Fox International Prods. has announced it is planning a fall release in Mexico for drama Miss Bala, the sole Mexican entry playing in the Un Certain Regard section at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
Fox Intl. Prods. senior vice president of sales Shebnem Askin-Schreger is handling worldwide sales for the film, and has already sold French rights in advance of Cannes to Ad Vitam, a key distributor and exhibitor of independent cinema in France.
Gerardo Naranjo (Voy a Explotar) directed the film, while Gael Garcia Brenal, Diego Luna and Geminiano Pineda executive produced. Pablo Cruz produced Miss Bala, which stars newcomers Stephanie Sigman and Noe Hernandez.
“Gerardo is a talented director whose previous work impressed me greatly,” Fox International Prods. president Sanford Panitch said. “We are excited to be working with him on such a provocative film as Miss Bala.”
Miss Bala tells the story of Laura (Sigman), a young aspiring beauty queen who finds her dream turned against her when she unwillingly gets involved with a criminal group at war in today’s lawless Mexico.
Though the film is a fictional account, it was inspired by a true story in the Mexican press about a beautiful woman accused of being involved with a local drug cartel. Captivated by her plight, the filmmakers felt compelled to take a more personal and humanizing approach toward depicting the criminal underworld that has presently transformed Mexico’s public spaces into a battle zone riddled with tens of thousands of casualties.
“This is our view of the current situation in Mexico,” Cruz said, “and we want the rest of the world to know what’s happening here.”
Miss Bala is a co-production of Canana and Fox Intl. Prods.
