Apple TV+ began this May with the unveiling of the third season of Acapulco, which originally premiered in October 2021. The global bilingual hit series is highlighted by the understated comedic timing of its star and executive producer, Emmy and SAG-Award winner Eugenio Derbez. He returns as Máximo in season three, debuted internationally on Wednesday, May 1, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through June 26.

The ten episodes explore the story of Maximo Gallardo, told in two timelines: present day and the mid-80s, as he makes a valiant effort to reconcile past mistakes and heal old wounds. In the present day, older Máximo (Derbez) finds himself returning to Las Colinas resort which he no longer recognizes. Flashbacks to 1985 reveal a younger Máximo (Enrique Arrizon), relentlessly climbing the ladder of success while potentially jeopardizing all the relationships he’s worked so hard to build, especially a budding romance with fellow hotel employee Julia (Camila Perez).  

The series admirably creates the glamour of a posh Mexican seaside resort.  The present-day episodes now find successful Maximo explaining to his nephew Hugo (Raphael Alejandro) the history of his past life at Las Colinas. But most of the comedy happens in the past, as we are made privy to the adventures of Maximo and a colorful array of fellow resort employees. Ruling the roost is Diane Davies (Jessica Collins), owner of Las Colinas. In the meantime, Maximo is constantly seeking advice from kindly Don Pablo Bonilla (Damian Alcazar), Head of Hotel Operations. Much of the fun is provided by laundry worker Guillermo (Fernando Carsa) and Hector (Rafael Cebrian), head pool boy with a talent for knowing how to fleece the wealthy resort guests. The action is highlighted by the talented song-and-dance routines of poolside performers Augusto (Rodigo Urquidi) and Adriana (Rosana de Leon).     

To round out the story, young Maximo’s family life comes under scrutiny, underscored by Nora (Vanessa Bauche), Maximo’s widowed mother and his sister Sara (Regina Reynoso). An intriguing subplot juxtaposes Nora’s marriage to a new love as her bisexual daughter struggles to find her own lasting romance. The returning “Acapulco” ensemble cast includes Vanessa Bauche, Regina Reynoso, Raphael Alejandro, Jessica Collins, Rafael Cebrián, Regina Orozco, and Carlos Corona with recurring guest stars Jaime Camil and Cristo Fernandez. Kudos to the phenomenal production values, providing a glimpse of how just enjoyable a visit to Las Colinas could be.  And there is already a planned Season Four (TBA). Acapulco should enjoy long run. The series regular characters are specifically realized, making it is easy to imagine many of them branching out to series of their own. 

In addition to starring in the series, Derbez serves as executive producer alongside Ben Odell. Actor Jaime Camil (Jane the Virgin) makes an appearance in the first episode of the season.

Hailing from Lionsgate Television, Acapulco is inspired by 3Pas Studios and Pantelion Films’ box office hit How to Be A Latin Lover, and is produced for Apple by Lionsgate Television. The series is created by Austin Winsberg, Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman. Sam Laybourne who serves as the showrunner.
Acapulco can be streamed for free on Apple TV+ and Roku.

The post Eugenio Derbez and Enrique Arrizon Back In ‘Acapulco’ for 3rd Season first appeared on .

Fan favorite , Acapulco returns for season three with the first two episodes debuting globally on Wednesday, May 1, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through June 26.

Fans on Reddit agree that Acapulco is a fav of theirs and even have some advice to other streamers. Jonathan Oberg commented “I’m all in. One of the best shows on any streamer. Apple needs to avoid the Netflix trap of canceling shows too soon.”

The Apple TV+ teases season three with a new trailer that gives us a peek to what we will see in the global popular, bilingual hit comedy series starring and executive produced by Emmy and SAG-Award winner Eugenio Derbez. 

This new season Acapulco brings the reconciliation of past mistakes and exciting new beginnings. The older Máximo (Derbez) finds himself returning to Las Colinas a place he no longer recognizes. While in 1985, younger Máximo (Enrique Arrizon) continues his climb up the ladder of success while potentially jeopardizing all the relationships he’s worked so hard to build.

Returning to Acapulco is the winning ensemble cast which includes Fernando Carsa, Damián Alcázar, Camila Perez, Vanessa Bauche, Regina Reynoso, Raphael Alejandro, Jessica Collins, Rafael Cebrián, Regina Orozco, and Carlos Corona with recurring guest stars Jaime Camil (Schmigadoon) and Cristo Fernandez (Ted Lasso) joining the cast in season three.

Acapulco the series is produced for Apple by Lionsgate Television, 3Pas Studios, Zihuatanejo Productions and The Tannenbaum Company. The inspiration for the show was the box office hit How to Be A Latin Lover produced by 3Pas Studios and Pantelion Films’, in which Derbez played “Maximo” a kid with humble beginnings who grows up searching for the wealthiest women to marry. The series is executive produced by Derbez alongside Ben Odell and is created by Austin Winsberg, Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman.

Acapulco is in good company at Apple Original films, where their documentaries and series have earned 482 wins and 2,142 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy Ted Lasso and historic Oscar Best Picture winner CODA.

The post ‘Acapulco’ Is Back for its 3rd Season to the delight of fans first appeared on .

The mission of MACEF is to address the negative image of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans/Chicanos who have been largely portrayed in the media through degrading stereotypes such as criminals, the help, lazy, illegal invaders, and uneducated, with devastating effects on the community. The mission includes The Mexican-American Film and Television Festival & Awards which was designed to provide Mexican-American/Chicano filmmakers, who represent 40 million Americans of Mexican descent, a venue to showcase, promote, and celebrate their work. to promote positive media content, as well as foster future Mexican-American Chicana/o filmmakers.

As films, TV, and media content online and on social media have a tremendous impact on the narrative, perception, and reputation of our community, MACEF launched the MACEF Filmmaking Grants with the intention of promoting a more accurate portrayal of our community.

The grants awards are part of MACEF’s overall three-pronged approach to achieving its mission which includes:

The MACEF Filmmaker Scholarship will further the education of aspiring filmmakers who want to enter the film/television industry.

The MACEF Filmmaker Grant. This year two $5,000 grants will be awarded to selected filmmakers.

The Mexican-American Film/Television Festival, Grants and Awards, a yearly event celebrating and sponsoring films, television, and streaming content made by Mexican-American/Chicana/os with positive and true-to-life stories, slated for May of 2024.

Eligibility and Submissions Process for the MACEF Film Grant

Who Can Apply:

Individuals already in the industry or starting out who need funds to finish their short film, a feature-length film, or a TV pilot to put it on the market.

Film school students working on their thesis film are encouraged to apply.

Filmmakers of any background can apply, however, the production team must include at least one producer, writer, or director, and one main actor who identifies as Mexican-American or Chicana/o, of any generation or mixed ethnicity.

Qualifying:

To qualify for this grant, the applicant must submit the script of the short film, feature-length film, or TV pilot, and be in an advanced stage of pre-production, production, or post-production.

Qualifying films will be assessed for the quality of the story, culturally positive content, the production team assembled, and the viability of the project. Non-stereotypical stories will have priority.

Submission deadline: September 15, 2023

Grantees will have their film highlighted at the First Annual Mexican-American Film/Television Festival in May of 2024.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY 

The post Applications for the 3rd Annual MACEF Film Grant are Now Open first appeared on .

The series is described as a dark comedy about a mobile car detailer from East LA who gets entangled in organized crime after being mistaken for the notorious contract killer “El Diablo de la Muerte.” 

“El Asesino brings together the humor and horror of mistaken identity in the Los Angeles Latino culture scene. Our goal is to stay authentic with story, characters and casting in a way that honors my community,” says Iga Garza.

“It’s ‘Fargo’ in the Barrio,” says Bee who will be directing the pilot. “From the graffiti-lined streets of Sylmar to the manicured lawns of the Palisades, El Asesino explores the cultural and economic contrasts that make Los Angeles unique.” Adding, “It’s dark and scary one minute and laugh out loud funny the next. According to Norman Bee he growing up in East LA has given him the unique perspective for this project.

Chulack has a rich history of producing some of the most diverse and economically successful properties in television history, including his Emmy Award as part of the producing team on the long-running NBC hit series ER. He recently wrapped season six of SEAL Team for Paramount+ where it is currently streaming. Bee, a prolific television director with such iconic series as Supernatural, Criminal Minds and many others, began his career as a Steadicam operator whose signature work helped “ER” become one of the most notable series in the history of television.

“Growing up in East LA has given me a unique perspective on this project,” noted Chulack.

Luis Iga Garza is repped by Rezinate Entertainment and by Lynn Pleshette Agency. Christopher Chulack is repped by Ken Gross Management and Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Guy Norman Bee is repped by Innovative Artists and Thrive Entertainment, Sean Solan is repped by TDK Talent, Brady and Brannon & Rich Talent (BBR.) 

The post Dark Comedy ‘El Asesino’ in Development For TV Series first appeared on .

Apply at HERE

Dr. Jose-Luis Ruiz, president of the Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation, announced the opening of the submission period for the inaugural Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation Filmmaker Grant. 

MACEF was founded with a mission to address the negative image of  Mexicans and Mexican-Americans who have been largely portrayed in the media through degrading stereotypes such as “criminals”, “the help”, “lazy”, “illegal invaders” and “uneducated”, with devastating effects to the community. The MACEF board has decided that it is an important part of our mission to promote positive media content, as well as foster future Mexican-American, Chicana/o filmmakers to proactively change the narrative. 

As films, TV and media content online and on social media have a tremendous impact on the narrative, perception, and reputation of our community, MACEF has chosen to promote positive content and encourage future Mexican-American filmmakers to proactively change the narrative. 

The Mexican-American Film/Television Festival, grants and awards will serve to promote a more accurate portrayal, showing Mexican-Americans and Chicanas/os as a valuable part of American society. 

MACEF’S three-pronged approach is as follows: 

1. The Mexican-American Film/Television Festival, Grants and Awards, a yearly event celebrating and sponsoring films, television, and streaming content made by Mexican-American/Chicana/os with positive and true-to-life stories.  

2. The MACEF Filmmaker Scholarship which will further the education of aspiring filmmakers who want to enter the film/television industry.   

3. The MACEF Filmmaker Grant.

Eligibility and Submissions Process for the MACEF Film Grant

MACEF Advisory Board members Alex Nogales, chairman and CEO emeritus of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and Naibe Reynoso, an Emmy-Award winning journalist and author and publisher of Contodo Press, will oversee the selection process.  

Eligibility:   Individuals already in the industry or starting out who need funds to finish their short film, a feature-length film, or TV pilot to put it on the market. Film school students working on their thesis film are encouraged to apply. Filmmakers of any background can apply, however, the production team must include at least one producer, writer, or director, and one main actor who identifies as Mexican-American or Chicana/o, of any generation or mixed ethnicity. 

Submissions: To qualify for this grant the applicant must submit the script of the short film, feature-length film, or TV pilot, and be in an advanced stage of pre-production, production, or post-production. Qualifying films will be assessed by quality of the story, culturally positive, the production team assembled, and the viability of the project. Non-stereotypical stories will have priority. 

Grantees will have their film highlighted at the First Annual Mexican-American Film/Television Festival in May of 2022. 

Submission Period:  April 1 – June 15, 2021

Applications will be accepted between April 1 and June 15, 2021. Those chosen to receive the grant will be announced July 15 and the award amount will be dispersed at an August 2021 MACEF Reception. Grantees must present their film or television program at the first Mexican-American Film/Television Festival scheduled for May of 2022. 

MACEF’s core goal is to spotlight the contributions the Mexican-American culture and people have given to America. We offer a free library of live and online seminars, grants and scholarships to inspire pride and motivate success, specifically designed for Mexican immigrants, Mexican-Americans, Chicanos and any person wishing to embrace diversity and progress.

For more information on how to apply: https://www.mexicanamericancef.org under Scholarships & Grants.

The post Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation Offers Filmmaker Grants first appeared on .

NBCUniversal announced the 2020-21 the selection of seven for their scripted directing initiatives, Female Forward and the Emerging Director Program. The two programs aim to increase representation of female and ethnically diverse male and non-binary directors, respectively, by creating a pipeline into scripted television.

Both initiatives remain unique as they are the only network programs to guarantee that participating directors will helm an episode of primetime television by the conclusion of the program, according to the media company. Program directors shadow on up to two episodes of their assigned NBC scripted series before receiving an in-season assignment to helm an episode of the same series.

Following the recent announcement of Janine Jones-Clark as executive vice president, inclusion – talent and content, NBCUniversal Film, Television and Streaming, Female Forward and the Emerging Director Programs will become building blocks for a cross-functional directors initiative under the global talent development and inclusion team that will service the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, the entertainment television networks, streaming platforms and Universal Studio Group.

“Creating a unified brand for all of our directing initiatives is the first step in creating a clear and expansive approach to representation in the director’s chair across NBCUniversal’s film, television and streaming platforms,” said Jones-Clark.

The new class of Female Forward directors and the NBC series they are set to direct are Maureen Bharoocha (Superstore), Lara Everly (Good Girls), Jean Lee (New Amsterdam), Kantú Lentz (Chicago Fire), Afia Nathaniel (Chicago Med), Kay Oyegun (This Is Us) and Pratibha Parmar (Law & Order: SVU). Also, Juan Avella will direct an episode of The Blacklist as part of the Emerging Director Program.

Collectively, achievements from this group of directors include produced credits for HBO and BBC, as well as official selections and honors at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and South by Southwest (SXSW). They have been recognized on top industry lists including The Black List and Indiewire’s “Rising Female Directors of 2020.” 

Due to current production constraints and safety protocols, it has yet to be determined whether all the directors will be able to shadow and direct on their respective shows this season. If they are not able to safely fulfill the program curriculum this season, they will shadow and direct an episode on an NBC scripted series in the 2021-22 season.

For the third consecutive year, an advisory council of celebrated television directors helped select the participating directors and will mentor them during the program. With critically acclaimed director Lesli Linka Glatter serving as chair, the advisory council includes Norberto Barba, Liz Friedlander, Pam Fryman, Nisha Ganatra, Peter Horton, Jaffar Mahmood, Gail Mancuso, Solvan “Slick” Naim, Ken Olin, Sharat Raju, Julie Anne Robinson, Millicent Shelton, Michael Spiller and Jason Winer.

The Emerging Director Program, now in its 11th year, was NBC’s first scripted directing program. Following the launch of Female Forward, it now focuses on ethnically diverse male and gender non-binary directors. It counts celebrated directors Kat Coiro, Hanelle Culpepper, Rashaad Ernesto Green, and Nzingha Stewart among its alumni.

To be eligible for either Female Forward or the Emerging Director Program, finalists are required to have directing experience in their respective fields of expertise, including feature films, music videos, commercials, digital content and theater. Candidates can have no more than one scripted television directing credit.

The post NBCUniversal’s Female Forward and Emerging Director Programs Select Seven first appeared on .

Disney Pays Lin Manuel Miranda $75 Million for worldwide film rights to his hit musical Hamilton

Lin Manuel Miranda’s phenomenal hit Broadway show Hamilton which won two Tony awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama will be distributed theatrically by Disney. The theatrical production was filmed and Disney dished out a cool $75 million for the exclusive worldwide distribution rights. The staged performances will release in theaters in the fall of 2021.

The original show and cast was filmed over three days with an audience much in the same way that the groundbreaking film version of Luis Valdez’s classic musical play Zoot Suit was filmed by Universal  way back in 1981. Lin Manuel Miranda stars in the title role that made him a star, much like Edward James Olmos was catapulted to stardom with his Tony Award nominated role as El Pachuco in Zoot Suit.  Miranda next will be seen in the big screen version of his musical play In The Heights, directed by Jon Chu and released by Warner Bros on June 25, 2020.

Emilio Estevez returns to The Mighty Ducks for Disney + series

Emilio Estevez (Young Guns, St. Elmo’s Fire) will be reprising the role of Coach Gordon Bombay from the original 1992 The Mighty Ducks hit movie in a new Mighty Ducks Disney + series.  In the original movie, Estevez played attorney Bombay who’s arrested for DUI and ordered to coach a youth hockey team as part of his court ordered community service and leads them to a championship. The series will run for 10 half hour episodes that will connect the new show to the original movie trilogy.  In recent years Estevez, the son of actor Martin Sheen and brother to Charlie Sheen has steered away from acting to concentrate on a behind the scenes career as a feature film director (Men at Work, Bobby, The Way).

Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street To Be Made Into a TV Series

Gaumont Television, the producer of the hit series Narcos, is developing Sandra Cisneros‘ classic novel The House On Mango Street into a television series with Cisneros attached as executive producer. Published in 1984, The House on Mango Street is a best-selling novel made up of a series of vignettes about the characters that populate a blue-collar Chicago neighborhood as seen through the eyes of a Mexican-American teenager who acts a narrator.

JLO and Shakira Music Sales go right through the roof right after their explosive Super Bowl Halftime Show

Due to their rock the house performances at the Super Bowl LIV Halftime show this past Sunday, both Jennifer Lopez and Shakira saw major sales gains for their entire catalog of songs according to Billboard reports from Nielsen Music/ MRC data. Music sales and streaming figures have continued to spike since Sunday’s show. It’s no surprise that both artist’s biggest selling songs were the ones performed during the halftime show. Shakira’s top three biggest sellers were Whenever, Wherever (4,000; up 1,264%), Hips Don’t Lie (3,000; up 1,201%) and Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) (2,000; up 1,456%). As for Lopez, her top three sellers were On the Floor (2,000; up 1,193%), Let’s Get Loud (1,000; up 861%) and Waiting for Tonight (1,000; up 1,266%). All songs sold a negligible sum on Feb. 1, the day before the game.

 The first All Latino Super Bowl halftime show headlined by Latinas, certainly brought Latino music and culture center stage to a national and worldwide viewing audience.

Many viewers may not have been familiar with either JLo or Shakira’s music. Their show stopping dance and music performances introduced them to a new audience segment. Shakira’s curves and sexy gyrations and JLo’s sliding down the pole in her shimmering body hugging outfits are some of the memorable moments that also included Lopez wrapped with a Puerto Rican flag in recognition of her heritage and a subtle reminder of the border crisis where children are imprisoned in cage-like cells when she was joined in song by her young 11 year old daughter with a children’s all girl chorus.

 SuperBowl Sunday has become a yearly American family tradition and it garnered the highest ratings in five years watched by over 140 million people nationwide and another 50 to 65 million worldwide. Elevating Latinos on a worldwide level.

The post $75 Million for Miranda's "Hamilton"; Cisneros' "House of Mango Street" To TV Series first appeared on .

Zorro Returns to TV as a Woman Caped Crusader

A female-centric Zorro TV series is being developed for NBC as part of a first look deal between CBS Television Studios and Propagate, a production company led by Ben Silverman and Howard Owens. Zorro is being developed by Alfredo Barrios Jr. (Magnum P.I. showrunner) as a modern retelling of the black-clad masked caped crusader of old California. Barrios Jr. will write the pilot as well as executive produce the series with a female sword-wielding Zorro as the lead protagonist. (Featured photo from The Legend of Zorro 2005)

First created in 1919 by Johnston McCulley in his serialized story “The Curse of Capistrano,” the fictional aristocratic Californio Don Diego de La Vega and his alter ego Zorro has been immortalized in films, television, comic books and novels. The most recent big screen outing was The Legend of Zorro in 2005 starring Antonio Banderas and on the small screen, New World’s Zorro starring Duncan Regher, Henry Darrow and the late Patrice Martinez Camhi. A female Zorro will be a welcome new twist to the character especially in this era of inclusion, gender bending and the me too movement. Since the project is in development no casting or projected airdate has been set.   

Under the same deal, Propagate is developing Home, also for NBC, written and executive produced by Jorge Reyes (Queen of the South showrunner) about a wealthy Puerto Rican family who oversees an intricate set of powerful alliances in industrial Buffalo, New York is in series development.

Ben Affleck to join Robert Rodriquez’s upcoming action film Hypnotic.

Ben Affleck joins Robert Rodriquez‘s  Hypnotic, an upcoming action movie written and directed by RR. The Oscar-winning actor is cast as a detective in a mystery thriller that involves him on a hunt for his missing daughter that leads to uncovering a secret covert government operation tied to a string of near-impossible criminal heists. This is the first on-screen collaboration between actor Affleck and the auteur director.

Rodriquez is trying to accommodate the films’ schedule to the busy actor’s commitments with a planned April 2020 start of production.   Affleck begins production this month on a New Regency Film Deep Water, co-starring Ana de Armas, followed by a Ridley Scott period drama The Last Duel that also stars Matt Damon and Adam Driver. 

Rodriquez’s latest hit film Alita: Battle Angel starred Rosa Salazar and is now out on Blu-Ray- Digital and DVD as well as available on streaming services. 

Affleck was seen earlier this year starring with Oscar Isaac and Charlie Hunnam in the South American set drug cartel heist action-adventure feature Triple Frontier for Netflix.

Hypnotic is the first project between Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8 and Mark Gill’s Solstice studios. Rodriguez and Robinov will produce together with Studio 8’s Guy Danella and John Graham 

The post Zorro A Woman Caped Crusader; Robert Rodriguez’s “Hypnotic” Stars Affleck first appeared on .