The film will open on October 20 in theaters in the US and Mexico, and has been sold internationally in several territories, including the UK, Germany and Australia.
Participant announced an alliance with Pantelion Films of TelevisaUnivision and 3Pas Studios for Radical. Starring Eugenio Derbez and Writer/Director Chris Zalla, Radical is produced by Derbez and 3Pas CEO Ben Odell.
The film will open on October 20 in theaters in the US and Mexico, and has been sold internationally in several territories, including the UK, Germany and Australia.
Upon its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Radical was critically acclaimed and selected as the winner of the “Festival Favorite Award” out of 111 films. The film, which is inspired by an article by Joshua Davis in Wired magazine, follows in the footsteps of 6th grade students at the José Urbina López Elementary School in Matamoros, whose performance is among the worst in Mexico. The world he knows is one of violence and hardship, and his school is a place where discipline reigns, not chance. Everything changes when the teacher Sergio Juárez (Derbez) arrives with an unconventional approach.
The film will be distributed in the US by Paul Pressburger and Edward Allen of Wednesday Entertainment on behalf of Pantelion Films.
“We are very excited to offer the Radical audience to the widest possible audience, which will give us the opportunity to tell this powerful story to both Eugenio’s huge core audience and the specialized market. To reach these very different markets and audiences, we have the great It’s a pleasure to bring together the team behind Eugenio’s most blockbusters, along with Participant’s unrivaled cinematic experience and social impact engine,” said Odell, Derbez’s partner.
“Associates with 3Pas and Participant brings together the best of all worlds to ensure that Radical’s masterful storytelling, mesmerizing acting and deep story is available to millions of people around the world. We are confident that this film will resonate with audiences. everywhere and attention and great recognition will continue this year in the industry”, said Rodrigo Mazón, Chief Content Officer ViX for TelevisaUnivision.
“Children connect us all, and Radical tells the beautiful and inspiring story of a teacher who refused to let circumstances dictate what his students were able to accomplish,” said David Linde, CEO of Participant. “Eugenio’s performance is fabulous, and we are proud to work with TelevisaUnivision’s Pantelion Films and 3Pas Studios to share this story with audiences.”
The protagonists of Radical are Eugenio Derbez, Daniel Haddad and Jennifer Trejo; its director and screenwriter is Christopher Zalla; its producers are Ben Odell, Eugenio Derbez and Joshua Davis; and its executive producers are Javier Williams, Josh Bearman, Avelino Rodríguez and Patricia Sánchez.
Participant’s impact work will show audiences a path to participation and will connect Radical with people and institutions that transform education, intensely campaigning in the educational environment for more than 10 years through film and television projects such as Waiting for Superman, Teach, He called me Malala, The boy who harnessed the wind and America for me.
The deal was brokered by Gabriel Braken, COO; Rob Williams, SVP of Content Strategy; and Adam Macy, Principal Legal Counsel for Business and Legal Affairs at Participant; and Paul Presburger and Edward Allen of Miércoles on behalf of TelevisaUnivision and the filmmakers.
Andrew Herwitz’s The Film Sales Company is an international sales position. They include UK (Altitude); Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Ascot Elite); Israel (Cine Lev); and Australia and New Zealand (Madman).
