Kevin Williams captures 'Buffalo'

Guillermo Arriaga produced, co-wrote film

By EMILIANO DE PABLOS

MADRID — As part of its drive into Latin American filmmaking, indie sales company Kevin Williams Associates has taken international sales rights outside Latin America on Mexican erotic drama "El Bufalo de la noche" (The Night Buffalo).

Produced and co-written by Mexican novelist Guillermo Arriaga, the screenwriter behind "Babel" and "21 Grams," and starring Diego Luna, "Buffalo" was a competitor in the World Dramatic section at Sundance last year.

Directed and co-scripted by Venezuelan first-timer Jorge Hernandez Aldana, "Buffalo" is produced by Arriaga's La Neta Films in co-production with Luna's Canana Films, where Luna teams with Gael Garcia Bernal and Pablo Cruz, plus Mexican fund Fidecine and producer AC Films.

For Madrid-based agent KWA, the "Buffalo" deal reps a strengthening of its links with the rising national film industry in Mexico, KWA prexy Kevin Williams said.

In the run-up to Cannes, KWA's also picked up Chilean Ricardo Larrain's "Chile puede" (Chile Can Do It), a sci-fi comedy about a goofy guy who’s cherrypicked to become Chile’s first astronaut. KWA handles worldwide rights on "Chile," excluding North and Latin American, and Australian territories.

"Chile" extends KWA's long relationship with Santiago-based production house Chilechita, after selling international rights of Chilean helmer-writer Boris Quercia's comedies "The King of Fools" and "Sex with Love," also produced by Chilechita.

Other KWA market premieres at Cannes include vet Spanish indie distributor Francisco Giro's directorial debut "La Central," a youth horror pic, and Francisco Gordillo's "Lycantropus," toplining Spanish classic werewolf player, actor Paul Naschy.