Untitled - Las Horas Contigo

The Hours With You (Las Horas Contigo) is the directorial debut of Catalina
Aguilar Mastretta, a drama with hints of comedy, in which three
generations of women collide. It is produced by La Banda Films, a
company headed by Roberto Sneider, director and producer of films like
“Tear This heart out” (Arráncame la vida, Mex 2009) and “Between us”
(Aquí entre nos, Mex 2012).
The film tells the story of Ema, played by Cassandra Ciangherotti, a young
woman dealing with an unwanted pregnancy, who travels to her
grandmother's house to spend her last days with her. There, she is forced
to spend time with her estranged, larger than life mother, who has her
own unresolved issues when faced with her mother's death. In the long
wait, it becomes clear that grandma won't let go in peace until mother
and daughter resolve their relationship. Spending time with the women
gathered around her grandmother, Ema must learn to reconcile with the
fears and issues she has not only with her mother but with motherhood
itself.
As the story progresses we see the arrival of the rest of the family; Julieta's
brother, uncle Pablo, who comes home from his life in Los Angeles along
with her new age wife and pre-teen children. We also see the arrival of
comedy actor Humberto Busto, in the role of a priest sent to tend to
grandma's spirituality in her final hour. Their arrival fills the screen with
energy and humor.
The director sets the scene with the cast and crew
The movie is populated by women, which adds to its unique point of view
and relevance. Ema, her mother and grandmother belong to different
generations,
with
particularly
distinct
views
on
feminism,
religion,
motherhood and understanding of gender roles. Their interactions touch
on these differences and they affect their relationships, adding a layer of
universality to their story.
https://www.facebook.com/lashorascontigofilm
Twitter - @LasHorasContigo
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3451096/
http://www.labandafilms.com
The Hours with You will premier in March 2014 at the Festival Internacional
de Cine de Guadalajara .
THE PRODUCTION
The hours with you was filmed in Puebla, west of Mexico City in the house
that belonged to the director's grandmother. “To me, my grandmother's
house is a touchstone. I wrote the screenplay with it in mind; it has a very
specific spacial distribution and it was difficult to duplicate it in another
location. In the end we decided to shoot in Puebla, inside the original
house, despite making it harder on the production, it was the right thing to
do in order to achieve the natural feeling we were looking for”.
Isela Vega in front of the house, in one of the film's early scenes.
The shoot was completed quickly, in five and a half weeks. For Catalina,
taking the talent involved to the place of her inspiration was an honor.
“Despite the film not being autobiographical in its story, it does come from
a time when my grandmother was ill. I was trying to talk about what she
meant to me, what her house meant to me and to her whole family, what
happens when you lose that place where you belong, the place where
you where a kid, where you became who you are; what happens when
you grow up and when the people you love leave, when time goes by
and you can't stop it. Crafting this story in that house brought all those
things to the foreground and sharing it with everyone was emotional and
exciting” she says.
The dominance of women extended behind the scenes as well. Most of
the department heads in The Hours with You were women. From the
writer/director Catalina Aguilar Mastretta; to Bérénice Eveno the DP, who
was a classmate of Catalina's in the AFI; Ana Solares, the production
designer; Joceline Hernández the co-producer; Vivian Brown, AD; as well
as Brenda Gomez and Sandra Miguelli, in charge of the wardrobe and
make-up departments respectively.
The director Catalina Aguilar Mastretta with DP Berenice Eveno
“The all girl crew wasn't really done on porpuse”, says Catalina. “In fact I
never thought of this film as particularly female. Until you're on set and you
look around and this weird thing is happening for a film set where men are
outnumbered, then everyone notices it. But I wasn't trying to make a
femenine movie. No one ever tells a man who makes a film with mostly
men in the cast and crew that he's making a masculine film. You make
the film you make, tell the story you wanna tell and surround yourself with
people who want to tell it too. Male or female, I feel very lucky to have
had this group of truly talented people working together.”
“Things leveled off in post” laughs Catalina. “Our editor was an incredibly
brilliant guy named Miguel Schverdfinger, known for his work on “Abel”
directed by Diego Luna, as well as his upcoming “Chavez”. Our
composer, Víctor Hernández Stumphouser is a Mexican composer who
lives and works in Los Angeles, just like Catalina and producer Roberto
Sneider. Victor started his relationship with La Banda films when he
composed the score for “Between us” directed by Mexican director
Patricia Martínez de Velasco.
Something else that sets apart the talent involved in The Hours With You is
the mix of established players and young up and comers. Roberto Sneider
at the head, a producer and filmmaker with a unique and prominent
place in the mexican film industry, comes together with a first time
director. On the production end, the film also counts Joceline Hernández,
another one of Catalina's AFI classmates as a co-producer, and Nicolás
Celis, a young producer responsible for some of the most innovative titles
in recent mexican cinema such as “We are what we are” (”Somos lo que
hay”, Mex 2012) and “Heli” from Palme D’Ór winner Amat Escalante.
All the women in the house, including the director, gather around grandma: Evangelina Martínez,
Arcelia Ramírez, María Rojo, Isela Vega, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Catalina Aguilar.
The trend extended to the cast, which brings together stellar young talent
like Cassandra Ciangherotti and Pablo Cruz, with legendary names in
mexican cinema like María Rojo, Isela Vega, Arcelia Ramírez and Julio
bracho. The mix of youth and experience has been a constant presence
in the film in front and behind the camera and it is one of the things that
make The Hours with You a unique and eclectic project.
THE CAST
From Left to right: Catalina con Cassandra Ciangherotti and Julio Bracho; Humberto Busto and
Arcelia Ramírez get direction for the scene; the family cast photo Adrea Sánchez, Isabella Camil,
Julio Bracho, Pedro Valenzuela, María Rojo y Cassandra Ciangherotti.
Cassandra Ciangherotti
Hailed as one of the most promising new faces in Mexican cinema,
Cassandra Ciangherotti studied acting following in the footsteps of her
father, renowned mexican actor Fernando Luján. Her debut on screen
was the thriller “Hasta el Viento tiene miedo”, followed by a string of
successful comedies like “Paradas continuas” and “Viaje Redondo”; and
most recently the historical drama “Tlatelolco”. In 2010 she had her
international film debut in the spanish film “Even the Rain” (”También la
lluvia” Spain, 2012).
María Rojo
One of the most lauded actresses in Iberoamerican cinema, María Rojo
has a forty year career in Film, television and theatre. Her collaboration
with Mexican auteurs such as Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, and María
Novaro delivered us some of the most legendary titles of classic Mexican
cinema such as “La tarea”, “Maria de mi corazón” and “Danzón, shot by
a Young Rodrigo García. María has make over fifty films, as well as
countless television shows and plays. She recently starred in the Mexican
adaptation of the stage production of Driving miss Daisy, to great critical
acclaim.
Isela Vega
Isela Vega's stardom goes back fifty years to classic Mexican cinema. He
was a classic diva and the inspiration of unforgettable productions such
as “Bring me the head of Alfredo García”. Isela was a model and a singer,
and she has remained a staple of the Mexican entertainment industry
from the beginning of her career and until today. In recent years, her
career hasn't slowed down a bit, scoring roles in big Mexican productions
such as “Arráncame la vida” and “El infierno”. Her role in The Hours with
You shows us a new, unexplored facet of her talents as an actress,
vulnerable and soft, she shines as the story's grandmother.
Arcelia Ramírez
Arcelia hs a been a constant fixture of the Mexican Film scene ever since
her debut in the film "La mujer de Benjamín" from director Carlos Carrera,
almost thirty years ago. Arcelia has appeared in over forty films and
television shows. Her work has been lauded by audiences and critics alike,
with a range that goes from classic art house movies like "Así es la vida", to
more commercial successes like "Like water for Chocolate" (Como Agua
para Chocolate)or or "Cilantro y Perejil". Recently she can be seen "Las
Razones del corazón", the latest effort from acclaimed Mexican director
Arturo Ripstein, as well as the box office phenomenon "Instructions not
included" (No se aceptan devoluciones) from director Eugenio Derbez.
THE FILMMAKERS
Catalina Aguilar Mastretta - Writer/Director
Catalina Aguilar Mastretta was born in Mexico City in 1984, the daughter
of renowned Mexican writers Ángeles Mastretta and Héctor Aguilar
Camín. She holds an undergraduate degree in communication science
with a minor in film from the Universidad Iberoamericana. Before
graduating, she spent a year at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Films and TV
program. In 2011, she graduated from the American Film Institute with an
MFA in screenwriting.
As a writer her credits include episodes for Mexican television series “Gritos
de Muerte y Libertad” as well as the independent film “Echo Park” starring
Marmie Gummer and Tony Okungbawa. One of her screenplays is
currently in development at a Los Angeles based production company.
The Hours With You is her first film as a wirter/director.
Roberto Sneider - Producer
Roberto graduated from Universidad Iberoamericana with a bachelor's
degree in communication science, and holds an MFA in directing from
the American Film institute.
Early in his career he worked in various production positions from location
manager to AD.
His credits include films like “Havana” (from director
Sidney Pollack), “Gringo Viejo” (by Luis Puenzo), “Bound by Honor” (by
Taylor Hackford) and “Mi Vida Loca” (by Allison Anders).
He is founder and director of La Banda Films, one of the premier
advertising production companies in LA. He is the writer/director of the
films “Dos Crímenes” and “Arráncame la Vida”. Producer of the films
“Frida”, “Aquí entre nos” (by Patricia Martinez de Velasco) and the
documentary “Journey of Dreams” (by Alfredo de Villa).
He is currently working on post production for his latest film as
writer/director, “Ciudades Desiertas”, starring Gael Garcia Bernal, and he
is proudly presenting his most recent production effort, The Hours With You.
!