Just saw Gravity (Warner Bros. Worldwide) in 3D at the Arclight Hollywood, having missed its Gala Premiere in Toronto where the line to see even the Press and Industry screening wound around corners on the street, up stairs and around the theater interior like a snake. So glad to have seen it in the comfort of my own favorite theater. (Though Laemmle on Santa Monica in West L.A. is beginning to feel like home again too.)
It occurred to me how similar Europa Report (Isa: Sierra Affinity, U.S. Magnolia) was, although Gravity was like a water ballet in space and Europa Report was all inside the space ship. And Gravity had A list American actors while Europa Report had A list international thespians. You can read my blog on Europa Report at LatinoBuzz: Europa Report 31 July 2013 12:30 Pm, Pdt | Sydney's Buzz on Indiewire or on IMDbPro under Europa Report/ News Releases.
You can read the earlier L.A. Times articles on Europa Report here: Comic-Con: Modest ‘Europa Report’ gets San Diego’s biggest stage published on July 19, 2013 and here: Review: 'Europa Report' gets good mileage from low-budget sci-fi by Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Film Critic.
Europa Report has just been issued in the home entertainment markets today according to L.A. Times by Magnolia on DVD for $26.98 or Blu-ray for $29.98 after opening theatrically August 2, 2013 in Los Angeles at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood, D.C. at the E Street Cinema and New York at the Cinema Village followed by a national roll-out. See playdates here.
L.A. Times Capsule Review:
Another example of the innovative, intelligent sci-fi films that have become blessedly frequent in recent years, director Sebastián Cordero's half-mockumentary/ half-found-footage work reconstructs a doomed space mission using "news reports," "interviews" and "on-ship surveillance recordings." The result feels a little drier than the typical interstellar thriller, but "Europa Report" also achieves a rare verisimilitude with its documentary re-creations. Even though it features recognizable actors (including Sharlto Copley, Michael Nyqvist and Embeth Davidtz), it looks like a real mission, which only adds to the drama when things start to go very wrong. The DVD and Blu-ray add deleted scenes and a featurette about the film's special effects.
Gravity opened this weekend and grossed $55,785,112 at 3,575 locations. Opening weekend for The Europa Report was $22,243 in 3 theaters. It grossed $125,475 in 9.4 weeks.
Really of interest to me however, is the genealogy of the two films. Alfonso Cuaron and Sebastian Cordero are joined like George Clooney and Sandra Bullock on these two very similar films.
Sebastián, an Ecuadorian whose two films, the 2004 Cronicas was produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Isabel Dávalos, and Bertha Navarro, and Rabia, produced by Guillermo del Toro, have created their own exclusive cult fan clubs. The 2004 film Cronicas caused quite a stir among the acquisitions community and the cognoscenti of genre-art house films. It won the Sundance/ Nhk International Filmmakers Award in 2002, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, played Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance and Rotterdam, sold worldwide and was picked up for U.S. by Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures, thus confirming its cult status.
Rabia (Isa:Wild Bunch), a Spanish-Colombian coproduction premiered in 2009 at the Toronto Film Festival. His earlier film Ratas, Ratones, Rateros premiered in Venice in 1999, received over 12 international awards and played in more than 50 film festivals and Pescador, a Colombian-Ecuadorian coproduction won acting and directing awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival in 2012.
This was his first English language film in Hollywood. His cinematographer, Enrique Chediak, and production designer, Eugenio Caballero, have worked with him on three of his films. The production designer was excited to design a realistic space ship. Enrique liked the found footage idea which was still high tech, it did not have the degraded handheld effect you see in the current run of horror films. He liked the idea of working with limitations. He built a 360 degree set with eight cameras shooting continuously. It was very immersive. The cinematographer also liked the challenge.
The Production Designer, Eugenio Caballero, won the Academy Award for his work on Pan's Labyrinth. Enrique Chediak was named on Daily Variety's "10 Cinemagraphers to Watch" in 1999 and has not disappointed with his credits which include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours and was Cordero's cinematographer on Rabia.
As Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron mentor Sebastian Cordero, he too is exploring the No. American terrain for movie making, though not at the major studio level. Cordero is creating a larger area, a newer terrain, combining Latin American talent with European talent with his own USC Film School mentality.
Gravity was a huge art film, combining a perspective on its side, upside down, spinning, slow motion on short stop-watched time lines, everything possible going wrong and survived by only one tough woman. So too in The Europa Report everything went wrong and only one woman survived. The Europa Report was the low budget version of Gravity, or Gravity, Jr. Both were told with a quietude and calmness that defies Hollywood High Tech Special Effects.
It occurred to me how similar Europa Report (Isa: Sierra Affinity, U.S. Magnolia) was, although Gravity was like a water ballet in space and Europa Report was all inside the space ship. And Gravity had A list American actors while Europa Report had A list international thespians. You can read my blog on Europa Report at LatinoBuzz: Europa Report 31 July 2013 12:30 Pm, Pdt | Sydney's Buzz on Indiewire or on IMDbPro under Europa Report/ News Releases.
You can read the earlier L.A. Times articles on Europa Report here: Comic-Con: Modest ‘Europa Report’ gets San Diego’s biggest stage published on July 19, 2013 and here: Review: 'Europa Report' gets good mileage from low-budget sci-fi by Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Film Critic.
Europa Report has just been issued in the home entertainment markets today according to L.A. Times by Magnolia on DVD for $26.98 or Blu-ray for $29.98 after opening theatrically August 2, 2013 in Los Angeles at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood, D.C. at the E Street Cinema and New York at the Cinema Village followed by a national roll-out. See playdates here.
L.A. Times Capsule Review:
Another example of the innovative, intelligent sci-fi films that have become blessedly frequent in recent years, director Sebastián Cordero's half-mockumentary/ half-found-footage work reconstructs a doomed space mission using "news reports," "interviews" and "on-ship surveillance recordings." The result feels a little drier than the typical interstellar thriller, but "Europa Report" also achieves a rare verisimilitude with its documentary re-creations. Even though it features recognizable actors (including Sharlto Copley, Michael Nyqvist and Embeth Davidtz), it looks like a real mission, which only adds to the drama when things start to go very wrong. The DVD and Blu-ray add deleted scenes and a featurette about the film's special effects.
Gravity opened this weekend and grossed $55,785,112 at 3,575 locations. Opening weekend for The Europa Report was $22,243 in 3 theaters. It grossed $125,475 in 9.4 weeks.
Really of interest to me however, is the genealogy of the two films. Alfonso Cuaron and Sebastian Cordero are joined like George Clooney and Sandra Bullock on these two very similar films.
Sebastián, an Ecuadorian whose two films, the 2004 Cronicas was produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Isabel Dávalos, and Bertha Navarro, and Rabia, produced by Guillermo del Toro, have created their own exclusive cult fan clubs. The 2004 film Cronicas caused quite a stir among the acquisitions community and the cognoscenti of genre-art house films. It won the Sundance/ Nhk International Filmmakers Award in 2002, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, played Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance and Rotterdam, sold worldwide and was picked up for U.S. by Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures, thus confirming its cult status.
Rabia (Isa:Wild Bunch), a Spanish-Colombian coproduction premiered in 2009 at the Toronto Film Festival. His earlier film Ratas, Ratones, Rateros premiered in Venice in 1999, received over 12 international awards and played in more than 50 film festivals and Pescador, a Colombian-Ecuadorian coproduction won acting and directing awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival in 2012.
This was his first English language film in Hollywood. His cinematographer, Enrique Chediak, and production designer, Eugenio Caballero, have worked with him on three of his films. The production designer was excited to design a realistic space ship. Enrique liked the found footage idea which was still high tech, it did not have the degraded handheld effect you see in the current run of horror films. He liked the idea of working with limitations. He built a 360 degree set with eight cameras shooting continuously. It was very immersive. The cinematographer also liked the challenge.
The Production Designer, Eugenio Caballero, won the Academy Award for his work on Pan's Labyrinth. Enrique Chediak was named on Daily Variety's "10 Cinemagraphers to Watch" in 1999 and has not disappointed with his credits which include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours and was Cordero's cinematographer on Rabia.
As Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron mentor Sebastian Cordero, he too is exploring the No. American terrain for movie making, though not at the major studio level. Cordero is creating a larger area, a newer terrain, combining Latin American talent with European talent with his own USC Film School mentality.
Gravity was a huge art film, combining a perspective on its side, upside down, spinning, slow motion on short stop-watched time lines, everything possible going wrong and survived by only one tough woman. So too in The Europa Report everything went wrong and only one woman survived. The Europa Report was the low budget version of Gravity, or Gravity, Jr. Both were told with a quietude and calmness that defies Hollywood High Tech Special Effects.
- 10/8/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Europa Report, a feature film by Ecuadorian director, Sebastián Cordero, was so impressive. On a personal note (not to brag…), my niece is exploring alien life in the form of starfish at the Stanford Marine Station in Monterey as the subject of her Nasa- funded PhD program, so this movie about exploring alien life in a watery environment touches close to home for me. In addition, I am very interested in Ecuador as a filmmaking country (or a non-filmmaking country) whose revenues from homegrown cinema has grown 300% in 2012, so I did something I rarely undertake, I interviewed the filmmaker.
Sebastián Cordero was in L.A. for ten days after attending Comic-Con and stayed through last night's Kcrw Special L.A. Screening at the Landmark Theater on Pico Blvd. Today he left for NYC. Magnet Releasing will release the film theatrically on August 2 and it is available now on VOD.
Europa Report opens this Friday, August 2, 2013 in Los Angeles at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood, D.C. at the E Street Cinema in Washington, and New York at the Cinema Village this Friday and will be followed by a national roll-out. See playdates here.
Attending Comic-Con was a great experience for Sebastián. He says that the L.A. Times coverage describes the experience very well and definitely gave the film a boost in fandom. The panel at Comic-Con's largest venue was unique for Sebastián, an Ecuadorian whose two films, the 2004 Cronicas produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Isabel Dávalos, and Bertha Navarro, and Rabia have created their own exclusive cult fan clubs. Rabia (Isa:Wild Bunch), a Spanish-Colombian coproduction premiered in 2009 at the Toronto Film Festival. The 2004 film Cronicas caused quite a stir among the acquisitions community and the cognoscenti of genre-art house films. It won the Sundance/ Nhk International Filmmakers Award in 2002, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, played Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance and Rotterdam, sold worldwide and was picked up for U.S. by Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures, thus confirming its cult status. His earlier film Ratas, Ratones, Rateros premiered in Venice in 1999, received over 12 international awards and played in more than 50 film festivals and Pescador, a Colombian-Ecuadorian coproduction won acting and directing awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival in 2012.
The Europa Report team's Comic-Con presentation included scientists from Jpl which lent real-life credentials to the film as they discussed the movie in front of 6,000 interested people who knew very little about the film until then. The mythology of Europa is well known to sci–fi fans from its prominence in Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequel 2010: Odyssey Two, but the general public is not aware of it. The movie in fact seems poised somewhere between Nasa and Star Trek.
The dreamy calmness of professionals in an extraordinary mix of talents in the movie itself mirrors the mix of talents that went into the making of this piece of cinema. No wonder it was previewed at Comic-Com. It seemed incongruous to the mega-size this event has become. It would be nice to know that it was the sleeper hit of Comic-Con and of the summer season. We shall see as it opens this week. Even if it proves too intellectual for the masses, its credit to Team Sebastian Cordero will stand the test of time. It takes a filmmaker from Eucador to probe our collective curiosity about life on Europa, the moon of Jupiter most likely to contain life.
While I do not agree 100% with the review by Carlos Aguilar in Filmophilia today, I find his review the most intelligent of all I have read to date.
Europa Report could be called a Latino film which illustrates the draw Hollywood independent filmmaking holds on filmmakers from our South American continent. Reading the bios of the production team and the bios of the cast further illuminates this luminescent film, put together primarily by men but casting both the main interlocutor and the chief of the mission as women: Embeth Daviitz who plays Dr. Unger, the chief of the mission was the Jewish maid who survives both the abuse and attraction of Ralph Fiennes' sadistic commander 'Goeth' in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and costars with Gabriele Byrne in In Treatment, was in Mad Men and Californication.
How did producer Ben Browning find you after he developed the script?Ben had seen Rabia and Cronicas…both were very different from this, dealing with social issues, told as social realism, but Rabia is 90% told while the protagonist is hiding in a house, where the claustrophobia and tension might be points of reference for this film.
You usually make films about social issues, what was it about this film that attracted you? I am an actor's director. I need a good story and a good script but one major aspect of this film for me was its six characters. It was a challenge to put together a great cast and give them one space in which to act. I liked the story and the real science behind it. There have been no significant manned explorations of space since the Apollo expeditions in the 70s. I did lots of research, and we had great science advisors.
I was an unusual choice, but I felt an immediate connection to the project.
You seem to have gathered an award winning production team for casting, cinematography, production design, music and sound design.I had a great team. It is my first English language film in Hollywood. My cinematographer, Enrique Chediak, and production designer, Eugenio Caballero, have worked with me on three of my films.
The production designer was excited to design a realistic space ship. Enrique liked the found footage idea which was still high tech, it did not have the degraded handheld effect you see in the current run of horror films. I had been unsure of his reactions to such limitations in the project, but he actually liked them. He built a 360 degree set with eight cameras shooting continuously. It was very immersive. The cinematographer also liked the challenge.
(Editor: Production designer, Eugenio Caballero, won the Academy Award for his work on Pan's Labyrinth. Enrique Chediak was named on Daily Variety's "10 Cinemagraphers to Watch" in 1999 and has not disappointed with his credits which include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.)
What about the cast of international actors?Casting international actors was also exciting. They are not not huge stars but they are the top thespians in their countries.
(Sydney, the blogger here: Wednesday's news that casting directors will get their own branch in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, puts this film's casting director, Avy Kaufman, in line for an Oscar for sure.)
Producer Tod Browning interjects here that casting actors from all over the world was also a key part of the film's financing plan. "Each of these actors brought value in territories we were able to pre-sell based on their involvement. Michael [Nyqvist] and Anamaria [Marinca] are very popular in Europe and Daniel Wu is a major star in Asia which allowed us to secure Chinese distribution up front", Browning says. (The international sales agent is Nick Meyers' Sierra Affinity.)
Back to Sebastian: When Michael Nyqvist (who played Andrei Blok) came on board, that made the project attractive to others. I wanted him, not just because of his work in the Millennium series, but because of his other work with Lukas Moodyson (Together).
Anamaria Marinca (who played Rosa Dasque), the actress from Romania's 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, (which won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival) was not an obvious choice and I was unsure of what her reaction would be, but she said, Are you kidding? She said she loved having such an offer. No one ever offered her a role in a science fiction film before.
What about you? Do you like the lure of Hollywood? Do you want to make more films here?I am torn between two worlds.
I want to continue in both places. I enjoy Hollywood but I know, during the time of Cronicas there was a moment when I was being offered projects but in the end, nothing happened, and I understand the process now. Here when a project falls apart, all the work you have put into it is for nothing - it might waste six months of intense work. In Ecuador I have confidence that any film I am working on will eventually be made.
But I am also interested in working in the U.S. There are a lot more resources here, but it must be good project. I am looking for projects here, but I generate my own material in Ecuador. Here, when a project falls apart here all the work is for nothing.
I am now working on a film to shoot early next year in Ecuador, Sin muertos, no hay carnaval, which literally means Without the Dead, There is No Carnival. However, its English language working title is Such is Life in the Tropics. It is about property management, and more specifically about a squater as told from many perspectives. Its strong script is written by the actor in Cronicas who is also a producer in another film.
Thank you Sebastian. I wish you great success with this film and with your career. And I thank Ben Browning for undertaking this exciting project and bringing it to life.
Sebastian Cordero spent his childhood in Ecuador where he was born, his teenage years in Paris and his college years in Los Angeles, where he studied at USC's Filmic Writing program. He seems to be building a team much the way Clint Eastwood has. And like Clint Eastwood, the lure of Hollywood with its ease of procuring resources and the necessary filmmaking tools is tempered by the continuous lower budgeted filmmaking using international Iberoamerican coproductions to finance the films.
About Wayfare Entertainment:
In May 2013 New York-based Wayfare Entertainment announced its rebranding as Start Motion Pictures. Parent company Start Media LLC is unifying its branding and operations as its portfolio of entertainment and media holdings grows. Wayfare Entertainment was set up five years ago by Ben Browning and Start Media CEO Michael Maher and has produced and fully financed films that have grossed over $130 million worldwide. Wayfare’s past films include Universal’s Sanctum produced with James Cameron, the Focus Features’ drama It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Neil Jordan’s Ondine, and Sebastian Cordero's space thriller Europa Report to be released by Magnolia Pictures in summer 2013 and being sold internationally by Nicolas Meyer's Sierra Affinity.
Upcoming Wayfare projects include an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book for Disney; the recently announced Passengers, to star Keanu Reeves and Reese Witherspoon; and a development slate including Josh Zetumer’s Villain, an adaptation of Matt Westrup’s award winning creature short The Gate and the Princess Diana conspiracy thriller Inquest. With a slate like this, it is no wonder Comic-Con was interested in showcasing Europa Report.
Start Media is a privately held media company with interests in exhibition, publishing, and technology. Start Media is acquiring and building content-driven companies well positioned to capitalize on value dislocations emerging from the rapid evolution of media and media consumption. In late 2012 Start Media partnered with exhibitor Digiplex Destinations, an industry pioneer and champion of digital conversion and alternative cinema content, to aggressively grow the Digiplex footprint to 1000 screens in the top 100 markets. The acquisition of UltraStar Cinemas earlier this year was the first acquisition of the partnership. Wayfare’s staff, upcoming film slate and film library will be folded into Start Motion Pictures, which will continue normal business operations producing and financing feature films. Browning will be the President of Start Motion Pictures.
Sebastián Cordero was in L.A. for ten days after attending Comic-Con and stayed through last night's Kcrw Special L.A. Screening at the Landmark Theater on Pico Blvd. Today he left for NYC. Magnet Releasing will release the film theatrically on August 2 and it is available now on VOD.
Europa Report opens this Friday, August 2, 2013 in Los Angeles at the Sundance Sunset in West Hollywood, D.C. at the E Street Cinema in Washington, and New York at the Cinema Village this Friday and will be followed by a national roll-out. See playdates here.
Attending Comic-Con was a great experience for Sebastián. He says that the L.A. Times coverage describes the experience very well and definitely gave the film a boost in fandom. The panel at Comic-Con's largest venue was unique for Sebastián, an Ecuadorian whose two films, the 2004 Cronicas produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Isabel Dávalos, and Bertha Navarro, and Rabia have created their own exclusive cult fan clubs. Rabia (Isa:Wild Bunch), a Spanish-Colombian coproduction premiered in 2009 at the Toronto Film Festival. The 2004 film Cronicas caused quite a stir among the acquisitions community and the cognoscenti of genre-art house films. It won the Sundance/ Nhk International Filmmakers Award in 2002, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, played Toronto, San Sebastian, Sundance and Rotterdam, sold worldwide and was picked up for U.S. by Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures, thus confirming its cult status. His earlier film Ratas, Ratones, Rateros premiered in Venice in 1999, received over 12 international awards and played in more than 50 film festivals and Pescador, a Colombian-Ecuadorian coproduction won acting and directing awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival in 2012.
The Europa Report team's Comic-Con presentation included scientists from Jpl which lent real-life credentials to the film as they discussed the movie in front of 6,000 interested people who knew very little about the film until then. The mythology of Europa is well known to sci–fi fans from its prominence in Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequel 2010: Odyssey Two, but the general public is not aware of it. The movie in fact seems poised somewhere between Nasa and Star Trek.
The dreamy calmness of professionals in an extraordinary mix of talents in the movie itself mirrors the mix of talents that went into the making of this piece of cinema. No wonder it was previewed at Comic-Com. It seemed incongruous to the mega-size this event has become. It would be nice to know that it was the sleeper hit of Comic-Con and of the summer season. We shall see as it opens this week. Even if it proves too intellectual for the masses, its credit to Team Sebastian Cordero will stand the test of time. It takes a filmmaker from Eucador to probe our collective curiosity about life on Europa, the moon of Jupiter most likely to contain life.
While I do not agree 100% with the review by Carlos Aguilar in Filmophilia today, I find his review the most intelligent of all I have read to date.
Europa Report could be called a Latino film which illustrates the draw Hollywood independent filmmaking holds on filmmakers from our South American continent. Reading the bios of the production team and the bios of the cast further illuminates this luminescent film, put together primarily by men but casting both the main interlocutor and the chief of the mission as women: Embeth Daviitz who plays Dr. Unger, the chief of the mission was the Jewish maid who survives both the abuse and attraction of Ralph Fiennes' sadistic commander 'Goeth' in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and costars with Gabriele Byrne in In Treatment, was in Mad Men and Californication.
How did producer Ben Browning find you after he developed the script?Ben had seen Rabia and Cronicas…both were very different from this, dealing with social issues, told as social realism, but Rabia is 90% told while the protagonist is hiding in a house, where the claustrophobia and tension might be points of reference for this film.
You usually make films about social issues, what was it about this film that attracted you? I am an actor's director. I need a good story and a good script but one major aspect of this film for me was its six characters. It was a challenge to put together a great cast and give them one space in which to act. I liked the story and the real science behind it. There have been no significant manned explorations of space since the Apollo expeditions in the 70s. I did lots of research, and we had great science advisors.
I was an unusual choice, but I felt an immediate connection to the project.
You seem to have gathered an award winning production team for casting, cinematography, production design, music and sound design.I had a great team. It is my first English language film in Hollywood. My cinematographer, Enrique Chediak, and production designer, Eugenio Caballero, have worked with me on three of my films.
The production designer was excited to design a realistic space ship. Enrique liked the found footage idea which was still high tech, it did not have the degraded handheld effect you see in the current run of horror films. I had been unsure of his reactions to such limitations in the project, but he actually liked them. He built a 360 degree set with eight cameras shooting continuously. It was very immersive. The cinematographer also liked the challenge.
(Editor: Production designer, Eugenio Caballero, won the Academy Award for his work on Pan's Labyrinth. Enrique Chediak was named on Daily Variety's "10 Cinemagraphers to Watch" in 1999 and has not disappointed with his credits which include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.)
What about the cast of international actors?Casting international actors was also exciting. They are not not huge stars but they are the top thespians in their countries.
(Sydney, the blogger here: Wednesday's news that casting directors will get their own branch in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, puts this film's casting director, Avy Kaufman, in line for an Oscar for sure.)
Producer Tod Browning interjects here that casting actors from all over the world was also a key part of the film's financing plan. "Each of these actors brought value in territories we were able to pre-sell based on their involvement. Michael [Nyqvist] and Anamaria [Marinca] are very popular in Europe and Daniel Wu is a major star in Asia which allowed us to secure Chinese distribution up front", Browning says. (The international sales agent is Nick Meyers' Sierra Affinity.)
Back to Sebastian: When Michael Nyqvist (who played Andrei Blok) came on board, that made the project attractive to others. I wanted him, not just because of his work in the Millennium series, but because of his other work with Lukas Moodyson (Together).
Anamaria Marinca (who played Rosa Dasque), the actress from Romania's 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, (which won the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival) was not an obvious choice and I was unsure of what her reaction would be, but she said, Are you kidding? She said she loved having such an offer. No one ever offered her a role in a science fiction film before.
What about you? Do you like the lure of Hollywood? Do you want to make more films here?I am torn between two worlds.
I want to continue in both places. I enjoy Hollywood but I know, during the time of Cronicas there was a moment when I was being offered projects but in the end, nothing happened, and I understand the process now. Here when a project falls apart, all the work you have put into it is for nothing - it might waste six months of intense work. In Ecuador I have confidence that any film I am working on will eventually be made.
But I am also interested in working in the U.S. There are a lot more resources here, but it must be good project. I am looking for projects here, but I generate my own material in Ecuador. Here, when a project falls apart here all the work is for nothing.
I am now working on a film to shoot early next year in Ecuador, Sin muertos, no hay carnaval, which literally means Without the Dead, There is No Carnival. However, its English language working title is Such is Life in the Tropics. It is about property management, and more specifically about a squater as told from many perspectives. Its strong script is written by the actor in Cronicas who is also a producer in another film.
Thank you Sebastian. I wish you great success with this film and with your career. And I thank Ben Browning for undertaking this exciting project and bringing it to life.
Sebastian Cordero spent his childhood in Ecuador where he was born, his teenage years in Paris and his college years in Los Angeles, where he studied at USC's Filmic Writing program. He seems to be building a team much the way Clint Eastwood has. And like Clint Eastwood, the lure of Hollywood with its ease of procuring resources and the necessary filmmaking tools is tempered by the continuous lower budgeted filmmaking using international Iberoamerican coproductions to finance the films.
About Wayfare Entertainment:
In May 2013 New York-based Wayfare Entertainment announced its rebranding as Start Motion Pictures. Parent company Start Media LLC is unifying its branding and operations as its portfolio of entertainment and media holdings grows. Wayfare Entertainment was set up five years ago by Ben Browning and Start Media CEO Michael Maher and has produced and fully financed films that have grossed over $130 million worldwide. Wayfare’s past films include Universal’s Sanctum produced with James Cameron, the Focus Features’ drama It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Neil Jordan’s Ondine, and Sebastian Cordero's space thriller Europa Report to be released by Magnolia Pictures in summer 2013 and being sold internationally by Nicolas Meyer's Sierra Affinity.
Upcoming Wayfare projects include an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book for Disney; the recently announced Passengers, to star Keanu Reeves and Reese Witherspoon; and a development slate including Josh Zetumer’s Villain, an adaptation of Matt Westrup’s award winning creature short The Gate and the Princess Diana conspiracy thriller Inquest. With a slate like this, it is no wonder Comic-Con was interested in showcasing Europa Report.
Start Media is a privately held media company with interests in exhibition, publishing, and technology. Start Media is acquiring and building content-driven companies well positioned to capitalize on value dislocations emerging from the rapid evolution of media and media consumption. In late 2012 Start Media partnered with exhibitor Digiplex Destinations, an industry pioneer and champion of digital conversion and alternative cinema content, to aggressively grow the Digiplex footprint to 1000 screens in the top 100 markets. The acquisition of UltraStar Cinemas earlier this year was the first acquisition of the partnership. Wayfare’s staff, upcoming film slate and film library will be folded into Start Motion Pictures, which will continue normal business operations producing and financing feature films. Browning will be the President of Start Motion Pictures.
- 7/31/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
U.S. distribution rights to Sebastián Cordero's upcoming science-fiction film "Europa Report," have been picked up by Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures. The film marks the English-language debut of the Ecuadorian director, best known for his films "Rabia" and "Crónicas." Described by Magnolia as "a unique blend of documentary, alternative history and science fiction thriller," the film follows the story a team of astronauts sent to be the first manned mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. Sharlto Copley ("District 9") and Michael Nyqvist ("The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo") top the acting bill, while Philip Gelatt ("The Bleeding") handled the film's script. Also among the film's credits is Production Designer Eugenio Caballero who received an Oscar nomination for his work on "Pan's Labyrinth." While no release date is currently set, Magnolia has...
- 2/5/2013
- by Cameron Sinz
- Indiewire
There's been a great deal of gnashing of teeth online this week over Universal deciding not to pony up $150 million for At the Mountains of Madness, a horror epic based on an H.P. Lovecraft book that was to star Ron Perlman and Tom Cruise with Guillermo Del Toro directing. The kvetching over this feature's demise was surpassed only by the kvelling over Del Toro dropping out as director of The Hobbit. But relax, people -- the always-busy Del Toro has already announced another directorial project (Pacific Rim, set for 2013), and the in the meantime you can take in a snappy horror flick he produced, Rage (Rabia), out this week from Strand Releasing Home Entertainment.
- 3/9/2011
- Movieline
Weekly Box Office Wrap January 28-30 2011
There was a little strange movement in the past weekend box office. Two new films jumped into the top 3 and an oldie jumped back in to number 10. Warner Brothers new release The Rite, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, took possession of the top spot with $14,789,393 in 2,985 theaters with an average of $4,955 per location. The remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson flick The Mechanic, released by CBS and starring the rugged Jason Statham, put the hit out on the number three spot. Since it was a fairly slow weekend at the movies, it pulled in only $11,422,006 in 2,703 theaters averaging $4,226 per theater. Surprisingly, The Dilemma and Yogi Bear are still in the top ten. Perhaps the amount of theatres they are still in can account for this? One can only hope.
The remaining new releases for the weekend are not in the top ten, but a couple were close.
There was a little strange movement in the past weekend box office. Two new films jumped into the top 3 and an oldie jumped back in to number 10. Warner Brothers new release The Rite, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, took possession of the top spot with $14,789,393 in 2,985 theaters with an average of $4,955 per location. The remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson flick The Mechanic, released by CBS and starring the rugged Jason Statham, put the hit out on the number three spot. Since it was a fairly slow weekend at the movies, it pulled in only $11,422,006 in 2,703 theaters averaging $4,226 per theater. Surprisingly, The Dilemma and Yogi Bear are still in the top ten. Perhaps the amount of theatres they are still in can account for this? One can only hope.
The remaining new releases for the weekend are not in the top ten, but a couple were close.
- 2/2/2011
- by Allison Ritcher
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Born and based in Ecuador, filmmaker Sebastián Cordero was actually bitten by the cinema bug while living in France as a child, before moving to Los Angeles to attend film school at USC. His 1999 debut Ratas, Ratones, Rateros premiered at Venice, his 2004 follow-up Crónicas screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, and his new film Rage (natively known as Rabia) is currently playing in New York:
Based on a novel by Sergio Bizzio, Rage tells the suspenseful story of a pair of Latin American immigrants who fall in love in Spain. José María (Gustavo Sánchez Parra), a hot-headed builder, and Rosa, a housekeeper, embark in a passionate relationship. When a violent confrontation with José María's foreman results in the other man's death, José María flees to the mansion where Rosa works, telling no one. Hidden even from her, he watches Rosa be mistreated by her boss as...
Based on a novel by Sergio Bizzio, Rage tells the suspenseful story of a pair of Latin American immigrants who fall in love in Spain. José María (Gustavo Sánchez Parra), a hot-headed builder, and Rosa, a housekeeper, embark in a passionate relationship. When a violent confrontation with José María's foreman results in the other man's death, José María flees to the mansion where Rosa works, telling no one. Hidden even from her, he watches Rosa be mistreated by her boss as...
- 1/31/2011
- GreenCine Daily
"Rabia"; with Alfredo "El Turco" Guiter, Amador Granados, Emilio "El Alteno" Franco; directed by Sebastian Cordero
By Lita Robinson - January 18, 2011
Director Sebastian Cordero’s third film, “Rage” (“Rabia”), follows two immigrants in a hostile, xenophobic Spain as they try to scrape together a living. After José Maria (Gustavo Sanchez Parra), the origin of the eponymous rage, accidentally kills his boss on a construction site, he takes refuge inside the huge mansion where Rosa (Martina Garcia) works as a housekeeper. The rest of the film follows Rosa’s travails as José Maria silently watches, starving in the shadowy attic, until they’re finally reunited.
Although Cordero’s film ends rather predictably, its strength can be found in its period of limbo, during which Rosa doesn’t know what’s happened to her boyfriend or what she’s going to do with her life. Her feelings of uncertainty only get worse...
By Lita Robinson - January 18, 2011
Director Sebastian Cordero’s third film, “Rage” (“Rabia”), follows two immigrants in a hostile, xenophobic Spain as they try to scrape together a living. After José Maria (Gustavo Sanchez Parra), the origin of the eponymous rage, accidentally kills his boss on a construction site, he takes refuge inside the huge mansion where Rosa (Martina Garcia) works as a housekeeper. The rest of the film follows Rosa’s travails as José Maria silently watches, starving in the shadowy attic, until they’re finally reunited.
Although Cordero’s film ends rather predictably, its strength can be found in its period of limbo, during which Rosa doesn’t know what’s happened to her boyfriend or what she’s going to do with her life. Her feelings of uncertainty only get worse...
- 1/18/2011
- by Screen Comment
- Screen Comment
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. Bad advice. But good trailer? You decide.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is written by Guillermo Del Toro (omg Pan’s Labyrinth) and Matthew Robbins (whatever) and is a remake of the 1973 ABC TV movie.
The synopsis goes -
Sally (Bailee Madison), a lonely, introverted child, has just arrived at the 19th century mansion her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, Sally discovers a hidden, long-undisturbed basement. Unwittingly, she unleashes a race of malevolent, dark-dwelling creatures who intend to drag her and her family down into the mansion’s bottomless depths.
The original wasn’t about a child -
But that doesn’t fit with the Del Toro formula. It’s hard not to imagine him sitting down with a blank piece of paper, writing “young child, flashlight, creature/ghost, gothic building”, and going from there.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is written by Guillermo Del Toro (omg Pan’s Labyrinth) and Matthew Robbins (whatever) and is a remake of the 1973 ABC TV movie.
The synopsis goes -
Sally (Bailee Madison), a lonely, introverted child, has just arrived at the 19th century mansion her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, Sally discovers a hidden, long-undisturbed basement. Unwittingly, she unleashes a race of malevolent, dark-dwelling creatures who intend to drag her and her family down into the mansion’s bottomless depths.
The original wasn’t about a child -
But that doesn’t fit with the Del Toro formula. It’s hard not to imagine him sitting down with a blank piece of paper, writing “young child, flashlight, creature/ghost, gothic building”, and going from there.
- 8/4/2010
- by Sheridan Passell
- Movie-moron.com
It's time.
The sales reel for Eugenio Mira's Agnosia was the most impressive thing by far that I saw at the European Film Market back in February and I have been waiting ever since for the chance to share some of these sumptuous images in motion with you, the Twitch reader. That chance came today.
The first public teaser for the film was released on the El Paid website today and while we've been promised an English version tomorrow - just as soon as the El Paid exclusive window expires - I just can't wait that long. So here's the Spanish version to tide you over.
What's it about?
Joana Prats suffers from agnosia, a strange neuropsychological illness that affects her perception. Although her eyes and ears are in perfect condition, her brain cannot interpret the stimuli she receives through them.
As the only one who knows the industrial...
The sales reel for Eugenio Mira's Agnosia was the most impressive thing by far that I saw at the European Film Market back in February and I have been waiting ever since for the chance to share some of these sumptuous images in motion with you, the Twitch reader. That chance came today.
The first public teaser for the film was released on the El Paid website today and while we've been promised an English version tomorrow - just as soon as the El Paid exclusive window expires - I just can't wait that long. So here's the Spanish version to tide you over.
What's it about?
Joana Prats suffers from agnosia, a strange neuropsychological illness that affects her perception. Although her eyes and ears are in perfect condition, her brain cannot interpret the stimuli she receives through them.
As the only one who knows the industrial...
- 6/24/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Madrid -- Sebastian Cordero's drama "Rabia" ("Fury") walked away with the top honors this weekend at the 13th Malaga Spanish Film Festival, winning the €30,000 ($40,000) Gold Biznaga.
"Rabia," produced by Telecinco Cinema, Think Studio and Dynamo and distributed by Wanda Vision, also took the best supporting actor nod for Alex Brendemuhl and photography for Enrique Chediak's work.
The festival, which acts as the spring platform for Spanish cinema, paid special tribute to David Pinillos' friends-that-kiss comedy "Bon Appetit," with the special jury award and the €6,000 ($8,000) best script award for Pinillos, Juan Carlos Rubio and Paco Cabezas. Unax Ugalde also won the best actor honor for his part in "Bon Appetit."
Juana Macias won best director for her female-focused drama "Plans for Tomorrow." Marisa Paredes took the actress award for her part in "God of Wood."...
"Rabia," produced by Telecinco Cinema, Think Studio and Dynamo and distributed by Wanda Vision, also took the best supporting actor nod for Alex Brendemuhl and photography for Enrique Chediak's work.
The festival, which acts as the spring platform for Spanish cinema, paid special tribute to David Pinillos' friends-that-kiss comedy "Bon Appetit," with the special jury award and the €6,000 ($8,000) best script award for Pinillos, Juan Carlos Rubio and Paco Cabezas. Unax Ugalde also won the best actor honor for his part in "Bon Appetit."
Juana Macias won best director for her female-focused drama "Plans for Tomorrow." Marisa Paredes took the actress award for her part in "God of Wood."...
- 4/26/2010
- by By Pamela Rolfe
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Guadalajara, Mexico -- Carlos Gaviria's Colombian road movie "Portraits in a Sea of Lies" and Nicolas Pereda's minimalist drama "Perpetuum Mobile," a Mexico-Canada co-production, took top honors on Friday at the 25th edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
"Portraits," Gaviria's freshman feature, revolves around a mute teenager who discovers dark secrets of her past while on a road trip with her cousin. Produced by Producciones Erwin Goggel, the film is seeking international distribution. Actress Paola Baldion nabbed best actress.
The austere drama "Perpetuum Mobile," produced by En Chinga Films, marks the second big victory on the Mexican film circuit for Pereda. His previous work, "Donde Estan Sus Historias?" won the jury prize at the Morelia International Film Festival in 2007.
The jury gave best director nods to Mexican helmer Carlos Carrera for his ghost story "Of Childhood," while the Ibero-American prize went to Ecuadorian filmmaker Sebastian Cordero for "Rabia,...
"Portraits," Gaviria's freshman feature, revolves around a mute teenager who discovers dark secrets of her past while on a road trip with her cousin. Produced by Producciones Erwin Goggel, the film is seeking international distribution. Actress Paola Baldion nabbed best actress.
The austere drama "Perpetuum Mobile," produced by En Chinga Films, marks the second big victory on the Mexican film circuit for Pereda. His previous work, "Donde Estan Sus Historias?" won the jury prize at the Morelia International Film Festival in 2007.
The jury gave best director nods to Mexican helmer Carlos Carrera for his ghost story "Of Childhood," while the Ibero-American prize went to Ecuadorian filmmaker Sebastian Cordero for "Rabia,...
- 3/19/2010
- by By John Hecht
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sebastián Cordero's third film Rabia is a romantic thriller about José María (Gustavo Sánchez Parra), a construction worker on the run for killing his foreman who hides in the mansion where his girlfriend Rosa (Martina García) works as a housekeeper. Rabia had its World Premiere in the Contemporary World Cinema program at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, where Diana Sanchez wrote in her program capsule: "Rabia is an incisive commentary on the frustration of Latin Americans living in Spain. Victims of racism and paternalism, they must endure humiliation in order to keep their jobs, send money home and attain a better future. Often robbed of dignity, many are forced to live like José María--hidden, the unwanted other in Spanish daily life." Rabia now boasts its Us premiere at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
...
...
- 1/1/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Looking better and better, we're getting to the more esoteric and arthouse film here including one we covered a long time ago called Slovenka or in English, Slovenian Girl (trailer here).
You can check out the full list after the break.
Contemporary World Cinema
Beyond the Circle Golam Rabbany Biplob, Bangladesh
World Premiere
In this political fable from Bangladesh's leading filmmaker, a simple village musician gets swept up in the market economy of big city Dhaka.
Blessed Ana Kokkinos, Australia
International Premiere
During the course of one day and night, seven children wander the streets in an urban odyssey. Blessed is a film about mothers and children, about love and beauty, about being lost and finding your way home.
Down for Life Alan Jacobs, USA
World Premiere
Based on a New York Times article, this film depicts a single, fateful day in the life of a 15-year-old Latina gang leader.
You can check out the full list after the break.
Contemporary World Cinema
Beyond the Circle Golam Rabbany Biplob, Bangladesh
World Premiere
In this political fable from Bangladesh's leading filmmaker, a simple village musician gets swept up in the market economy of big city Dhaka.
Blessed Ana Kokkinos, Australia
International Premiere
During the course of one day and night, seven children wander the streets in an urban odyssey. Blessed is a film about mothers and children, about love and beauty, about being lost and finding your way home.
Down for Life Alan Jacobs, USA
World Premiere
Based on a New York Times article, this film depicts a single, fateful day in the life of a 15-year-old Latina gang leader.
- 8/6/2009
- QuietEarth.us
- Just when you think its safe to start considering making a short list, Tiff announce another eleven titles to the mix including: Pablo Stoll's first solo effort in Hiroshima (see pic) since the suicide of co-filmmaker friend Juan Pablo Rebella (together the pair gave us Whisky and 25 Watts), Harmony Korine returns to eating spaghetti in the tub with Trash Humpers, we get a Thailand filmmaker collective in Wisit Sasanatieng, Aditya Assarat, Kongdej Jaturanrasmee and Pen-ek Ratanaruang in Sawasdee Bangkok and favorite Czeck contemo filmmaker Jan Hrebejk explores sex and marriage with Eastern bloc humor in Shameless. Probably the last batch of titles to be added to the Contemporary World Cinema and Visions sections, here are the smorgasbord of mostly world premiere offerings from all four corners. Contemporary World CinemaBeyond the Circle Golam Rabbany Biplob, Bangladesh World Premiere In this political fable from Bangladesh’s leading filmmaker, a simple
- 8/6/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
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