News

Woo Films, one of Mexico’s most successful indie companies behind such hit titles as Manolo Caro’s Netflix series “The House of Flowers” and lauded dramas “The Good Girls” (“Las Niñas Bien”) and “Los Adioses,” has teamed up with film collective Colectivo Colmena, to develop and produce three pics. Two of them are based on original ideas from Colmena and the third an adaptation of a Mexican novel.

Woo Films is taking “The Ballad of the Phoenix” (“La balada del fénix”), the first stop-motion animation feature by Cinema Fantasma (“Frankelda’s Book of Spooks”), to participate in the Guadalajara Film Festival’s co-production forum. This is one of three stop motion animation projects from Cinema Fantasma that Woo Films boarded last year.

“It is essential to support the growth of new voices in Mexican cinema to boost their visibility at a time when resources for independent film production and exhibition opportunities are scarce,...

Mexico’s Woo Films is venturing into the kids/younger audience content biz for the first time, boarding three stop-motion animated features by Mexico City-based Cinema Fantasma, led by brothers Roy and Arturo Ambriz.

Producer Andrea Toca who brought the projects to Woo Films, said: “We’ve always wanted to make content for children and younger audiences.”

“I went to University with the Ambriz brothers so that’s where we first connected. We were very impressed by the working techniques they have developed in their workshop aside from their stories,” she added.

The initial pact is for Woo Films to co-produce Cinema Fantasma’s “Frankelda and The Prince of Spooks,” being presented at Annecy’s work in progress (Wip) section as well as two other stop-motion pics in development, “The Ballad of the Phoenix,” pitched last year at Annecy, and “The Bee Revolution.”

“Frankelda and The Prince of Spooks” is...

​Daniela Leyva at La Mitad del Continente (“The Howls”), Andrea Toca at Mexico’s Un Beso Cine (“Human Animals”) and Diana Bustamante at Burning Sas (“Buy Me a Gun”) have teamed to co-produce the vampire drama “The Day is Long and Dark,” the eighth feature from one of Mexico’s most important directors, Julio Hernández Cordón.

“Working with Julio has always been an enthralling experience. With this film there is also a mixture of things that interests me on a narrative level. Julio’s cinema is always a welcomed surprise,” producer and artistic director of the Cartagena International Film Festival Diana Bustamante told Variety.

From his first film “Gasolina” – winner as a project at San Sebastian’s work in progress section in 2007 and one year later at its Horizontes showcase – Hernández’s features have played at festivals including Locarno, Mar del Plata (“I Promise You Anarchy”), San Sebastian and Torino...

Se Escuchan Aullidos

One of Mexico’s busiest directors over the past decade has been the multi-award winning Julio Hernández Cordón, who will likely have three new titles premiering across 2020 and 2021. First up will likely be the drama Se Escuchan Aullidos (Howls Are Heard), produced by star Francisco Barreiro, Daniela Leyva Becerra Acosta and Andrea Toca. Joining Barreiro in the cast are Cordon, Alejandra Estrada, Graciela Gonzalez and Fabiana Hernandez. Cordon has competed twice in Locarno, with 2012’s Polvo and 2015’s I Promise You Anarchy.…...

Julio Hernández Cordón, one of Mexico’s most-awarded independent filmmakers over the last decade, has found the leading man for his next feature “The Day is Long and Dark (My Friends are Vampires),” in Fantastic Fest best actor winner Francisco Barreiro, star of Adrián García Bogliano’s “Here Comes the Devil.”.

Barreiro’s casting was shared with Variety from Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur Market where the project was pitched for the first time publicly at the event’s Proyecta sidebar for Latin American projects.

Since his debut feature “Gasolina” swept San Sebastian’s in progress awards in 2007 before returning the following year and winning the Latino Horizons Award, Hernández Cordón has been one of Latin America’s most prolific filmmakers, releasing a new feature almost every year.

In “The Day is Long and Dark,” Ariel is a Mexican gore film director and an actual vampire. He tours Europe and Latin...

Locarno, Switzerland – Thanks to partnerships with Cinema do Brasil, Polish Film Institute, Swiss Films, Estonian Film Institute, Israel Film Fund, Istituto Luce Cinecittà – Filmitalia, Latvian Film Centre, Lithuanian Film Centre and the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), three upcoming producers from each of these institutions’ countries have met at Locarno Festival’s Match-Me! A platform during the Locarno Pro days, the representatives introduce their companies’ profile and projects to potential co-producers, funds or sales companies through a tailor-made matchmaking program.

These twenty-four producers come from different backgrounds, are based in countries of all sizes and varying maturity of film sectors. What might they have in common beyond a passion for storytelling? Do they face similar challenges? Have their young companies evolved in a similar way?

In asking them and checking the lineups and flagship projects they’re bringing to this year’s 4th edition of Match-Me!, the answer to these questions is a strong yes.