Canana Films

Canana Films
Company typePrivate
GenreFilms
Founded2005
Founder
Headquarters,
Websitecanana.net

Canana Films is a Mexican film and television production company and former distributor. Founded in 2005, Canana is focused on Latin American-focused projects in Spanish and English and became one of Mexico's leading producer-distributors during the late 2000s/early 2010s.[1][2][3] Canana has been inactive since 2020.

Among their best known productions are Cary Joji Fukunaga's Sin nombre (2009), the action thriller Miss Bala (2011) and its 2019 American adaptation, the Oscar-nominated drama No (2012), the comedy Rudo y Cursi (2006), and the biopic Cesar Chavez (2014).

Profile

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Canana was founded in 2005 by Mexican actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna and producer Pablo Cruz.[4] García Bernal and Luna departed the company in 2018, with Cruz and Arturo Sampson providing leadership.[5] García Bernal and Luna subsequently founded their studio La Corriente del Golfo.[5] Cruz went on to co-found the international production studio El Estudio in 2020.[6]

In 2005, they partnered with Focus Features for worldwide film rights.[4] Beginning in 2007, Canana began distributing films in Mexico focusing on both promoting Mexican and international independent film around the country.[7][8] The company "pioneered upscale VOD, genre pic and indie 3D movie distribution in Mexico."[9]

2010 was an important year for Canana: they produced their first commercial hit, Abel directed by Luna, and significantly ramped up their film distribution.[8] That same year, it joined Golden Phoenix Productions to jointly produce a number of television documentaries about the unsolved murders of around three hundred women in the border city of Ciudad Juárez.[10] In 2011, they made their first big television deal with Netflix picking up their original series Soy tu fan.[11]

In 2012, a new global deal was made with IM Global, launching the joint venture Mundial to promote worldwide sales of Latin American movies.[12][13] In 2013, Canana joined Participant Media's five-year production deal Participant PanAmerica;[14] their first project was the film No starring García Bernal which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.[15] Also in 2013, the company launch a branded content division.[2]

Canana has had multiple collaborations with directors like Mariana Chenillo and Gerardo Naranjo, among others.

Filmography

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Adapted from company website and IMDb.[16][17]

Films

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Short films

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  • Nana (2015)
  • Drifting (2013)
  • Puente Baluarte (2013)
  • Los Invisibles (2010)
  • Samantha (2010)

Television

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  • Taco Chronicles (Netflix; 2019–2020)
  • Luis Miguel: The Series (Netflix/Telemundo; 2018–2021)
  • Niño Santo (Once TV; 2011–014)
  • Alguien Más (Once TV; 2013)
  • Fronteras (TNT Latin America; 2011)
  • Soy tu fan (Once TV/MTV Latin America; 2010–2012)
  • Back Home (2013)
  • Ruta 32 (2006)

Film distribution

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Canana distributed a number of international films to Mexican theaters, particularly during the late 2000s.[7] List adapted from the company website and IMDb.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ "¿QUIÉNES SOMOS?". Canana (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  2. ^ a b Hopewell, John (2013-11-13). "Canana Bows Branded Content Division (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  3. ^ Hopewell, John (2016-05-15). "New Generation of Mexican Filmmakers Reaches Out to Europe, U.S." Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  4. ^ a b Hecht, John (2007-11-16). "Canana Films aims to keep it real". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  5. ^ a b Hecht, John (2018-03-26). "Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal Exit Their Own Production Company". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  6. ^ Hopewell, John; Fuente, Anna Marie de la (2020-02-21). "Pablo Cruz, Enrique Lopez Lavigne, Diego Suarez Chialvo Launch El Estudio (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  7. ^ a b O'Boyle, Michael (2007-03-22). "Canana digs distribution". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  8. ^ a b Young, James (2010-11-20). "Mexico's Canana makes arthouse inroads". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  9. ^ Hopewell, John (2012-05-28). "Canana takes 'Hunt,' 'No,' 'Swan'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  10. ^ "Two Film Production Companies Plan to Fund and Produce Documentary Films in Mexico". 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  11. ^ Young, James (2011-12-20). "Mexico's Canana pacts with Netflix". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  12. ^ Hecht, John (2012-11-30). "Mexico's Canana, IM Global Form Joint Venture". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  13. ^ de la Fuente, Anna Marie; Hopewell, John (2012-11-28). "IM Global, Canana team to create Mundial". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  14. ^ Hopewell, John (2013-02-07). "Participant PanAmerica launches". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  15. ^ McNary, Dave (2013-04-29). "Gael Garcia Bernal Stars in First Pic From Participant PanAmerica". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  16. ^ a b "CINE". Canana (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  17. ^ a b "With Canana Films (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  18. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (February 13, 2017). "'I Am Not Your Negro' sells to more than 40 territories". Screen. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  19. ^ "Gloria". Canana (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  20. ^ "La Caza". Canana (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  21. ^ "El premio". Canana (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  22. ^ "El ladrón". Canana (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-07.
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