“Beneath Us” A Vital Pictures/NME Horror Thriller Makes Debut 

Vital Pictures/NME Plans to Release 4 – 6 Films a Year Targeting LatinX

By Bel Hernandez

Getting distribution for their film, Beneath Us was the impetus for the Georgia-based Vital Pictures/NME distribution platform headed by Luis Guerrero (Armored, You’re Not Alone, 100 Feet Below Hell) and Chris Lemos (Armored, Beyond the Lights) who are also principles of the Vital Pictures productions.

“After showing Beneath Us to every major studio, it became clear to us that while everyone understood that the Latinx audience is the fastest growing and highest per capita movie-going cohort, there was little desire for anyone to get behind this film – a film with the attributes that many companies publicly said they were hoping to find,” Guerrero explained. “So we did something which is true of many Latinos when doors are shut in their faces, we built it for themselves; we built our own home with doors that we have the keys to.”

Executive produced by actor/producer Jay Hernandez (Magnum P.I.) Beneath Us, a horror/thriller opened on March 6th and did well, ranking 27th on the box office charts — for an independent film it’s an accomplishment to even get on the list which usually takes millions of marketing dollars they don’t have. The film which is in both English and Spanish dialogue is being distributed in major Latino U.S. markets by NME.

Latinos who make up 24% of the filmgoing audience over index when it comes to horror/thriller movies. “Even with that staggering reality that the Latinx audience is a vital part of the new mainstream, we are noticeably absent in entertainment,” Lemos told us. “There simply isn’t any studio label or brand tailored to the English-dominant Latinx audience with films made by Latinx filmmakers.

Making his directorial debut was Max Pachman from a screenplay he wrote with Mark Mavrothalasitis. Beneath Us is about the American Dream that becomes a nightmare for a group of undocumented day laborers hired by a wealthy couple. What they hope to be their biggest payday turns into a terrifying fight for survival at the couple’s secluded mansion, and those thought to be helpless must prove they can’t be discarded so easily.

Aside from industry veterans Guerrero and Lemos, Vital Pictures team includes industry Will Knochel, Kevin Casebier, and Brad Friedlander.

Guerrero and Lemos have over 20-years each of experience in the industry with each independently producing for the last five. Their experience was honed at some of the major studios in Hollywood including Paramount Pictures, Sony/Screen Gems (where we executive produced the action/thriller Armored), Warner Bros., and two other now-defunct companies that were still dynamic for their vision, Maya Pictures, and Relativity Media. 

Beneath Us stars Lynn Collins (John Carter, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Discovery’s Mini-series Manhunt: Unabomber), James Tupper (HBO’s Big Little Lies), Rigo Sanchez (TNT’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s MacFarland USA, and newcomer Josue Aguirre.

NME which stands for New Mainstream Entertainment and is a Vital Pictures’ label that will focus specifically on movies made by and for the Latinx audience here in the US.  “The ‘New Mainstream’ is a term coined to represent the Latinx contribution and inclusion in American society, being that we are now the largest minority group in the country and are responsible for a GDP that would be the 8th largest standalone economy in the world,” he said.

Beneath Us is just the beginning for a slate of films planned to release under the NME banner. Vital Pictures will release three films this year, two of which will be through the NME label, a psychological horror film You’re Not Alone (NME/Vital), directed by Eduardo Rodriguez, followed by the WWI-set drama thriller, Clay Kickers (Vital Pictures).

“Our plans are to release four to six films per year beginning in 2021 going forward. These will be a blend of original productions and acquisitions for both Vital and NME,” Guerrero enthused. “All our films will be released exclusively in theaters nationwide before becoming available on VOD, subscription platforms, and other sequent windows.”

Luis Guerrero is repped by Ziffren Brittenham and is a Vital Pictures producer. Chris Lemos can be contacted via email, chris@vital-pictures.com. Jay Hernandez is repped by ICM Partners and Alchemy Entertainment, manager. Rigo Sanchez is repped by Agency for the Performing Arts (APA), and Josue Aguirre is repped by Momentum Talent and Literary Agency, and Velocity Entertainment Partners (VEP), manager.