Noticias

Italian sales agency secures deals in Berlin

At Berlin’s European Film Market (Efm), The Open Reel has sold rights for Roberto Caston’s The Silly Ones And The Stupid Ones to Uruguay (Cineteca Uruguaya), Poland (Manana, for theatrical release) and Italy (MyMovies). The drama premiered at the 2014 San Sebastian Film Festival.

For the Us and UK, Tla Releasing has taken all rights to Jonathan Taieb’s Stand.

TV Polska has acquired theatrical rights for Damien Manivel’s A Young Poet and Lex Sidon’s Grand Street.

French distributor Optimale secured all rights to Julian Hernandez’s I Am Happiness On Earth.

Czech Platform Doc Alliance has acquired Roberto Fiesco’s Quebranto and Tiago Leao’s Longing Nights.

New titles will be represented as international sales by The Open Reel: Fullboy, a documentary directed by Martin Farina; Jess & James directed by Santiago Giralt; and Julian Hernandez’s Young Man at the Bar Masturbating with Rage and Nerve...

In order to promote the cinema and filmmaking talent of Mexico and Ibero-America, the Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg), the University of Guadalajara and the University of Guadalajara Foundation in the U.S. present Ficg in La, a selection of the most outstanding films of 2013's Ficg. Ficg in La will be held at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood November 1-3, 2013.Featuring outstanding and award-winning titles from FICG28, which ran from March 1-9, 2013, Ficg in La will offer the premiere of other titles that have emerged in the world of cinema throughout the year to great critical acclaim. The aim of the festival is increasing access and visibility of Mexican and Latin American cinema in the U.S., facilitating the exchange of ideas through stories and issues of cultural and social relevance, creating a space for collaboration between filmmakers and strengthening relationships between the film industry in Mexico and the U.S.

Ficg in La includes film screenings followed by Q&As with filmmakers and talent, as well as galas and special award recognitions to Latin American and U.S. Latino artists. "It is an honor and a great responsibility to direct Ficg in La and to join the mission of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg) –which is close to its 30th anniversary – whose main purpose is to promote Mexican and Latin American cinema, expand the audience for these films, contribute to the careers of new filmmakers, and to serve as liaison between Latin American cinema and the international film industry " said Hebe Tabachnik, Director and Producer of Ficg in La, who since 2011 has collaborated as the Guest Programmer for the Maguey Award section, which focuses on films about sexual diversity.

Part of the significance in increasing the presence of Ficg in La is that the state of California has a concentration of 14 million Latinos, of which about 12 million are Mexican or Mexican-American. Of the nearly 5 million residing in metropolitan Los Angeles and Long Beach area, nearly half originate from the State of Jalisco, revealing a strong cultural connection between its capital, Guadalajara, and the city of Los Angeles. "Ficg in La is a gateway to Latin American cinema in Hollywood and also for Latino filmmakers to forge a relationship with the Guadalajara International Film Festival and claim it as their home,” said Ivan Trujillo, Festival Director of Ficg. Among the celebrities that have accompanied us in previous editions include: Edward James Olmos, Sergio Arau, Diana Bracho, Alfonso Arau, Kate del Castillo, Martha Higareda, Beto Cuevas, Everardo González, Emilio Maille, Dulce Maria, Carmen Salinas and Jay Hernandez.

Ficg in La 2013 marks the beginning of a joint venture with Ambulante, the nonprofit organization founded by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz, dedicated to supporting documentary filmmaking as an important tool for cultural and social transformation. Ambulante will present the Los Angeles premiere of the Mexican documentary Quebranto (Disrupt), directed by Roberto Fiesco, who received a Special Jury Award in the Ibero-American Competition and was the winner of ther Maguey Award (FICG28), and more recently the Premio Sebastiane Latino Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Ambulante will receive a special recognition for its outstanding contribution to promoting documentaries and documentary filmmakers since 2005.

Finally, in light of recent events in Mexico, our work this year wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t join the efforts to assist the communities severely affected by the tropical storms. Ficg in La has decided to donate all ticket sale proceeds to help rebuild these communities in need. Ficg in La is presented by the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the University of Guadalajara, University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States, and is supported by the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles. Ficg’s institutional sponsors include Conaculta, the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), the Government of the State of Jalisco, Cultura Udg, Channel 44, as well as the municipalities of Guadalajara and Zapopan.

Ficg in L.A. Film Lineup 2013

Guadalajara International Film Festival In Los Angeles -- Ficg in La has announced the program for its third annual edition in Los Angeles. The festival will take place in Los Angeles from November 1-3, 2013 at the Egyptian Theater. The 3 day festival will showcase outstanding and award-winning titles from FICG28, which was held earlier this year in Guadalajara.

The entire program can be found at: www.ficginla.com

The Opening Night Presentation (November 1, 2013) will be the Us Premiere of Francisco Franco’s Tercera Llamada (Last Call) and it will be screened following the Ficg in La Awards Presentation to actor Fernando Luján for achievement in his career including his work in Tercera Llamada, to journalist, film critic, and television presenter, Juan Carlos Arciniegas for his contributions to the Latin entertainment community’s presence in the media. The additional award recipients for career achievement are cinematographer Gabriel Beristain and composer Emilio Kauderer. The final award will be presented to the non-profit organization, Ambulante for its work supporting and promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation. A Gala reception in the courtyard of the Egyptian Theater will follow the film screening.

The Closing Night Presentation (November 3, 2013) Besos de Azucar (Sugar Kisses) is the West Coast Premiere of Carlos Cuaron’s film. Ficg in La will be the Us premiere for Levantamiertos, Soy Mucho Mejor Que Vos (I'm Better Than You), Puerto Padre (Port Father) and El Santos Vs La Tetona Mendoza (El Santos Vs The Busty Mendoza). Las Mariposas de Sadourni (Sadourni's Butterflies), Quebranto, and 7 Cajas (7 Boxes) will all have their Los Angeles premieres at Ficg in La.

This year’s Ficg in La films are as follows:

Features

7 Cajas (7 Boxes) -Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori

Paraguay, 100 min

Besos De Azucar (Sugar Kisses) – Carlos Cuarón

Mexico, 87 min

El Santos Vs La Tetona Mendoza

(El Santos Vs The Busty Mendoza) -Andrés Couturier, Alejandro Lozano

Mexico, 96 min

Las Mariposas De Sadourni (Sadourni's Butterflies ) -Dario Nardi

Argentina, 94 min

Levantamuertos - Miguel Nuñez

Mexico/USA, 82 min

Puerto Padre (Port Father) - Gustavo Fallas

Costa Rica/Mexico, 86 min

Purgatorio - Rodrigo Reyes

Mexico, 80 min

Quebranto (Disrupted) - Roberto Fiesco

Mexico, 92 min

Soy Mucho Mejor Que Vos - (I'm Better Than You) – Che Sandoval

Chile, 85 min

Tercera Llamada (Last Call) -Francisco Franco

Mexico, 92 min

Workers -José Luis Valle

Mexico, 120 min

Shorts

Rigo Mora Award Winning Shorts

Mexico, 73 min

Tickets Available At: https://ficginla.eventbrite.com

Ticket Price

Opening Night Gala, Recognition Awards Ceremony & Reception - $ 30

Closing Night Gala and Regular Screenings - $ 9

Please call 661-724-0807 if you have any questions about how to purchase your ticket to Ficg in La.

The proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to flood victims in Mexico.

About Ficg in La

Ficg in La is a window into the world of contemporary Mexican and Ibero-American cinema and it is an extension of the Guadalajara International Film Festival. This year′s Ficg in La will take place at Hollywood′s historic Egyptian Theatre, right in the heart of the worldwide film and entertainment industry. The festival is designed for people to come and explore the diverse regional narratives of Mexican and Ibero-America cinema, and to help critically acclaimed films from these regions reach a wider audience. Los Angeles provides an essential backdrop for the showcase to take place because of its strong cultural ties to Latin American communities all across the globe. The festival is presented by the University of Guadalajara, the University of Guadalajara Foundation in USA and the Guadalajara International Film Festival.

This year’s sponsors of Ficg in La include Cultura Udg, LeaLA Spanish Book Fair in Los Angeles, Udg TV, The National Council for Culture and The Arts, and the Mexican Consulate General. In addition, this year, Ficg in La is partnering with local organizations and consulates who embrace independent film and the goals of Ficg in La. Those partners include Film Independent, Project Involve, Outfest, The Argentinian Consulate General, The Chilean Consulate General, and the Asociación de Egresados del la Universidad de Guadalajara in Los Angeles.

www.ficginla.com

Expected to attend this year’s festival are:

The Cast of Tercera Llamada – Opening Night Film –

Audience Award and Best Actress - Female Ensemble - Ficg 28

Irene Azuela, Fernando Luján, Mariana Treviño

Francisco Franco Director,

Laura Imperiale Producer

Comic book artists Trino (José Trinidad Camacho Orozco) and Jis (José Ignacio Solórzano)

The artists behind The Santos vs.'s Busty Mendoza based on the famous comic strip characters of the same name.

Carlos Cuarón - The Director of Sugar Kisses - Besos de Azúcar - Closing Night Film

About Ficg

The Guadalajara International Film Festival was founded by Guillermo del Toro and other Mexican filmmakers in 1986, and will celebrate its 29th edition March 21-29, 2014. Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.

About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico

The University of Guadalajara is a member of the University Network in the State of Jalisco, and it is the second oldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means of social development and dissemination of knowledge.

About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.

The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America (Udg Foundation-usa) is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles. U.S. Udg Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and Hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.

About Ambulante

Ambulante A.C., a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz, is dedicated to supporting and promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation. Ambulante travels to places where documentary films and training are limited with the purpose of creating engaged, critical and well-informed audiences. Each year, a documentary film festival travels with the support of Canana, Cinepolis, and the Morelia International Film Festival, covering several states in Mexico for 3 months, with an international showcase of over 100 documentaries, some 120 special guests, at over 150 venues.

For more information call 310.951.9797 or visit www.ficginla.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ficg-in-la/1427478980805851

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/FICGinLA

Media Contact

Kc Mancebo

Clamorhouse

310-614-6036

kcm[At]clamorhouse.com

press[At]ficginla.com

Hebe Tabachnik

310-951-9797

hebe[At]ficginla.com...

Presenting its program in Los Angeles for the third consecutive year this November, the Guadalajara International Film Festival aims to highlight the best in Mexican and Latin American cinema and bring it closer to the vast Latino population in Southern California. Taking place at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, Ficg in L.A. will premier some of the most outstanding films that screened back at the festival earlier this year in Mexico and other Latino titles that have received critical acclaimed around the world.

By bringing the festival to Los Angeles the organizers hope the festival becomes not only a showcase but to facilitating the exchange of ideas through stories and issues of cultural and social relevance, creating a space for collaboration between filmmakers and strengthening relationships between the film industry in Mexico and the U.S.

Ficg in La includes film screenings followed by Q&As with filmmakers and talent, as well as galas and special award recognitions to Latin American and U.S. Latino artists.

"It is an honor and a great responsibility to direct Ficg in La and to join the mission of the Guadalajara Internaitonal Film Festival (Ficg) –which is close to its 30th anniversary – whose main purpose is to promote Mexican and Latin American cinema, expand the audience for these films, contribute to the careers of new filmmakers, and to serve as liaison between Latin American cinema and the international film industry " said Hebe Tabachnik, Director and Producer of Ficg in La

California is home to over 14 million Latinos, of which 12 million are Mexican or Mexican-American. Nearly 5 million of them resides in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which makes the city an obvious choice for the organizers. "Ficg in La is a gateway to Latin American cinema in Hollywood and also for Latino filmmakers to forge a relationship with the Guadalajara International Film Festival and claim it as their home,” said Ivan Trujillo, Festival Director of Ficg

Ficg in La is presented by the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the University of Guadalajara, University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States, and is supported by the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles. Ficg’s institutional sponsors include Conaculta, the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), the Government of the State of Jalisco, Cultura Udg, Channel 44, as well as the municipalities of Guadalajara and Zapopan.

One of the program's highlights is the presentation of the award-winning documentary Quebranto (Disrupt) by Roberto Fiesco, who received a Special Jury Award in the Ibero-American Competition and was the winner of ther Maguey Award (FICG28), and more recently the Premio Sebastiane Latino Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. The film was produced by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz' joint venture Ambulante, a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and dedicated to supporting and promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation

For more information on Ficg in L.A. visit Here

About Ficg

The Guadalajara International Film Festival was founded by Guillermo del Toro and other Mexican filmmakers in 1986, and will celebrate its 29th edition March 21-29, 2014.

Ficg is the lead film festival in Latin America. It is a forum for the training, education, and creative exchange among industry professionals, film critics, and film students from all over Ibero-America.

About the University of Guadalajara – Mexico

The University of Guadalajara is a member of the University Network in the State of Jalisco, and it is the second oldest university in Mexico. The University of Guadalajara is committed to the betterment of society through higher education. It supports scientific and technological research that makes important contributions to a sustainable and inclusive society, respecting cultural diversity and honoring the principles of social justice, democracy, coexistence, and prosperity for all. The University is renowned in Mexico and abroad as a leader in the transformation of society through innovative means of social development and dissemination of knowledge.

About the Foundation of the University of Guadalajara in the U.S.

The University of Guadalajara Foundation in the United States of America (Udg Foundation-usa) is an extension of Fundación Universidad de Guadalajara, A.C., and is made up of a number of prominent academic and social leaders. The Foundation works to attain private support from individuals, foundations and corporations in order to fulfill the mission and vision of the University of Guadalajara in Los Angeles.

U.S. Udg Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life and social integration of migrants and Hispanic nationals by increasing their access to education and enhancing their sense of belonging and identification with their environment by developing their skills and capabilities through educational services and relevant social research.

Maguey, pronounced Ma Gay -- the plant from which Tequila is distilled here in the State of Jalisco and the City of Guadalajara -- is the perfect name for the Gay Prize of the Festival International de Cine de Guadalajara (Ficg).

Ficg The Maguey Awards

(Aka: Premios Maguey: Pasiones intimas del cine queer or Intimate Passions of Queer Cinema)The jury -- comprised of Colombian Juan Carlos Arcienegas of CNN Latino, journalist and film critic; Kevin Murphy, Germany, Talent Campus; Darryl MacDonald, Director of Palm Springs Iff, Swedish filmmaker Ingrid Ryborg and Alexander Mello,Brazil, Director at Diversity in Animation. International Festival of Lgbt Animation--made a quick and easy decision after one hour of deliberation, but it took 2 1Ž2 hours to write the statement.

The line-up

Included some films I had seen including the Chilean (again!!) film by Esteban Lorrain The Passion of Michelangelo which I quite liked when I saw it at Berlin’s Efm; Gun Hill Road, Sundance 2012’s debut feature and Masters Film (from Nyu Graduate Film School) Gun Hill Road by New Yorker Rashaad Ernesto Green, Graduate of Dartmouth College, recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation Award and Spike Lee Fellowship which most unfortunately has been caught in the bankruptcy of its U.S. distributor Motion Picture Film Group (See Indiewire: What Happens You’re your Distributor Goes Bankrupt – Why Gun Hill Road is now Finally on DVD), Sundance 2012 lesbian Chicana film Mosquito y Mari, Any Day Now, starring Alan Cummings which I saw at the Napa Valley Film Festival where it won the Audience Award and the 2013 Sundance film Joshua Tree 1951: A Portrait of James Dean.

And the winner is: Quebranto (Disrupted), from Mexico, the memorial and testimony of trail blazers Fernando García, known as Pinolito, who was a child actor in the seventies and Doña Lilia Ortega, his mother, an actress. Fernando came out as a transvestite some years ago, and now calls himself Coral Bonelli. They live together in Garibaldi, Mexico yearning for their past in the movies, while Coral bravely comes to terms with her gender identity. They both still perform.

Honorable Mention went to the Israeli film Out in the Dark

The announcement and celebration party at the Black Cherry was great fun. I was honored to meet the great and beautiful Mexican actress Laura Zapata. I hung out with my new-found friends Lydia Genchi from Nomad Film Distribution in Italy and Catalina Arango of Zancudo Films from Argentina, and old friends Darryl, Jc and Kevin up until midnight when the prize should have been announced, but instead, the disco dancing with two great dancers a la “Rage” in West Hollywood went on another half an hour… Someone saw the poor exhausted dancers in their open window dressing room above the club afterward, self absorbed in private activities as they tried to rest their beautiful bodies. Personally I wish they would add a Latin beat to the monotony of one-one-one-one-one-one-one beat which really exacerbated my tinnitus.

So I went home, sharing a car with Swedish Staermose Soren of Yellow Bird Productions and Greek Patrice Vivancos, spokesman for Media Mundus which is Media’s international film fund and whom I had seen earlier moderating the roundtable on funds and funding strategies for Latin America.