PASADENA, CA – January 30, 2015 – (HISPANICIZE WIRE) – The Latino Premiere Club (LPC) overwhelmingly voted Thursday to recommend A24’s crime drama film A Most Violent Year following a screening held at ArcLight Cinemas in Pasadena, California. The film, written and directed by J.C. Chandor, stars Guatemalan-Cuban-American actor Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. Isaac plays the lead character, Abel Morales, a Latino immigrant businessman in New York City whose efforts to expand his company are threatened by attacks and corruption.
A Most Violent Year resonated with the audience of more than 100 LPC members, comprised of influential Latino leaders from fields including education, public relations, business, law, and non-profit organizations.
“I loved having a Latino shown as a successful businessman trying to do right, and being emphatic about achieving success within the law,” remarked one member.
“Dark, gritty, realistic,” another member stated. “The immigrant experience captured in a unique way.”
In a Q&A session following the screening, panelist Moctesuma Esparza, a veteran film producer and CEO of Maya Cinemas, heralded A Most Violent Year as a “potential turning point in how Hollywood represents who we [American Latinos] are.”
Pointing to Isaac’s portrayal, Esparza called A Most Violent Year a “breakthrough” for movies with roles that are “universal, speak to the human condition, while also reflecting my culture,” to which all audiences can relate.
LPC is encouraging Latino audiences across the nation to watch A Most Violent Year in theaters.
The group is also calling on Latino organizations nationwide to spread the word to their constituents through their websites and social media:
— Facebook: facebook.com/amostviolentyear
— Twitter: @mostviolentyear
— Hashtag: #AMVY
Synopsis:
A MOST VIOLENT YEAR is a searing crime drama set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically the most dangerous year in the city’s history. From acclaimed writer/director J.C. Chandor, and starring Oscar Isaac (INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS) and Jessica Chastain (ZERO DARK THIRTY), this gripping story plays out within a maze of rampant political and industry corruption plaguing the streets of a city in decay. J.C. Chandor’s third feature examines one immigrant’s determined climb up a morally crooked ladder, where simmering rivalries and unprovoked attacks threaten his business, family, and––above all––his own unwavering belief in the righteousness of his path. With A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, Chandor journeys in a bold new direction, toward the place where best intentions yield to raw instinct, and where we are most vulnerable to compromise what we know to be right.
For more information, visit www.AMostViolentYear.com or www.NewYorkCity1981.com.
About Latino Premiere Club:
The Latino Premiere Club (LPC) is a partnership between the National Hispanic Media Coalition and Latin Heat Media Institute, whose goal is to give Latinos a voice on upcoming film and television projects that tell Latino stories and/or employ Latinos in front of and behind the camera. LPC is a collaborative forum where influential American Latinos converse with entertainment industry leaders, resulting in Latino inclusion at all levels of production and creating authentic American Latino stories and other stories that appeal to Latinos.