Made In 'Bushwick' - Passion Becomes Reality

Made In 'Bushwick' - Passion Becomes Reality

NEW YORK, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Land Varied International, led by writer/director Luis Landivar, and the international independent film, Bushwick were recently featured in the New York Daily News. The movie, with a hopeful immigrant storyline, was shot on location in the industrial core of Bushwick and examines the underbelly of American society and the sexploitation of young women. Best known for co-writing and producing the film, A Stray Cat in Brooklyn, Luis Landivar has established a reputation for creating edgy, gritty and suspenseful films. Land Varied International is also in pre-production on the major motion picture, Prague. "We have a lot riding on the success of the movie, Bushwick. Our next feature, Prague, currently in pre-production, requires a big commitment from our investors, and with Bushwick, we need to prove that we can deliver," said Landivar.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091112/NY09080-b )

Landivar chose Bushwick as the location for his second film because of his emotional attachment to this section in Brooklyn, New York. Landivar lived in Bushwick and became a public school bilingual teacher in one of the Hispanic neighborhoods. "Bushwick is firmly in the 'Testimonial' tradition of Latin American cinema. As a first generation American, my Ecuadorian father came to Bushwick in 1969 while my Filipino mother settled there in 1970. I used to drive the streets of Bushwick making deliveries for my father's used furniture business. We, along with other immigrants, struggled living and working in the inner city and fought for our dreams while trying to keep our dignity. I wrote the story inspired by Bushwick because it captures a crucial chapter in my life. It is for me passion becoming reality."

As a former public school teacher, Landivar taught students just like Margarita Fuentes (the murdered teen in Bushwick). He said, "My students were all newly arrived teenage immigrants from Latin America struggling to survive. It was inspiring and disheartening at the same time seeing the triumphs and hardships daily."

Over a quarter of a million viewers from around the world have seen the Bushwick teaser on YouTube. Currently in discussions with several distributors for worldwide theatrical distribution rights, Land Varied International expects to submit the film for consideration as an Official Selection to the Cannes Film Festival for a May 2010 release. While Bushwick is about the murder and investigation of a runaway Mexican-American teen, it has a hopeful and compelling immigrant storyline. Shot on location in the industrial core of Bushwick, the film has an international cast led by Brazilian star, Diego Kelman Ajuz and Dominican-Venezuelan sensation, Yanillys Perez. To date, the behind-the-scenes development and production of Bushwick have been featured in Reuters, The Brazilian Times, BushwickBK and Puerto Plata News and on cable television in the New York Metro area on Time Warner and Brooklyn Cablevision channels.

Land Varied International is an independent motion picture company led by Luis Landivar in partnership with private investors. Winner of the 2005 Best Picture at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival for A Stray Cat in Brooklyn, the limited liability company was formed in 2005. The company expects to put into production 1 film per year.

CONTACT:
David Casting
917-743-0042
casting@landvariedinternational.com

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091112/NY09080-b
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Land Varied International

CONTACT: David Casting, +1-917-743-0042,
casting@landvariedinternational.com

Web Site: http://www.landvariedinternational.com/

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