Independent Film, SPOKEN WORD, Featuring Ruben Blades Picked up by Variance Films

22 Jun 2010 12:00 Africa/Lagos

Synopsis

Cruz Montoya (Kuno Becker) is a rock star on the West Coast poetry circuit, where audiences from San Diego to Seattle gather to hear him perform. Just off the road from such a tour, he gets an unexpected phone call alerting him that his father, Senior (Rubén Blades), is fatally ill.

Cruz rushes home to his dying father, a reclusive former schoolteacher still leading a traditional life in their once bucolic mountain valley, now ravaged by poverty, drug abuse, and violence. Once home, Cruz retreats to his old life, managing a Santa Fe hip-hop club owned by local crime boss, Emilio (Miguel Sandoval), who Senior used to run with back in the day. Seduced by the fast action and easy money, Cruz loses his poetic voice, his identity, and almost his life, before he finds a way to heal his relationships with his family, his community, and himself.

A scene from the film

Spoken Word depicts the edgy collision of old and new worlds, and explores how families can move beyond words, both spoken and unspoken, to share the language of their hearts.

Independent Film, SPOKEN WORD, Featuring Ruben Blades Picked up by Variance Films

NEW YORK, June 22 /PRNewswire/ — Variance Films is proud to announce the acquisition of US theatrical rights for SPOKEN WORD, the latest feature from director Victor Nunez, featuring acclaimed actor, Ruben Blades.

Ruben Blades

SPOKEN WORD stars Kuno Becker (“From Mexico With Love”, the “Goal!” trilogy) as Cruz, a San Francisco spoken word artist who returns to New Mexico to care for his dying father, played by legendary actor and Grammy-award winning recording artist Ruben Blades (“Assassination Tango,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”). Aided by shady nightclub owner Emilio, played by Miguel Sandoval (“Bottle Shock,” CBS’ “Medium”), Cruz quickly finds himself slipping back into the dangerous life he tried to escape. Seduced by the fast action and easy money, Cruz loses his poetic voice, his identity, and almost his life, before he finds a way to heal his relationships with his family, his community, and himself. The film was directed by Victor Nunez, who also directed the Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning drama “Ulee’s Gold.”

Variance, in conjunction with Santa Fe-based Luminaria, will release SPOKEN WORD in New York at Big Cinemas Manhattan on July 23rd, followed by runs in Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Chicago, and additional cities to be added in the weeks following.

In a statement, Luminaria’s William T. Conway said, “Written and developed in New Mexico to tell a universal story in a very specific place, SPOKEN WORD has attracted an amazing team of international film artists led by director Victor Nunez and stars Kuno Becker, Ruben Blades and Miguel Sandoval to help bring that story to life. As we embark on our theatrical release, Luminaria is excited to welcome Dylan Marchetti and Variance Films as part of that talented team.”

Variance Films President Dylan Marchetti added, “Victor, Kuno, Ruben, Miguel, and the Luminaria team have put together a fantastic film, with great performances and a wonderful balance of emotion and warmth. Audiences are going to walk out of theaters absolutely glowing.”

Variance Films, www.variancefilms.com, is a privately held, full-service theatrical distribution company designed to bridge the gap between self-distribution and traditional theatrical distribution. Luminaria, LLC, www.luminariafilms.com, is a New Mexico based film and television production company, and acts as the production arm of New Mexico Media Partners.

Source: Variance Films

CONTACT: Contact for the film: Dylan Marchetti, Variance Films,
+1-212-537-6769, dylan@variancefilms.com or Neyda Martinez, +1-917-656-7846,
monserrat536@msn.com

Web Site: http://www.variancefilms.com/
http://www.luminariafilms.com/