Thesp branches out with Rosstoc
World Brief
Under his Rosstoc banner, Pauls has begun lensing "Buscando Mugica" (Looking for Mugica), a one-hour TV docu about Carlos Mugica, an Argentine priest murdered in 1974 by local extremists. Subject will provide the focus of his first feature "Mayo" (May), a $1.8 million pic about the priest's life, which is yet to find distribution.
Pauls will co-star with Mia Maestro ("The Motorcycle Diaries"), says Alejandro Suaya, a partner in Rosstoc. Shooting will begin mid-2007 in Buenos Aires and Paris.
Pauls and Suaya created Rosstoc last year to produce content about human and social issues.
The outfit is already producing a second season of weekly roving-reporter series "Humanos en el camino" (Humans on the Road) that airs Thursdays in primetime on Telefe, Argentina's leading broadcaster, which is owned by Spain's Telefonica. "Road" is co-produced by Telefe Contenidos, the net's inhouse production outfit.
In June, Fox Sports launched Rosstoc's "Once, historias titulares" (Eleven, Headline Stories), a series of docus about the social impact of soccer.
Rosstoc is elbowing into a crowded field. Argentina has the most independent film and TV production companies in Latin America. But Suaya says focus on the human and social genre will keep demand steady.
