Everardo Gout's DAYS OF GRACE to Open in NYC and LA

Cinema Libre Studio has announced the U.S. theatrical run of the Mexican film Días de gracia / Days of Grace, the explosive directorial debut by Everardo Gout. Corruption, kidnapping, and vigilante justice fuel the film that opens Friday, May 1 at the AMC Empire 25 in New York City, and Friday, May 15 at the Sundance Sunset in Los Angeles.

Set in Mexico City during three consecutive World Cup tournaments, three lives impacted by abduction, intersect. Lupe, an idealistic cop, is tasked to investigate a crime ring and finds that justice has no value when a human life has a price. When Susana’s businessman-husband Arturo is taken, she must go outside the law to fight for his release. And Iguana is conflicted as he dreams of becoming a boxer even as he is drawn into a lifestyle that finds him guarding kidnap Victim X and facing down a criminal mastermind.

Based on his original screenplay, Gout’s directorial debut was an Official Selection of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, earning a fifteen minute standing ovation, then went on to win eight Mexican Academy of Film Ariel Awards® in 2012 as well as Best Film and Best Director prizes at the Guadalajara International Film Festival. Produced by Leopoldo Gout (Alex Cross) the film stars Tenoch Huerta (Güeros), who won an Ariel for Best Actor, Kristyan Ferrer (Sin Nombre, Buenos Días Ramón), Dolores Heredia (Get the Gringo, Vantage Point) and Carlos Bardem.

Gout, who spent a decade making commercials, video and other short form content crafted a gripping tale of three kidnappings, which occur during consecutive World Cup tournaments in 2002, 2006, and 2010, three distinct and carefully conceived timelines. This ambitious and dynamic first feature that tackles police and government corruption in Mexico City and the violent, harrowing ripple effects this has on seemingly unconnected individuals.

Gout created the singular looks (using three different aspect ratios) for each subplot with cinematographer Luis David Sansans, who developed his craft in the camera department on films such as: Y Tu Mamá También, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Romeo + Juliet, and Resident Evil: Extinction.

The soundtrack also denotes the different time frames by assigning three scores to each period. They are composed by Academy Award® winning composer Atticus Ross (The Social Network), as well as Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, and Shigeru Umebayashi, with a remix of George Gershwin’s iconic song, "Summertime " written by Robert Naja & Tim Goldsworthy, members of Massive Attack, performed by Scarlett Johansson.

The film was released theatrically in Mexico on 200 screens in April 2012. It has been released in France, United Kingdom, Hungary, and Sweden. Following a US theatrical run and will be broadcast on HBO in May 2015 and released day-and-date on DVD and select transactional On Demand platforms.

Piñeiro’s PRINCESS OF FRANCE Reigns Over Buenos Aires

Matías Piñeiro’s feature film La princesa de Francia / The Princess of France (pictured) as named Best Film in the Argentinean competition of the 17th edition of BAFICI, Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival it was announced on Friday.

In Piñeiro’s third entry in his series of Shakespeare-inspired films, Víctor returns to Buenos Aires a year after his father’s death in order to reconquer the life he was forced to abandon. He brings a new project with him for his former theater company: a radio-play of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, a play they had all worked on together before he left.

Also in BAFICI’s Argentinean competition, filmmaker José Celestino Campusano won the award for Best Director for his most recent film Placer y martirio. The film Idilio by Nicolás Aponter Aragon received a Special Jury Mention.

In the official competition, the Brazilian film  Ela volta na quinta by André Novais Olivera was presented with a Special Jury Mention.

The 17th edition of BAFICI took place April in Buenos Aires.

Mexican Filmmakers that Have Been in Cannes' Official Competition

With today's announcement of the inclusion of Michel Franco's Chronic in the Official Selection of the 68th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the director joins a distinctive group of Mexican filmmakers that have competed for the prestigious Palm d'Or.

Spanish-born director Luis Buñuel (pictured left) is the Mexican director with the most participation at Cannes' Official Selection. He rapidly became a regular after he premiered his film Los Olvidados at the festival in 1951, wining the Best Director Award. He returned the following two years to present Subida al cielo / Mexican Bus Ride in 1952, and Él in 1953. Few years later, in 1959, he won the International Prize for his film Nazarín.

After that, Buñuel returned three more times in a row: in 1960 with La joven / The Young One; in 1961 with the Mexican-Spanish co-production Viridiana, for which he won the Palm d'Or (ex-aequo with Henri Colpi's The Long Absence) making it the first -and last time, a Mexican film has ever won the coveted award since it was introduced at the festival in 1955.

Buñuel returned once again -and for the last time in the Official Selection, with El angel exterminador / The Exterminating Angel in 1962. His film Tristana had a special out-of-competition screening at the 1970 edition of the festival.

Roberto Gavaldón (pictured right) is the second Mexican filmmaker with the most films selected for competition at Cannes, with four titles: Las tres alegres casadas (1953), El niño y la niebla / The Boy and the Fog (1954), La escondida / The Hidden One (1956), and Macario (1960).

Three Mexican filmmakers have participated three times in Cannes' Official Selection: Emilio "El Indio" Fernández in the forties and early fifties, Arturo Ripstein in the seventies and the nineties, and more recently Carlos Reygadas in the last decade.

Emilio "El Indio" Fernández participated in the very first edition of the Cannes Film Festival in 1946 with María Candelaria starring Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz, the film won the Grand Prix (which was the highest prize at the festival between 1946 and 1954) shared with other films in competition. Fernández returned to the competition at Cannes in 1949 with his film Pueblerina, and one last time in 1953 with the film La red / The Net.

Arturo Ripstein participated at the festival for the first time in 1974 with his film El santo oficio / The Holy Office. Twenty years have had to pass for him to return to the Official Selection with La reina de la noche / The Queen of the Night in 1994. The last time he competed for the Palm d'Or was in 1999 for El coronel no tiene quien le escriba / No One Writes to the Colonel.

Carlos Reygadas (pictured left), has been actively participating at Cannes with his last three films: Batalla en el cielo / Battle in Heaven in 2005, Luz silenciosa / Silent Light in 2007, and more recently Post Tenebras Lux last year, for which he won the prize for Best Director.

The most recent filmmaker to participate at Cannes was Amat Escalante in 2013 with his feature film Heli, for which he also won the prize for Best Director.

The other Mexican filmmaker that has premiered his films in the official competition in the last decade is Alejandro González Iñárritu (pictured below right), whose film Babel gave him the prize for Best Director in 2006. He returned in 2010 with the film Biutiful, which he shot in Barcelona and stars Javier Bardem.

Nine other Mexican filmmakers have participated in the competition with one film each: (in chronological order) Miguel M. Delgado with Los tres mosqueteros (1946); Tito Davidson with Doña diabla / The Devil Is a Woman (1951); Julio Bracho with La ausente / The Absentee (1952); Miguel Morayta with El mártir del calvario / The Martyr of Calvary (1954); Benito Alazraki with Raíces (1955); Alfredo B. Crevenna with Talpa (1956); Ismael Rodríguez with La cucaracha (1959); Luis Alcoriza with Tarahumara (1965), and more recently, Guillermo del Toro with the Mexican-Spanish co-production El laberinto del fauno / Pan’s Labyrinth (2006).

Only one Mexican woman director has participated in the Official Selection, that was Carmen Toscano de Moreno (pictured right) with the documentary film Memorias de un mexicano / Memories of a Mexican in 1954. It's important to note than in the 1950s Mexican filmmakers had easier access to the Cannes Film Festival. Both editions of 1953 and 1954, saw a record-breaking three films from Mexico in competition each year. For many years, the Mexican presence at Cannes was very limited.

Additionally there's a handful of foreign directors that have participated in the Palm d'Or competition with Mexican productions, that is the case of Argentinean director Tulio Demicheli who participated at Cannes with Un extraño en la escalera / A Stranger on the Stairs in 1955; Spanish director Carlos Velo with Pedro Páramo in 1967; Chilean director Miguel Littín with Actas de Marusia / Letters from Marusia in 1976, and with El recurso del método / The Recourse to the Method (in co-production with Cuba) in 1978; and Brazilian director Ruy Guerra with Eréndira in 1983.

Cannes 2015: Mexican Director Michel Franco Will Compete for the Palm d’Or

The 68th Cannes Film Festival announced today the last couple of film titles competing in its Official Selection, and it includes Cronic by Mexican director Michel Franco (pictured). The film thus becomes the only Latin American film in the main slate competing for the coveted Palm d’Or.

Franco’s fourth feature film stars Tim Roth and follows a depressed nurse who works with terminally ill patients. Franco joins Mexican directors Amat Escalante, Carlos Reygadas, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Guillermo Del Toro, Arturo Ripstein, Miguel M. Delgado, Tito Davidson, Julio Bracho, Miguel Morayta, Benito Alazraki, Alfredo B. Crevenna, Ismael Rodríguez, Luis Alcoriza, Luis Buñuel, Roberto Gavaldón, Carmen Toscano de Moreno, and Emilio “El Indio” Fernandez, who have participated in the official competition.

Another Latin American title was also announced today for Cannes’ lineup. Alias Maria by Colombian director José Luis Rugeles will be participating in the competition in the Un Certain Regard category. Additionally, Argentine-born director Gaspar Noé’s newest film, Love will also have a special midnight screening.

The 68th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will take place May 13 - 24, 2015 in France.

Cannes 2015: Del Toro Selected as a Jury Member

Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has been selected as a member of Cannes official competition jury in its 68th edition, it was announced today.

The nine-member jury headed by American filmmakers Ethan and Joel Cohen and composed by Spanish actress Rossy de Palma, French actress Sophie Marceau, British actress Sienna Miller, Malian musician Rokia Traoré, Canadian director Xavier Dolan, and American actor Jake Gyllenhaal, will chose the Palm d'Or winner among the films in competition.

Del Toro becomes the eleventh Mexican to participate in Cannes' official jury. The first Mexican jury was playwright Rodolfo Usigli in the very first edition of the festival in 1946. He was followed by filmmaker Luis Buñuel in 1954, by actress Dolores del Río in 1957, actor Pedro Armendáriz in 1961, actor/politician Rodolfo Echeverría in 1973, writer/screenwriter Carlos Fuentes in 1977, film historian Emilio García Riera in 1995, actress Salma Hayek in 2005, director Alfonso Cuarón in 2008, and actor Gael García Bernal in 2014.

Del Toro premiered his acclaimed feature film Pan’s Labyrinth in the 2006 official competition at Cannes.

Directors' Fortnight Welcomes Films From Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil

The Directors' Fortnight, Cannes parallel independent section run by the French Director’s Guild, has unveiled today the titles for its 47th edition, which includes two feature films and short films from Latin America.

Having their world premieres are the Chilean documentary feature Allende mi abuelo Allende / Beyond My Grandfather Allende, the directorial debut by Marcia Tambutti, and the Colombian film El abrazo de la serpiente / Embrace of the Serpent by Ciro Guerra.

Two South American short films will also have their world premiere at the French Riviera: The Broken Past / El pasado roto by Martín Morgenfeld and Sebastián Schjaer from Argentina and Backyard by André Novais Oliveira.

Beyond My Grandfather Allende is a personal portrait of the filmmaker’s grandfather Salvador Allende, former president of Chile overthrown by a coup d’etat in 1973, delving into his complicated legacy and the clash between his private and public personae.

Embrace of the Serpent starring Brionne Davis and Jan Bijvoet is a drama about the encounter, apparent betrayal and finally life-affirming friendship between an Amazonian shaman (the last survivor of his people) and two foreign scientists. The film is Ciro’s Guerra’s sophomore production after his acclaimed The Wind Journeys which had its world premiere at Cannes’ A Certain Regard in 2009.

The Directors’ Fortnight runs May 14-24.