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The 2008 Oscar-nominated documentary “La Corona” will soon be adapted for the big screen as a narrative feature film. A collaboration between an accomplished international team of producers and filmmakers, the adaptation seeks to bring new life to the gripping story of a beauty pageant held inside El Buen Pastor, a women’s maximum-security prison in Bogotá, Colombia.

Originally directed by Isabel Vega and Amanda Micheli, “La Corona” garnered critical acclaim upon its release on HBO, earning a Special Jury Mention at the Sundance Film Festival and praise for its raw, emotional storytelling. The co-directors expressed their enthusiasm about the upcoming adaptation: “We are thrilled that this unique story continues to resonate and are excited to collaborate with this talented team to bring it to a whole new audience.”

The film will delve into the human side of incarceration, following women with complex pasts who discover resilience, hope and camaraderie through an unlikely source,...

Set in 2012 Venezuela, Pimpinero: Blood and Oil builds its story on the gasoline-smuggling surge that emerged from the country’s extremely low fuel prices. The historical period shows a time of financial hardship, where smuggling presented both chances for profit and life-threatening risks.

The raw desert of La Guajira, filled with sand-covered roads and intense heat, creates the background that mirrors the disorder and strain of the characters’ existence. The harsh land reflects the dark world of the pimpineros, where staying alive depends on criminal dealings and brutality.

The film mixes raw reality with high drama, with the desert’s barrenness showing the characters’ ethical decline. The raw images—streams of dust behind racing vehicles or long stretches of empty terrain—place viewers inside an isolated and dangerous space, building the film’s tense atmosphere.

Plot Overview: A Tale of Diverging Loyalties and Personal Vengeance

Pimpinero: Blood and Oil...

Netflix has unveiled the official trailer and key art for One Hundred Years of Solitude, which is based on the masterpiece by Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez and directed by Laura Mora and Alex García López. The series, consisting of two parts of eight episodes each, will debut its first installment on December 11, 2024.

In the new trailer, some of the iconic moments that have captivated readers of the novel for over 50 years come to life on screen: the founding of Macondo and the arrival of Melquíades, the tensions of family life, the passions of the town’s inhabitants, the emergence of political conflicts and the ensuing war, and the chestnut tree where José Arcadio Buendía fulfills the prophecy of his solitude, unleashing a rain of yellow flowers.

One Hundred Years of Solitude represents one of the most ambitious audiovisual projects in Latin American history. The series was filmed entirely in Colombia,...

The world took the stage in Los Angeles this week at a special event celebrating Netflix’s wide variety of films and series from creators and filmmakers around the globe. The international showcase, led by Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria, presented a lineup of returning hits, including Squid Game and Alice in Borderland, and coming attractions, like an adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, which script consultant Maria Camila Arias described at a recent Q&a as “a history of civilization and also of Colombia.” The Next on Netflix: International event also saw the unveiling of some future favorites, including Love Is Blind: France and Physical: 100 Asia, and shined a spotlight on some of the most anticipated films and series from around the world that will hit Netflix in the coming months.

From Korea to Brazil and from Norway to Colombia, these global offerings...

Netflix has set a premiere date for One Hundred Years of Solitude, the series adaptation of the Gabriel García Marquez novel that follows the Buendía family and the founding of the mythical town of Macondo.

Season 1 of the series will kick off December 11; the plan is for two seasons of eight episodes. Alex García López and Laura Mora co-direct the project, which is produced by Colombian production company Dynamo. Writers are José Rivera, Natalia Santa, Camila Brugés, María Camila Arias and Albatrós González.

The series was filmed entirely in Colombia, with the support of Marquez’s family. The cast includes Claudio Cataño (Colonel Aureliano Buendía), Jerónimo Barón (young Aureliano Buendía), Marco González (Jose Arcadio Buendía), Leonardo Soto (José Arcadio’s son), Susana Morales (Úrsula Iguarán), Ella Becerra (Petronila), Carlos Suaréz (Aureliano Iguarán), Moreno Borja (Melquiades) and Santiago Vásquez (teenage Aureliano Buendía).

It was revealed in 2019 that Netflix had landed rights to adapt the book.

Netflix has revealed the premiere date for One Hundred Years of Solitude, based on the masterpiece by Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez and directed by Laura Mora and Alex García López. The series, consisting of two parts of eight episodes each, will debut its first installment on December 11, 2024.

One Hundred Years of Solitude represents one of the most ambitious audiovisual projects in Latin American history. The series was filmed entirely in Colombia, with the support of Gabriel García Márquez’s family.

“As a filmmaker and as a Colombian, it has been an honor and a huge challenge to work on a project as complex and that carries as much responsibility as One Hundred Years of Solitude, always striving to understand the difference between the literary and audiovisual languages and to be able to construct images that contain the beauty, poetry, and depth of a work that has impacted the entire world,...

Today, Prime Video released the official trailer and poster for the Colombian Original movie Pimpinero: Blood and Oil, which will premiere on Prime Video later this year.

Set in the desert bordering Colombia and Venezuela, where gasoline smugglers known as “pimpineros” risk their lives transporting illegal fuel from one country to another, the film follows Juan (Alejandro Speitzer). He is the youngest in a clan of three brothers entangled in this perilous trade, as he’s forced to work for a sinister rival.

Determined to uncover the gruesome secrets that shroud this no-man’s-land, Juan’s girlfriend Diana (Laura Osma) embarks on a quest for the truth. Packed with action, drama, and romance, Pimpinero: Blood and Oil touches on universal themes around geographical, ethical, and family borders.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Andrés Baiz, the movie stars Alberto Guerra (Griselda), Alejandro Speitzer (La Cabeza de Joaquin Murrieta), Laura Osma (Goles en...

Colombian rock star Juanes, winner of 26 Latin Grammys and three Grammy awards to date, is making his big screen debut in Prime Video drama “Pimpinero: Blood and Oil,” by Andrés Baiz, which bows its trailer exclusively in Variety ahead of its Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) world premiere.

Juanes stars alongside Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Speitzer (“The Head of Joaquin Murrieta”) and Laura Osma (“Goles en contra”) in the dramatic fact-based thriller set along the border of Colombia and Venezuela.

Set to a pounding soundtrack, the trailer shows quick cuts of mounting intensity. The story co-penned by Baiz and Maria Camila Arias (“Birds of Passage”) takes place in the unforgiving desert between these two countries where gasoline smugglers known as “pimpineros” risk their lives transporting illegal fuel across the border. Among them is Juan, the youngest of three brothers deeply involved in this dangerous trade. When he’s coerced into working for a menacing rival,...

Prime Video today revealed the first photos and cast members for Pimpinero: Blood and Oil, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Andrés Baiz. The film marks Baiz’s return to the big screen after a successful career directing global series.

Pimpinero: Blood and Oil explores the powerful and universal themes of borders and family bonds. The cast includes Alberto Guerra (Griselda), Alejandro Speitzer (La Cabeza de Joaquin Murrieta), Laura Osma (Goles en contra), and multi-award-winning Grammy artist Juanes.

The announcement comes as Pimpinero: Blood and Oil was officially selected to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival, with its World Premiere on September 9th. The movie is part of the international Centerpiece program lineup at TIFF and is set to launch on Prime Video later this year.

Pimpinero: Blood and Oil is set in the desert bordering Colombia and Venezuela, where gasoline smugglers known as “pimpineros” risk their lives transporting illegal fuel from one country to another.

Netflix has revealed a first look at One Hundred Years of Solitude, the series based on Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece novel.

In this sneak peek, we hear Aureliano Babilonia as he reads from the mythical diary of Melquiades and is transported to Macondo to witness Colonel Aureliano Buendía standing before a firing squad while he remembers that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

What follows are breathtaking scenes of José Arcadio Buendía and Úrsula Iguarán’s journey in search of happiness, fleeing the curse placed upon their lineage.

Directed by Laura Mora and Alex García López, One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the most ambitious film projects in Latin America to date, brought to life by talented artists from Colombia and Latam. It was filmed entirely in Spanish and shot in Colombia with the support of Gabriel García Márquez’s family.

Married against their parent’s wishes,...

Gabriel García Márquez’s famed novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is finally landing an adaptation courtesy of Netflix.

A sprawling 16-episode series is set to debut later this year, bringing Márquez’s beloved 1967 bestseller to the screen. “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is one of the most ambitious film projects in Latin America to date, brought to life by the most talented artists from Colombia and Latam, filmed entirely in Spanish and shot in Colombia with the support of author Márquez’s family.

The series is produced by independent Colombian entertainment company Dynamo, which has been behind more than 47 feature films and 25 television series. Previous Dynamo releases include fellow Netflix series “Wild District,” “Crime Diaries,” and “Green Frontier,” as well as providing location services to “Narcos,” “El Chapo,” and “Gemini Man.”

“One Hundred Years of Solitude” was filmed in the regions of La Guajira, Magdalena, Cesar, Cundinamarca, and Tolima in Colombia.

A sneak peek of Netflix’s 100 Years Of Solitude has been released. The hugely anticipated series adaptation of the Gabriel García Marquez novel bows on the streamer later this year.

The multi-generational tale follows the Buendía family and tells the story of the founding of the mythical town of Macondo.

The Spanish-language series was filmed in Colombia with support from the family of Marquez whose widely acclaimed novel has sold over 50 million copies and been translated into 40 languages. Netflix released a brief teaser in 2022 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Marquez winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, but the new teaser reveals much more.

The new video shows Aureliano Babilonia as he reads from the mythical diary of Melquiades before transporting viewers to Macondo to witness Colonel Aureliano Buendía standing before a firing squad while he remembers the afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

It was...

Netflix Mexico has unveiled a rousing new slate in production this year that includes the series debut of Luis Estrada (“¡Que viva México!”), a new pic from Rodrigo Garcia (“Familia”), another series from hit-maker José Ignacio “Chascas” Valenzuela (“Who Killed Sara?”) and “La Reina del Sur”’s Kate del Castillo unusually toplining a comedy.

Also leading the pack is series “Gringo Hunters,” produced by Woo Films and Redrum in co-production with Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment in association with The Washington Post.

Said Francisco Ramos, VP of content for Latin America: “We begin 2024 by reaffirming our commitment to show Mexico, just as it is, on Netflix. This diverse and complex Mexico –immensely rich, sometimes contradictory, and with enormous possibilities– is what inspires, motivates and makes us always keep an eye out for the best stories, so that our offer is even more ambitious and accurate.”

“We will continue to explore...

The Old Young Crow took home the top prize at the 2023 Palm Springs International Shortfest on Sunday. The Japanese-United States short film follows an elderly Persian man recalling the lessons he learned from an elderly Japanese woman.

The best animated short award went to Lithuania’s Way Better, which centers on a man who’s expecting the worst but hoping for the best from his upcoming medical test results. He spends his time over the course of a week waiting in a limbo of his own creation, dreading things that haven’t happened yet.

Other top awards of the festival went to China’s Will You Look At Me for documentary short, France’s Sét Lam for live-action short over 15 minutes and Spain’s Mystic Tiger for live-action short 15 minutes and under. The top five films are now eligible to submit their shorts to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration.

Before “The Kings of the World,” the latest feature from Colombian writer-director Laura Mora, inserts us in the bustling streets of Medellín, where teenagers wield machetes to protect themselves, a shot of a fairy-tale-appropriate white horse introduces the dreamlike atmosphere of this .

Homeless and with no blood family to guard them, the young souls at the forefront of this electrifying social drama fend for themselves in a gritty urban environment. Their only comfort comes from the brotherly affection they display for one another. That state, caught between tenderness and violence as they navigate an inhospitable reality, defines the visceral energy of “The Kings of the World,” Colombia’s most recent Oscar entry.

The leader of the group, 19-year-old Rá (Carlos Andrés Castañeda), has just learned that the land his grandmother was forcefully evicted from many years in the past has finally been returned to him, the sole heir, as part...

For Laura Mora, whose visceral and poetic drama “The Kings of the World” represents Colombia at the Oscars, shooting in the region of Bajo de Cauca was an act of defiance.

“I was warned not to shoot there, that it was the most dangerous part of Colombia,” she recalls, adding: “Instead we only came across people who were open, generous and kind.”

“Making a fictional film protected us too as they probably would not have been so welcoming of documentary filmmakers or journalists,” she muses. The production took care to involve communities wherever they stopped, like a gypsy caravan, through villages and towns.

Winning the top awards at San Sebastian and Zurich in the space of just a few days and Mora’s second pic after her breakout hit “Killing Jesus,” “The Kings of the World” follows five homeless teens as they traverse the region to reclaim a plot of...

In anticipation of the upcoming 95th Academy Awards, I chatted with Laura Mora, whose latest film The Kings of the World is Colombia’s official submission in consideration for the Best International Feature Category. The film won the Golden Seashell, the top prize at the 2022 San Sebastián Film Festival. Mora discusses development of her script, which eventually included screenwriter Maria Camila Arias, and as well as her collaboration with celebrated cinematographer David Gallego. The importance of showcasing empathy and intimacy between her characters pulls focus, and Mora speaks to the organic creative process which transpired among her first time actors during production.…...

Laura Mora’s “The Kings of the World” has no shortage of beautiful shots. The Colombia-set road trip follows a group of four teenagers as they set out to start a life anew away from the violence and poverty they’ve long grown up with. As the film moves away from the bustling streets of Medellin and into the foggy Andean landscapes, Mora captures a vision of this country in transition that is as stunning as it is eye-opening. Every frame begs to be dissected for the way it conjures the promise of futures and freedoms while also stressing the perils and dangers of such possibilities.

One early such shot is that of Rá (Carlos Andrés Castañeda), shirtless and fearless, atop a white horse in the middle of an empty urban street. It’s our first introduction to this young man. By himself atop this wild horse, he looks equally regal and boyish,...

Cinecolor, Interior 13 to distribute theatrically in Colombia, Mexico.

Netflix has picked up the Americas excluding Colombia and Mexico on Laura Mora’s San Sebastian Golden Shell winner and Colombian Oscar submission The Kings Of The World.

The drama about friendship among a group of street boys from Medellin, Colombia, will also launch on the platform after its theatrical releases in Colombia and Mexico through Cinecolor and Interior 13, respectively.

Mora, who broke out with her 2017 revenge drama Killing Jesus, co-wrote the screenplay with María Camila Arias. The Kings Of The World follows five boys as they set out on a journey...

Barcelona-based Film Factory Entertainment has picked up world sales rights to “El Otro Hijo,” the feature debut of Colombia’s Juan Sebastián Quebrada.

The Evidencia Films production adds to the growing list of Colombian pickups by Film Factory, including last year’s sweeping Premios Platino winner, “Memories of My Father” (“El Olvido que Seremos”) by Fernando Trueba. and Laura Mora’s “Kings of the World,”which competes at the upcoming San Sebastian Film Festival and is part of Toronto’s Industry Select section.

“Film Factory is excited to be on board; Colombian cinema is very strong and we are eager to discover new talents from the country. We believe we found one in Juan Sebastián Quebrada,” Film Factory’s Vicente Canales told Variety.

“El Otro Hijo” is a coming-of-age tale that revolves around a teenager who after the sudden and unexpected death of his younger brother, falls in love with...

The Forgiven with Jessica Chastain opens in 122 theaters this weekend as the flow of indie films continues to build with well-reviewed, festival-pedigreed product including Mr. Malcolm’s List and Clara Sola. Meanwhile, producers and most other U.S. businesses are hoping economic storm clouds won’t ding their industry’s nascent revival.

“I think we have seen a slow recovery. We are feeling bullish,” said Howard Cohen, co-president of The Forgiven distributor Roadside Attractions. He cited a helpful “knockoff effect” from popular wide releases Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick, where a significant chunk of the audience is an arthouse-friendly 55 and over. He’s talking about moviegoing, a great value for people during economic slowdowns when box office grosses have tended to rise. But down the chain, higher inflation, “while it doesn’t mean movies won’t get made, will affect decision making and things may be more complicated,” said Cohen.

Nathalie Alvarez Mesen’s film won best film, director and screenplay.

Nathalie Alvarez Mesen’s magical realist drama Clara Sola dominated the 2021 Swedish Film Awards - known as the Guldbagge Awards - winning five prizes including best picture.

The film, which debuted in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes 2021, also received best director for Mesen and best screenplay for Mesen and Maria Camila Arias. Further prizes came in best cinematography for Sophie Winqvist Loggins, and best sound design for Erick Vargas Williams, Valene Leroy, Charles De Ville and Aline Gavroy.

Ninja Thyberg’s porn industry drama Pleasure won three awards, including best...

Nathalie Álvarez Mesén’s Clara Sola was the big winner at the 2022 Swedish Film Awards, known as the Guldbagges, scooping Best Film and Best Director. Scroll down for the full list of winners.

Mesén also picked up Best Screenplay, shared with co-writer Maria Camila Arias, for the Spanish-language movie set in Costa Rica, which follow a 36-year-old woman who takes off on a journey to break free from social and religious conventions and become the master of her sexuality.

Below the line, Clara Sola also picked up Cinematography and Sound Design, taking its total wins on the night to five.

Further winners included A Christmas Tale, Hannes Holm’s live-action adaptation of the popular Swedish novel, which was previously made into an animated pic that has become a holiday classic in Sweden. Holm’s version won Best Actor for Jonas Karlsson and Best Supporting Actress for Jennie Silfverhjelm.

The Best...

Costa Rica on Friday selected Nathalie Álvarez Mesén’s debut feature Clara Sola to as the country’s submission to the 2022 International Feature Oscar race. The pic, which made its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, was later scooped up by Oscilloscope Laboratories which will release it in theaters early next year.

Álvarez Mesén and Maria Camila Arias co-penned the script for the pic, which is set in a remote Costa Rican village and centers on 40-year-old Clara, who endures a repressively religious and withdrawn life under the command of her mother. Tension builds within the family as Clara’s younger niece approaches her quinceañera, igniting a sexual and mystical awakening in Clara, and a journey to free herself from the conventions that have dominated her life.

Ana Julia Porras Espinoza, Daniel Castañeda Rincón, Flor María Vargas Chavez and Wendy Chinchilla Araya star.

The UK and Ireland-based distributor acquires Cannes’ titles.

UK and Ireland-based distributor Peccadillo Pictures has acquired the rights to French director Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s Anaïs In Love, Brazilian director Anita Rocha da Silveira’s Medusa, and Clara Sola by Costa Rican and Swedish director Nathalie Álvarez Mesen.

The deals were done with sales outfits BeFor Films, Best Friend Forever and Luxbox respectively.

Bourgeois-Tacquet’s Cannes Critics’ Week selection and Camera d’Or nominated debut film Anaïs In Love, follows a woman as she leaves Paris to move to Brittany for a fast-evolving friendship.

It is produced by Igor Auzépy, Stéphane Demoustier,...

Paris-based sales agency Luxbox has added sales to the U.K., Australia and Brazil to previous deals with the U.S. and France on Directors’ Fortnight title “Clara Sola,” making good on its upbeat critical reception at the Cannes Festival this month.

London-based Peccadillo Pictures has acquired U.K. rights. Sydney’s Rialto Distribution, has scooped rights to Australia; Brazil’s Imovision, another classic arthouse distributor, has secured those to Brazil. Turkey (Bir Film) and Switzerland (Trigon) have also closed, Luxbox partner Fiorella Morretti told Variety.

At Cannes, Luxbox confirmed that Epicentre had picked up rights to France while Oscilloscope Laboratories swooped on rights to North America after the film’s world premiere.

One of a brace of features from young Latin American female directors selected for Cannes, like Mexican Tatiana Huezo’s “Prayers for the Stolen,” in Un Certain Regard, and Brazilian Anita Rocha da Silveira’s “Medusa,” in Directors’ Fortnight,...