Pablo Guiza, founder and CEO of Grupo Morbido, has participated as a producer on two projects in the Costa Rican Media Market (CRMM) and is a strong supporter of the market’s growing status as a resurgent genre hub.
Both projects “Greetings from Maryland” (“Saludos des de Maryland”) by director Ricardo Batz of El Salvador and “Lo que trae la tormenta” (“Living in the Storm”) by director Miguel Ángel Ferrer received the Morbido Co-Production Award in the market. This means that 10-20% of each production budget was invested by the company. As a producer, Guisa will be involved in every step of the way, from creative development to financing.
Both projects were selected from Fantastic Lab Central America and the Caribbean, a genre film development initiative launched last year by Fantastic Pavilion, Costa Rica Media Market and Grupo Morbido.The first edition received 55 submissions from across the region, of which 15 were selected for intensive development, with six finalists announced at Cannes.
“Coming from a country where filmmaking is based on perseverance rather than industry, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to partner with Pablo Guisa and Morbido. Their experience in horror films will help “Greetings from Maryland” grow beyond its local origins and become world-renowned. “It gives us a chance to connect with audiences around the world. Together, we hope to create a horror film that is both frightening and deeply human, where paranormal horror reflects the real horrors faced by immigrant workers in the United States.” Bats.
With plans to shoot in El Salvador, Butts, known for his social realist debut Hoy, will be making his first foray into genre filmmaking with Greetings… Pic focuses on the story of illegal workers tearing down abandoned buildings and unleashing a cursed entity that hunts them down one by one, turning the horrors of invisible migrant labor into supernatural horrors.
“We believe in the power of strong creative alliances, and it is extremely meaningful to partner with Pablo Guiza and Grupo Morbido at this stage in the development of Living in the Storm. Their vision, experience and daring genre storyline make it very meaningful. The Telling initiative is the ideal partner as we continue to bring this film to life,” said Ferrer, who has produced shorts in several genres and is aiming to film Storm on the outskirts of the Caribbean town of Costa Rica. of Limon.
A Cuban-American of Venezuelan descent, he represented Venezuela at the 96th Academy Awards for his feature film “In the Shadow of the Sun.” “Things in the Storm” tells the story of a reclusive ex-military doctor who protects a desperate mother and daughter during a ferocious Caribbean hurricane, only to discover that a terrifying creature has followed them into their home.
Butts and Ferrer are the first two Latin American directors to join Blood Bank, a new global initiative by Grupo Morbido and Fantastic Pavilion, “created to address structural issues in the global fantastic film industry.” said Guisa, who has worked in this genre for more than 30 years with the likes of Adrián García Bogliano, Laura Casabe and Cristian. Ponce, Edgar Nito, Julio Hernández Cordon, Patricio Validares, and Isaac Esban.
“At Blood Bank, we manage three types of currency: people, intellectual property, and money. Like other banks, we can offer these as separate services to third parties. We can sell human resources services, sell or license intellectual property, and independently fund projects. Each of the three pillars But by developing original projects with in-house talent, working with existing IP libraries, and producing or co-creating results, Bloodbank can also manage assets and build value across the ecosystem. — From idea to worldwide release. ”Gisa explained.
“Morbido – Fest, TV, Movies – Manticola’s presence in distribution, international sales, theatrical release, Fantastic Pavilion, and every major market in the world means we know virtually everyone in the industry, which means we can manage the entire pipeline, from high concept to pitching at industry events, development, packaging, co-production, financing, building marketing strategies, market reviews, festival circuits, theatrical release, streaming, worldwide sales, pay TV, special edition Blu-ray, and more. “Essentially, we can take a project from idea to finished product and bring it to audiences around the world. And now we’re doing just that on a global scale,” he added.
