Marie De-La-Fuente Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Anna Marie de la Fuente Sonora, among the top podcast platforms in Spain, has tapped leading Chilean scribes Enrique Videla and Paula del Fierro to write a couple of serial podcasts for it. Their credits include Amazon Original “La Jauria” (“The Pack”), showrun by Lucía Puenzo (“The German Doctor”) and produced by Pablo and Juan de Dios Larrain’s Fabula. Both are also co-writers of Movistar’s “Los Prisioneros” and Chilean-German co-production, “Dignidad.” “We’re delighted to add Chilean creative talent to Sonora. The original content that Del Fierro and Videla will write for our platform will join one of our most outstanding fiction creations, ‘Retornados,’ a science fiction thriller written and directed by Chilean scriptwriter, Julio Rojas,” said Gabriel Sáenz de Buruaga, CEO and founding partner of Sonora. Rojas is also one of the writers on “La Jauria” and the scribe of Spotify’s most successful Spanish-language podcast, “Case 63.”

Anna Marie de la Fuente With the writers’ strike dragging on, unscripted content is expected to dominate programming grids. A panel organized by C21 Media at the L.A. Screenings Independents on the format’s outlook in Latin America could not have been more timely. Rising costs, shifting consumer tastes, the advent of streaming platforms and the sway of social media have indeed posed new challenges, even to such mainstays as Banijay’s “Big Brother.” One of Banijay’s biggest reality shows, it first broadcast in 1999 in the Netherlands and was syndicated to more than 60 countries worldwide. “It was a gigantic challenge when we decided to produce ‘Big Brother’ again after 10 years had passed since the last edition,” said Guillermo Pendino, VP content and programming, FTA Brands, Latam Sur, Paramount (Argentina-Chile). “It was no longer the same world, there were the platforms, the social networks and you had to speak to a new audience, an audience that didn’t even know what ‘Big Brother’ was because they were still very young the last time it was broadcast,” he noted. “From Paramount we see the unscripted format as a great opportunity, especially at Telefe Argentina and Chilevisión,” he said.

Anna Marie de la Fuente LA Screenings Independents hosted a panel of leading U.S.-based Latino producers who held forth on the challenges of creating Latino projects from the heart of Hollywood. Organized by C21 Media, the panel kicked off with Axel Kuschevatzky, director-owner of Infinity Hill, a producer of the Oscar-shortlisted “Argentina 1985,” who pointed out the asymmetry of the Latino experience in the U.S. entertainment biz, a persistent conundrum where 19% of the U.S. population is Latino, contributing an estimated $3.2 trillion to the economy, but where its representation on TV, streaming and theatrical hovers between 3%.and 5%. “We’re earning a lot of money for a lot of people but we’re not reclaiming the business that comes along with it,” Kuschevatzky asserted.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Elevated genre has just been turbo charged by a new strategic alliance between Globalgate Entertainment and Morbido Group, the fast expanding horror conglomerate in Ibero-America. Co-founded in 2016 by former Pantelion Films CEO Paul Presburger, Globalgate Entertainment is a local-language film & TV production and co-financing consortium formed by Lionsgate and 14 other prominent international entertainment companies, including key players in major markets. The strategic partnership, dubbed MorbidoGate, aims to develop elevated genre content by generating and acquiring IP while fostering emerging talent in key markets worldwide.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Colombian-Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo García has wrapped his first Spanish-language feature, “Familia,” which was shot in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico for Netflix. García, who has directed such acclaimed films as “Mother and Child” and “Albert Nobbs,” and whose TV credits include “Six Feet Under,” “Big Love” and “In Treatment,” said: “Shooting ‘Familia’ has been a great experience.” He added: “Great producers, collaborators, several of my favorite Mexican actors and actresses and Netflix’s full support have made this project an unforgettable trip back home.” This is the first time García, who is the son of Colombian Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Marquez, has directed a film in Mexico. He’s an executive producer in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of his father’s literary classic “100 Years of Solitude,” which will be shooting in Colombia.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Spurred by modest state funds, growing TV support and co-production pacts, filmmaking in Peru is on the rise and with it, it’s seeing sometimes a rousing presence on the international stage. Peruvian pics snagged six awards at March’s Malaga Film Festival and industry component MAFIZ, an unprecedented haul for the event’s country guest of honor. Plaudits went to Mauricio Frey’s “Estados generales,” Francesca Canepa’s “La otra orilla,” Ximena Valdivia’s “4eber,” documentary “Hatun Phaqcha” by Delia Ackerman and Leonardo Barbuy’s “Diogenes.”

Anna Marie de la Fuente Big changes are afoot in Peru, thanks to Paramount’s mega-budgeted “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” which shot there in 2021, literally saving hundreds of jobs badly hit by a six-month pan- demic lockdown. With street protests now a distant memory, talks are underway to address concerns that will make Peru a more attractive location shoot, including such measures as launching a film commission, introducing fiscal incentives, improving equipment availability as well as more training and support for the local audiovisual industry. The need for these filming incentives were driven pain- fully home when the producers behind the “Paddington in Peru,” the third film in the hit “Paddington” series, opted to shoot in Colombia because of its coveted rebates. While some second-unit filming will be done in Peru, the bulk will be shot in Colombia and London.

Anna Marie de la Fuente CinemaChile’s newly appointed executive director Ximena Baeza makes her Cannes debut as the promotional org presents its annual catalog at the Marché and a sizeable contingent of 27 Chilean production companies present their titles. Baeza, who was selected after a two-month headhunting process in which more than 160 applicants for the position were interviewed, comes armed with nearly 20 years of experience in the marketing and communications field. She was previously director of marketing and content at Imagen de Chile, a country brand agency. Her experience in the entertainment industry runs deep. She worked at Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) for 15 years, where she was assistant manager of marketing and communications. She also held similar posts at Universal Music Chile, Telefónica CTC Chile and MusimundoChile.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Tomás Yankelevich, EVP and chief content officer of general entertainment for Latin America and U.S. Hispanic at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), has opted to leave the company by the end of June to “pursue new professional endeavors.” Fernando Medin, president of WBD Latin America and U.S. Hispanic, has tapped industry vet Mariano Cesar to replace him. Cesar, who joined the pay TV industry some 30 years ago, was at the helm of such renowned brands as Uniseries, Retro, I.Sat, Space, TNT, TNT Series and Warner Channel. He was named head of programming and strategic content at HBO Max when it launched in 2021, adding the HBO channel portfolio and, more recently, Discovery+ to his duties.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Co-productions are increasingly the norm in Chile where state funds remain scant in a market of a mere 19.5 million inhabitants. Its new president’s campaign pledge last year to more than double the state’s contribution to the arts is not quite a reality, with a 16% increase noted so far. On the bright side, there has been an uptick in private funding, with some 50% of a film’s budget covered by private investors. To date, the audiovisual sector has seen a 31.5% increase in state funding this year compared to 2022. Chilean filmmakers are also exploring new genres, straying from traditional dramas. More often than not — as in Maite Alberdi’s Sundance win for 2023’s “The Eternal Memory” — Chilean cinema has triumphed at one major festival or awards event after another.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Parrot Analytics, the leading global entertainment analytics company, has tapped former Whip Media/RightsTrade exec Jaime Otero as its new VP of Partnerships. Otero joins Parrot Analytics to help drive growth, expand strategic partnerships and spur the global roll-out of the company’s new content valuation system, launched in November 2022. Said Wared Seger, CEO of Parrot Analytics: “Jaime’s appointment signifies our commitment to expanding our global footprint; we are confident that his expertise will enable us to further solidify our position as the industry leader in global entertainment analytics.”

Anna Marie de la Fuente Animayo, Spain’s leading animation festival, is celebrating its 18th edition with the help of Disney legend Andreas Deja who will be presenting his independently-produced short, “Mushka.” “Having Deja choose Animayo to debut his film in Spain is the greatest honor,” said Damian Perea, founder-director of the festival, which unspools May 3-6 on the island of Gran Canaria. A hand-drawn 2D animated story about an unlikely friendship between a young girl and a Siberian tiger in 1970s’ Soviet Union, “Mushka” is Deja’s directorial debut. His lauded Walt Disney Animation Studio credits include “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

Anna Marie de la Fuente Anime legends, producer Masao Maruyama and director Gisaburō Sugii, as well as U.S. animation producer and distributor Gkids, have joined global multimedia company N Lite and N Lite Japan to produce “Mfinda,” a first Afro-anime film which will be the subject of an in-depth first look at June’s Annecy Int’l Animation Film Festival.  Selected amongst the pitches this year at Annecy’s MIFA market in the feature film category, the N Lite original was created by Congolese-American artist Patience Lekien and Christiano Terry, founder-CEO of N Lite. “Mfinda” follows a 12-year-old Congolese girl who is taken to the mfinda, a primordial forest teeming with spirits, gods and ancestors. There she meets up with another young girl from a different time and together they set out to find the magical Nkisi, vessels that hold ancestral spirits as well as empowering materials or medicines, that will help her find her way home.

Anna Marie de la Fuente After 25 years, Susana Gimenez, Argentina’s celebrated TV host, actress, model and entrepreneur, is set to make her hotly anticipated return to the big screen in a new Diego Kaplan (“2+2,” “My Boyfriend’s Meds”) comedy.  The still untitled film, penned by Kaplan and Pablo Minces, centers on a preeminent child psychologist who has her own struggles with her 43-year-old son who is reluctant to leave home. Principal photography is slated for October in Buenos Aires. “I can’t believe I’m making a movie after all these years; I certainly wasn’t planning for it,” said Gimenez. “But Diego is a force of nature and a visionary. When he pitched the project to me, I just couldn’t resist it and jumped right in,” she added. Aside from starring in a host of film and TV series, Gimenez hosted a top-rated talk show likened to that of Oprah Winfrey or Italy’s Raffaella Carrà.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Paramount+ has bowed the trailer and key art of Colombian actor-producer Manolo Cardona’s directorial debut, “Death’s Roulette” (“Uno para morir”) ahead of its May 5 launch. The Spanish-language suspense thriller will stream on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and Latin America. It will also be available to stream in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and South Korea. Based on the original script “La Terminal” by Frank Ariza, “Death’s Roulette” is written by Julieta Steinberg, Gavo Amiel and Cardona. The story revolves around seven kidnapped strangers who wake up in an isolated mansion to find that they are part of a deadly game. They are given 60 minutes to select one person to die but he or she has to agree to be sacrificed. The grim alternative is for all of them to lose their lives. As the clock winds down, their darkest secrets are revealed and they realize they are all somehow connected to a shadowy past.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Miami, home to the two leading U.S. Hispanic networks — TelevisaUnivision and Telemundo — as well as a host of smaller television companies, studio outposts, recording artists and independent entertainment companies, has long been the cultural epicenter of both Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic population. “It is not just the geographic location that makes Miami a hub: In so many ways, the city is also representative of the cultural diversity across Latin America and among all U.S. Hispanics,” says Karen Barroeta, executive VP, production and development, Telemundo Global Studios, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.  “On top of its rich cultural diversity, Miami is a world-class city in which to make television, with the highest quality production studios and a skillful workforce including incredible talent, from production teams to writers and actors,” she says.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Leading Spanish indie Plano a Plano has snagged TV adaptation rights to “Lejos de Luisiana” by Luz Gabás, last year’s winner of Spain’s prestigious Planeta Award. Plano a Plano acquired the rights from Book & Film Rights, the Editorial Planeta division which oversees local and international audiovisual adaptation deals as well as translation rights in international markets. Since 1952, Planeta has bestowed an annual reward to outstanding unpublished Spanish-language works with the largest endowment worldwide, one million Euros. Gabás’ acclaimed debut novel “Palm Trees in the Snow” (“Palmeras en la nieve”) was successfully adapted to the screen in 2015, winning two Goya, translated to multiple languages and grossing $18.3 million in Spain.

Anna Marie de la Fuente TelevisaUnivision has enlisted key players across Ibero-America to produce original projects for its two-tiered streaming platform, ViX. During the first quarter of this year, 11 series and movies are kicking off production, among them from the likes of Mexico’s Argos Contenido, Lemon Films, Alazraki and Edge Films, Argentina’s FAM Contenidos, and Colombia’s 11:11 Films & TV and Spain’s Morena Films, as well as Miami-based BTF Media and W Studios. “By announcing these 11 new productions, we’re not only reaffirming our commitment to genuinely reflect the rich and diverse stories of our Hispanic community but also leading the charge in delivering the best-in-class content,” said Rodrigo Mazón, EVP & chief content officer, ViX.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a bid to give more opportunities to women directors and boost the romcom genre, Sony Pictures International has teamed up with Maria Ripoll’s Cahuenga Filmmakers and transatlantic production shingle El Estudio to launch The Love Collection, a series of romantic comedy features to be written and helmed by women. Ripoll, best known for her romcom “Ahora o nunca,” the highest-grossing femme-directed film in Spain, will serve as executive producer on all the titles, and will direct the first in the collection, “Yo no soy esa,” (roughly translated to “I’m Not That One” or “I’m Not Her”) starring Verónica Echegui (“Trust,” “You’re Killing Me, Susana”). El Estudio’s Enrique López Lavigne will serve as producer on all the titles.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In what marks a first for Chile’s Storyboard Media, Baremo Films of Mexico has boarded its psychological thriller “Quizas es cierto lo que dicen de nosotras” (“Maybe It’s True What They’re Saying About Us”), which has been shooting in Santiago since Feb. 1 and will wrap later this month.  Written and directed by Sofía Gomez (“Trastornos del sueño”) and Camilo Becerra (“Perro muerto”), the co-production also involves Chile’s La Jauria Cine as well as Argentina’s Murillo Cine and HDArgentina. “We’re delighted to have our first co-production with Mexico, which is such an important market, given its relevance in terms of promotion and visibility in our region,” said Storyboard Media’s Gabriela Sandoval and Carlos Núñez.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In its continued bid to expand its footprint worldwide, Paramount+ is launching its service in France on Dec. 1 and Germany, Austria and Switzerland on Dec. 8. Already available across the Americas, Paramount+ launched in South Korea, the U.K. and Ireland in June and Italy in September. The SVOD platform is expected to be available in 45 markets by year’s end. Paramount+ is rapidly expanding its presence globally, bringing audience a unique content offering with the biggest stars and most compelling global and local stories. With these launches, Paramount+ will continue to see major growth across Europe, becoming one of the top players worldwide,” said Marco Nobili, executive VP and international general manager of Paramount+.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Wild Bunch TV has boarded high-concept sci-fi thriller series, “Arcadia” from Belgian production shingle, jonnydepony (“Blackout,” “Transport”). Created by Philippe De Schepper and Bas Adriaensen, “Arcadia” refers to a post-global catastrophe society where its citizens’ rights and entitlements are determined by their scores. Life is good as long as you remain “healthy, focused and efficient.”  Four sisters, Luz, Milly, Alex and Hanna, retain top scores except for Luz. Their father, anxious to save Luz from being expelled to the Outer World, alters her scores but is caught. He is banished from Arcadia and the entire family is placed under surveillance, their scores slashed. The question now is whether they can get their old lives back.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Location shooting is underway for “Finding Love in Sisters,” which features a cast with about one million followers apiece on social media: Puerto Rican-born Laura Carmine, Miami-based Marielena Dávila and U.K. model-actor Nick Hounslow. “Finding Love in Sisters” follows drama “Finding Love in San Antonio,” co-produced by leading indie production shingle BTF Media and  L.A.-based American Cinema Inspires (ACI), which teamed up last year to develop and produce films with predominantly U.S. Latino talent. Written by D.F.W. Buckingham (“Finding Love in San Antonio”) and helmed by Jeff Day (“Midway Love”), the romantic drama centers on Esperanza (Carmine), a successful lawyer whose dream life is showing some cracks. Her mother suggests she visit their hometown of Sisters, Oregon to get recharged but she chooses to stay at her job. When Esperanza’s mother dies, she returns home, although she is wary of reuniting with her two sisters, Caridad (Dávila) and Faith (Valentina Izarra), after so many years apart.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Prime Video is debuting the Karla Souza drama “La Caida” (“Dive”) on Nov. 11 after its world premiere at the Morelia Int’l Film Festival.  “How to Get Away with Murder” star Souza produces and stars in the topical drama directed by high-flying Argentine helmer-scribe Lucía Puenzo, hot off “La Jauría” and “Señorita 89.”  Souza is known for her performances in Mexican hit family comedy “We are the Nobles,” action-comedy “Day Shift” opposite Jamie Foxx, as well as the Shondaland TV series “How to Get Away with Murder,” among others.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a clear vote of confidence for Colombian director Juan Sebastián Mesa, Bordeaux-based Dublin Films has boarded his third film “Lovers Go Home!” The company also co-produced Mesa’s lauded sophomore pic, “The Rust.” “Lovers Go Home!” centers on a Colombian single mom who leads a double life as a webcammer. One day she meets a U.S. veteran online who becomes obsessed with her. He flies to Colombia to meet her in person. Their meeting makes them reflect on who they truly are. In development, the project participated in this year’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, one of San Sebastian Film Festival’s key industry events, which ran over Sept. 19-21. 

Anna Marie de la Fuente Principal photography is underway on police thriller “Memento Mori” from one of Spain’s biggest production shingles, Zebra Productions, part of Grupo iZen, which presented its upcoming series “Tenorio” at Iberseries’ Co-Production & Financing Forum on Sept. 28. Zebra produced “El Cid,” a meticulously accurate but grand-scale Prime Video series  “Tenorio” takes a deep dive into the life of iconic literary character Don Juan Tenorio to explore how he transformed into the legendary ‘Latin Lover’ of yore . “Memento Mori,” which has been shooting in the city of Valladolid, is based on a trilogy of novels by author César Pérez Gellida who hails from the town, said iZen’s Lara Lejarza.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Prime Video has greenlit Season 2 of the hit Spanish series, “Dias Mejores” (“Better Days”), after the success of its first season. Created by Cristóbal Garrido and Adolfo Valor (“Reyes de la Noche,” “Farina”), the new season will continue to follow the stories of its lead characters Sara (Marta Hazas), Pardo (Erick Elías), Graci (Alba Planas), Luis (Francesc Orella) and Dr. Laforet (Blanca Portillo). News was announced at the Iberseries & Platino Industria television event that was held in Madrid over Sept. 27-30. The co-production between ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) and Madrid-based Zeta Studios, producers of Netflix hit, “Elite,” will stream exclusively on Prime Video in Spain.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In what is expected to be a surefire hit, Buendia Estudios revealed an upcoming TV series adaptation of Antonio Gala’s erotic novel, “La Pasion Turca.” The popular novel was last adapted into a hit feature film in 1994 with the late Vicente Aranda directing and Andres Vicente Gomez of Lolafilms producing. It starred singer-actress Ana Belen in what is considered her most successful film. Buendia Estudios’ director general Ignacio Corrales and editorial director Sonia Martínez jointly announced the new project at the 2nd edition of the Iberseries & Platino Industria television event in Madrid. The new six-episode series set to air on Spanish free-to-air channel Antena 3 and streamer AtresPlayer Premium will start shooting by the end of October in Turkey for seven weeks before moving to Madrid. The cast will be made up of Spanish, Turkish and Italian talent.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Candle Media’s Exile Content Studio has joined forces with Trojan Horse Media, the team behind the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary, “Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado,” to produce premium content with international appeal. This will include scripted, unscripted and audio content. The new partners first collaborated on the podcast series “More Than a Movie: American Me,” which dropped on Sept. 15. The podcast series delves into the true story of Edward James Olmos’s 1992 cult film classic, “American Me,” and the legacy the polemical film left behind. The 12-episode audio-documentary is hosted by Trojan Media’s Alex Fumero.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Buoyed by the success of last year’s one-to-one networking sessions, Madrid’s 2nd Iberseries & Platino Industria market is launching a new TV forum aimed at fostering co-production and financing pacts between selected producers and potential partners or investors. “We are functioning as an accelerator in a way as the selected projects have at least 40% of their financing in place and just need that final push to see the light,” said Iberseries director Samuel Castro, who adds that these series have budgets ranging from €5 million-€30 million ($ million-$30 million) . The 10 companies, selected out of some 25 submissions, include some heavy hitters led by Spain’s Zebra Prods (Grupo Izen), Gato Grande-MGM, Argentina’s Storylab and El Estudio, founded by former Canana producing partner Pablo Cruz, producer Enrique López Lavigne and former Sony Pictures Intl. Prods. head, Diego Suárez Chialvo. 

Anna Marie de la Fuente In its continued bid to create more premium content for the Latin American market under its Onza Americas banner, Madrid-based Onza Entertainment – behind such hit series as “The Department of Time” and a collaborator on Dopamine’s historical drama “Hernan” – is developing political drama series “Sattva.” Created by Spanish actor Ruben Sanz (“El Dragon”) and written by Int’l Emmy-nominated Luis Gamboa (“Promesas de Campaña”), the series is conceived as a transatlantic production between Mexico and Spain. Onza is presenting “Saatva” at Iberseries & Platino Industria’s new Co-Production & Financing Forum on Sept. 28.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Wrapping San Sebastian’s Culinary Zinema sidebar Sept. 23, Alfred Oliveri’s “Virgilio” tracks chef Virgilio Martinez, the genius behind one of the world’s top restaurants, Central, in Lima. Doc traces how the 45-year-old chef decides to embark on an expedition through the length and breadth of his native Peru to investigate the origins of its ingredients in the context of its culture, its history and the richness of its lands. This experience changes him and his view of gastronomy. He replaces Central’s traditional menu with its now acclaimed tasting menu which transports the diner through a multiple-dish culinary experience that begins with ingredients found below sea level to Peru’s Amazon, its coastal foothills, its high valleys and Andean peaks.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Continuing to tap top series from Spain, Munich-based Beta Film has snapped up international distribution rights to “Simple,” the new dramedy by Anna R. Costa, the co-creator of Movistar Plus+‘s most-binged series, “Arde Madrid.” Costa’s directorial debut, “Simple” world premiered earlier this week in San Sebastian as a Movistar Plus+ world premiere. Produced by Movistar Plus+ in collaboration with Destrucción y Salvación, “Simple” turns on four young women in their twenties and thirties, who have reached a milestone in their lives: Sharing an apartment as truly independent adults. The series follows the flat mates, all of whom have disabilities, as they navigate the pressures of adulthood and the absurd norms imposed on them by society.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Speaking on the issue of navigating finance in 2022 and beyond at San Sebastian’s two-day Creative Investors Conference, Wild Bunch exec Cecile Gaget and 30West’s Trevor Groth took stock of the challenges ahead in a post-pandemic world. Groth observed that film production budgets have been rising as streaming platforms have been paying relatively good wages, making it harder for independents to stay competitive. Gaget agreed: “It’s getting more expensive to hire writers and crew, and the pandemic certainly didn’t help.” Groth acknowledged that selling to streamers can be a challenge. When 30West was negotiating on the sale of their phenomenal hit “Tiger King” to Netflix, they fought hard to hang on to its IP, but to no avail. “We leveraged this to get a higher sale price but we didn’t realize it was going to be such a big hit, so we lost out from not having a backend,” Groth said. However, “Tiger King” gave them the momentum to enter the documentary space.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a rare move, Barcelona-based Film Factory Entertainment has snapped up world sales rights to documentary “Mibu, The Moon in a Dish” (“Mibu, La Luna en un Plato”), which opened the Culinary Zinema sidebar of the San Sebastian Festival Sept. 19. The feature debut of Spanish filmmaker Roger Zanuy, the documentary transports audiences to members-only Tokyo restaurant Mibu, which has greatly influenced some of the most prominent chefs in the world, including Spain’s Ferran Adrià (El Bulli), Jose Andrés, also renowned for his humanitarian work, as well as Italy’s Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana, among several others.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a new deal secured at this week’s San Sebastian Festival, Birgit Kemner’s Manny Films has partnered with Chile’s Storyboard Media to co-produce “Un Buen Día Para Morir” (“A Good Day to Die”), the third feature by Marcelo Ferrari (“Subterra,” “Bombal”). Inspired by the real story of pianist María Paz Santibáñez whose life took a dramatic turn during a protest against General Pinochet’s dictatorship in 1987, the drama turns on 24-year-old piano student Pachi who is shot in the head during a protest against the military regime. Seriously injured and pregnant, she manages to survive and give birth to her daughter. Escaping Chile, she settles in Paris where – against all odds – she fulfills her dream to become a concert pianist.