Woo Films and Colectivo Colemna forge a Three-Pic Pact

Woo Films, one of Mexico’s most successful indie companies behind hit titles like Manolo Caro’s Netflix series ‘The House of Flowers’ and the acclaimed dramas ‘The Good Girls’ (‘Las Niñas Bien’) and ‘Los Adioses’, has partnered with film collective Colectivo Colmena, to develop and produce three photographs. Two of them are based on original ideas by Colmena and the third is an adaptation of a Mexican novel.

Woo Films brings “The Ballad of the Phoenix” (“La balada del fénix”), the first stop-motion animated film from Cinema Fantasma (“Frankelda’s Book of Spooks”), to participate in the Guadalajara Film Festival co-production forum . This is one of three stop-motion animation projects from Cinema Fantasma that Woo Films collaborated on last year.

“It is essential to support the growth of new voices in Mexican cinema to increase their visibility at a time when resources for independent film production and exhibition opportunities are scarce,” emphasizes Woo Films producer Mario Savino, adding: “It combining our capabilities with Colmena’s extraordinary talent feels like a natural step in our quest to continue generating unique, multiple and relevant stories.”

Colectivo Colmena was founded by a group of independent filmmakers, led by Mauricio Calderon Rico, Fernanda Tovar, José Pablo Escamilla, Francisco Borrajo and Daniel Loustaunau, in an effort to pool their funding and creative resources and spark conversations about the issues facing currently playing. Mexican society.

Their films include Calderon Rico’s coming-of-age drama “Todos los incendios” and Escamilla’s youth comedy “Lumbren sueño.” The 2022 working-class youth drama “Mostro” won a string of awards, including the Malaga Film Festival’s Silver Biznaga for best Ibero-American film.

“This alliance, together with the celebration of our 10th anniversary, marks the consolidation of a project we built at the Colectivo Colmena. Today, it will allow us to grow and join forces with an internationally renowned production company like Woo, so that we can continue to create together in such a challenging context for independent cinema in Mexico,” said Loustaunau.

Tovar agreed: “In an industry where it is sometimes difficult to navigate independently or through new paradigms, it is significant that a manufacturing company with so much fame, experience and importance on the continent is interested in opening its doors to new ideas and ways of working and collaborating.”

Woo Films, which includes Monica Vertiz, Andrea Toca, Rafael Ley and Mario Savino, has signed a number of deals with other companies. In February, Woo Films and Manolo Caro signed a multi-year first look deal with Onyx Collective.

Among the upcoming projects with Netflix are adaptations of three acclaimed novels: the highly anticipated directorial debut of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto adapting the classic “Pedro Paramo”; Juan Pablo Villalobos’ debut novel ‘Fiesta en la Madriguera’ (‘Down the Rabbit Hole’) directed by Caro, and Bárbara Anderson’s novel ‘The Two Hemispheres of Lucca’, directed by Mariana Chenillo (‘Somos’).

An overview of Woo’s projects with Colectivo Colmena:

“Karate Kiss”

It is a further exploration of childhood stories by Colectivo Colmena and focuses on two young girls studying karate who defy all odds to fall in love. It aims to celebrate transformative romantic upheavals and represent the diverse bonds and relationships between women.

“B95-11”

A remote scientist in the Valley of Mexico explores the dark side of science and breeds a rare axolotl for its bioluminescent bacteria, believed to have healing properties. She creates an ointment that heals wounds quickly and becomes a local legend. However, the ointment causes abnormal skin growth, which can cause a strange disease to break out.

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The third project involves the adaptation of a book, with more details yet to be revealed, that focuses on the emotional and personal losses of the main character. According to Colmena, the film will feature a fragmented story and use various visual techniques such as animations, visual effects and montages to convey the book’s abstract concepts and ideas.