Top executives at Venevision International Films today announced the acquisition of the internationally acclaimed romantic comedy With or Without Love (Una hora más en Canarias) for multiplatform distribution in the United States and Puerto Rico. The deal was signed during the 28 th annual Miami International Film Festival, which is produced and presented by Miami Dade College, in advance of the film’s East Coast premiere at Miami’s historic Gusman Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, March 11. Venevision International Films executives are scheduled to attend the premiere during the festival, which has become the premier U.S. gateway for Ibero-American cinema. Lead actress Angie Cepeda will attend the Red Carpet and will be present for the official public announcement of the acquisition before show time.
We first saw this movie last year at Madrid de Cine – Spanish Film Screenings, and we were caught by how the musical scenes perfectly blend with the story, infusing an interesting and captivating component to this romantic comedy where Angie Cepeda’s performance takes the film to greater heights, stated Manuel Avila, Director of Venevision International Films. ?It’s a great addition to our diverse library of award-winning films. We look forward to presenting it to our clientele.
Venevision International Films, a distribution pioneer of Spanish-language films throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, is a business unit of Venevision International, a global entertainment company of the Cisneros Group of Companies of Venezuela. The acquisition of the Colombia-Spain co-production complements Venevision International’s vast catalog of more than 500 titles from top filmmakers in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Spain and other Ibero-American countries.
The agreement includes distribution rights in the United States and Puerto Rico for Home Video (DVD), Video-On-Demand (VOD), Pay-Per-View (PPV), Pay TV, Free TV and Internet, with a September 2011 anticipated release date. Jose Ramon Ganchegui, a Venevision International Films agent based in Spain, made the deal with Gonzalo Sagardía of Vértice Sales, a Madrid-based international sales agent. With or Without Love is the latest from Spanish director David Serrano (The Other Side of the Bed, El otro lado de la cama) and stars popular Colombian actress Angie Cepeda (Captain Pantoja and the Special Services, Pantaleón y las visitadoras), Spanish actor Quim Gutierrez (Dark Blue Almost Black, Azuloscurocasinegro), Spanish actress Miren Ibarguren (Aída), and Colombian actress Juana Acosta (of the 2011 Golden Globe-winning television mini-series Carlos).
Madrid wine shop owner Claudia (Angie Cepeda), who is beautiful and successful in business and love, has a gorgeous husband and an even better-looking lover, Pablo (Quim Gutierrez). When Pablo grows tired of having to share Claudia’s affections, he leaves her for a new woman, Elena (Miren Ibarguren), and heads to the Canary Islands to escape Claudia’s relentless attempts to win him back. Claudia enlists her sister, Monica (Juana Acosta), for emotional support, but soon discovers that she has even more competition for Pablo—now from her own sister. David Serrano, screenwriter of the 2003 MIFF Opening Night film The Other Side of the Bed, returns to the director’s chair with this light-hearted musical comedy (Monica literally levitates when she’s in love!). Cast against the gorgeous backdrop of Tenerife, scored with catchy pop songs and colorfully choreographed musical numbers, this breezy treat hits all the right tropical notes.