SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Xenon Pictures has acquired North American rights to "Amexicano", starring 2008 Grammy(TM) Nominee Jennifer Pena, in a mid-six figure deal.
"Amexicano", helmed by Matthew Bonifacio, made its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and most recently won the Grand Jury Prize (THX Award) for Best Narrative Feature at the 2008 Sonoma Valley Film Festival. The award jury was comprised of Kirk Honeycutt (Chief Film Critic, Hollywood Reporter), Michael Jones (Managing Editor, Film Festivals, Variety) and Chris Gore (Founder, Film Threat).
The film also stars Manny Perez ("Bella", "El Cantante"), newcomer Raul Castillo, and Carmine Famiglietti, who also wrote the film. Famiglietti and Bonifacio also served as producers through their production company, The Brooklyn-Queens Experiment, in association with Madison Park Pictures. "Amexicano" was executive produced by Cesar A. Baez and Stephen Ashkinos. Xenon Pictures is eyeing a spring/summer release.
"We wanted to put a face on the undocumented day laborers in America," said Bonifacio. "With the coming presidential election, immigration is obviously going to be a major issue. We feel 'Amexicano' allows audiences to look at the face of an illegal alien and decide for themselves if our nation is making the right choices," said Famiglietti.
"The political aspects of the film are certainly intriguing and mirror (in a very different way) those that made 'A Day Without a Mexican' such a success for us," said Xenon's Chief Operating Officer Steve Housden, "but just like with 'A Day Without a Mexican', 'Amexicano' is enjoyable entertainment, rather than bare political discourse."
Bonifacio and Famiglietti's first feature, "Lbs.", made its world premiere at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. The Shutter Speed Group negotiated on behalf of the production company.
Xenon Pictures
