives at the city of Guanajuato. Chaperoned by his guide Palomino Cañedo, he vulnerably experiences the ties between Eros and Thanatos, sex and death, happy to create their effects in cinema, troubled to suffer them in life.

Peter Greenaway’s film explores the mind of a creative genius facing the desires and fears of love, sex and death through ten passionate days that helped shape the rest of the career of one of the greatest masters of Cinema.

Premiere Screening:

Wednesday, Feb 11 19:00 Berlinale Palast

Here is the official poster...

Peter Greenaway, director of The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, is debuting his latest film about legendary Director Sergei Eisenstein at the 65th Annual Berlinale, or the Berlin International Film Festival.

Eisenstein in Guanajuato joins Terrence Malick’s Knight of Cups and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence among the slate of films at 2015′s festival.

Eisenstein was the Russian born director of the silent masterpiece Battleship Potemkin among other classics such as Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible, Parts I and II. In 1932, Eisenstein released ¡Que viva Mexico!, for which he traveled to Guanajuato, Mexico and experienced desires of love, sex and death that shaped the rest of his career following his early Russian successes.

Here’s the full synopsis of the film, via a press release:

In 1931, at the height of his artistic powers, Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein travels to Mexico to shoot a new...

Eisenstein in Guanajauto

Director: Peter Greenaway // Writer: Peter Greenaway

Cinema is alive and kicking and so is director Peter Greenaway, though listening to the esteemed auteur often leads one to believe otherwise. The creator of some of the cinema’s most alluring and sometimes controversial works (the unforgettable The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover 1989 or the less renowned The Baby of Macon, 1995), Greenaway has long challenged the visual limits of film. Anyone doubting his continued masterful ability need only look to his last completed feature (sadly without Us distribution), Goltzius and the Pelican Company, which premiered at the Rome Film Festival. He also contributed to the 2013 omnibus 3x3D along with Edgar Pera and Jean-Luc Godard. His latest, Eisenstein in Guanajuato is exactly what it says it’s about, a reenactment of the famed filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein at a pivotal moment in his career. After being maligned by...

The first Fenix Iberoamerican Film Awards, highlighting and celebrating cinema made in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal as well as applauding the professionals involved was inaugurated by Cinema23 this October 30 and held its closing night party in México City's Jumex Museum, named after the Lopez family’s fruit juice empire, and commissioned by Eugenio Lopez, the dynastic scion whose intention is to leave an edifice to Mexico City that dignifies his family name. This 21st-century prince is the sole patron of the new Museo Jumex, Latin America’s largest contemporary art museum, designed by the British architect David Chipperfield and just across the street from hourglass-shaped Museo Soumaya, opened in 2011 by the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú to display his own collection. Worth a trip to Mexico alone just to view the private Jumex collection of Mexican art, to attend the spectacular closing night party topping off the new annual, independent award ceremony which took place at the iconic 1918 Teatro de la Ciudad was an experience of a lifetime.

After an exclusive dinner for the nominees around 11 Pm, the great celebration began. Inspired by Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, one of the most important holidays in Mexico, the party was decorated with elements inspired by this tradition such as "papel picado," and walls decorated with skulls. The vibrant orange color of hundreds of cempasúchil flowers (Marigolds) adorned the hall where more than a thousand guests, among them many film professional, singers and other important figures from across Iberoamerica, attended the celebration organized by Grupo Modelo the brewery in Mexico now owned by the Belgian-Brazilian company Anheuser-Busch InBev, which holds 63% of the Mexican beer market and exports beer to most countries of the world, whose export brands include my own favorite beers, Corona and Pacífico. I was proud to be invited to attend and to be part of the advisory council of Cinema23, founder of this annual Fenix Awards celebration of the art of cinema along with the comcomitant commercial success of Iberoamerican cinema.

Attending the awards and the post-award party were actors such as Alice Braga, Ana de la Reguera, Ana Claudia Talancón, Alfonso Herrera, Bárbara Mori, Brandon López, Camila Selser, Cecilia Suárez, Elena Anaya, Ernesto Alterio, Erick Elías, Ilse Salas, Irene Azuela, Johanna Murillo, José María Yazpik, José María and Pedro de Tavira, Juan Manuel Bernal, Karen Martínez, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Maribel Verdú, Martha Higareda, Maya Zapata and Ximena Ayala; filmmakers Fernando Eimbcke, Gary Alazraki, Jonás Cuarón, Lorenzo Hagerman, Manolo Caro, Natalia Beristáin and Rigoberto Perezcano; musicians Leo Heiblum, Kevin Johansen, León Larregui and Sergio Acosta from rock band Zoé and Leonor Watling, Jesús Navarro, vocalist of pop band Reik; socialites as Rafael Micha, Jorge Gorozpe, Memo Martínez and Max Villegas; fashion designer Oscar Madrazo and jewelry designer Mariana Villarea. They and the other attendees enjoyed a night in which cinema was the most important guest.

In the venue's lower level, Sonido Apokalitzin's beats enhanced the experience with cumbias, salsas and iconic songs from several Iberoamerican countries. Monterrey DJ Toy Selectah also entertained the guests with his musical selection. Upstairs, Sergio and Andres from famous rock band Zoé delighted everyone with their music just before they enjoyed Julian Placencia's DJ set.

With this event the first edition of the Fenix Iberoamerican Film Awards came to an end. The event brought together hundreds of figures from the Iberoamerican film community who celebrated the well-deserved recognition to their work and dedication. At the same time the event served to strengthen relationships among the diverse industries and will continuously help forge the region's identity.

Every year in November in Los Cabos, one of the most beautiful places in Mexico, 14,000 attendees, 450 industry professionals, and national and international media join together to celebrate film.

This year the Hurricane Odile took out Los Cabos and we feared for the festival. However, it has survived and its third edition, renamed from “Baja International Film Festival, Los Cabos” to “ Los Cabos International Film Festival ” has added three new sections.

You will find me there for this third edition November 12 – 16, where the Mexican film industry, its cultural and commercial partners in North America meet with invited guests to watch and discuss the best in cinema today.

Read more about its 2014 Official Selection program here. Nine films are in Competition from Mexico, U.S. and Canada, competing for Usd $15,000 cash, six Mexican productions – the first or second film by directors will compete for Usd $15,000 in the Mexico First Section.

The Festival’s three new sections to be presented in its Third Edition are Green Perspective, B-Side and Sunset.

Green Perspective is a section that present stories that generate awareness and force us to reflect on our responsibilities with the environment and the urgent need to create a harmonious coexistence among all the links part of this planet. The films in this new section are:

• “Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story” by Grant Baldwin. (Canada– Latin American Premiere).

• “México Pelágico” (“Deep-Sea Mexico”) by Jerónimo Prieto (Mexico, 2014).

• “ThuleTuvalu” by Matthias von Gunten (Switzerland- Latin American Premiere).

The theater chain, Cinemex will present this as part of the Festival’s Free Outdoor Screenings Program to be held at Plaza Mijares in San José del Cabo.

The Festival also launches, B Side, showcasing the best films portraying music, providing both sonorous and visual enjoyment. The three films presented this year are:

• “20,000 Days on Earth” by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard (U.K. – Mexican Premiere). After its Sundance 2014 premiere, Hanway picked it up for international sales and has sold it to Drafthouse Films for U.S. as well as to Benelux (Remain In Light Belgium), Brazil (Zeta Filmes), Denmark (Camera Film A/S), Norway (Tour De Force As), Poland (Gutek Film Ltd), Spain (Avalon Distribucion Audiovisual), Sweden (Nonstop Entertainment Ab), U.K. ( Picturehouse Cinemas Ltd/ Picturehouse Entertainment).

• “For Those About To Rock: The Story of Rodrigo y Gabriela” by Alejandro Franco Fernández (Mexico– Latin American Premiere).

• “God Help the Girl” by Stuart Murdoch (U.K.– Mexican Premiere).

This film also premiered at Sundance and is also repped by Hanway and has sold to Amplify (Los Angeles) for the U.S. and to So. Korea (Challan), Spain (Avalon Distribucion Audiovisual), Taiwan ( Atom Cinema).

The third new section, Sunset, intends to provoke with genres of horror, science fiction and black comedy.

“Over Your Dead Body” by Takashi Miike (Japan – Latin American Premiere) premiered at Pusan Film Festival and is being sold internationally by Celluloid Dreams and Mongrel Media. “Spring” by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (U.S.A. – Mexican Premiere) presented in collaboration with Morbido Fest. Xyz both produced and is the international sales agent for this film which will debut at this year’s American Filkm Market. “What We Do in the Shadows” by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement (New Zealand, U.S. – Latin American Premiere) also premiered in Sundance and played in Midnight Madness at Tiff. Elle Driver picked it up at its Sundance premiere and has licensed the film to Unison Films for U.S., Australia (Madman Entertainment), Germany (Weltkino Filmverleih Gmbh), Japan (Shochiku Co., Ltd), Russia (Volgafilm), Sweden (Njutafilms), U.K. ( Metrodome Distribution). Within the framework of the second Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund, that supports Mexican filmmakers’ projects in development and in post, the Festival is honoring Gabriel Figueroa, one of the greatest filmmakers of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In collaboration with photographer Gabriel Figueroa Flores, keeper and film restorer of his father's legacy, the photo exhibition "Homage to Gabriel Figueroa" will be presented, highlighting the work of the cinematographer in several foreign productions filmed in Mexico, including "The Pearl" (1945), "The Fugitive" (1947) and "The Night of the Iguana" (1962).

Los Cabos Film Festival is proud to have as guests, prominent Mexican celebrities who will get together at the red carpets and the Festival events, including Guillermo Arriaga, Ilse Salas, Tenoch Huerta, Sofía Espinosa, Sophie Alexander Katz, Marimar Vega, Luis Ernesto Franco, Erick Elias, Eiza González, Dolores Heredia, Maya Zapata, Chema Yazpik, Patricia Garza, Irene Azuela, Natalia Lafourcade, Tessa Ia, among others.

Among international celebrities confirmed to date are Atom Egoyan (Canada), Denys Arcand (Quebec), Xavier Dolan (Quebec), Frank Grillo (USA), DJ Cotrona (USA), Leonor Varela (Chile), Natalia Tena (UK), Eric Bruneau (Quebec), Sarai Givaty (Israel) and Rich

The Festival will give away 7,000 tickets for Cinemex screenings and 500 tickets for the Opening Gala, 500 tickets for Xavier Dolan’s “Mommy”’s Gala and 500 tickets for “Words with God”’s Gala, and 800 tickets for the Closing Gala.

As part of its commitment to Los Cabos, the Festival will donate to the Municipal Dif (National System for Integral Family Development) 8% of total sales. To promote social support and the provision of services that contribute to the protection, care and improvement of vulnerable groups.

American actress Rosario Dawson will present the Latin American Premier of Atom Egoyan’s “ The Captive” (2014), and will have the honor to grant the Tribute Award to Mr. Egoyan. Dawson plays a detective in the film by the Canadian Director, investigating Cassandra’s case that was abruptly kidnapped; this begins a horrifying race against time where the detective herself must play her part in unraveling the mystery of her disappearance and freeing her from captivity.

Its press conference in Mexico City on October 31st, more details will be announced.

Come And See What The Neighbors Are Doing Mexico, USA and Canada showcase their best films to the world.

Eisenstein in Guanajuato

Director: Peter Greenaway

Writer: Peter Greenaway

Producers: Submarine, Fu Works, Climax Films, Paloma Negra Films

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Elmer Back, Stelio Savante, Maya Zapata, Lisa Owen

While filming had looked to begin this past fall, it now seems like January, 2014 may be a start date for Greenaway’s latest. While he directed a segment in the triptych 3X3, which bowed at Cannes last year, his last feature was the excellent Goltzius and the Pelican Company, which bowed in the Rome Film Festival, 2012. Amidst a flurry of inspired projects, including a biopic on Bosch as a continuation in his painter series, and another project titled Food for Love, an homage to filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein is definitely his latest project, which will no doubt be a sumptuous visual experiment.

Gist: The film will address Eisenstein’s 10 day stay in Guanajuato in 1932, when he filmed material for the film Long Live Mexico!

Telenovelas rock. They just seem to be so much more soapy and operatic than U.S. serials. Even though I don’t speak much Spanish, I love the over-the-top drama of it all.

That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing Casi Divas, a Mexican film about four women vying to become the next big telenovela star.

Casi Divas is the story of four young women competing for the lead in the movie version of a popular telenovela. The women are from very different backgrounds and each satirizes a stereotype of Mexican society.

Francisca (Maya Zapata) is a shy Indian from Oaxaca.

Ximena (Ana Layevska) is a formerly pudgy rich girl who now is thin but miserable – and really hungry.

Catalina (Diana Garcia) is a troubled factory worker from Ciudad Juárez, where young women disappear with alarming regularity.

Yesenia (Daniela Schmidt) is a flamboyant hairstylist from a poor section of Mexico City.

Casi Divas (Almost Divas), is a Mexican-produced feature from director Issa Lopez, starring actresses Julio Bracho, Patricia Llaca, Maya Zapata, Ana Layevska, Daniela Schmidt, Diana Garcia, Mónica Huarte and Keiko Durán. The musical comedy, featuring compositions from Hans "The Dark Knight" Zimmer follows four women from different regions of Mexico vying for the lead role in a new film by 'Alejandro Mateos', the largest film producer in the country, amidst numerous social, ethnic and gender conflicts. Sneak Peek the trailer from Casi Divas...

Casi Divas tells the story of four very different women vying in a contest to become the next big telenovela star. It is a story infused with dreams of changing your life and desires for celebrity and success but if you think it is all gloss you will miss the real point of the film. This film manages to do what so many others miss — it manages to tell important stories and be entertaining. Francisca (Maya Zapata) is a poor Indian woman from Oaxaca who deals with race issues in the Mexican culture; Ximena Lizarraga (Ana Layevska) is a rich girl who has remade her body to fit into the culture but is miserable and really, really hungry; Catalina (Diana Garcia) works in the factories of Ciudad Juarez and uses her platform to raise awareness about young girls who continue to go missing in her community; and Yesenia (Daniela Schmidt) is struggling.

Here is the poster for Maya Entertainment film “Casi Divas”. The comedy is set to open in theaters August 21, 2009. Casi Divas is directed by Issa Lopez , starring Patricia Llaca, Julio Bracho, Maya Zapata, Ana Layeska, Diana Garcia, and Daniela Schmidt. Four beautiful and spirited young Mexican women from very different backgrounds join the national frenzy of a contest to determine the next film actress superstar. Fired by ambition, pride and desperate desire for overnight fame, they all face insurmountable odds, outrageous manipulation and fierce media hype, yet each learns in her own way that true victory [...]...

Maya Entertainment has acquired U.S. theatrical and home entertainment rights to the Spanish-language comedy from Mexico, "Casi Divas."

Written and directed by Issa Lopez and scored by composer Hans Zimmer, "Divas" is the story of four ambitious and beautiful young women from four very different corners of Mexico who get caught up in the frenzy that sweeps the country during a nationwide talent search for a lead role in a movie.

Produced by Luz Maria Rojas for Columbia Pictures Producciones Mexico, the local production arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, the film stars Maya Zapata, Ana Layevska, Patricia Llaca, Daniela Schmidt and Julio Bracho.

In Mexico, it opened at number one at the boxoffice and was among the top five grossing films of 2008.

A theatrical release in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and San Diego is planned for Aug. 21, followed by a national rollout.

Director Issa Lopez (Efectos Secundarios) will helm Casi Divas (Road to Fame) for Columbia Pictures Producciones Mexico, the local production arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film, which stars Patricia Llaca, Julio Bracho, Maya Zapata, Ana Layevska, Diana Garcia and Daniela Schmidt, will be produced by Luz Maria Rojas (Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Mask of Zorro). Divas, which is based on an idea and story by SPRI executive vp creative advertising Ignacio Darnaude, marks the fledgling production division's second feature. The first was the acquisition El Crimen Del Padre Amaro, which became the biggest Mexican film of all time.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Dramas El Mago and Cronicas took top honors at the 20th Guadalajara International Film Festival, winning best picture in their respective categories at Mexico's top movie showcase. Javier Aparicio's El Mago, the story of a terminally ill street magician hoping to reconcile his past, nabbed the so-called Mayahuel award and a $20,000 cash prize for best Mexican picture. It also won best actor (Erando Gonzalez), actress (Maya Zapata) and the press prize. El Mago was made with a $600,000 budget, small even by Mexican standards. Getting the nod in the Ibero-American category was Sebastian Cordero's Cronicas, starring John Leguizamo as a sensationalist news reporter tracking a serial killer in Ecuador. Cronicas, which took home a $50,000 cash prize, is an Ecuador/Mexico co-production. Other top awards went to Ricardo Benet's Noticias Lejanas for best director, while El Baile de la Iguana walked away with best screenplay. Dark comedy Club Eutanasia scored big with audiences, winning the public's prize.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Dramas El Mago and Cronicas took top honors at the 20th Guadalajara International Film Festival, winning best picture in their respective categories at Mexico's top movie showcase. Javier Aparicio's El Mago, the story of a terminally ill street magician hoping to reconcile his past, nabbed the so-called Mayahuel award and a $20,000 cash prize for best Mexican picture. It also won best actor (Erando Gonzalez), actress (Maya Zapata) and the press prize. El Mago was made with a $600,000 budget, small even by Mexican standards. Getting the nod in the Ibero-American category was Sebastian Cordero's Cronicas, starring John Leguizamo as a sensationalist news reporter tracking a serial killer in Ecuador. Cronicas, which took home a $50,000 cash prize, is an Ecuador/Mexico co-production. Other top awards went to Ricardo Benet's Noticias Lejanas for best director, while El Baile de la Iguana walked away with best screenplay. Dark comedy Club Eutanasia scored big with audiences, winning the public's prize.