The Cortez Brothers announces a few new names and faces on our roster, all of them very talented directors and directing teams with more than a little Latin flair...
Los Angeles-based ANTONIO VON HILDEBRAND divided his childhood between Bogotá, Colombia and the Amazon jungle. He moved to Europe as a teenager, then to New York to continue his professional studies in publicity and design. He got his start as a creative at the Bates Agency in NY, then became a Creative Director at the JWT Agency in Mexico City, creating campaigns for Diageo, Ford, HSBC, Nestlé and J&B Scotch Whisky. He is the creator and producer of "Addiction," a hybrid series that bridged the worlds of advertising and television; it was acquired by Warner Brothers and developed by Silver Pictures for the North American market. He was the executive producer of CORMAN'S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. His feature-length documentary PABLO'S HIPPOS, commissioned by BBC/Storyville and the Sundance Channel, revolves around the life of drug dealer Pablo Escobar and his favorite pet -- a hippo.
GUIDO BELFORTE does the impossible -- he combines whimsy and reality in one package, turning stories that looked fantastical on paper into true, believable slices of life. His background in graphic design (he holds a degree from the University of Buenos Aires) and fillmmaking (studying at NYFA in New York) led him to an impressive career as a Creative and Art Director at McCann Erickson and J.W. Thompson, among others. He holds a Master's in Corporate Communication and Advertising from the Complutense University of Madrid, which speaks to his deep understanding of how to effectively craft good stories that make both clients and audiences happy. Belforte speaks fluent Spanish and English and is a recent Cannes Finalist for his Telecinco work.
BURNING CORNERS is the bright young directing duo of Aaron Burns and Carlos Rincones. Former college friends and current visual effects superstars, they've worked their magic on a number of feature film releases, including GRINDHOUSE and MACHETE (from Troublemaker Studios' director Robert Rodriguez), as well as runaway viral hits like "The Raven" (from director Ricardo de Montreuil, which led to a studio deal and a starring role in the upcoming film version for Mark Wahlberg). Burns' feature film debut, BLACKTINO, made its South by Southwest Festival debut earlier this year; it's a black comedy about an awkward half-African-American, half-Latino teenager growing up in Texas. Rincones is in post-production on his own freshman film, MALAVENTURA, a Spanish-language teen comedy about growing up -- but not growing up too much -- in modern Mexico. Together, they offer fun, cutting-edge, young and hip stories for a modern, tech-savvy crowd.
The dynamic collaborative of SHINE is comprised of two friends who both caught the filmmaking bug at the age of 12 and went on to win some pretty impressive awards as adults. One is a multicultural director specializing in live-action comedy, interactive and CGI and who has worked with the Mill NYC for several years; the other is a Cannes Award-winning creative-turned-director who has worked on everything from Levi's to MTV and Nike. Together, they combine the best of both worlds -- great creative twists and the technical know-how to actually pull it off on-screen. Zany, off-the-wall and enjoyable on set, SHINE counts a number of clients (like the BBC, Gap, Geffen Records, Nike, Nickelodeon, ATT, and Ford to name a few) among the list of those they personally deem "Brave And Wise Enough To Have Worked With Us At Least Once." On the "Accolades and Awards From Those That Don't Know Any Better" list? Several Gold, Silver and Bronze Cannes Lions; 8 Silver Andy Awards; 2 Emmy Awards; Gold and Silver from the NY Film Festival; 4 Gold Clios; FIAP and 12 AHAA awards plus, literally, several shelves full of others.
Finally, Mexican native Tania Verduzco and Spanish-born Adrián Pérez operate together under the pseudonym LOS PÉREZ and gladly take shared credit for their joint activities, which include writing, directing, editing and music composition. Their collaboration began when they studied film together at the Center for the Study of Cinema in Catalonia, Spain, and blossomed through the years to the point that Tania recently took Second Prize in Cannes' Young Director Awards and was shortlisted for a Goya. Adrián, meanwhile, combines his film career with music; he's the singer and composer of CatPeople, one of the most important independent rock bands in Spain, and has composed number of different film scores and themes for TV commercials worldwide. Together, they have pooled their beautiful, visual and rhythmic work as directors for companies in both Mexico City and Europe. They are currently writing the screenplay for their first feature film.
