Disney's Bob Iger announced that a sequel to Pixar's acclaimed 2017 Academy Award-winner, Coco, is officially in development during The Walt Disney Company’s annual meeting of shareholders.
“While the film is just in the initial stages, we know it will be full of humor, heart and adventure,” said Iger. “And we can't wait to share more soon.”
Exciting news for fans of the original tear-jerker, but we're going to be waiting a while to see Coco 2, as it's currently scheduled for a 2029 theatrical release.
Check out the title logo below.
Disney and Pixar’s Coco 2 is officially in the works! pic.twitter.com/BtLzn2oIFP
— Pixar (@Pixar) March 20, 2025
Coco 2 will reunite the team behind the original, including Oscar-winning director Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and co-director Adrian Molina. Oscar-winning producer Mark Nielsen is also set to return.
Disney and Pixar’s Coco introduced Miguel, a 12-year-old with dreams of...
“While the film is just in the initial stages, we know it will be full of humor, heart and adventure,” said Iger. “And we can't wait to share more soon.”
Exciting news for fans of the original tear-jerker, but we're going to be waiting a while to see Coco 2, as it's currently scheduled for a 2029 theatrical release.
Check out the title logo below.
Disney and Pixar’s Coco 2 is officially in the works! pic.twitter.com/BtLzn2oIFP
— Pixar (@Pixar) March 20, 2025
Coco 2 will reunite the team behind the original, including Oscar-winning director Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and co-director Adrian Molina. Oscar-winning producer Mark Nielsen is also set to return.
Disney and Pixar’s Coco introduced Miguel, a 12-year-old with dreams of...
- 3/21/2025
- ComicBookMovie.com
Remember when Pixar changed animation forever with the bold, inventive, and otherwise creative "Toy Story?" How about when the studio continued to release original movies that pushed the medium of animation forward while exploring vastly different stories and genres? Sure, there were sequels even in the earlier days, but not only did movies like "Toy Story 2" actually provide something new and different from their predecessors, but they were also balanced out by twice as many original Pixar movies.
Well, say goodbye to the good old days! Pixar, like its parent company Walt Disney Studios, is now all about chasing the mighty and elusive dollar with artistically-dubious sequels that parents will go to movie theaters to see because there is virtually nothing else to entertain kids with at the movies. We already knew Pixar was making not just another "Toy Story" sequel, but also a third "The Incredibles" movie. Now,...
Well, say goodbye to the good old days! Pixar, like its parent company Walt Disney Studios, is now all about chasing the mighty and elusive dollar with artistically-dubious sequels that parents will go to movie theaters to see because there is virtually nothing else to entertain kids with at the movies. We already knew Pixar was making not just another "Toy Story" sequel, but also a third "The Incredibles" movie. Now,...
- 3/20/2025
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Ana Ofelia Murguía, known for her role in Coco, has passed away at the age of 90. She voiced the character Mama Coco and sang the award-winning song "Remember Me." Murguía had a prolific career in Mexican films and received several Ariel Award nominations. Coco was Murguía's penultimate onscreen role, providing a bittersweet sendoff to her beloved career. Her character Mama Coco's peaceful passing in the film adds a poetic touch.
Actor Ana Ofelia Murguía has died at the age of 90. The Mexican-born star was best known for her role in the 2017 Disney Pixar film Coco, which went on to win the Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Murguía voiced the eponymous Mama Coco, the aging matriarch of the central Rivera family. As Mama Coco, Murguía sings a version of Coco’s most well-known song, “Remember Me,” the tune that won the Academy Award.
As per BBC News,...
Actor Ana Ofelia Murguía has died at the age of 90. The Mexican-born star was best known for her role in the 2017 Disney Pixar film Coco, which went on to win the Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Murguía voiced the eponymous Mama Coco, the aging matriarch of the central Rivera family. As Mama Coco, Murguía sings a version of Coco’s most well-known song, “Remember Me,” the tune that won the Academy Award.
As per BBC News,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Hannah Gearan
- ScreenRant
'Coco' star Ana Ofelia Murguia has died aged 90. The Mexican actress voiced great-grandmother Mama Coco in the 2017 Oscar-winning Disney animation movie, and Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature has confirmed her passing. A post on Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura’s X account read: "With deep sadness we regret the sensitive death of the leading actress Ana Ofelia Murguía, who was part of the stable cast of the @CNTeatromx of #Inbal and whose artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico."We send condolences and warm hugs to her family and friends."Murguia was born in Mexico City in 1933, and became one of the stars of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. She starred in the likes of 1994 Mexican drama movie 'The Queen of the Night', as Dona Victoria, for which she won a Best Supporting Actress accolade. Murguia also triumphed...
- 1/2/2024
- by James Adam Leyfield
- Bang Showbiz
Murguía, who voiced titular character in Oscar-winning animated Pixar film, appeared in more than 100 roles spanning cinema, stage and television
Ana Ofelia Murguía, the Mexican actor who voiced the titular character of Disney and Pixar film Coco, has died aged 90.
Her death was announced “with deep sadness” on social media by Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, which said Murguía’s “artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico”. Her cause of death was not given.
Ana Ofelia Murguía, the Mexican actor who voiced the titular character of Disney and Pixar film Coco, has died aged 90.
Her death was announced “with deep sadness” on social media by Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, which said Murguía’s “artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico”. Her cause of death was not given.
- 1/2/2024
- by Sian Cain
- The Guardian - Film News
Ana Ofelia Murguía, the Mexican actress who voiced the role of Mama Coco in Disney’s two-time Oscar-winning animated feature Coco, died Dec. 31. She was 90.
The news was reported Monday by Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature.
“With deep sadness we regret the sensitive death of the first actress Ana Ofelia Murguía, who was part of the stable cast of the @CNTeatromx del #Inbal and whose artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico,” the institute wrote on X. “We send condolences and warm hugs to his family and friends.”
Con profunda tristeza lamentamos el sensible deceso de la primera actriz Ana Ofelia Murguía, quien formaba parte del elenco estable de la @CNTeatromx del #Inbal y cuya trayectoria artística fue vital para las artes escénicas de México.
Enviamos condolencias y abrazamos con… pic.twitter.com/BnEkpxG4k2
— Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (@bellasartesinba...
The news was reported Monday by Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature.
“With deep sadness we regret the sensitive death of the first actress Ana Ofelia Murguía, who was part of the stable cast of the @CNTeatromx del #Inbal and whose artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico,” the institute wrote on X. “We send condolences and warm hugs to his family and friends.”
Con profunda tristeza lamentamos el sensible deceso de la primera actriz Ana Ofelia Murguía, quien formaba parte del elenco estable de la @CNTeatromx del #Inbal y cuya trayectoria artística fue vital para las artes escénicas de México.
Enviamos condolencias y abrazamos con… pic.twitter.com/BnEkpxG4k2
— Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (@bellasartesinba...
- 1/1/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Ana Ofelia Murguía, the Mexican actor best known for voicing the titular character of Disney and Pixar’s 2017 animated movie “Coco,” died Sunday, Dec. 31, BBC News reports. She was 90.
“Coco,” which follows a young boy as he crosses over to the land of the dead during Mexico’s Día de los Muertos, won two Academy Awards, for best animated feature and original song for “Remember Me.” Murguía voices the aging Mama Coco, whose memory of her father is reignited by her great-grandson, Miguel. At the emotional climax, Murguía’s Coco sings the film’s central song, “Remember Me,” with Miguel.
“Coco” was lauded for its representation of Mexican culture and celebrated for its exploration of heavy subjects, like death, through the lens of a children’s movie.
Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature paid tribute to Murguía on X/Twitter, writing that her “career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico.
“Coco,” which follows a young boy as he crosses over to the land of the dead during Mexico’s Día de los Muertos, won two Academy Awards, for best animated feature and original song for “Remember Me.” Murguía voices the aging Mama Coco, whose memory of her father is reignited by her great-grandson, Miguel. At the emotional climax, Murguía’s Coco sings the film’s central song, “Remember Me,” with Miguel.
“Coco” was lauded for its representation of Mexican culture and celebrated for its exploration of heavy subjects, like death, through the lens of a children’s movie.
Mexico’s National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature paid tribute to Murguía on X/Twitter, writing that her “career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico.
- 1/1/2024
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Ana Ofelia Murguía, known for her voiceover role in the hit Disney movie Coco, has died.
The news of Murguía's passing was announced in a post on X by the Mexican National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature. Specific details about her passing were not immediately shared. Murguía was 90 years old.
Con profunda tristeza lamentamos el sensible deceso de la primera actriz Ana Ofelia MurguÃa, quien formaba parte del elenco estable de la @CNTeatromx del #Inbal y cuya trayectoria artÃstica fue vital para las artes escénicas de México. Enviamos condolencias y abrazamos con… pic.twitter.com/BnEkpxG4k2 — Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (@bellasartesinba) December 31, 2023
Translated, the post stated, "With deep sadness we regret the sensitive death of the first actress Ana Ofelia Murguía, who was part of the stable cast of the [National Theater Company of Mexico] and whose artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico.
The news of Murguía's passing was announced in a post on X by the Mexican National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature. Specific details about her passing were not immediately shared. Murguía was 90 years old.
Con profunda tristeza lamentamos el sensible deceso de la primera actriz Ana Ofelia MurguÃa, quien formaba parte del elenco estable de la @CNTeatromx del #Inbal y cuya trayectoria artÃstica fue vital para las artes escénicas de México. Enviamos condolencias y abrazamos con… pic.twitter.com/BnEkpxG4k2 — Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (@bellasartesinba) December 31, 2023
Translated, the post stated, "With deep sadness we regret the sensitive death of the first actress Ana Ofelia Murguía, who was part of the stable cast of the [National Theater Company of Mexico] and whose artistic career was vital for the performing arts of Mexico.
- 1/1/2024
- by Jeremy Dick
- CBR
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Coco"
Where You Can Stream It: Disney+
The Pitch: If you're looking for a beautiful film to watch in honor of Día de Los Muertos, Pixar's "Coco" will have you laughing through tears. The 2017 film is, in my humble opinion, one of the best things Pixar has ever done. It's gorgeous, it's funny, introduces the world to some wonderful traditions, and it's going to require a giant box of tissues. You've been warned.
In the small Mexican town of Santa Cecilia lives a young boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) who loves his family, his Xoloitzcuintle dog buddy Dante, and, more than anything else, music. Normally that would be great, but his family has banned music. You see,...
The Movie: "Coco"
Where You Can Stream It: Disney+
The Pitch: If you're looking for a beautiful film to watch in honor of Día de Los Muertos, Pixar's "Coco" will have you laughing through tears. The 2017 film is, in my humble opinion, one of the best things Pixar has ever done. It's gorgeous, it's funny, introduces the world to some wonderful traditions, and it's going to require a giant box of tissues. You've been warned.
In the small Mexican town of Santa Cecilia lives a young boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) who loves his family, his Xoloitzcuintle dog buddy Dante, and, more than anything else, music. Normally that would be great, but his family has banned music. You see,...
- 11/1/2022
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero, the Mexican woman who reportedly inspired the 2017 Pixar animation Coco, has died at the age of 109.
Coco told the story of a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who travels to the Land of the Dead to meet his deceased great-great-grandfather.
One of the main characters in the film is an elderly woman named Coco, Miguel’s great-grandmother, voiced by Ana Ofelia Murguia.
Caballero’s death was announced by Roberto Monroy, the secretary of tourism for the Mexican state of Michoacan.
According to TMZ, Monroy said that she had died in Santa Fe de la Laguna of undisclosed causes.
Monroy described her as a “tireless woman and life model”.
Disney has never confirmed that Caballero was indeed the inspiration for for Coco, though her family have claimed that a Pixar team met with Caballero, photographed her and lived with her for a period.
It is also alleged that...
Coco told the story of a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who travels to the Land of the Dead to meet his deceased great-great-grandfather.
One of the main characters in the film is an elderly woman named Coco, Miguel’s great-grandmother, voiced by Ana Ofelia Murguia.
Caballero’s death was announced by Roberto Monroy, the secretary of tourism for the Mexican state of Michoacan.
According to TMZ, Monroy said that she had died in Santa Fe de la Laguna of undisclosed causes.
Monroy described her as a “tireless woman and life model”.
Disney has never confirmed that Caballero was indeed the inspiration for for Coco, though her family have claimed that a Pixar team met with Caballero, photographed her and lived with her for a period.
It is also alleged that...
- 10/17/2022
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - Film
Stars: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Jaime Camil, Alfonso Arau, Sofía Espinosa, Edward James Olmos | Written by Adrian Molina, Matthew Aldrich | Directed by Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
Having explored the inner workings of human consciousness in Inside Out, the animation geniuses at Pixar turn their collective imaginations to the land of the dead in their latest offering, co-directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and Adrian Molina. The result is Coco, a beautifully animated piece of work that has something genuinely moving to say about death, grief, memory and family, without ever feeling too sentimental.
The hero of the story is 12 year-old Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a young Mexican boy who dreams of becoming a singer. There’s just one problem: his grandmother Imelda (Renée Victor) enforces a strict musical ban on his shoe-making family, because Miguel’s great-great-grandfather abandoned his wife and child – Miguel’s now ancient great grandmother,...
Having explored the inner workings of human consciousness in Inside Out, the animation geniuses at Pixar turn their collective imaginations to the land of the dead in their latest offering, co-directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and Adrian Molina. The result is Coco, a beautifully animated piece of work that has something genuinely moving to say about death, grief, memory and family, without ever feeling too sentimental.
The hero of the story is 12 year-old Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a young Mexican boy who dreams of becoming a singer. There’s just one problem: his grandmother Imelda (Renée Victor) enforces a strict musical ban on his shoe-making family, because Miguel’s great-great-grandfather abandoned his wife and child – Miguel’s now ancient great grandmother,...
- 5/21/2018
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
“Remember Me” from “Coco” has won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez wrote the music and lyrics for the popular earworm, which is performed several times throughout the acclaimed Pixar film about a boy’s musical journey through the land of the dead — Benjamin Bratt, Gael García Bernal, Anthony Gonzalez, and Ana Ofelia Murguía all do their own renditions.
Also nominated in the category were “Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” “Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” “Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” and “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman.” Elsewhere in the musical categories, “The Shape of Water” won Best Original Score by beating out “Dunkirk,” “Phantom Thread,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”
Read More: 2018 Oscars: Winners List — Updating Live
“Coco” also won the award for Best Animated Feature earlier in the evening. Other winners include Sam Rockwell,...
Also nominated in the category were “Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” “Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” “Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” and “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman.” Elsewhere in the musical categories, “The Shape of Water” won Best Original Score by beating out “Dunkirk,” “Phantom Thread,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”
Read More: 2018 Oscars: Winners List — Updating Live
“Coco” also won the award for Best Animated Feature earlier in the evening. Other winners include Sam Rockwell,...
- 3/5/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
After amassing an incredible filmography and changing the landscape for animated cinema and how audiences consume it, Pixar Animation Studios have rightly become a giant in the field. Since breaking new ground with Toy Story, the studio has created an array of sublime features that have gripped the heart and excited all ages. So it seems a bit puzzling that, of late, the studio has been considered to be uneven. In the years following the mesmerising Toy Story 3 in 2010, the studio has undeniably opted for more prequel or sequel work than before, instead of the mostly original stories of which they are most renowned for. Yet, despite this over exaggerated idea that they have lost their touch, Pixar has only ever really stumbled majorly with 2011’s surprisingly cold Cars 2 and they most assuredly still have the power to amaze. Enter Coco, Pixar’s best work since Inside Out.
- 1/28/2018
- by Jack Bottomley
- The Cultural Post
Stars: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Jaime Camil, Alfonso Arau, Sofía Espinosa, Edward James Olmos | Written by Adrian Molina, Matthew Aldrich | Directed by Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
Having explored the inner workings of human consciousness in Inside Out, the animation geniuses at Pixar turn their collective imaginations to the land of the dead in their latest offering, co-directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and Adrian Molina. The result is Coco, a beautifully animated piece of work that has something genuinely moving to say about death, grief, memory and family, without ever feeling too sentimental.
The hero of the story is 12 year-old Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a young Mexican boy who dreams of becoming a singer. There’s just one problem: his grandmother Imelda (Renée Victor) enforces a strict musical ban on his shoe-making family, because Miguel’s great-great-grandfather abandoned his wife and child – Miguel’s now ancient great grandmother,...
Having explored the inner workings of human consciousness in Inside Out, the animation geniuses at Pixar turn their collective imaginations to the land of the dead in their latest offering, co-directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and Adrian Molina. The result is Coco, a beautifully animated piece of work that has something genuinely moving to say about death, grief, memory and family, without ever feeling too sentimental.
The hero of the story is 12 year-old Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), a young Mexican boy who dreams of becoming a singer. There’s just one problem: his grandmother Imelda (Renée Victor) enforces a strict musical ban on his shoe-making family, because Miguel’s great-great-grandfather abandoned his wife and child – Miguel’s now ancient great grandmother,...
- 1/19/2018
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
Coco is easily going to win the box office over Thanksgiving weekend—but is it worth your family's dime? Directed by Lee Unkrich, Pixar's latest movie features the voices of Alfonso Arau, Benjamin Bratt, Jaime Camil, Sofía Espinosa, Gael García Bernal, Anthony Gonzalez, Selene Luna, Ana Ofelia Murguia, Edward James Olmos, Alanna Ubach and Renée Victor. Despite his family's generations-old ban on music, 12-year-old Miguel (Gonzalez) dreams of becoming a musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Bratt). After being dissuaded by his grandmother, Miguel strums his ancestor's guitar and winds up in the mystical and colorful Land of the Dead. Along the way, he encounters a trickster, Hector...
- 11/23/2017
- E! Online
Disney has released the final trailer for Pixar's upcoming film Coco. This looks like it's going to be another strong animated film from the studio. Coco already opened in Mexico two weeks ago and apparently, it's been a big hit. I'm very much looking forward to seeing this movie as it looks like it will tell a wonderfully magical story about the streantgth of family.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
- 11/6/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Disney has released a new clip and featurette for Pixar's upcoming animated supernatural adventure film Coco. The clip features Miguel's grandma coming after him as he is spending time in the Mariachi Plaza. She's not happy that he is hanging round the area. The featurette offers us some insight into the creation of the story. If you're looking forward to seeing this movie, you'll want to check these out!
Pixar has enjoyed a long string of successful films and this one seems like it's very different from anything they've done before, especially with the culture. It looks like a wonderfully magical film and it looks like a movie that fans will enjoy.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel...
Pixar has enjoyed a long string of successful films and this one seems like it's very different from anything they've done before, especially with the culture. It looks like a wonderfully magical film and it looks like a movie that fans will enjoy.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel...
- 10/17/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Disney Pixar has released the third trailer for Coco, which sheds some new light on the main character Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez), and his quest through the Land of the Dead. The trailer features a clerk (voiced by Gabriel Iglesias) at the Department of Family Reunions, who tells Miguel that he's cursed. To return to the Land of the Living, Miguel will need a magical marigold petal and the blessing of a family member, but, according to the clerk, the family member can include any condition she likes, even forbidding music forever. Miguel learns that he must also preserve the memory of his great great grandfather.
The trailer, which debuted on Disney Pixar YouTube, shows footage of Miguel learning from Land of the Dead trickster Miguel (voiced by Gael Garcia Bernal) that once everyone in the living world has forgotten about a person, they completely disappear from the Land of the Dead.
The trailer, which debuted on Disney Pixar YouTube, shows footage of Miguel learning from Land of the Dead trickster Miguel (voiced by Gael Garcia Bernal) that once everyone in the living world has forgotten about a person, they completely disappear from the Land of the Dead.
- 9/13/2017
- by MovieWeb
- MovieWeb
Disney has released a new trailer for Pixar's latest film Coco and it looks stunning! Pixar knows how to tell a great story and this one focuses on a young boy who finds himself in the Land of the Dead where he will learn the true story of his family's history. It looks like a fantastically magical film that will inspire audiences.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
The...
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
The...
- 9/13/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Author: Zehra Phelan
Following on from the poster release yesterday of Pixar’s upcoming animation Coco by the film’s director Lee Unkrich via twitter as well as the full cast and character details, a new trailer for one boy’s quest to find the truth about his family history has arrived.
Related: Coco trailers
A far cry from Pixar’s Cars, Coco portrays a classic experience both visually and musically whilst dipped in a candy vat of diversity in examining a culture we very rarely see in animation form.
Newcomer Anthony Gonzalez leads the project’s all-Latino voice cast as Miguel, a young boy from a shoemaker’s family who dreams of becoming a musician like his idol, the late Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), despite his family having banned music for generations. Miguel will be accompanied on his adventure by a trickster named Hector, voiced by Gael Garcia Bernal.
Following on from the poster release yesterday of Pixar’s upcoming animation Coco by the film’s director Lee Unkrich via twitter as well as the full cast and character details, a new trailer for one boy’s quest to find the truth about his family history has arrived.
Related: Coco trailers
A far cry from Pixar’s Cars, Coco portrays a classic experience both visually and musically whilst dipped in a candy vat of diversity in examining a culture we very rarely see in animation form.
Newcomer Anthony Gonzalez leads the project’s all-Latino voice cast as Miguel, a young boy from a shoemaker’s family who dreams of becoming a musician like his idol, the late Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), despite his family having banned music for generations. Miguel will be accompanied on his adventure by a trickster named Hector, voiced by Gael Garcia Bernal.
- 6/8/2017
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Disney has released a new trailer for Pixar's upcoming animated feature film Coco. This looks like a fantastically made film that tells the magical story of a boy, a magic guitar, and his journey to the Land of the Dead. If you're a fan of Pixar's films, this doesn't look like a movie you'll want to miss.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history. Character actress Renée Victor also joins the cast as Abuelita,...
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history. Character actress Renée Victor also joins the cast as Abuelita,...
- 6/8/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Just one day after Disney Pixar unveiled the first Coco poster, along with revealing new voice cast members, the studio has unveiled the new trailer with the first footage from this animated adventure. Pixar has also unveiled a new photo, which features a look at Miguel, voiced by Anthony Gonzalez, along with several of his deceased family members in the Land of the Dead. This trailer sets up the legend of Dia De Los Muertos, a.k.a. Day of the Dead, where the deceased return to Earth to visit their friends and family members. While these spirits can return to our world, no living person has been to their world, until now.
Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself magically transported to...
Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself magically transported to...
- 6/8/2017
- by MovieWeb
- MovieWeb
Disney and Pixar's next venture shows the difference between the land of the living and the land of the dead leading up to Dia de los Muertos! The film, entitled Coco, includes an All-Latino voiced cast of who's-who!
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself magically transported to the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history. This is the synopsis for Disney-Pixar's Coco, a beautiful adventure set around the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos. Today, Disney proudly unveiled the...
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself magically transported to the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history. This is the synopsis for Disney-Pixar's Coco, a beautiful adventure set around the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos. Today, Disney proudly unveiled the...
- 6/6/2017
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Matt Malliaros)
- Cinelinx
Diversity is kind of a hot topic nowadays. As citizens of a melting pot of a culture, it’s nice to be represented in mainstream entertainment. And if we’re being honest, it’s not just about diversity, but authenticity. It always rings a bit false when you have a white person portraying a person of color. It’s especially easy to get away with this in animation, where you don’t even see the voice actors.
Studios have gotten away with this practice for years, but in today’s world, they’re making a conscious effort to create films that respect the culture it’s portraying, and part of that has to do with the voice cast. This newer approach is expanding to Coco, the latest film from Pixar inspired by Día de Muertos, a celebration of the dearly departed.
This is obviously a story that’s steeped in Mexican culture,...
Studios have gotten away with this practice for years, but in today’s world, they’re making a conscious effort to create films that respect the culture it’s portraying, and part of that has to do with the voice cast. This newer approach is expanding to Coco, the latest film from Pixar inspired by Día de Muertos, a celebration of the dearly departed.
This is obviously a story that’s steeped in Mexican culture,...
- 6/6/2017
- by Joseph Medina
- LRMonline.com
Disney·Pixar's Coco, a multi-generational story about the power of family relationships, features characters from the Land of the Living, and their loved ones who've moved on to the Land of the Dead. Joining aspiring musician Miguel, voiced by Anthony Gonzalez; charming trickster Hector, voiced by Gael García Bernal; and musical icon Ernesto de la Cruz, voiced by Benjamin Bratt; are a host of colorful characters and the voice talent behind them that bring both worlds to life. Here's what director Lee Unkrich had to say about the story.
"These parallel worlds couldn't be more different. One is the Rivera family's charming and hardworking hometown of Santa Cecilia, and the other is the vibrant, rich land where loved ones go when they've passed. 'Coco' introduces characters from both worlds on the eve of Día de los Muertos, one extraordinary night when a living boy named Miguel...
"These parallel worlds couldn't be more different. One is the Rivera family's charming and hardworking hometown of Santa Cecilia, and the other is the vibrant, rich land where loved ones go when they've passed. 'Coco' introduces characters from both worlds on the eve of Día de los Muertos, one extraordinary night when a living boy named Miguel...
- 6/6/2017
- by MovieWeb
- MovieWeb
Disney·Pixar’s “Coco,” a multi-generational story about the power of family relationships, features characters from the Land of the Living, and their loved ones who’ve moved on to the Land of the Dead.
Joining aspiring musician Miguel, voiced by Anthony Gonzalez; charming trickster Hector, voiced by Gael García Bernal; and musical icon Ernesto de la Cruz, voiced by Benjamin Bratt; are a host of colorful characters and the voice talent behind them that bring both worlds to life.
“These parallel worlds couldn’t be more different,” said Unkrich. “One is the Rivera family’s charming and hardworking hometown of Santa Cecilia, and the other is the vibrant, rich land where loved ones go when they’ve passed. ‘Coco’ introduces characters from both worlds on the eve of Día de los Muertos—one extraordinary night when a living boy named Miguel gets a glimpse of the other side.”
Added Molina,...
Joining aspiring musician Miguel, voiced by Anthony Gonzalez; charming trickster Hector, voiced by Gael García Bernal; and musical icon Ernesto de la Cruz, voiced by Benjamin Bratt; are a host of colorful characters and the voice talent behind them that bring both worlds to life.
“These parallel worlds couldn’t be more different,” said Unkrich. “One is the Rivera family’s charming and hardworking hometown of Santa Cecilia, and the other is the vibrant, rich land where loved ones go when they’ve passed. ‘Coco’ introduces characters from both worlds on the eve of Día de los Muertos—one extraordinary night when a living boy named Miguel gets a glimpse of the other side.”
Added Molina,...
- 6/6/2017
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“Coco” won’t be released until Thanksgiving, but Pixar has just released a new short accompanying its first non-sequel since “The Good Dinosaur” to whet viewers’ appetites. “Dante’s Lunch” introduces us to the hairless doggo who serves as the best friend of Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) in the upcoming feature, a musical journey through the Land of the Dead. Watch the two-minute short below.
Read More: ‘Coco’ Trailer: Gael García Bernal Goes Full Pixar in Celebration of Mexican Culture — Watch
After coming across what’s surely a rather appetizing bone, our canine hero is naturally intrigued — what red-blooded pooch wouldn’t be? This would-be meal appears to have a mind of its own, however, and once Dante latches onto it he finds himself being pulled all across his village until eventually meeting the skeleton said bone belongs to. (If internet scuttlebutt is to be believed, this may be Gael García Bernal’s Hector.
Read More: ‘Coco’ Trailer: Gael García Bernal Goes Full Pixar in Celebration of Mexican Culture — Watch
After coming across what’s surely a rather appetizing bone, our canine hero is naturally intrigued — what red-blooded pooch wouldn’t be? This would-be meal appears to have a mind of its own, however, and once Dante latches onto it he finds himself being pulled all across his village until eventually meeting the skeleton said bone belongs to. (If internet scuttlebutt is to be believed, this may be Gael García Bernal’s Hector.
- 3/29/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Thanks to today’s release of the first trailer for their new film “Coco,” our Pixar withdrawal is that much closer to — blessedly — coming to an end. After director Lee Unkrich unveiled the poster on Twitter last week, it was only a matter of a time before the adorable and colorful trailer was released. It doesn’t disappoint.
Read More: ‘Coco’ Cast, Plot Details Announced: Gael García Bernal and Benjamin Bratt to Lead Pixar’s Day of the Dead Story
“Coco” will be the second of the studio’s 2017 releases after “Cars 3,” and will be helmed by Unkrich and Adrian Molina, who previously directed “Toy Story 3” and “Monsters University,” respectively, so you might just want to get your tissues out now.
In “Coco,” Miguel (voiced by newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming a musician despite his family’s disapproval of music. Desperate to prove himself and paired up...
Read More: ‘Coco’ Cast, Plot Details Announced: Gael García Bernal and Benjamin Bratt to Lead Pixar’s Day of the Dead Story
“Coco” will be the second of the studio’s 2017 releases after “Cars 3,” and will be helmed by Unkrich and Adrian Molina, who previously directed “Toy Story 3” and “Monsters University,” respectively, so you might just want to get your tissues out now.
In “Coco,” Miguel (voiced by newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming a musician despite his family’s disapproval of music. Desperate to prove himself and paired up...
- 3/15/2017
- by Allison Picurro
- Indiewire
Director: Arturo Pons
Festival Entry: The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man
Narrative Competition
A young man and a dead man journey north through a subtly surreal desert landscape, picking up a wagonful of odd characters as they go in this darkly humorous satire of contemporary Mexico.
Directed By: Arturo Pons
Producer: Ozcar Ramírez González
Screenwriter: Arturo Pons
Cinematographer: Luis David Sansans
Editors: Artuto Pons, Paloma Lopez
Music: Edgar Barroso
Cast: Gael Sanchez Valle, Pedro Gamez, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Eligio Melendez, Luis Bayardo, Marco Perez
We asked director Arturo Pons about his filmmaking inspirations and the challenges in making The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man. Here’s what he had to say:
Who are you and what do you do?
I just quit my job as a waiter in Barcelona last Saturday. This week I am moving back to Mexico, where I am from and I will...
Festival Entry: The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man
Narrative Competition
A young man and a dead man journey north through a subtly surreal desert landscape, picking up a wagonful of odd characters as they go in this darkly humorous satire of contemporary Mexico.
Directed By: Arturo Pons
Producer: Ozcar Ramírez González
Screenwriter: Arturo Pons
Cinematographer: Luis David Sansans
Editors: Artuto Pons, Paloma Lopez
Music: Edgar Barroso
Cast: Gael Sanchez Valle, Pedro Gamez, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Eligio Melendez, Luis Bayardo, Marco Perez
We asked director Arturo Pons about his filmmaking inspirations and the challenges in making The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man. Here’s what he had to say:
Who are you and what do you do?
I just quit my job as a waiter in Barcelona last Saturday. This week I am moving back to Mexico, where I am from and I will...
- 6/15/2012
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent
More from the Latino scene from our woman in L.A., free lance festival programmer extraordinaire, Christine Davila, from her blog Chicana from Chicago:
Looking at yesterday’s announcement of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival reveals a healthy Latino presence among the 62 features and 48 short films in the program. Here’s how I break down the Latino/ Ibero/ U.S. Latino component of the program.
Chile continues to give Argentina a run for its cache of exciting and growing cinematic output from South America with the inclusion of Thursday Til Sunday (Isa & Distributor: FiGa) written and directed by Dominga Sotomayor ♀, in Narrative Competition.
Although the traveling Mexican film festival Ambulante is no longer a program spotlight, Mexican films continue to be a mainstay of the festival. There are four feature-length films and three short films from/about Mexico. In Narrative Competition, The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man (Isa: Kafilms, Argentina) written and directed by Arturo Pons [about a young Mexican aiming for Chicago], and in Documentary Competition, Drought by Everado González (recently awarded Best Documentary at FICG27) . Out of competition is the gorgeously shot documentary, Canícula, and although the funding is mainly stateside, Bernardo Ruiz paints a fascinating portrait of the risky journalistic practice and history of the seminal Tijuana weekly, Zeta in Reportero.
Also of note in the program is that four short films list Cuba as a co-production/origin of country.
But what of the U.S. Latino filmmakers and stories? Last year Los Angeles Film Festival was a great launchpad for Mamitas (Distributor: ScreenMedia, Producer rep: Traction Media), an authentic Chicano portrayal of young love set in Echo Parque written and directed by Nicolas Ozeki (a non-Latino), co-starring fast rising hot talents Veronica Diaz-Carranzo (Blaze You Out) and E.J. Bonilla. The film is currently in theaters now. (Big recommend,theater listings here-go support it!)
The closest we have to representing U.S. Latino in the features section is Four, the feature debut of Joshua Sanchez who hails from Houston, Texas. Based on a Christopher Shinn play, the July 4th-eve-set story is a snapshot of two disparate relationships tensely intertwined and their at-odd dynamics of desire. Coincidentally, E.J. Bonilla also stars (this guy is blowing up!). I would also include as U.S. Latino, Searching for Sugar Man, the documentary by Malik Bendjelloul about singer songwriter Sixto Rodriguez’s fascinating rise and fall into obscurity as a Uj.S. Latino story. As a matter of fact, the film seems to suggest that perhaps Sixto’s Mexican-American identity might have been a reason he was not embraced by the 60s and 70s mainstream. [Per Sydney: The film was snatched up at Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics and by Isa Protagonist who is screening it twice in Cannes.]
As for U.S. Latino shorts, Fireworks written and directed by Victor Hugo Duran, which is also incidentally centered around 4th of July, is an L.A. set story about boys trying to rap on girls.
My favorite Miami based hooligans, Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva, keep representing with their fresh and experimental short film, Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke. They are part of a collective of go-there filmmakers, Borscht Corp who had four crazy shorts screen at SXSW (and they were a riot to bootie shake dance with at SXSW Film’s Closing Night Party). You must carve out an hour and look at their work on the site (Nsfw!)
And lastly, in front of camera there’s some America Ferrera in Todd Berger’s It’s a Disaster (Isa: Maya), and rising boriqua actress April Hernandez Castillo, of hit webseries East Willy B, Dexter and other TV, is in The History of Future Folk [Per Sydney: one of 7 horror films in the festival, another being It's A Disaster per Dread Central, so take note Latino distributors like Lionsgate because horror films are a favorite of a certain Latino demographic!] by J. Anderson Mitchell and Jeremy Kipp Walker, described as a “sweet sci-fi musical comedy”. Below is the rest of the Latino and Ibero-American (includes Spain and Portugal). Descriptions provided by L.A. Film Festival, and bold cap commentary by me.
Narrative Competition:
o All Is Well – Portugal (Director Pocas Pascoal ♀, Producer Luis Correia Cast Cheila Lima, Ciomara Morais) – Strangers in a strange land, two beautiful Angolan sisters fleeing a civil war in their homeland struggle to survive in Lisbon. Pocas Pascoal’s deeply personal saga shows us the face of exile with quietly stunning power. North American Premiere
o The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man – Mexico (Director/Writer Arturo Pons Producer Ozcar Ramírez González Cast Gael Sanchez Valle, Pedro Gamez, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Eligio Melendez, Luis Bayardo, Marco Perez) – A young man and a dead man journey north through a subtly surreal desert landscape, picking up a wagonful of odd characters as they go in this darkly humorous satire of contemporary Mexico. North American Premiere
o Four – (Director/Writer Joshua Sanchez Producer Christine Giorgio Cast Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, E.J. Bonilla) – Over the course of a steamy 4th of July night, a father and daughter, each trapped in loneliness, reach out for sexual connection — he with a self-hating teenage boy, she with a smooth-talking wannabe homeboy — in this psychologically complex, beautifully acted drama. World Premiere
o Thursday till Sunday – Chile (Director/Writer Dominga Sotomayor ♀ Producers Gregorio González, Benjamin Domenech Cast Santi Ahumada, Emiliano Freifeld, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Paola Giannini) – With uncommon beauty and style, this Chilean road movie finds a family at a crossroads, as the daughter slowly realizes the divide between the adults in the front seat and the kids in back. North American Premiere
Documentary Competition:
o Drought – Mexico (Director Everado González Producer Martha Orozco) – Contrasting the lives of a cattle-ranching community with the arid northeastern Mexican landscape that surrounds them, this cinema vertité documentary paints a poetic portrait of a community on the verge of extinction. Us Premiere
o Sun Kissed – (Directors Maya Stark ♀, Adi Lavy ♀ Producers Jocelyn Glatzer, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy) – With remarkable strength of spirit, a husband and wife examine their lives and why their children and others have been struck with a rare genetic disorder in this powerful portrait of a small Navajo community. World Premiere ~ Okay Not Latino But It'S Native American So I’M Giving It A Shout Since There Are Not Enough Native American Stories.
International Showcase:
o Canícula – Mexico (Director José Álvarez Writers Sebastián Hoffman, José Álvarez Producer Mauricio Fabre Cast Hermelinda Santes, Esteban González, Mario García) – This is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of the rituals and crafts of contemporary Indians in remote Veracruz, who teach their boys to fly. ~ See My Interview With Jose Here.
o The Last Elvis – Argentina (Director Armando Bo Writers Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone Producers Steve Golin, Hugo Sigman, Patricio Alvarez Casado, Victor Bo, Armando Bo Cast John McInerny, Griselda Siciliani, Margarita Lopez) – John McInerny gives a staggering performance in this poignant tale of a Buenos Aires Elvis impersonator who only comes alive when he dons the King’s clothes to perform. How can he reconcile his dreams of glory with his dead end factory job and an estranged wife and daughter who can’t live inside his fantasies?
o Neighboring Sounds – Brazil (Director/Writer Kleber Mendonça Filho Producer Emilie Lesclaux Cast Irandhir Santos, Gustavo Jahn, Maeve Jinkings, W.J. Solha) – Kleber Mendonca Filho’s astonishing, suspenseful debut film focuses on one upscale street in the seaside town of Recife, where a private security team is enlisted to protect the residents from crime. By its startling conclusion, you feel you’ve seen all of Brazilian society exposed.
o The Strawberry Tree – Canada/Cuba/Italy (Director/Producer Simone Rapisarda Casanova) – Filmed in a small Cuban fishing village mere weeks before a hurricane decimated the entire region, this stunning documentary unknowingly captures the town’s final days even as it reframes the usual filmmaker-film subject relationship.
Summer Showcase:
o La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus – USA/Guatemala (Director Mark Kendall Producers Mark Kendall, Rafael González, Bernardo Ruiz) – The journey and transformation of a yellow American school bus into a vibrant Central American camionetasensitively reveals both the beauty and violence of everyday life in Guatemala.
o Reportero – (Director Bernardo Ruiz Producers Bernardo Ruiz, Patricia Benabe, Anne Hubbell Featuring Sergio Haro Cordero, Adela Navarro Bello) – A look at the incredible danger facing journalists in Mexico through the eyes of investigative reporter Sergio Haro and other staff at Zeta, the defiant Tijuana-based newsweekly.~ See My Interview With Bernardo Here
o Searching for Sugar Man – (Director/Writer Malik Bendjelloul Producers Simon Chinn, Nicole Stott, George Chignell) – Years after fading into obscurity at home, the music of ’70s U.S. singer/songwriter Rodriguez became an underground sensation in South Africa. Decades after his disappearance, two fans uncover the startling truth behind the legend.
Beyond:
o Juan of the Dead – Cuba (Director/Writer Alejandro Brugués Producers Gervasio Iglesias, Inti Herrera Cast Alexis Días de Villegas, Jorge Molina, Andrea Duro, Andros Perugorría, Jazz Vila, Eliecer Ramírez) – The streets of Havana are alive with the undead in Cuba’s first zombie comedy, a wild and bloody romp that sinks its sharp satirical teeth into the Cuban body politic. Castro may not be amused, but you will be.
Short Film Competition:
Against the Sea (Contra el mar) – Mexico, USA (Director) Richard Parkin
Black Doll (Prita Noire) – Mexico (Director) Sofia Carrillo
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke – (Directors) Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva ~Crazy Talented! Miami Represent!
Fireworks – (Director) Victor Hugo Duran -
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Paraíso – (Director) Nadav Kurtz ~Doc Subject Is About 3 Mexicans
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Voice Over – Spain (Director) Martín Rosete
For full lineup and more info go to L.A. Film Festival...
Looking at yesterday’s announcement of Film Independent’s Los Angeles Film Festival reveals a healthy Latino presence among the 62 features and 48 short films in the program. Here’s how I break down the Latino/ Ibero/ U.S. Latino component of the program.
Chile continues to give Argentina a run for its cache of exciting and growing cinematic output from South America with the inclusion of Thursday Til Sunday (Isa & Distributor: FiGa) written and directed by Dominga Sotomayor ♀, in Narrative Competition.
Although the traveling Mexican film festival Ambulante is no longer a program spotlight, Mexican films continue to be a mainstay of the festival. There are four feature-length films and three short films from/about Mexico. In Narrative Competition, The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man (Isa: Kafilms, Argentina) written and directed by Arturo Pons [about a young Mexican aiming for Chicago], and in Documentary Competition, Drought by Everado González (recently awarded Best Documentary at FICG27) . Out of competition is the gorgeously shot documentary, Canícula, and although the funding is mainly stateside, Bernardo Ruiz paints a fascinating portrait of the risky journalistic practice and history of the seminal Tijuana weekly, Zeta in Reportero.
Also of note in the program is that four short films list Cuba as a co-production/origin of country.
But what of the U.S. Latino filmmakers and stories? Last year Los Angeles Film Festival was a great launchpad for Mamitas (Distributor: ScreenMedia, Producer rep: Traction Media), an authentic Chicano portrayal of young love set in Echo Parque written and directed by Nicolas Ozeki (a non-Latino), co-starring fast rising hot talents Veronica Diaz-Carranzo (Blaze You Out) and E.J. Bonilla. The film is currently in theaters now. (Big recommend,theater listings here-go support it!)
The closest we have to representing U.S. Latino in the features section is Four, the feature debut of Joshua Sanchez who hails from Houston, Texas. Based on a Christopher Shinn play, the July 4th-eve-set story is a snapshot of two disparate relationships tensely intertwined and their at-odd dynamics of desire. Coincidentally, E.J. Bonilla also stars (this guy is blowing up!). I would also include as U.S. Latino, Searching for Sugar Man, the documentary by Malik Bendjelloul about singer songwriter Sixto Rodriguez’s fascinating rise and fall into obscurity as a Uj.S. Latino story. As a matter of fact, the film seems to suggest that perhaps Sixto’s Mexican-American identity might have been a reason he was not embraced by the 60s and 70s mainstream. [Per Sydney: The film was snatched up at Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics and by Isa Protagonist who is screening it twice in Cannes.]
As for U.S. Latino shorts, Fireworks written and directed by Victor Hugo Duran, which is also incidentally centered around 4th of July, is an L.A. set story about boys trying to rap on girls.
My favorite Miami based hooligans, Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva, keep representing with their fresh and experimental short film, Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke. They are part of a collective of go-there filmmakers, Borscht Corp who had four crazy shorts screen at SXSW (and they were a riot to bootie shake dance with at SXSW Film’s Closing Night Party). You must carve out an hour and look at their work on the site (Nsfw!)
And lastly, in front of camera there’s some America Ferrera in Todd Berger’s It’s a Disaster (Isa: Maya), and rising boriqua actress April Hernandez Castillo, of hit webseries East Willy B, Dexter and other TV, is in The History of Future Folk [Per Sydney: one of 7 horror films in the festival, another being It's A Disaster per Dread Central, so take note Latino distributors like Lionsgate because horror films are a favorite of a certain Latino demographic!] by J. Anderson Mitchell and Jeremy Kipp Walker, described as a “sweet sci-fi musical comedy”. Below is the rest of the Latino and Ibero-American (includes Spain and Portugal). Descriptions provided by L.A. Film Festival, and bold cap commentary by me.
Narrative Competition:
o All Is Well – Portugal (Director Pocas Pascoal ♀, Producer Luis Correia Cast Cheila Lima, Ciomara Morais) – Strangers in a strange land, two beautiful Angolan sisters fleeing a civil war in their homeland struggle to survive in Lisbon. Pocas Pascoal’s deeply personal saga shows us the face of exile with quietly stunning power. North American Premiere
o The Compass is Carried by the Dead Man – Mexico (Director/Writer Arturo Pons Producer Ozcar Ramírez González Cast Gael Sanchez Valle, Pedro Gamez, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Eligio Melendez, Luis Bayardo, Marco Perez) – A young man and a dead man journey north through a subtly surreal desert landscape, picking up a wagonful of odd characters as they go in this darkly humorous satire of contemporary Mexico. North American Premiere
o Four – (Director/Writer Joshua Sanchez Producer Christine Giorgio Cast Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, E.J. Bonilla) – Over the course of a steamy 4th of July night, a father and daughter, each trapped in loneliness, reach out for sexual connection — he with a self-hating teenage boy, she with a smooth-talking wannabe homeboy — in this psychologically complex, beautifully acted drama. World Premiere
o Thursday till Sunday – Chile (Director/Writer Dominga Sotomayor ♀ Producers Gregorio González, Benjamin Domenech Cast Santi Ahumada, Emiliano Freifeld, Francisco Pérez-Bannen, Paola Giannini) – With uncommon beauty and style, this Chilean road movie finds a family at a crossroads, as the daughter slowly realizes the divide between the adults in the front seat and the kids in back. North American Premiere
Documentary Competition:
o Drought – Mexico (Director Everado González Producer Martha Orozco) – Contrasting the lives of a cattle-ranching community with the arid northeastern Mexican landscape that surrounds them, this cinema vertité documentary paints a poetic portrait of a community on the verge of extinction. Us Premiere
o Sun Kissed – (Directors Maya Stark ♀, Adi Lavy ♀ Producers Jocelyn Glatzer, Maya Stark, Adi Lavy) – With remarkable strength of spirit, a husband and wife examine their lives and why their children and others have been struck with a rare genetic disorder in this powerful portrait of a small Navajo community. World Premiere ~ Okay Not Latino But It'S Native American So I’M Giving It A Shout Since There Are Not Enough Native American Stories.
International Showcase:
o Canícula – Mexico (Director José Álvarez Writers Sebastián Hoffman, José Álvarez Producer Mauricio Fabre Cast Hermelinda Santes, Esteban González, Mario García) – This is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of the rituals and crafts of contemporary Indians in remote Veracruz, who teach their boys to fly. ~ See My Interview With Jose Here.
o The Last Elvis – Argentina (Director Armando Bo Writers Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone Producers Steve Golin, Hugo Sigman, Patricio Alvarez Casado, Victor Bo, Armando Bo Cast John McInerny, Griselda Siciliani, Margarita Lopez) – John McInerny gives a staggering performance in this poignant tale of a Buenos Aires Elvis impersonator who only comes alive when he dons the King’s clothes to perform. How can he reconcile his dreams of glory with his dead end factory job and an estranged wife and daughter who can’t live inside his fantasies?
o Neighboring Sounds – Brazil (Director/Writer Kleber Mendonça Filho Producer Emilie Lesclaux Cast Irandhir Santos, Gustavo Jahn, Maeve Jinkings, W.J. Solha) – Kleber Mendonca Filho’s astonishing, suspenseful debut film focuses on one upscale street in the seaside town of Recife, where a private security team is enlisted to protect the residents from crime. By its startling conclusion, you feel you’ve seen all of Brazilian society exposed.
o The Strawberry Tree – Canada/Cuba/Italy (Director/Producer Simone Rapisarda Casanova) – Filmed in a small Cuban fishing village mere weeks before a hurricane decimated the entire region, this stunning documentary unknowingly captures the town’s final days even as it reframes the usual filmmaker-film subject relationship.
Summer Showcase:
o La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus – USA/Guatemala (Director Mark Kendall Producers Mark Kendall, Rafael González, Bernardo Ruiz) – The journey and transformation of a yellow American school bus into a vibrant Central American camionetasensitively reveals both the beauty and violence of everyday life in Guatemala.
o Reportero – (Director Bernardo Ruiz Producers Bernardo Ruiz, Patricia Benabe, Anne Hubbell Featuring Sergio Haro Cordero, Adela Navarro Bello) – A look at the incredible danger facing journalists in Mexico through the eyes of investigative reporter Sergio Haro and other staff at Zeta, the defiant Tijuana-based newsweekly.~ See My Interview With Bernardo Here
o Searching for Sugar Man – (Director/Writer Malik Bendjelloul Producers Simon Chinn, Nicole Stott, George Chignell) – Years after fading into obscurity at home, the music of ’70s U.S. singer/songwriter Rodriguez became an underground sensation in South Africa. Decades after his disappearance, two fans uncover the startling truth behind the legend.
Beyond:
o Juan of the Dead – Cuba (Director/Writer Alejandro Brugués Producers Gervasio Iglesias, Inti Herrera Cast Alexis Días de Villegas, Jorge Molina, Andrea Duro, Andros Perugorría, Jazz Vila, Eliecer Ramírez) – The streets of Havana are alive with the undead in Cuba’s first zombie comedy, a wild and bloody romp that sinks its sharp satirical teeth into the Cuban body politic. Castro may not be amused, but you will be.
Short Film Competition:
Against the Sea (Contra el mar) – Mexico, USA (Director) Richard Parkin
Black Doll (Prita Noire) – Mexico (Director) Sofia Carrillo
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke – (Directors) Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva ~Crazy Talented! Miami Represent!
Fireworks – (Director) Victor Hugo Duran -
Kendo Monogatari – Cuba, Guatemala (Director) Fabián Suárez
Paraíso – (Director) Nadav Kurtz ~Doc Subject Is About 3 Mexicans
Scanning (Ecografía) – Cuba (Director) Aleksandra Maciuszek Mukoid
Voice Over – Spain (Director) Martín Rosete
For full lineup and more info go to L.A. Film Festival...
- 5/2/2012
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
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