Magnolia Pictures Pick Up ‘Viva’ for Distribution in North America
Irish production Viva has been picked up for North American distribution by Magnolia Pictures. Directed by Paddy Breathnach (I Went Down), ‘Viva' was written by Mark O'Halloran (Garage, Adam and Paul).
Viva premiered in September at the exclusive Telluride Film Festival and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected by the Irish Film & Television Academy as Ireland’s submission for the Foreign Language category at the 88th annual Academy Awards® of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences.
The film follows Jesus, an eighteen-year-old Cuban is lost and struggling to realize his true identity. Unsure of himself or his future direction, he works at a local Havana drag club where he entertains dreams of becoming a performer whilst earning his money through hustling. At home he finds solace listening to the records his mother and grandmother left him. Into his life, however, comes a force to challenge his direction and freedom – his long-lost father Angel, once a celebrated boxer and newly released from a 15-year prison term.
The film, which is Executive Produced by Benicio Del Toro, stars Hector Medina, Jorge Perugorría, Luis Alberto García, Mark O’Halloran and Laura Alemán and is supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, Windmill Lane Pictures, RTÉ and Treasure Entertainment. It is produced by Robert Walpole and Rebecca O'Flanagan (both of Treasure Entertainment), Cathleen Dore and Nelson Navarro Navarro of Island Films. The film was shot in Havana, Cuba, and Ireland and was post produced at Windmill Lane in Dublin.