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In a second year which rated even stronger in top-tier attendance and projects than its vibrant kick-off 2024 edition, Madrid’ Ecam Forum co-production market closed June 13, with accolades to a slate of highly promising Spanish and Latin American projects in development and post-production.

These caught the eye of heavy hitting players including Cannes Film Festival’s head of the film department Christian Jeune.

Juror of the Last Push Prize, together with Toronto Film Festival programmer Diana Cadavid and Jose Luis Cienfuegos, director of the Valladolid Seminci Film Festival, Jeune awarded the Peruvian documentary “The Art of War” co-helmed by Grecia Barbieri and Gonzalo Benavente Secco, among eight hand-picked works in progress. The film is an artistic portrait of Peru in the ‘80s and ‘90s based on fresh archive material – linked to an ‘80s fanzine titled “The Art of War.”

The jury praised the filmmakers for their “remarkable ability to integrate a...

Valladolid’s Seminci International Film Festival will host its 69th edition from October 18-26 and, along with it, the second edition of its new industry sidebar.

Below, we highlight three key events hosted under this year’s Valladolid Industry banner.

Merci Valladolid

Among the myriad of activities aimed at filmmakers, producers, buyers and sellers, this year’s industry strand will host the Merci Valladolid (Mercado de Cine Independiente Valladolid).

For three days, Oct. 23-25, Merci will serve as a meeting point for 140 screen industry business professionals, including programmers, exhibitors and distributors. Valladolid will invite the accredited professionals to screenings of 22 of the most highly anticipated releases scheduled to hit cinemas through the end of 2024 and all of 2025.

According to organizers, the screenings will help “maximize the titles’ circulation and promote a better exploitation in the run-up to their release.”

In addition to the screenings, Merci will hold a series of...

Jay inadvertently gets involved with a cult – something Flower has a little experience dealing with – on CBS’s Ghosts season two episode three. Directed by Trent O’Donnell from a script by Guy Endore-Kaiser, episode three – “Jay’s Friends” – will air on Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 8:30pm Et/Pt.

Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar return as Samantha and Jay, the living residents of the mansion. Reprising their roles as the resident ghosts are Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac, Richie Moriarty as Pete, Danielle Pinnock as Alberta, and Asher Grodman as Trevor. Román Zaragoza stars as Sasappis, Sheila Carrasco plays Flower, Rebecca Wisocky is Hetty, and Devan Chandler Long plays Thorfinn.

“Jay’s Friends” Plot: Sam becomes alarmed when the ghosts suggest Jay’s new friends may be part of a cult run by a charismatic leader named Micah (Drew Tarver). Also, Pete changes his attitude after Sasappis criticizes his unceasing cheeriness.

Veteran publicists Maria Herrera and Rachael Reiss have exited Narrative to form their own shingle, Herrera-Reiss Strategies.

They will be partners in their new firm, and they will continue to represent a strong list of filmmakers, showrunners, production companies, authors and other creatives. That includes James Gunn, Phil Lord & Chris Miller, Hiro Murai, Olivia Wilde, David S. Goyer, Steven Knight, Radio Silence, Molly Smith Metzler, Nahnatchka Kahn, Ace Entertainment, and others.

Herrera and Reiss came up as assistants together at Pmk/Hbh and since served as publicists at Narrative and as Vice Presidents at Rogers & Cowan Pmk. They’ve worked with talent in both releasing and awards campaigns.

Narrative has hired publicists Maria Herrera and Rachael Reiss, who were recently vice presidents at Rogers & Cowan Pmk.

Together, Herrera and Reiss’ client list include Olivia Wilde, James Gunn, Chris Miller and Phil Lord. They also represent Hiro Murai (“Atlanta”), producer Brad Fuller (“A Quiet Place”), producer Andrew Form (“A Quiet Place”), Nahnatchka Khan, John Francis Daley and Johnathan Goldstein, Adele Lim (“Crazy Rich Asians”), Katie Silberman (“Booksmart”), Matt Kaplan’s Ace Entertainment (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) and Gary Janetti (“Vicious”).

Herrera most recently served as VP of Entertainment Strategies at Rogers & Cowan Pmk. She works with talent, filmmakers and showrunners, and has run awards campaigns for some of the industry’s top directors and writers. Reiss most recently served as VP of Entertainment Strategies, and has been representing creatives in film and television for 15 years.

Narrative was founded in 2017 by Heidi Lopata, Liz Mahoney, Megan Moss Pachon and Bryna Rifkin.

Narrative has brought aboard Maria Herrera and Rachael Reiss, publicists who most recently were Vice-Presidents at Rogers & Cowan Pmk.

Herrera most recently served as VP of Entertainment Strategies and has a decade working with talent, filmmakers and showrunners in releases and awards season campaigns. Reiss has been at it 15 years most recently as VP of Entertainment Strategies and repping companies and film and TV talent.

Their combined clients include Olivia Wilde (Booksmart), James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Chris Miller and Phil Lord (Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse), Hiro Murai (Atlanta), producer Brad Fuller (A Quiet Place), producer Andrew Form (A Quiet Place), Nahnatchka Khan (Fresh off the Boat), John Francis Daley and Johnathan Goldstein, Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians), Katie Silberman (Booksmart), Matt Kaplan’s Ace Entertainment (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) and Gary Janetti (Vicious).

“We have long admired Maria and Rachael’s advocacy for their clients,...

Narrative has hired PR veterans Maria Herrera and Rachael Reiss, whose combined client list includes Olivia Wilde, James Gunn, and Chris Miller and Phil Lord.

Herrer and Reiss both join the company from VP posts at Rogers & Cowan/Pmk, where their focus included A-list talent, filmmakers, and showrunners like Nahnatchka Khan and Adele Lim, and handled film releases and awards campaigns.

In a joint statement from the Narrative partners — Heidi Lopata, Liz Mahoney, Megan Moss Pachon, and Bryna Rifkin — said, “We have long admired Maria and Rachael’s advocacy for their clients, strategic approach and their authenticity to the job and we are ...

Narrative has hired PR veterans Maria Herrera and Rachael Reiss, whose combined client list includes Olivia Wilde, James Gunn, and Chris Miller and Phil Lord.

Herrer and Reiss both join the company from VP posts at Rogers & Cowan/Pmk, where their focus included A-list talent, filmmakers, and showrunners like Nahnatchka Khan and Adele Lim, and handled film releases and awards campaigns.

In a joint statement from the Narrative partners — Heidi Lopata, Liz Mahoney, Megan Moss Pachon, and Bryna Rifkin — said, “We have long admired Maria and Rachael’s advocacy for their clients, strategic approach and their authenticity to the job and we are ...

Stephen King was on a roll when Pet Sematary came out in 1983, with each horror novel seemingly creepier than the last. After all, everyone loves a loyal pet, and many families can recount how they commemorated an animal/fish/bird’s life at death. Turn that domestic normality on its head and you can terrify most everyone. King admitted this was perhaps his most disturbing work, the one where he may have gone too far (which is saying a lot).

The 1989 film adaptation starred Fred Gwynne, Dale Midkiff, and Denise Crosby and did a fairly good job capturing the spirit of the novel. It performed well enough that it spawned a best-forgotten sequel.

And as with all things, it was been remade this spring and is out now on disc from Paramount Home Entertainment.

The premise remains the same: the Creeds have moved into a rural home near the local Pet Sematary.

Directors Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer and cast members Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz and Jete Laurance are interviewed for their movie Pet Sematary based on the book by Stephen King. The 2019 film is the second adaptation, the first being a well-remembered chiller in 1989.

Along with Clarke and Seimetz the film stars John Lithgow, Obssa Ahmed, Alyssa Brooke Levine and Maria Herrera. DaniElle DeLaite talks to the cast about how they brought King’s seminal work back to the big screen. Clarke talked about the lure of King’s work, the sense of security and intimacy he creates and how this heightens the subsequent terror. Seimetz jokes about the emotional turbulence inherent in the role, and how her life experience helped her channel some of the darker and most challenging character moments.

Jete Laurance talks about playing both versions of her characters, and the make up process helped to bring the character out.

Exclusive: Jennifer Abel, Maria Herrera, Rachael Reiss, Rebecca Taylor and Cassandra Vargas have been promoted to VP Entertainment Strategies at Pmk•Bnc. The entertainment PR powerhouse also upped Lee Meltzer and Natasha Desai to director roles in the division, which reps actors, filmmakers, creators, production companies, musicians, authors and nonprofit organizations. The news was just announced internally at the company.

Herrera, Reiss, Taylor and Vargas all worked at Prime Public Relations prior to that outfit, run by Michael Donkis and Joy Fehily, joining Pmk•Bnc in 2016. Abel has been a publicist at Pmk•Bnc for more than a decade.

“I’m so proud to promote these deserving young strategists who I look at as our next generation of leaders,” said Cindi Berger, Pmk•Bnc’s chairman and CEO. “This is an incredible place to build your career. I started out here 35 years ago as the New York office receptionist, and...