The Circuit

by John Hopewell
Run by fest topper Miguel Ortega and artistic director Jennifer Stark, the fest, which runs Nov.14-18, had a good international lineup: early standouts included “Luna” and “August Rush.” It also opened a window onto new Latin American and Latino cinema. Fest’s international section included “Quien mato a la llamita blanca?” (Who Killed the White Llama?), a rumbunctious Bolivian road movie from Rodrigo  Bellot, and Philippe Barcinski’s “Nao por acaso” (Not By Chance), a typical product of Fernando Meirelles’ O2 Filmes in Brazil: visually sophisticated, stylish, internationally-appealing and contempo, here offering a take on the vagaries of love and family relationships in middle-class Sao Paulo. Both pics are sold by Eric Mathis and Donald Ranvaud’s Latin-America-focused sales company Ondamax, which launched at Cannes. Ranvaud was in Cancun. In fact, Ranvaud’s everywhere in Latin America.

If Ondamax is emerging as a key sales op for new Latin American talent, one reason’s simply that its execs get to countries and events which other companies hardly know about, let alone attend. Over lunch on Thursday on the Hotel Royale beach, Ranvaud described his crusade to create Artes Andes Americas, a Sundance-style institute for cinema and theater in Yotala, Bolivia. Such was his passion that he hardly seemed to notice a beachside catwalk of stunning late-teen girls, who all seemed to have a thing about going out with paunch-bellied men with cigars.

On Friday, Variety contributed to the fest’s Latin America focus, presenting a Latin America Filmmakers: Up Next selection.  Travelling in Latin America is rather like an airport reality Big Brother elimination contest. So only five of the cineastes arrived on time for the round table: Chile’s Nicolas Lopez, director of cult grossout “Promedio Rojo”; Bellot, who’s just finished the English-language “Perfidy;” Rodrigo Pla, whose debut, “La zona” (The Zone), was a hit at Venice and Toronto; Riggen, and Alexis Zabe, d.p. on the exquisitely comphosed “Stellet Licht” (Silent Light) which shared this year’s Cannes Special Jury Prize.

Riggen confirmed that she’s in talks to make a $20 million English-lingo debut in the U.S. Nicolas Lopez, a 24/7 showman, raced through details of his $12 million “Santos,” now in post and co-produced by Elizabeth Avellan’s Troublemaker Studios and “178 Jak Johnsons,” set up at Salma Hayek’s Ventanazul.  Jonathan Jakubowicz made it to the Up Next party, Friday night, organized by the Festival and El Dorado in the spa’s huge raft-beamed barn. There he said that he was currently casting the $25 million “Queen of the South” for Warner Independent Pictures.

Another Up Next talent, Colombian actress Marcela Mar, whose seen in Colombian Oscar entry “Satanas,” another fest player, and Mike Newell’s “Love in the Time of Cholera,” also made the party photo-op. I’m not sure how much current Hollywood Variety brought to the fest this year. But I suspect that it brought Cancun part of its refreshing Latino-mix future.

Photos: Venezuelan helmer Jonathan Jakubowicz, (left, in white), Colombian thesp Marcela Mar and Chilean helmer Nicholas Lopez (wearing glasses) strike a pose at the inaugural Cancun International Film Fest (Nov 14-18) where Variety honored them as Latin America's upcoming talent on Saturday (Nov 17).  Also, John Hopewell presenting Mexican helmer Rodrigo Pla (La Zona).