It's that time again, time for another of our Tuesday morning Latin-AICN columns with Coffin Joe and Lobo reporting on film happenings South of the US border. They can use all the help you can give them gathering film industry information from 3 continents, so make sure and write COFFIN JOE in Sao Paulo, Brasil with your South American news, or LOBO if you have news on Mexican cinema. Father Geek received the following link to a photo of ol' Coffin Joe sleeping on the job that you all may find very interesting. Check it out. Cooooool! Right?
Hey there freaks and geeks , it´s Coffin Joe here still alive and going
strong . Here´s this week´s Latin-AICN news :
-CHILE
Nicolas Lopez , the associate producer of the film " Angel Negro "
( Black Angel ) , a Chilean horror film , got in touch with me this
week...
-CHILE
Nicolas Lopez , the associate producer of the film " Angel Negro "
( Black Angel ) , a Chilean horror film , got in touch with me this
week...
He says that the movie´s website is up and running and you can visit it by clicking here . You can also check out his production company´s site at : www.sobras.com
" Angel Negro " is directed by Jorge Olguin , this movie is his debut feature . I´ll try to get an advanced copy of it so that I can write a review for all of you .
-MEXICO
Now for a report from LOBO who's been sniffing around for news on the Mexican film scene and has dug up the following for you readers of our Latin-AICN column...
Hi folks, LOBO here, in this report I am going to talk about last year's winners of the award " ARIEL", because they are going to be distributed in the U.S. very soon and they are going on tour at festivals around the world, and by July, I will have the information regarding the nominees of the 1999 movies and the results...
The best movie of the XLI ceremony was "Bajo California, el limite del tiempo" taking home the " ARIEL de oro " for best picture and the "ARIEL de plata" for both music and best actor. This film was produced by the "Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia" and directed by Carlos Bolado. This movie is going to be shown soon in the Valenciennes Festival in France.
Another movie also on tour right now is " Un Embrujo" receiving the ARIEL for best screenplay, best actress and best wardrobe. This movie was directed by Luis Carlos Carrera and produced by Bertha Navarro and Guillermo del Toro <--- who directed "MIMIC" and "CRONOS". That movie of his (CRONOS) gave him the "ARIEL de oro" on 1991 for best movie that year, and "ariel de plata" for best director. This movie (Embrujo) will be showing at the " Taos Movie Festival" in New Mexico,U.S. , The International movie festival in Philadelphia,U.S. , at the Novo Fest in Belgium, and also at a fest in Fribourg, Suitzerland.
"El evangelio de las maravillas" is traveling too, directed by Arturo Ripstein who was born in Mexico City 12-13-43 ,this movie that got an "ARIEL de plata" , is going to be at a Fest in Dublin, Ireland and in the U.S. at festivals in Washington DC and Chicago. Arturo has also directed "El coronel no tiene quien le escriba" based on a novel by the colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez < ( Antonio Banderas has been talking about directing/producing some of his novels for a while now..?...?) How's about doing 100 Years of Solitude, Antonio?
There is a Festival taking place in Mexico right now, and it is the "XXXV Muestra Internacional de Cine" that is composed of 15 films and 5 short-films , it is starting in Mexico City and going on tour around the country until August, and having films from different nationalities like Russia, Spain, England, France, Brazil, Norway, United States and Mexico.
One of the movies showing at this Fest is "C'est quoi la vie?" (Que es la vida?/What's life?) from France directed by Francois Dupeyron, and is about a French guy that lives in the country and goes to the city looking for a better life, to get a better chance for his dreams and future, but the loss of his father and the situation in the economy force him to go back to his home, to help his family and avoid loosing the land . By such drastic changes and the land being gone he meets and finds the value of life and family.
Other titles of movies showing at this Fest are, " La niña de tus ojos " from Spain and directed by Fernando Trueba, "Cronica de un desayuno" from Mexico and directed by Benjamin Cann, "Orfeo" from Brazil and directed by Carlos Diegues, also included are the movies "Luna Papa" , "Onegin" and "Boys don't cry".
Here are some of the cities that will have the Festival and the dates;
Acapulco ( July 26 - August 8)
Cancun (June 15-28)
Tijuana ( July 12-25)
Mexico City (May 22 - June 2)
*** Here are connections for some trailers and film clips for;
#1 Onegin,
#3 Orfeo.
Well that's all from LOBO this week... if you have Mexican Film Industry news you can send it to me at my cave , or send direct to Coffin Joe down in Brasil.
Haynie sent in the following news about Edward James Olmos...
CineSol Latino Film Fesival 2000 To Honor Edward James Olmos
Actor and Producer Edward James Olmos will come to South Padre Island Convention Center in Texas to receive the CineSol 2000 Rayo De Luz award on June 2, 2000.
Mr. Olmos will be honored during CineSol's Opening Night Gala, which will start with a screening of the groundbreaking film, Ballad Of Gregorio Cortez, one of Mr. Olmos first major starring roles. It was filmed in Texas, and kicks off the CineSol 2000 theme, 'Made In Tejas'.
A special ceremony following the film will present Mr. Olmos with the annual Rayo De Luz award. Each year, CineSol presents the Rayo De Luz lifetime achievement award to an individual who helps advance the Latino culture in film and art. Past recipients include Lupe Ontivieros (Selena, Mi Familia, Goonies), Jesse Borrego(Blood In- Blood Out, New York Stories, Fame), Raul Ysagguire (founder of National Council of La Raza and executive producer of the Bravo awards).
Olmos has appeared in such film classics as Selena, American Me, A dinner reception will be held afterwards in honor of Mr. Olmos. The public is invited. Tickets for the event are available at South Padre Island Convention Center, Brownville, Texas Convention & Visitor's Bureau, Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, McAllen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Hidalgo County Historical Museum in Edinburg, Texas and the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce.
The CineSol Latino Film Festival is a non-profit organization that celebrates Latinos in film. Now in its seventh year, CineSol sponsors screenings of films throughout the valley for a four week period. This year's CineSol will take place June 2 through July 2.
Another of our Mexican spies , Morris , saw an interesting tiny bit of news in a Mexican newspaper .
#Penelope Cruz gave an interview saying that she and Salma Hayek are trying to find a great script to work together . She said they are great friends and she is looking forward to this team-up . So are we .
-BRAZIL
#Last week I talked about director Andrucha Waddington´s first movie , the thriller " Gêmeas " ( Twins ) , well I was really worried about the fact that I did not think he would be able to keep that level of filmmaking in his next feature " Eu , Tu , Eles " which was screened at " Un Certain Regard " showcase in Cannes . I was wrong . " Eu , Tu , Eles " received a special mention from the Gan Pour le Cinema Foundation , which highlighted two films out of the 22 movies screened at " Un Certain Regard " showcase . The movie was very well received at its screening , with an standing ovation at the end . There´s already buzz over here in Brazil about a Best foreign film nomination at next year´s Academy Awards because the movie has the support of Sony Classics , the same distributor which got Central Station such a great hype . Let´s wait and see . The movie is a poignant story of poligamy , about a woman who has three husbands (!) . The movie stars Regina Casé , Lima Duarte , Stênio Garcia and Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos .
#Walter Salles was in Cannes , where he participated in a debate about the future of movies , and he also took some time to work out the details of his next movie , " Assumption of a Virgin " , to be produced by Anthony Minghella and Caroline Choa . A leading lady has already been chosen , it is Juliette Binoche . The leading male part is apparently the doubt every director would love to have : choose between Al Pacino or Robert De Niro .
#João Moreira Salles , Walter Salles´ brother and his partner in their production company Videofilmes , talked to film students here at my college last week about the controversy that surrounds his documentary " NotÃcias de uma Guerra Particular " ( News of a Particular War " ) . The accusations against him of helping a drug dealer after the documentary was shot so that the criminal could write a novel about his life were brought up and Salles answered all of them politely and above all he was really candid about the whole thing . The problems he has with the governor of Rio are also a part of the problem he said , and that he was trying to help the drug dealer start a new life , nothing else .
#I said it last week , I´ll say it again : the biopic frenzy is real ! The life and the work of poet Cruz e Souza , who lived from 1861 until 1898 , and is considered the greatest black poet of the Portuguese language , has been translated to the big screen , courtesy of director Sylvio Back . The movie is already in theaters here in Brazil .
#Today at my college is the premiere of " O Dia da Caça " ( The Day of the Hunt ) , a thriller about drug dealers in the Amazon . A review is coming next week .
#Director Tata Amaral´s ( " Starry Sky " ) lecture last week at my college was a bit slow , really dumb questions from the audience being the main reason . Tata herself is quite shy , which didn´t help things much either . I thought that her latest film , " Através da Janela " ( Through the Window ) is a pretty smart , tense film , but the lecture itself was anything but that .
Now here is some real interesting news to your Editor of this column from Pablo Villaca of the Cinema em Cena web site here in Brasil...
Filmmaker Alfonso Brazza, known for his low-budget productions (like "O Matador de Escravos" and "No Eixo da Morte"), is about to finish his more recent work, "Tortura Selvagem". With an estimated budget of 600.000 reais (or 333.000 dollars), the film is being produced with his own money, since he was not able to raise it (although his project had been approved by the Rouanet Law). "The major executives don't feel that is safe to invest through the Law", declared Brazza in a recent interview.
"Tortura Selvagem" tells the story of a man who was imprisoned and condemned unjustly under traffic accusation. After leaving the jail years later, he decides to kill all the dealers of the world.
In the cast are Claudette Joubert (who participates of all her husband's films), Rodolfo and Digão (integrants of the brazilian band Raimundos) and Liliane Roriz (daughter of the brazilian's Federal District's governor).
The film will have a cameo by Jose Mojica Marins, a.k.a. Coffin Joe (the real one), who will play a "messenger". Note: Mojica was Alfonso Brazza's Art professor in the late 70's.
However, although he participates of "Tortura Selvagem", the veteran doesn't believe the movie will be a hit: "Brazza is a fighter, but he is working in a difficult phase", said Mojica in a recent interview. "Nowadays, we can't work with the ideas of the past because the mentality has changed and it's hard to please the teenagers, who are used to the blockbusters". With a sad voice, Mojica also sad: "I know that we won't be recognized for "Tortura Selvagem".
The film is being produced in 35mm, but it will have copies in video (in Betacam and Super VHS). The director's intention is to sell "Tortura Selvagem" in VHS as soon as possible.
Abraços;
Pablo Villaça
"Cinema em Cena" (www.cinema.art.br)
