Maya markets to DVD, theaters
INDIE FILM GUIDE: Company plans to release 24 straight-to-DVD titles per year
By Cindy Spielvogel -- Video Business, 12/8/2008
DEC. 8 | INDIE FILM GUIDE: Maya Entertainment is building its presence in the Latino market, on disc as well as in theaters.
Talento De Barrio will include such BD Live features as music video downloads.
The company just released its first BD Live title, Talento De Barrio ($34.98), which stars Latin rapper Daddy Yankee.
“Talento De Barrio was a great success in theaters, especially in Puerto Rico, where it broke box-office records,” says Jeff Valdez, co-chair of Maya with founder Mactesuma Esparza. The film grossed $1.7 million in the U.S.
In the style of City of God, the film tells the story of an angry young man from the slums of Puerto Rico who struggles to conceal his ties with the barrio underworld when he falls for an uptown girl.
Maya plans to release eight to 10 films theatrically and 24 straight to DVD per year. For the theatrical releases, it has its own plan that should help with distribution. Its sister company, Maya Cinemas North America, has a theater in Salinas, Calif., and plans to open additional theaters in Bakersfield, Calif., and Fresno, Calif., as well as Santa Fe, Chicago, San Antonio, Houston, New York and other cities.
Other films in the Maya pipeline include original productions American Tragic starring America Ferrera, slacker comedy Hollywood Players from Joaquin Perea and urban thriller Preparation for a Murder from the Robinson Brothers.
