Latest news with #EmilioPortes
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Childhood Fears Come to Life in First Trailer for ‘Don't Leave the Kids Alone' (EXCLUSIVE)
TelevisaUnivision's Videocine and international sales agent FilmSharks have just dropped the spine-chilling trailer for 'Don't Leave the Kids Alone,' the highly anticipated horror/thriller from acclaimed Mexican director Emilio Portes ('Belzebuth,' 'Pastorela'). Following its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and screenings at BIFF and Fantaspoa, the film is set for its Mexican premiere this June at the Guadalajara Film Festival. Set in the analog world of the late '80s, 'Don't Leave the Kids Alone' follows recently widowed Catalina (Ana Serradilla), who leaves her two sons, Mati and Emi, home alone for a night. What begins as sibling rivalry over a video game console spirals into psychological terror when an unseen force begins to manipulate their bond, feeding paranoia, fear and dark fantasy. More from Variety 'Adam's Sake' Review: Tense Belgian Hospital Drama Positions Director Laura Wandel as Dardenne Brothers' Heir Brazil Comes Strong to Cannes to Bank on 'I'm Still Here' Oscar Momentum: 'A Defining Moment For Brazilian Production' Knowledgeable Producers and 'Unprecedented' Government Incentives Turn Brazil Into a Burgeoning Co-Production Power 'This is a genre gem,' says FilmSharks CEO Guido Rud, who introduced the film at Berlinale's EFM earlier this year. 'It's masterfully crafted and has the narrative depth and style of some of the best U.S. directors working today.' Portes, known for fusing emotional depth with supernatural thrills, calls the project 'a personal journey back to our childhood.' The film explores the excitement and danger of being left alone when imagination and fear collide in a pre-digital world. 'It's about the rivalry between siblings, their indestructible bond and that impulsive fantasy of wanting to be the only child,' he explains. Backed by one of Latin America's biggest production powerhouses, and with Videocine retaining North and South American rights, 'Don't Leave the Kids Alone' is poised to be one of the region's genre standouts of 2025. Also starring José Sefami ('Amores Perros') and newcomer Juan Pablo Velasco, the feature promises both heart and horror, and a haunting reminder of what it felt like to be a child, alone in the dark. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
FilmSharks Pounces on International Sales Rights to Videocine's ‘Don't Leave the Kids Alone' (EXCLUSIVE)
Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has pacted with TelevisaUnivision-affiliated Videocine to handle the international sales on horror pic 'Don't Leave the Kids Alone' by Emilio Portes ('Belzebuth,' 'Pastorela'). Among the leading distribution and production companies in Mexico, Videocine has slated the high concept pic's theatrical release for the second quarter of this year, said FilmSharks CEO-founder Guido Rud, who announced the deal at Berlinale's EFM, among other pacts. Videocine retains North and South American rights. More from Variety LevelK Inks Multiple Deals on Sex Positive Comedy 'Sudden Outburst of Emotions' and 'Dancing Queen in America' at EFM (EXCLUSIVE) Freaks Factory and Ka-Ching Cartoons Board 'The Growcodile' (EXCLUSIVE) Erotic Queer Thriller 'Night Stage,' Playing in Berlinale's Panorama Section, Sells to North America, U.K. and Ireland (EXCLUSIVE) 'We are thrilled to continue collaborating with Videocine's incredible team after so many years,' said Rud who has handled other Videocine horror titles such as 'Karem, the Possession,' 'Come Play with Me' and 'El habitante.' 'We've long been admirers of the director's previous work,' he noted, adding: ''Don't Leave the Kids Alone' is a masterfully crafted gem in its genre, with a narrative scope that rivals the best work of top-tier U.S. directors in recent years.' Starring Ana Serradilla ('My Best Friend's Wedding') and Jose Sefami ('Amores Perros'), the '80s-set genre pic centers on recently widowed Catalina and her two boys, ages seven and 10. One night she leaves them alone for a work-related event. They set out to unpack their prized video game console, unaware that something sinister is making them turn against each other. The film had its world premiere at the 54th Rotterdam Int'l Film Fest in early February. In his director's statement, Portes remarked that although 'Don't Leave the Kids Alone' is a horror film, it was also 'a very personal journey back to our childhood.' 'The film takes us back to an analog era with telephone landlines and no internet: to experience the adventure of being left alone one night, without adult supervision, having the house to ourselves, to watch horror movies in secret, digging out the forbidden board games, playing with the primal video games consoles, running around barefoot, ordering delivery pizzas, drinking supersize sodas and letting our imagination run wild, but especially our scariest nightmares,' he mused. This is Portes' fifth film where he also sought to delve into 'the rivalries among siblings, their unbreakable bonds, the impulsive fantasies of becoming an only child.' Portes' 2020 pic 'Belzebuth,' a Mexican border-set thriller about infanticide, was a critical and box office hit. It streamed on Shudder where it was the fifth most watched film that year. FilmSharks recently announced a raft of new distribution deals for Argentine animated pic 'Dalia and the Red Book' at EFM, including with Vision Films for North America. Talks are underway for the U.K., France, Korea, China, Italy and Scandinavia. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
