For her first feature-length film, documentarian Isabel Castro set out to capture a widely experienced, yet still broadly overlooked immigrant perspective. And there’s a line late in “Mija” that sums up her sensitive approach so succinctly that it could be pulled out and used as a logline: “We inherit our families’ dreams, but also their fears.”
The observation is sighed as much as it’s said, by aspiring musician Jacks Haupt. Haupt is one of Castro’s two young protagonists, but her story is depicted as a connective bridge to many others.
Both of Castro’s subjects are first-generation Mexican-Americans who carry the full weight of their undocumented parents’ lives. This includes not only their dreams and fears but also their more immediate choices and challenges.
Also Read:
‘Mother and Son’ Film Review: Intimate Immigration Drama Spans Decades
The film’s formidable center is Doris Muñoz, who at 25 is...
The observation is sighed as much as it’s said, by aspiring musician Jacks Haupt. Haupt is one of Castro’s two young protagonists, but her story is depicted as a connective bridge to many others.
Both of Castro’s subjects are first-generation Mexican-Americans who carry the full weight of their undocumented parents’ lives. This includes not only their dreams and fears but also their more immediate choices and challenges.
Also Read:
‘Mother and Son’ Film Review: Intimate Immigration Drama Spans Decades
The film’s formidable center is Doris Muñoz, who at 25 is...
- 9/16/2022
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Breaking (Abi Damaris Corbin)
Following on the heels of his impressive turn in Steve McQueen’s Red, White and Blue, John Boyega does noble work in Breaking, directed by Abi Damaris Corbin. Boyega stars as Brian Brown-Easley, the 33-year-old Marine veteran who held a bank hostage in order to get a disability check from the Department of Veterans Affairs he was owed. The amount was eight-hundred and ninety-two dollars. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Destello Bravío (Ainhoa Rodríguez)
In the arid, lunar landscape of Ainhoa Rodríguez’s Destello Bravío, a whole village waits for things to fall apart. We’re in the rural outskirts of Spain’s Extremadura region, a few miles from the border with Portugal, but the...
Breaking (Abi Damaris Corbin)
Following on the heels of his impressive turn in Steve McQueen’s Red, White and Blue, John Boyega does noble work in Breaking, directed by Abi Damaris Corbin. Boyega stars as Brian Brown-Easley, the 33-year-old Marine veteran who held a bank hostage in order to get a disability check from the Department of Veterans Affairs he was owed. The amount was eight-hundred and ninety-two dollars. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
Destello Bravío (Ainhoa Rodríguez)
In the arid, lunar landscape of Ainhoa Rodríguez’s Destello Bravío, a whole village waits for things to fall apart. We’re in the rural outskirts of Spain’s Extremadura region, a few miles from the border with Portugal, but the...
- 9/16/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
It’s been a good year for several documentary filmmakers who sought and found distribution for independently made projects at major festivals. But for many nonfiction helmers, this year’s festival circuit hasn’t proven to be as fruitful as it once was.
Pre-pandemic, streaming services went to film fests to fill their slates, but now with media conglomerates consolidating, brands merging, and Netflix tightening its wallet, film fest documentary shopping sprees have slowed down. On top of mergers and economic unease, there’s been an increase in streamers like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Apple, and Disney either pre-buying docus or commissioning their own nonfiction projects.
Some of this year’s fest favorites were commissioned docus, including Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes’ ‘The Janes” (HBO), W. Kamau Bell’s “We Need to Talk About Cosby” (Showtime), Rory Kennedy’s “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” (Netflix), and Ron Howard’s “We Feed People...
Pre-pandemic, streaming services went to film fests to fill their slates, but now with media conglomerates consolidating, brands merging, and Netflix tightening its wallet, film fest documentary shopping sprees have slowed down. On top of mergers and economic unease, there’s been an increase in streamers like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Apple, and Disney either pre-buying docus or commissioning their own nonfiction projects.
Some of this year’s fest favorites were commissioned docus, including Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes’ ‘The Janes” (HBO), W. Kamau Bell’s “We Need to Talk About Cosby” (Showtime), Rory Kennedy’s “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” (Netflix), and Ron Howard’s “We Feed People...
- 9/15/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Disney Original Documentary today revealed its next project, a feature documentary on Anthony Madu, the Nigerian boy who became a viral sensation after a video showed him dancing ballet barefoot on a rainy street outside Lagos.
Oscar nominee Matt Ogens and Kachi Benson are directing Madu, which will follow a remarkable course of events that began in 2020 when Anthony’s ballet teacher posted 44 seconds of him performing graceful pirouettes and leaps in that unexpected setting. Madu was just 11 at the time. The brief video won hearts around the world and led to Madu earning a scholarship to study at the 100-year-old Elmhurst Ballet School in the U.K.
The doc announcement came as young Madu readies for an appearance this weekend at Disney’s massive D23 expo in Anaheim, California, where fans will get to see the first footage from the film. The company says Madu, a production of Hunting Lane Films,...
Oscar nominee Matt Ogens and Kachi Benson are directing Madu, which will follow a remarkable course of events that began in 2020 when Anthony’s ballet teacher posted 44 seconds of him performing graceful pirouettes and leaps in that unexpected setting. Madu was just 11 at the time. The brief video won hearts around the world and led to Madu earning a scholarship to study at the 100-year-old Elmhurst Ballet School in the U.K.
The doc announcement came as young Madu readies for an appearance this weekend at Disney’s massive D23 expo in Anaheim, California, where fans will get to see the first footage from the film. The company says Madu, a production of Hunting Lane Films,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
September is quite the month over at Disney+. The Disney streaming giant is the perfect place to spend the early months of back-to-school season, with something for the entire family. If you’re a Marvel fan, no doubt you’ll continue to watch the adventures of Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) in “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” For fans of “Rogue One,” ready to venture to a galaxy far, far away, there’s new spin-off series “Andor.” Then Halloween comes early with the premiere of the long-awaited sequel, “Hocus Pocus 2,” starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
With plenty more on the docket, we here at IndieWire are laying out everything coming to Disney+ this month. But among the many titles (and after plenty of hit-and-miss Disney+ franchise extensions), “Star Wars” still looms large. Originally announced at the D23 fan convention back in 2019, audiences will finally get to see...
With plenty more on the docket, we here at IndieWire are laying out everything coming to Disney+ this month. But among the many titles (and after plenty of hit-and-miss Disney+ franchise extensions), “Star Wars” still looms large. Originally announced at the D23 fan convention back in 2019, audiences will finally get to see...
- 8/29/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
In 1973 Chol Soo Lee, a 21-year-old Korean immigrant, was wrongfully incarcerated for the murder of a Chinatown gang leader. He became a symbol for systemic injustice against Asian Americans and spurred solidarity within his community. His prison memoirs have been adapted into a book and his case inspired the 1989 drama film “True Believer.” But his life — what happened before and after he became famous for his imprisonment — was far from a Hollywood fairy tale.
In the documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee,” first-time doc directors Julie Ha and Eugene Yi use archival materials in an attempt to present their tragic hero in all three dimensions. Despite their efforts, Soo Lee feels just out of reach, but the story of his life remains as important as it is horrifying.
The film opens by explaining the crime and how Soo Lee became a prime suspect. Journalistic giant K.W. Lee compared Soo Lee’s...
In the documentary “Free Chol Soo Lee,” first-time doc directors Julie Ha and Eugene Yi use archival materials in an attempt to present their tragic hero in all three dimensions. Despite their efforts, Soo Lee feels just out of reach, but the story of his life remains as important as it is horrifying.
The film opens by explaining the crime and how Soo Lee became a prime suspect. Journalistic giant K.W. Lee compared Soo Lee’s...
- 8/26/2022
- by Lena Wilson
- The Wrap
Audiences will get a chance to see Disney’s inaugural feature documentary for free in select theaters during a one-week period beginning Aug. 5.
“Mija,” which follows two daughters of undocumented immigrants navigating the music industry, will get its Academy Award qualifying run later in the month before debuting on Disney+ on Sept. 16.
“We weren’t able to get a rating in time for our planned theatrical, so our actual qualifying run is shifting a bit,” says Marjon Javadi, VP of Documentary Film & Docuseries for Disney Original Documentary, a part of Disney Branded Television. “But rather than pushing our entire release plans, we decided simply to keep our current releases and open them to the public. This film is a love letter to immigrants, their children and the power of a dream.”
The debut feature of Mexican American filmmaker Isabel Castro, “Mija,” premiered to rave reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
“Mija,” which follows two daughters of undocumented immigrants navigating the music industry, will get its Academy Award qualifying run later in the month before debuting on Disney+ on Sept. 16.
“We weren’t able to get a rating in time for our planned theatrical, so our actual qualifying run is shifting a bit,” says Marjon Javadi, VP of Documentary Film & Docuseries for Disney Original Documentary, a part of Disney Branded Television. “But rather than pushing our entire release plans, we decided simply to keep our current releases and open them to the public. This film is a love letter to immigrants, their children and the power of a dream.”
The debut feature of Mexican American filmmaker Isabel Castro, “Mija,” premiered to rave reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
- 8/5/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Warner Bros. Discovery is about to find out whether bigger and broader really is better when it comes to streaming. Ever since he took over the merged company in April, CEO David Zaslav has been clear about his vision for one global platform, and with the company’s latest earnings release this week, Wall Street anticipation about details regarding about a paired-up HBO Max and Discovery+ is growing.
This would enable people who signed up to binge-watch “Barry,” “Succession” and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” to get their fill of “Naked and Afraid” and hundreds of hours of the excitable Food Network personality Guy Fieri hosting supermarket competitions and chowing down on chicken-fried steak or meatloaf at dining hot spots.
Will the two fit together? The names HBO and Discovery “do mean different things to different people,” says Allen Adamson, managing partner of Metaforce, a branding consultancy. And that might create a challenge,...
This would enable people who signed up to binge-watch “Barry,” “Succession” and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” to get their fill of “Naked and Afraid” and hundreds of hours of the excitable Food Network personality Guy Fieri hosting supermarket competitions and chowing down on chicken-fried steak or meatloaf at dining hot spots.
Will the two fit together? The names HBO and Discovery “do mean different things to different people,” says Allen Adamson, managing partner of Metaforce, a branding consultancy. And that might create a challenge,...
- 8/2/2022
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival announced its 2022 lineup including Disney’s documentary Mija and the Warner Bros. Pictures/HBO Max film Father of the Bride bookending the celebration. Laliff will run from June 1 to 5 at the Tcl Chinese Theater and Tcl Chinese 6 in Hollywood.
The full lineup includes feature films, short films, episodics, animation, master classes, and musical performances.
“Laliff Is proud to present a diverse line-up of Latino storytellers,” said Edward James Olmos, co-founder of Laliff. “The festival has seen tremendous growth, with support from both the film industry and our audience, allowing us to showcase and nurture important voices that the world needs to hear.”
In addition to Mija and Father of the Bride, the section includes A Place in the Field directed by Nicole Mejia, All Sorts directed by J. Rick Castañeda, and Blood Red Ox directed by Rodrigo Bellot.
Also part of the program:...
The full lineup includes feature films, short films, episodics, animation, master classes, and musical performances.
“Laliff Is proud to present a diverse line-up of Latino storytellers,” said Edward James Olmos, co-founder of Laliff. “The festival has seen tremendous growth, with support from both the film industry and our audience, allowing us to showcase and nurture important voices that the world needs to hear.”
In addition to Mija and Father of the Bride, the section includes A Place in the Field directed by Nicole Mejia, All Sorts directed by J. Rick Castañeda, and Blood Red Ox directed by Rodrigo Bellot.
Also part of the program:...
- 5/4/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Slow start has given way to steady flow of deals.
After a typically slow start over opening weekend Sundance 2022 deal-making gathered momentum throughout the week and Apple stole the headlines for the second year in a row with its $15m worldwide buy on Cooper Raiff’s coming-of-age title Cha Cha Real Smooth.
Searchlight Pictures announced a high-profile pre-buy for Fresh on the eve of the virtual festival and by the close of the first weekend National Geographic Documentary Films had swooped on documentaries Fire Of Love and The Territory.
Sony Pictures Classics acquired multiple territories on Bill Nighy drama Living...
After a typically slow start over opening weekend Sundance 2022 deal-making gathered momentum throughout the week and Apple stole the headlines for the second year in a row with its $15m worldwide buy on Cooper Raiff’s coming-of-age title Cha Cha Real Smooth.
Searchlight Pictures announced a high-profile pre-buy for Fresh on the eve of the virtual festival and by the close of the first weekend National Geographic Documentary Films had swooped on documentaries Fire Of Love and The Territory.
Sony Pictures Classics acquired multiple territories on Bill Nighy drama Living...
- 1/31/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The IndieWire Sundance 2022 Bible: Every Review, Interview, and News Item Posted During the Festival
Film and Television Reviews
‘Emily the Criminal’ Review: Aubrey Plaza Is Riveting in a Pitch-Black Heist Thriller
‘Am I Ok?’ Review: Dakota Johnson Charms Her Way Through a New Kind of Sex Comedy
‘Jihad Rehab’ Review: A Provocative Look Inside the Spa-Like Saudi Facility that Tries to Re-Educate Terrorists
‘Navalny’ Review: CNN’s Thriller-Like Doc Goes Inside Putin’s Failed Attempt to Assassinate His Rival
Sundance Indie Episodic Program Looks to the Past to Escape a Grim Present
‘Blood’ Review: ‘Wetlands’ Star Carla Juri Grieves Through a Meandering Soul Search in Japan
‘Dos Estaciones’ Review: The Owner of a Tequila Factory Struggles to Stay Afloat in Sobering Docudrama
‘My Old School’ Review: A One-of-a-Kind Alan Cumming Performance Undone by Shrug-Worthy Hoax
‘Happening’ Review: Captivating Venice Winner Takes a Clear-Eyed View of Abortion
‘Palm Trees and Power Lines’ Review: Breakout Lily McInerny Boosts Painfully Honest Coming-of-Age Tale
‘The American Dream and...
‘Emily the Criminal’ Review: Aubrey Plaza Is Riveting in a Pitch-Black Heist Thriller
‘Am I Ok?’ Review: Dakota Johnson Charms Her Way Through a New Kind of Sex Comedy
‘Jihad Rehab’ Review: A Provocative Look Inside the Spa-Like Saudi Facility that Tries to Re-Educate Terrorists
‘Navalny’ Review: CNN’s Thriller-Like Doc Goes Inside Putin’s Failed Attempt to Assassinate His Rival
Sundance Indie Episodic Program Looks to the Past to Escape a Grim Present
‘Blood’ Review: ‘Wetlands’ Star Carla Juri Grieves Through a Meandering Soul Search in Japan
‘Dos Estaciones’ Review: The Owner of a Tequila Factory Struggles to Stay Afloat in Sobering Docudrama
‘My Old School’ Review: A One-of-a-Kind Alan Cumming Performance Undone by Shrug-Worthy Hoax
‘Happening’ Review: Captivating Venice Winner Takes a Clear-Eyed View of Abortion
‘Palm Trees and Power Lines’ Review: Breakout Lily McInerny Boosts Painfully Honest Coming-of-Age Tale
‘The American Dream and...
- 1/28/2022
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Mija Review — Mija (2022) Film Review from the 44th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie directed by Isabel Castro, starring Jacks Haupt and Doris Muñoz. Mija is an unvarnished look at a slice of life of its hero, Doris Muñoz, a natural citizen among many undocumented immigrants, some of whom are family members. This [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Mija: The Up Close and Personal Triumph of an Anchor Babe [Sundance 2022]...
Continue reading: Film Review: Mija: The Up Close and Personal Triumph of an Anchor Babe [Sundance 2022]...
- 1/27/2022
- by David McDonald
- Film-Book
Undocumented Mexican immigrants may find joy in being able to give birth to a generation of first-born children with American citizenship. But for many of them, it's just the beginning of an even riskier affair. With the threat of deportation always looming, there's an immense amount of pressure on these first-generation Americans to live up to the potential of the American Dream in order to keep their family from being pulled apart by the government. The documentary "Mija," which translates to "my daughter," follows the hardships that come with being the first-generation American children of illegal immigrants.
Enter Doris Anahí Muñoz, a 26-year-old...
The post Mija Review: The American Dream for First-Born Immigrants Comes with Immense Pressure [Sundance 2022] appeared first on /Film.
Enter Doris Anahí Muñoz, a 26-year-old...
The post Mija Review: The American Dream for First-Born Immigrants Comes with Immense Pressure [Sundance 2022] appeared first on /Film.
- 1/26/2022
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Searchlight Pictures said to be at head of pack chasing Good Luck To You, Leo Grande.
Rlje Films has paid low to mid-seven figures for all US rights to Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition film Dual as the industry waits for deal flow on festival selections to pick up.
The acquisition was announced on Tuesday (25) as deals remained thin on the ground after weekend buys on Fire Of Love and The Territory by National Geographic Documentary Films.
At time of writing Searchlight Pictures was said to be at the head of the pack chasing Good Luck To You, Leo Grande...
Rlje Films has paid low to mid-seven figures for all US rights to Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition film Dual as the industry waits for deal flow on festival selections to pick up.
The acquisition was announced on Tuesday (25) as deals remained thin on the ground after weekend buys on Fire Of Love and The Territory by National Geographic Documentary Films.
At time of writing Searchlight Pictures was said to be at the head of the pack chasing Good Luck To You, Leo Grande...
- 1/25/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Every now and again, a documentary filmmaker finds a bona fide star to pin the meaning of her film on, a figure so compelling she leaves a comet trail of thoughts and feelings after the movie’s end. Isabel Castro’s “Mija” boasts two: music manager Doris Muñoz and singer Jacks Haupt. Make that three, including the writer-director herself. Castro’s debut feature deals with heartache and vulnerability but also shimmers with joy and genuine insight.
We first meet Doris as she peruses the aisles of a Dulceria store in San Bernardino, Ca., the city her parents immigrated to from Mexico with their two young sons. Doris is shopping for a birthday party. Hers, it turns out. “I’m a birthday queen,” the dark-haired, tattooed Muñoz confesses. And her birthdays and the Thanksgiving holiday adjacent to it figure prominently in this film about the status her birth conferred in a family whose members are undocumented.
We first meet Doris as she peruses the aisles of a Dulceria store in San Bernardino, Ca., the city her parents immigrated to from Mexico with their two young sons. Doris is shopping for a birthday party. Hers, it turns out. “I’m a birthday queen,” the dark-haired, tattooed Muñoz confesses. And her birthdays and the Thanksgiving holiday adjacent to it figure prominently in this film about the status her birth conferred in a family whose members are undocumented.
- 1/25/2022
- by Lisa Kennedy
- Variety Film + TV
This year at the Sundance Film Festival, three feature documentaries — Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee’s “Aftershock,” Reid Davenport’s “I Didn’t See You There” and Isabel Castro’s “Mija” — share in common a $10,000 grant provided by the Points North Institute and CNN Films’ American Stories Documentary Fund.
Launched in 2020, the fund underwritten by CNN has dispensed a total of $100,000 in grants to emerging U.S. filmmakers working on 10 documentary projects that highlight pivotal moments in America. Eiselt and Lewis Lee’s “Aftershock,” and Davenport’s “I Didn’t See You There” are two of nine films in the Sundance U.S. Documentary Competition program, while Castro’s “Mija” is featured in the festival’s Next program. “Aftershock” addresses the U.S. maternal health crisis, “I Didn’t See You There” examines the discrimination people with disabilities face throughout the country, and “Mija” explores America’s immigration issues via music manager Doris Muñoz.
Launched in 2020, the fund underwritten by CNN has dispensed a total of $100,000 in grants to emerging U.S. filmmakers working on 10 documentary projects that highlight pivotal moments in America. Eiselt and Lewis Lee’s “Aftershock,” and Davenport’s “I Didn’t See You There” are two of nine films in the Sundance U.S. Documentary Competition program, while Castro’s “Mija” is featured in the festival’s Next program. “Aftershock” addresses the U.S. maternal health crisis, “I Didn’t See You There” examines the discrimination people with disabilities face throughout the country, and “Mija” explores America’s immigration issues via music manager Doris Muñoz.
- 1/25/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Beginning on the eve of music manager Doris Muñoz’s 26th birthday, Isabel Castro’s lyrical documentary, “Mija,” uses Muñoz’s story — both her status as a manager of Latinx artists and as the only American-born member of her undocumented family — to explore the complicated dynamics that plague undocumented families. Adopting a fly-on-the-wall approach that prioritizes Muñoz’s subjectivity — sometimes to a fault — “Mija” is nevertheless a personal and sincere portrait of Muñoz’s struggles, and her ability to adapt in the face of changing social and professional upheavals.
Continue reading ‘Mija’ Review: A Personal & Sincere Look At The Struggles Of Undocumented Families [Sundance] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Mija’ Review: A Personal & Sincere Look At The Struggles Of Undocumented Families [Sundance] at The Playlist.
- 1/22/2022
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
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