- Notes provided by New Line Cinema. -

Spanning a half-century in the complex, magical and sensual city of Cartageña, Colombia, the sweeping romantic epic tells the story of a man who waits over fifty years for his one true love.

Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem stars as Florentino Ariza, a poet and telegraph clerk who discovers his life's passion when he sees Fermina Daza (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) through the window of her father's villa. Through a series of passionate letters, Florentino gradually awakens the young beauty's heart, but her father (John Leguizamo) is furious when he learns of the affair, and vows to keep them apart forever.

As the years go by, Fermina marries the sophisticated aristocrat Dr. Juvenal Urbino (Benjamin Bratt), who has brought order and medicine to Cartageña, stemming the waves of cholera that mysteriously besiege the city. He sweeps her away to Paris for years, and when they start their lives together back in Cartageña, she has all but forgotten her first love.

But Florentino has not forgotten her. Now a wealthy ship-owner, Florentino engages in a series of affairs but still yearns for Fermina. His heart is patient, and he will wait a lifetime for the chance to be with her again.

Directed by Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco, Enchanted April), Love in the Time of Cholera is a thrilling, sensual and complex journey into the very heart of love. The Stone Village Pictures production is produced by Golden Globe winner Scott Steindorff (The Human Stain, Empire Falls) and the screenplay is by Oscar®-winning screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Pianist), based on the novel by Gabriel García Márquez. The executive producers are Danny Greenspun, Robin Greenspun, Andrew Molaski, Chris Law, Michael Nozik, Dylan Russell and Scott LaStaiti.

The stellar ensemble cast feature Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls, The Sea Inside, No Country for Old Men), Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Venice Film Festival's Volpi Cup winner for Don't Tell, David di Notello Award winner for Facing Windows), Benjamin Bratt (Traffic, Clear and Present Danger), Academy Award® nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), Hector Elizondo (The Princess Diaries 1 & 2, Pretty Woman), Liev Schreiber (The Omen) and Fernanda Montenegro (The House of Sand and Fog, Central Station), with Laura Harring (Mulholland Dr.) and John Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge, Collateral Damage)

The creative behind-the-scenes team is led by director of photography Alfonso Beato, ASC, A.B.C. (The Queen), production designer Wolf Kroeger (Beyond Borders), editor Mick Audsley (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), and costume designer Marit Allen (Brokeback Mountain). Antonio Pinto (City of God) composed the score, and Colombian-born musical superstar Shakira contributes original songs.

Love in the Time of Cholera (rated "R" by the M.P.A.A. for "sexual content/nudity and brief language") will be released in the United States and Canada by New Line Cinema on November 16th, 2007 and internationally by Summit Entertainment.

The First-Ever Adaptation of a Timeless Epic

Director Mike Newell describes Love in the Time of Cholera, literary giant Gabriel García Márquez's 1985 masterpiece spanning half a century of love, war and generations, as "a great big ocean liner of a story that tells truths about people from youth to old age. I can see my parents in it, myself when I was young, myself and my friends now."

"The story is so unique and so original," says producer Scott Steindorff. "It's one of the greatest love stories ever told. The way García Márquez writes, and the time periods of the book, I felt it was an incredible epic love story that had to be brought to the screen."

Considered to be one of the great novels of the 20th century, Love in the Time of Cholera was originally published in 1985 in Colombia by Editorial Oveja Negra Ltda. and sent shockwaves throughout the literary world when it was published around the world three years later. García Márquez's singular novel soon gained a worldwide following and picked up numerous awards (the author won the coveted Nobel Prize in 1982 for his body of work, including his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude). Not a traditional love story, the novel explores the experience of a collection of complicated characters whose lives intertwine in an unnamed city over a half-century of intense change -- the period between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Producer Steindorff's journey with the project began several years ago when executive producer Dylan Russell gave him the novel. "He demanded that I read the book, even though the rights were not available," Steindorff recalls. "So, I read it, and I couldn't put it down."

From that moment, he steadfastly pursued the rights through his company, Stone Village Productions, which he founded in 2000. "We persisted," Steindorff explains. "Like the character Florentino, I just wouldn't take no for an answer. We spent about a year getting rejected with no hope of getting the movie rights, and then one day, we got the word: `Maybe.' It took us about another year to convince the author that we would be true to the book, and we would make a great film without compromising any of the elements of the book."

Though García Márquez was initially reluctant to give over his novel to an English-language movie adaptation, the producer convinced him with his sheer passion and will, eventually winning the author's blessing. Steindorff then enlisted Oscar®-winning screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) to adapt the epoch-sprawling, richly detailed novel. "The story is not just a love story; it's about life," says Steindorff. "Ronald Harwood really had a deep understanding of the subtext of this book about life and love, and the meaning of love. He wrote a brilliant adaptation of this great novel."

"You have this very famous literary work and author, you have to have someone comparable to do the adaptation," says executive producer Dylan Russell. "From Ron's work, we knew he was someone who understood the sense of time in an epic story, and would also be able to tell it in a nonlinear way. He is an amazing playwright and Oscar® winner, and while he was excited about the adaptation, he knew it would be a challenge."

"When I first read the book, I was not sure it could be made into a film," says Harwood. "So much of the characters' journeys are internal, and it takes place over so many years and in such unconventional ways, but we were all excited about the prospect of doing it."

As the adaptation began to take shape, Harwood and Steindorff consulted with the author to ensure the film would reflect the spirit that lives in the book. "Of the first draft of the script, García Márquez said, `The problem is that you and the writer have done too true of an adaptation -- you need to depart from the book,'" Steindorff remembers. "He has a great sense of humor, so we laughed and laughed."

Steindorff found an ideal filmmaking partner in director Mike Newell, fresh off his journey into the world of Hogwarts with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Newell's films, such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, traversed unconventional romantic journeys. Like the producer, Newell held a deep affinity for the book and expressed a passionate vision for the film. "Mike Newell understood these characters," says Steindorff. "He understood the nuances of these people's lives, from the broad arc of the world García Márquez created to the intimate, personal journeys of the characters."

"I wanted to make a film that expressed the richness of the book, which is an exploration of love in all its complications, nuances and power," says Newell. "The love triangle at the core of the story anchors a vast and deep exploration of love in all its forms -- not only through the eyes of the central characters, but in the hearts of mothers, fathers and friends."

Florentino Ariza's 50-year quest to be close to the love of his life is a South American story, but one that also expresses the universal human experience of the vagaries of love, all told through García Márquez's unique voice and spirit. "You always look back at old boyfriends, old girlfriends, and you wonder what life would've been like if you had gone that way," says Newell. "And this is somebody who's taken those wonderings and actually made a plot out of them, which is extraordinary. So you find yourself sucked in by your own life."

"The curious fidelity of Florentino to Fermina, that 50-year fidelity, is kind of an ideal," says screenwriter Harwood. "Regret is not part of his vocabulary because he lives in hope. And it is a hope ultimately fulfilled."

Bringing the Characters to Life

The film opens in the late 19th century in the lush, booming post-Colonial port city of Cartageña, Colombia, a time and place with very distinct borders between the ruling and underclasses. In this period of intense strife and possibility, Florentino Ariza first crosses paths with Fermina Daza when he delivers a telegraph to her father. This momentary glance fuels an emotionally charged journey for the three central characters that come of age during the time of the industrial revolution, fleeting but destructive wars and waves of cholera epidemics that -- like love itself, are survived by some while consuming others.

Though the character of Florentino is Colombian, the filmmakers found the perfect actor to embody him in Spain: Oscar® nominee Javier Bardem (though Florentino is played as a teenager by Colombian actor Unax Ugalde). "There is a huge responsibility when you do a movie based on this beautiful novel -- so complex, so magical, and also so full of tiny details that make the difference between a good novel and a masterpiece," says Bardem, who has delivered universally lauded performances in such films as Before Night Falls and The Sea Inside. "It's one of those rare books that stays with you your whole life because it is a masterpiece. It is read all over the world in different countries and languages, so everybody has their own Florentino and their own Juvenal and Fermina, and their own novel in their heads."

Bardem, who first read the novel as a teenager, leapt at the opportunity to be a part of the film. "When I knew there was a script based on the novel making the rounds, I was very interested," Bardem recalls. "And, thankfully, Mike Newell contacted me. It was one of those experiences of love at first sight when you feel that you want to work with a person because it's going to be a great experience. Mike is very inspiring."

When he learned he got the role, Bardem celebrated in Barcelona, but soon began the daunting task of finding his way into the character of Florentino Ariza. "The responsibility and challenge is huge because you have to play from 24 until 74 years old. And a movie like this is so complex and so full of detail; you really have to give everything. You cannot hold anything back for yourself."

Raised without a father by his mother, Transito Ariza, played by Brazilian stage star Fernanda Montenegro, Florentino has no real prospects or ambition, but he is driven by an intensely passionate poet's heart. Unfocussed and dreamy, he attempts to make contact with Fermina Daza through a series of passionate letters. By the time she becomes caught up in the romance, Florentino has already committed his heart's purest fidelity to her.

A lengthy search for an actor to embody the layered, fiery and often circumspect character of Fermina Daza from adolescence to old age led the filmmakers to young Italian star Giovanna Mezzogiorno, who has garnered acclaim and numerous acting awards for her performances in European films such as Don't Tell and Facing Windows.

"Her beauty is breathtaking, but beneath the youthful skin is a wise and committed actress," says Newell. "This role would be a huge challenge for anyone, but Giovanna handled the pressure with grace and tremendous focus and creativity. It was extraordinary to watch her grow with Fermina."

In order to tackle such a consuming role, the actress felt the need to start from scratch and re-learn everything she knew about acting. "Javier Bardem, Benjamin Bratt and I, along with Mike Newell, our director, became very close throughout this journey," explains Mezzogiorno. "We helped each other and supported each other. They are so fantastic at what they do and were so kind to me. If I did the role justice it's because they were here. I hope to be in harmony with what they did, which was amazing."

Fermina's father brings her to Cartageña with the express ambition of marrying her into one of the grand families of the region -- not letting her be swept off her feet by a penniless clerk. Colombian-born actor John Leguizamo plays Lorenzo Daza, a mule trader with connections into Colombia's underworld. "He is a father from poor beginnings, a mule trader, and he makes himself crazy over his desire for his daughter to marry well," says Leguizamo. "He's taking care of the jewel of his life, which is his daughter. She's the only thing he's got left, so there is a protectiveness and jealousy. And when he sees that she is flirting with the wrong guy -- the poet who is going to be broke -- that's just not a part of his plan. He wants his daughter to marry the richest, most famous and upstanding socialite in town, and that's the kind of guy he is."

To ensure Fermina stays far away from Florentino, Lorenzo takes her on an arduous mule ride to live with relatives deep in the Colombian countryside -- but Fermina and Florentino find a way to continue their affair through secret telegraphs. But the promise of a life together dies when Fermina returns to Cartageña fully a woman, and discovers that the dream of their love is very different from the reality.

But Florentino will never let go. "Florentino Ariza waits almost his whole life to get close to the woman he's in love with," says Bardem. "He represents the ultimate love, the ultimate need of sharing love with somebody in a very peculiar, deep and pure way. Through the journey of a whole life trying to find this person, he has a lot of different experiences. Some are fun, some are sad, some are difficult, some are easy, but at the end, he can never forget this person. His struggle is with his own faith that some day, maybe, he will have a chance to get close to her."

"The characters of Gabriel García Márquez are very intense, very interesting and epic," comments Mezzogiorno. "They do things in life that a lot of people would not do in ten lives, so the intensity of those characters is a big challenge for an actor."

Instead of the heartsick poet, Fermina agrees to marry one of the city's most prominent figures, a European-educated doctor who has poured his experience and refinement into the betterment of the city -- Dr. Juvenal Urbino. "Consciously or not, Fermina has denied her own heart while fulfilling everything her father wanted of her," says Newell. "Her heart is one of the most inscrutable in the story. She is fiercely independent, denying everything anyone attempts to thrust upon her, but somehow her own decisiveness and strong will subvert her desire for happiness."

Benjamin Bratt stars as Juvenal, who becomes the third point in the story's central love triangle. "I think there is a very universal human tendency to equate love with happiness," says Bratt. "But what you find in the film, as in life, is that they are seldom synonymous. And yet we still pursue it because we think it's going to give us a sense of peace. Love can be frustration. It can be joy. It can be comfort. It can be unrequited, in Florentino's case. It can be agony and despair. But always in pursuit of it there is a sense of optimism, a hope that it will come to you, and almost every character in the film is in pursuit of it in one form or another."

Brazilian stage star Fernanda Montenegro plays Florentino's mother, Transito Ariza, who longs for her son's happiness and uses every resource at her disposal to help him forget his lost love. "She is a wonderful mother, a Latin mother with a kind of love so great and wonderful, and a vision that a son is like a god," says Montenegro. "When I read this book many years ago, I never thought one day I would be in Cartageña and a part of this great production directed by this wonderful director. Sometimes life is a miracle."

Also helping him to forget is Lotario Thurgot, Florentino's German employer, played by acclaimed actor Liev Schreiber. Thurgot introduces him to the city's more hedonistic quarters. "He runs the telegraph office where Florentino works and he really enjoys women," says Schreiber. "Lotario really shows him that there are other ways to find happiness than love."

Over the course of his life, as he rises in society, Florentino bides his time with physical affairs while maintaining his heart's fidelity for Fermina. He works to build up his position, first as a clerk and later taking over for his Uncle Leo's (Hector Elizondo) powerful Caribbean River Company business, which holds sway over the entire Magdalena River. Every move he makes is dedicated to the undying hope that they will eventually be together, though his love remains unrequited for 51 years, 9 months and 4 days -- but burns no less furiously than on that far-flung afternoon when they were little more than children.

Javier Bardem relished giving life to his character's grand romantic spirit, anchored by a spiritual and emotional purity that allows him to remain pure in anticipation of reuniting with Fermina -- despite over 600 purely sexual encounters. The strangeness and beauty of the character as the author envisioned is what Bardem hopes most informs his performance. "At the end of the day, it's him -- García Márquez -- who knows more than anybody else what my character, Florentino, really is," muses Bardem. "If, in some moments, I capture the essence of the character as he envisioned him, I will be grateful."

Rounding out the international cast are Colombian-born Catalina Sandino Moreno (an Academy Award® nominee for her role in Maria Full of Grace) as Hildebranda Sanchez, Fermina Daza's cousin, and Laura Harring (Mulholland Dr.) as Sara Noriega, who embarks on a brief but memorable affair with Florentino.

Embodying characters from the latter half of the 19th century and into the 20th, the actors would need more preparation than simply rehearsals. The filmmakers enlisted dialogue coach Julie Adams to refine the various accents at play into English in the style of Costeño, the Caribbean-inflected Spanish spoken along Colombia's northern region. "Everybody brought a different flavor," says John Leguizamo. "Everybody's from different parts of the world, so we tried to find some unity in accents and behavior, things that would make you believe that the characters all belong in this time."

They also brought in movement coaches to help the actors become accustomed to the comportment of the times. The actors participated in a three-week conservatory concurrent with rehearsals to complete their training. "For me, working with Mike, Javier, Ben, the movement and dialogue coaches, was a real journey," comments Giovanna Mezzogiorno. "The conservatory helped tremendously in building her character."

Director Mike Newell became a constant resource for the actors throughout the preparation period and production. Bringing the whole of his experience in film, Newell helped guide them toward a unity of vision between the book and film, and bring a sense of beauty and realism to romantic epic. "Mike is very demanding in the sense of trying to get the best quality that an actor can have and can give," says Bardem. "It's a pleasure in terms of knowing that you are observed by someone with important and interesting ideas. But at the same time, you have to put your ego away and surrender to the fact that if you want to play these characters, you have to go deeply into yourself, and sometimes they are not easy to play. But Mike really takes care of the actors in a way that makes you feel you can jump into the pool and it's never going to be empty. There will always be some warm water there waiting for you -- which is the deep care he takes for a good performance. It's a beautiful place to stay as an actor because you have to grow in every take."

"I wanted to be a part of this film because everyone involved wanted to achieve real poetry on film in terms of storytelling and acting," adds Leguizamo. "It's not your typical period piece where everybody speaks rather politely and everything is precious. This story is so rich, has so much vitality and life. We tried to make it sloppier and crazier -- how life really is."

"Mike shot the movie in a very raw, very realistic and intense way," says Mezzogiorno. "It's pure beauty and romanticism. It was so unexpected and unconventional. I think it's very near the spirit of García Márquez."

Production Begins in Cartageña

Though the "hero city" is not named in García Márquez's novel, everything about the lush post-Colonial city of Cartageña called out to the filmmakers, and a call from Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos opened the door to the idea of shooting at some of the actual locations García Márquez describes in the book. "It's a magical city," says executive producer Dylan Russell. "We thought about shooting in other cities, but ultimately realized that Cartageña was the only place that suits the story because everything described in the novel originated here."

Though he now lives in Mexico, the author spent his youth in the region, writing his first short stories while working as a newspaper columnist and reporter in Cartageña and the neighboring port town of Barranquilla. Love in the Time of Cholera clearly draws inspiration from the city's languorous plazas, massive, ornate churches and grand, crumbling estates. Producer Scott Steindorff comments, "Mike Newell and I felt it was important to film where the story takes place. And the country of Colombia and city of Cartageña opened their doors to us and gave us the keys to the city. It was fantastic to shoot there."

"There is a certain creative integrity that could not be overlooked to shooting this movie in the place where García Márquez set the book," says executive producer Scott LaStaiti. "The cathedral he wrote about for the wedding, funeral and masses really existed."

Newell, Steindorff and the cast and crew of Love in the Time of Cholera relocated to the Caribbean port for a few months of intense heat and monsoon weather to recreate the region made world famous in the novel. Production designer Wolf Kroeger oversaw the transformation of the city's numerous plazas and structures, aging them in reverse to what they must have looked like in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The filmmakers received an immeasurable boost by enlisting veteran casting director Felipe Aljure, who had worked with the film's casting director Susie Figgis on The Mission. Aljure was able to cast 84 out of the film's 96 actors locally in Colombia. Aljure's production experience and familiarity with the locale also gave the filmmakers the confidence to make him second unit director of the film.

"Felipe is probably one of the most well connected people in film in Colombia," says LaStaiti. "He did a fantastic job with casting and directed our B units. He went over and above in so many circumstances, getting us help where we needed it via his political connections and filmmaking resources. He was a real life saver."

Filming took place in 83 locations in and around the city, from houses and castles to rivers and mountains. Some came to them perfectly situated and dressed while others needed to be aged or polished. A commercial tugboat was transformed into a 19th century paddle steamer. Telephone poles were dressed to become palm trees.

"This was like hacking civilization out of a forest," says Newell. "You work harder. There are no cushions. You do everything yourself. But the rewards are much greater when you put this much heart and soul into a project, and everyone in this production has given nothing less."

For the director, shooting in the actual locations described in the book was exhilarating. "There's something about shooting here in Cartageña, in this environment," says Newell. "It's a place of sensuality. The air is lush and fragrant, and the atmosphere very earthy. It's warm. It's very human. There is a sense of life, love and passion here that you couldn't find anywhere else in the world. Love in the Time of Cholera is a very universal story, but it's also a Columbian story."

Though no films had been shot in Colombia since The Mission in 1986, the country has a rich history of production led by such directors as Werner Herzog, Francesco Rosi and Roland Joffe. Production got creative to meet the requirements of a major motion picture cast and crew -- using shipping containers for trailers, processing of dailies at Miami post production facilities, utilizing editing facilities in London, and employing over 650 Cartageñians in various production roles.

"We really had to reinvent the wheel with a lot of things, right down to the way we did our catering and makeup trailers, which we made out of sea containers," says executive producer LaStaiti. "But the way Colombia and Cartageña responded to us was breathtaking. We put tremendous pressure and challenges on them. We closed down their streets, blocked traffic, made noise, yet the people continued to be warm and receptive to us."

Like the cast, the production team was drawn from all corners of the world -- including a director and design team from Great Britain, a camera team from Brazil under cinematographer Alfonso Beato, and key players from Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. In fact, over fifty percent of the crew was Colombian. "We got quite a few trained technicians out of Bogota who were very skilled and experienced, but on top of that we had a lot of local people who really had no film experience but stepped up to the challenge and did a great job for us," says LaStaiti.

"The local crew worked hard for their love of the story and desire to be part of it," says Newell. "The look and feel of this film are a testament to their love and hard work. They have expressed that they hope the film will be emblematic of their city and country."

"Costume, makeup, lights, everybody did an amazing job," comments Giovanna Mezzogiorno. "It was a really interesting experience because the Colombian, Brazilian and Mexican crews were amazing. They worked day after day without complaining, being always very respectful of our work. We could work so hard and concentrated because we had such an amazing crew."

"We were very blessed with a fantastic crew of Colombians and people from Central and South America," says producer Scott Steindorff. "We had people from the UK and people from America. We had an international cast, an international crew, and the lush, evocative locations of Cartageña. I want to thank the people of Colombia and Cartageña for opening their doors to us."

Love in the Time of Cholera is one of the most famous Colombian novels and is infused with the spirit of the land. "If we have captured that, I'm hoping that the world will get an inside look at this incredible place and this warm culture which we all fell in love with," concludes Mike Newell.

ABOUT THE CAST

Javier Bardem (Florentino Ariza)
Javier Bardem is the first Spaniard to have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, an honor he received for his portrayal of the Cuban poet and dissident Reinaldo Arenas in Julian Schnabel's Before Night Falls. He was also named Best actor at the Venice Film festival for this role, which also won him Best Actor honors from the National Society of Film Critics, the Independent Spirit Award and the National Board of Review, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Javier has received a total of seven nominations and four wins for the Goya Award, which is the Spanish equivalent of an Oscar.

In 2004 he went on to win another Best Actor Award from the Venice Film Festival (only one other actor has won the Best Actor Award twice in Venice) for his performance in Alejandro Amenabar's film The Sea Inside. For this role, he also won a Goya Award and received a Golden Globe nomination. Bardem's other film credits include Luna's Golden Balls, The Tit and the Moon, Between Your Legs, Dias Contados (Best Actor, San Sebastian), Mouth to Mouth, Ecstasy, Almodovar's Live Flesh, Dance with the Devil, Washington Wolves and Second Skin.

Javier Bardem was born March 1, 1969 in Las Palmas Gran Canarias (Canary Islands, Spain). His mother is Pilar Bardem, a respected actress who has worked continuously from the mid-60s to the present day, and his uncle was Juan Antonio Bardem, one of Spain's most celebrated directors, jailed by the Franco regime when his Death of A Cyclist won the critics prize in Cannes. Many other members of the Bardem family are also well-known actors, including his grandfather Rafael Bardem and grandmother Matilde Muñoz Sampedro.

Javier was four when his mother secured him a minor role in the Spanish mini-series El Picasso. As a youth, Bardem studied painting in the Escuela de Arte Y Officios Art School while playing small roles on TV. It was in the early 1990s when the Spanish director Bigas Luna offered him a role in The Ages of Lulu that his acting career got seriously underway.

After a small role in Pedro Almodovar's High Heels, Bardem made his name in 1992 with a lead role opposite Penelope Cruz in the film Jamon Jamon. Bardem was nominated for the Best Actor Award at the San Sebastian film festival and won several other awards for his performance.

Bardem's recent film credits include John Malkovich's directorial debut The Dancer Upstairs, Fernando Leon de Aranoa's Mondays in the Sun, which was named best film at the San Sebastian film festival, Michael Mann's Collateral and in Goya's Ghosts opposite Natalie Portman. He will next be seen starring with Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson in the Coen brothers' adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel No Country for Old Men.

Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Fermina Daza)
Born in Rome, Giovanna is the daughter of actors Vittorio and Cecilia Sacchi. She first worked in Paris for two years at the Peter Brook Workshop (Le Centre International de Crèations Thèatrales). She made her stage debut in Bouffes Du Nord with the role of Ofelia in "Qui est lá," created and directed by Peter Brook, and based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet", with text by Artaud, Brecht, Craig, Mayerhold, Sanislavski e Zeami, for which she received the Premio Coppola-Prati 1996 (the jury presided over by theatre critic, Franco Quadri.)

In 1997, she made her film debut in Il viaggio della sposa (The Bride's Journey) written by and starring Sergio Rubini. She was awarded the Nastro d'Argento fro New Talent in Italian Cinema. She was also given the Grolle d'Oro, the Globo d'Oro by the Foreign Press Association and the Premio Flaiano fro Best Actress of the 1997-1998 season.

In 1998, she starred in the film Del Perduto Amore directed by Michele Placido, with Fabrizio Bentivoglio and Sergio Rubini. She was awarded the Nastro d'Argento, the Ciak d'Oro and Premio Pasinetti fro Best Actress in a starring role. Also in 1998, Giovanna played the role of a young girl with muscular dystrophy for the Italian National Television Network, RaiDue.

In 1999, she played the role of Silvia in the film, Un uomo perbene, with Michele Palcido and Mariangela Melato, directed by Maurizio Zaccaro. Also in 1999, she starred in the film Asini, directed by Antonello Grimaldi, with Claudio Bisio.

In 2000, she traveled between Prague and Paris for work in the television film, Les Miserables, directed by Josèe Dayan, with Gèrard Depardieu, and John Malkovich. She then worked in Denmark on Nobel, directed by Fabio Carpi, with Hector Alterio. In Italy, she worked with Puglielli in Tutta La Conoscenza Del Mondo (All There Is To Know) and then, L'ultimo bacio (The Last Kiss) directed by Gabriele Muccino with Stefano Accorsi and Stefani Sandrelli (winning the Premio Flaiano).

In 2001, she played the role of Francesca in the film Malefemmene with Angela Molina and directed by Fabio Conversi. She also worked on State Zitti Per Favore, with Adriano Giannini and directed by Livia Giampalmo, in the role of the mother of twins.

In 2002, she played the role of the murdered journalist, Ilaria Alpi in the picture Il Piu Crudele Dei Giorni. She then worked in France on the series "Daddy", directed by Giacomo Battiato and starring Klaus Maria Brandauer. Back in Italy, she starred in the film Facing Windows, directed by Ferzan Ozpetek, for which she earned many awards, including: the David di Donatello (the Italian Oscar), the Ciak d"Oro, the Nastro d'Argento, the Globo d'Oro by the Foreign Press (European Golden Globe), the Flaiano Award, and the Karlovy Vary Award.

In 2003, she played in L'amore ritorna, directed by Sergio Runini and the French film, Au secours, j'ai 30 ans, directed by Marie-anne Chazel, with Pierre Palmade.

In 2004, Giovanna starred in Virginia, directed by Alberto Sironi before returning to theatre to work with director Piero Maccarinelli in 4.48 Psicosi, by Sarak Kane, a one woman performance to much acclaim.

Giovanna starred in La Bestia Nel Cuore (Don't Tell), directed by Cristina Comencini, in which she won the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress at the 62nd Venice Film Festival. Don't Tell was nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Foreign Film.

Most recently, Giovanna stars in Love in the Time of Cholera.

For more information about her, please visit her website http://www.saverioferragina.com/gmezzogiorno/vitaartistica.html.

Benjamin Bratt (Juvenal Urbino)
Benjamin Bratt, an actor renowned for his gifted ability and striking on-screen presence, is set to appear in a string of highly-anticipated projects for both film and television.
Bratt will next be seen in Ronald Harwood's screen adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera, starring opposite John Leguizamo, Liev Schreiber and Javier Bardem. Directed by Mike Newell, the film is slated for a November 16, 2007 release. In addition, Steven Soderbergh is directing a pair of films about Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto `Che' Guevara and Bratt stars opposite Benicio del Toro in both of them. The Argentine and Guerrilla are scheduled in arrive in theaters in 2008.
Currently in production on Trucker, Bratt stars opposite Michelle Monaghan in the story of a truck driver who changes her life after being reconnected with her 11-year old son. The film is written and directed by James Mottern. Bratt has recently completed production on The Andromeda Strain, the A&E Sci-Fi mini-series based on the novel by Michael Crichton.
In 2001, Bratt delivered a breakthrough performance in Miramax Films' Piñero. Directed by Leon Ichaso, Piñero traced the life of artist Miguel Piñero, the controversial New York figure whose urban poetry is recognized as a precursor to rap and hip-hop. "Benjamin Bratt resurrects the spirit of the playwright, poet and actor Miguel Piñero with the kind of thrilling brio that Dustin Hoffman brought to his screen portrayal of Lenny Bruce 27 years ago," wrote Stephen Holden in The New York Times. "It is a career-defining performance that could catapult the 37-year-old actor into the kinds of juicy anti-heroic parts once gobbled up by Mr. Hoffman and Robert DeNiro."
His additional screen credits also include: Stephen Soderbergh's Traffic (which won Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast); Mike Mills' Thumbsucker; The Woodsman, opposite Kevin Bacon; Stephen Gaghan's Abandon; Miss Congeniality opposite Sandra Bullock, John Dahl's The Great Raid; Red Planet opposite Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss; John Schlesinger's The Next Best Thing; Catwoman with Halle Berry; Follow Me Home, featuring Alfre Woodard Curtis Hanson's The River Wild opposite Meryl Streep; Phillip Noyce's Clear And Present Danger opposite Harrison Ford; and Taylor Hackford's Blood In, Blood Out.
On television, Bratt established himself on Dick Wolf's critically acclaimed drama Law & Order. A series regular for four seasons, he received an Emmy Award and Screen Actors Guild award nominations for his riveting portrayal of Detective Reynaldo Curtis. Additional television credits include: the role of Lieutenant James Tisnewski on Jerry Bruckheimer's NBC series E-Ring; Showtime's Woman Undone with Randy Quaid and Mary McDonnell, ABC's Texas, based on the James A. Michener novel and USA Network's After the Storm, based on the short story by Ernest Hemingway.
An alumnus of the MFA program at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, Bratt lives currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Talisa Soto, and children, daughter Sophia and son Mateo.
Catalina Sandino Moreno (Hildebranda Sanchez)
Catalina Sandino Moreno made her screen debut as the title character in the critically-acclaimed film Maria Full of Grace from Fine Line Features/HBO.
For her performance, Sandino was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role and won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. The film debuted in the U.S. at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and opened in limited release in July 2004. The film won the Grand Special Prize at the 2004 Deauville Film Festival. Sandino has earned other awards and nominations for her performance, including the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actress at the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival, the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actress at the 2004 Seattle International Film Festival and the award for Breakthrough Actor at the 2004 Gotham Awards. She was named ShoWest's International Star of the Year for 2005.

In October, she will begin shooting the two-part biographical film about Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara who will be played by Benicio Del Toro. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the film will be divided into two parts -- Guerilla and The Argentine. Sandino will play the role of Che Guevara's wife.

She was recently seen in the Antonio Cuadri period piece, The Heart of the Earth. The film surrounds the tensions that mount in an Andalusia mining town between local Spanish workers and their British employers. The film premiered in Spain on April 13th, 2007.

Sandino also recently starred in the Ethan Hawke directed film, The Hottest State. The film, which also stars Ethan Hawke, Laura Linney, Michelle Williams and Mark Webber, tells the story of a young actor from Texas (Webber) who is trying to make it in New York while struggling in his relationship with a beautiful singer/songwriter (Sandino). The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2006.

Sandino co-starred in the highly-anticipated Fast Food Nation. Directed by Richard Linklater, Fast Food Nation is an ensemble piece examining the health risks involved in the fast food industry and its environmental and social consequences as well. The film is a fictional take on the non-fiction, best selling novel by Eric Schlosser and also stars Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Bobby Cannavale and Greg Kinnear. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was released by 20th Century Fox.

Born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1981, Sandino became interested in theatre and stage at an early age. In 1997, while still in high school, she enrolled in the Ruben Di Pietro theatre academy in Bogotá. During her four years at the academy, she acted in such productions as "Acuerdo para Cambiar de Casa" by Griselda Gambaro, "The Dark Room" by Tennessee Williams, and "Laughing Wild" by Christopher Durang.

After making her film debut in Maria Full of Grace, Sandino relocated to New York City, where she attended The Lee Strasberg Institute. She made her New York stage debut in the Frog & Peach Theatre Company's production of Shakespeare's "King John."

In September 2006, Sandino completed production in Sao Paolo Brazil for Journey to the End of the Night written and directed by Eric Eason, co-starring Brendan Fraser and Mos Def. Upon completion, she went to Paris to shoot Paris, je t'aime with director Walter Salles. The film is about the plurality of cinema in Paris, the City of Love. Twenty filmmakers, including the Coen brothers, Alexander Payne and Wes Craven, have been given five minutes to tell a narrative, underlining the wide variety of styles, genres, encounters and the various atmospheres and lifestyles that prevail in the neighborhoods of Paris.

Sandino resides in New York.

Hector Elizondo (Don Leo)
Award-winning actor Hector Elizondo has a successful career spanning 40 years that includes film, television, theater and radio. In 1997, Elizondo won the prestigious Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of `Dr. Phillip Watters' on CBS' "Chicago Hope." For six years on the show, Elizondo delivered a heartfelt and poignant performance that earned him four Emmy nominations, while creating a character that will be etched in television history for a long time to come.
Elizondo was also nominated for both a Golden Globe and American Comedy Award for his portrayal of a hotel manager in the mega feature hit Pretty Woman. He currently stars with Jimmy Smits in the new CBS series, "Cane". Elizondo is one of those rare actors who continue to move back and forth freely between starring roles on Broadway, television and feature films.

Elizondo's other film credits include: The Music Within, Young Doctors in Love, The Flamingo Kid, Nothing in Common, Runaway Bride, American Gigolo, The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, Tortilla Soup, and both Princess Diaries I & II.

A native New Yorker, Elizondo first gained recognition on the New York stage for his portrayal of `God' in "Steambath," which earned him an Obie Award. High praise followed for his Broadway roles in Neil Simon's "Prisoner of Second Avenue," "The Great White Hope," "Sly Fox," for which he received a Drama Desk Award nomination, and the critically-acclaimed Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "The Price," alongside Eli Wallach at the Roundabout Theatre.

Elizondo's numerous television appearances began with guest starring roles on now classic episodes of "Columbo," "All in the Family" and "Kojak." He quickly moved on to star opposite such leading ladies as Michelle Pfeiffer, Sophia Loren, and Anne Bancroft. Hector received another Best Supporting Actor nomination for his riveting performance opposite Ms. Bancroft in the two-character drama "Mrs. Cage," for PBS's acclaimed series "American Playhouse."

Hector has also done many voice-overs, including Ken Burn's critically acclaimed PBS documentary series, "The West" and served as the host of the CBS special, "Mysterious Man of the Shroud." Elizondo is especially proud of his involvement in the prestigious LA Theatre Works, a group of 40 top actors who are devoting their time and talent to reinstating classic radio drama as a contemporary art form for National Public Radio (N.P.R.).

Elizondo recently received the Diversity Award's prestigious "Integrity Award" as well as Nosotros' "Lifetime Achievement Award "for the quality of roles he has chosen during his career. Elizondo is often asked to be a guest speaker and serve as a role model for children. He is an avid supporter of several charitable organizations including The Alzheimer's Association, Amnesty International, The American Cancer Society and Pediatric Aids.

Elizondo is an accomplished musician and singer, performing on the conga, flute and guitar. He and his wife Carolee Campbell, an Emmy-Award winning actress, photographer and celebrated publisher live in Sherman Oaks, California.

Liev Schreiber (Lotario Thurgot)
Widely considered one of the finest actors of his generation, in 2005, Liev Schreiber won the Tony Award for his portrayal of Ricky Roma in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross".

He was last seen opposite Ed Norton and Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil for Warner Independent. Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young English couple who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else.

In January 2007, Schreiber returned to Broadway starring in Eric Bogosian's first Broadway staging of "Talk Radio" in which he received his 2nd TONY nomination. First brought to an off-Broadway stage in 1987, the play was later made into the controversial film directed by Oliver Stone.

In 2006, Schreiber returned to the stage in the Public Theater's new production of Macbeth opposite Jennifer Ehle and directed by Moises Kaufman. Shakespeare in the Park's Macbeth was staged at the The Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

In 2005, Schreiber made his directorial debut with Everything is Illuminated, for Warner Independent Pictures. Adapted from Jonathan Safran Foer's bestselling novel of the same name, Everything is Illuminated is a blend of high comedy and great tragedy, that tells the story of a young American Jewish man's quest to find the woman who saved his grandfather--in a small Ukrainian town that was wiped off the map by the Nazi invasion. Prior to publication of the novel, Schreiber read an excerpt in The New Yorker, secured the rights himself, wrote the screenplay and subsequently brought the project to WIP. The film, starring Elijah Wood, was recognized by the 2006 National Film Board as one of the top ten films of the year.

Schreiber's distinguished list of acting credits include: The Omen, Jonathan Demme's The Manchurian Candidate, The Sum of All Fears, Kate & Leopold, Michael Almerayda's Hamlet, The Hurricane opposite Denzel Washington, Tony Goldwyn's A Walk on the Moon, Robert Benton's Twilight with Paul Newman, Barry Levinson's sci-fi epic Sphere, the box office hits Scream, Scream II, Scream III, and Ransom.

Schreiber is also known for his work in such acclaimed independent features as Stanley Tucci's Big Night, Party Girl, The Daytrippers with Hope Davis, Nicole Holofcener's Walking and Talking, with Catherine Keener, Nora Ephron's Mixed Nuts, Antonia Bird's Mad Love, Hal Salwen's Denise Calls Up, and Tom Gilroy's Spring Forward with Ned Beatty, for which he also served as a producer.

Initially interested in playwriting, Schreiber went on to spend a year studying acting with the faculty from England's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1992, he graduated with an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. His impressive stage credits include his critically acclaimed turn as Henry V in last summer's Shakespeare in the Park production at the Delacorte Theatre, "The Mercy Seat," opposite Sigourney Weaver and directed by Neil Labute, Harold Pinter's "Betrayal," co-starring Juliette Binoche and "Moonlight" with Blythe Danner and Jason Robards. Schreiber's enduring relationship with the Public Theatre's New York Shakespeare Festival has produced several critically acclaimed performances including, the title role in "Hamlet," Iago in "Othello," Macbeth," "The Tempest" and "Cymbeline" for which he won an Obie award. Other productions include, "All for One," "In the Summer House," "Escape from Happiness," "The Real Thing," "Richard III," "Underground," and the Moscow Art Theatre's production of "Ivanov."

For television, Schreiber received rave reviews for his extended guest starring role on "CSI", as well as for his portrayal of Orson Welles in "RKO 281" (Emmy and Golden Globe nominations); additional credits include "Lackawana Blues", "Spinning Borris," "Buffalo Girls," "People V," and "The Sunshine Boys" with Woody Allen and Peter Falk. As a voiceover artist Schreiber has narrated numerous documentaries including the popular HBO Sports series as well as PBS series "The History of Rock and Roll."

Schreiber currently resides in New York

Fernanda Montenegro (Tránsito Ariza)
The artistic career of Fernanda Montenegro has encompassed theater, television and feature film. Her very first stage performance took place in 1950 in the play "Alegres Canções nas Montanhas," with Fernando Torres. Her relationship with Torres resulted in a marriage which lasts to this day. The couple have two children, the actress Fernanda Torres and the theatrical designer, visual programmer and film director Cláudio Torres. It was in the 1950's that Montenegro had her first contact with television, working in detective dramas.

Montenegro began working in feature films in 1964, when she acted in director Leon Hirszman's adaptation of "A Falecida." One of the most important was in They Don't Wear Black-Tie (1980), also directed by Hirszman. Fernanda acted opposite Gianfrancesco Guarnieri and the film won the Golden Lion Award as best movie in the Venice Film Festival. For her participation in the movie Tudo Bem, directed by Arnaldo Jabor, she won her first international award as best actress at Italy's Taormina Film Festival in 1980.

Montenegro received international acclaim for her performance in 1988's Central Station, directed by Walter Salles, for which she was nominated as Best Actress for both an Oscar and Golden Globe, and won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. For the film O Outro Lado Da Rua, directed by Marcos Bernistein, she won the Best Actress award at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Montenegro's recent film credits include Traição (directed by Cláudio Torres, José Henrique Fonseca and Arthur Fontes), Redentor (directed by Cláudio Torres), Olga, (by Jayme Monjardim) and House of Sand (directed by Andrucha Waddington).

Laura Harring (Sara Noriega)
Ever since astounding audiences and critics alike with her breakthrough performance in David Lynch's award winning Mulholland Drive, for which she received an Alma Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, Laura Harring has been one of Hollywood's hottest rising stars and here is what she has coming up in 2007; this June, catch Laura in the upcoming Warner Brothers feature Nancy Drew: The Mystery in Hollywood Hills starring alongside Emma Roberts for director Andrew Fleming and producer Jerry Weintraub.

A versatile actress who has played a great diversity of roles in her career, Harring's film credits also include John Q with Denzel Washington, The King with Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt, The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory, with the legendary Raul Julia, and the HBO movie "Walkout," directed by Edward James Olmos.

She has had a recurring role on FX's critically acclaimed hit series, "The Shield," as Becca Doyle, a defense attorney who willingly commits to pro bono cases for people she feels are redeemable, she also has guest starred on "Law & Order: SVU," and had a featured cameo in the David Lynch film, "Inland Empire."

The international Herald Tribune has compared her to Ava Gardner and film critic Roger Ebert likened her to Rita Hayworth.

Harring lived the first ten years of her life in Mexico, before her family relocated to San Antonio, Texas. She was the first Latina to win the Miss USA crown.

Truly an acting chameleon, Laura just completed filming opposite Frank Langella as "The sophisticated lady, a classical jazz singer in the motion picture, On the Hook.

Harring currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

John Leguizamo (Lorenzo Daza)
A multi-faceted performer and Emmy Award winner, John Leguizamo has established a career that defies categorization. With boundless energy and creativity, his work in film, theatre, television, and literature covers a variety of genres, as he constantly reinvents himself.

Leguizamo will soon be seen in Where God Left His Shoes, directed by Salvatore Stabile. The film premiered to rave reactions at this year's Tribeca Film Festival where he plays a failed boxer who struggles to find a job and apartment for his family on Christmas Eve in NYC. Where God Left His Shoes will next be screened at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

Some of his other upcoming films include The Ministers, The Babysitters, Paraiso Travel and The Take. He also stars in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, due in theaters next year, and recently completed filming Righteous Kill, opposite Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro.

Leguizamo's more recent credits include Crónicas that screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, 2004 Toronto Film Festival and was honored in `Un Certain Regard' selection at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, Land of the Dead, the fourth installment of writer/director George Romero's Night of the Living Dead series, Ed Burns' The Groomsmen, and the remake of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13. He also voiced 'Sid, the Sloth' in the hit movies Ice Age and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown.

Other films are Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor that earned him an ALMA nomination for `Best Supporting Actor,' Spike Lee's Summer of Sam, Seth Zvi Rosenfeld's King of the Jungle that earned him an ALMA nomination as `Best Lead Actor,' the cult hit Spawn, Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, and Dr. Doolittle, to name a few. For his performance as a sensitive drag queen in To Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, opposite Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes, Leguizamo garnered a Golden Globe nomination as `Best Supporting Actor.' He also appeared in Executive Decision, opposite Kurt Russell, Brian de Palma's Carlito's Way, Collateral Damage with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Casualties of War, starring Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox.

Leguizamo was last seen on the small screen in "The Kill Point", an eight-hour original mini-series event for Spike TV that aired this summer. He also starred in and directed HBO's "Undefeated". His directorial debut, the film follows a young Latino boxer dealing with love and career success. Additionally, the versatile Leguizamo appeared as a guest star in twelve episodes of NBC's cornerstone drama "ER" during the 2005/2006 season.

Other television credits include ABC's mini-series, "Arabian Nights" where he played both `The Ring Genie' and `The Lamp Genie' in the literary classic. In addition, Leguizamo set the precedent by creating and starring in the first Latin comedy/variety show, the Emmy award-winning, "House of Buggin" for FOX.

A highly talented stage performer, Leguizamo created an off-Broadway sensation as the writer and performer of his one-man show, "Mambo Mouth", in which he portrayed seven different characters. He received Obie, Outer Critics Circle and Vanguardia awards for his performance. The play's HBO special led to his first television comedy special, Comedy Central's "The Talent Pool", for which he received a Cable ACE Award.

Leguizamo's second one-man show, "Spic-O-Rama", had an extended sold-out run in Chicago at the Goodman and Briar Street theaters before opening in New York. The play received numerous accolades including the Dramatists' Guild Hull-Warriner Award for Best American Play and the Lucille Lortel Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Broadway Performance. Leguizamo received the Theatre World Award for Outstanding New Talent, as well as a Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance. "Spic-O-Rama" also aired on HBO, receiving four Cable ACE Awards.

"Freak", Leguizamo's third one-man show, ended a successful run on Broadway in 1998. Billed as a `Semi-Demi-Quasi-Pseudo Autobiography,' Leguizamo won the Drama Desk and the Outer Critic's Circle Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance. A special presentation of "Freak", directed by Spike Lee, aired on HBO and earned Leguizamo the Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program as well as a nomination for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.

When Leguizamo returned to Broadway in 2001, with "Sexaholix...a Love Story", he was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for `Outstanding Solo Performance' and the show received a Tony nomination for Best Special Theatrical Performance. "Sexaholix" aired as an HBO Special in Spring 2002.

Additional stage credits include "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "La Puta Vida" at the New York Shakespeare Festival and "Parting Gestures" at INTAR.

Also an accomplished author, Leguizamo penned his autobiography Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends. Harper Collins released the fast-paced, hilarious, and poignant memoir in October 2006.

Raised in New York City, Leguizamo studied acting with Lee Strasberg and Wynn Handman at New York University. He was the recipient of the 2002 ALMA Award for Entertainer of the Year.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Mike Newell (Director)
British director Mike Newell's wide-ranging output has alternated between London and Hollywood, from film to TV.
A Cambridge graduate, Newell began directing at age 23, working on numerous plays for TV. His television feature "The Man in the Iron Mask" (1977) served as the springboard to international success. His theatrical debut The Awakening (1980) began to cement Newell's reputation for getting the best results from his actors.
He worked in many genres with films such as Dance with a Stranger (1984) and Enchanted April (1991), amongst many others. In 1994, he made Four Weddings and a Funeral, the record-breaking romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell.
Returning to America, Newell made the Mafia thriller Donnie Brasco (1997), delivering outstanding performances from Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, followed up by films such as Pushing Tin (1999) and Mona Lisa Smile (2003).
As well as directing, Newell served as executive producer on several projects, including Traffic (2000), and High Fidelity (2000), before directing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), the first British director to helm an installment of this series.
Ronald Harwood (Screenwriter)
Ronald Harwood received the Academy Award® for his adapted screenplay for The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski, and previously received an Oscar® nomination for his screenplay of The Dresser, directed by Peter Yates. Harwood was born in Cape Town, South Africa and later moved to London to pursue a career in the theatre. After attending The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he joined the Shakespeare Company of Sir Donald Wolfit, one of the last British "actor-managers." From 1953 to 1958, Harwood became the personal dresser of Sir Donald. He would later draw from the experience in his play The Dresser and write a biography of Wolfit.

In 1960, Harwood started a new career as a writer, penning plays, novels and non-fiction books, as well as adaptations of his works for the screen. A recurring theme in his work has been the arts and artists. Among his plays are "Another Time," "The Handyman," "Equally Divided," "Quartet," "After The Lions," and "Mahler's Conversion." He is the author of a general history of theatre, entitled All The World's A Stage. His most recent novel is Home.

Harwood has also been drawn to the World War II period, as highlighted by the films Operation Daybreak, The Statement, The Pianist and his play-turned-to-film, Taking Sides. Other screenplays include One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, The Browning Version (for which he received a BAFTA nomination), Cry, the Beloved Country, Oliver Twist, Private Potter, A High Wind in Jamaica, Mandela, and Being Julia.

His forthcoming films include The Diving Bell and the Butterfly for director Julian Schnabel and Australia for Baz Luhrmann.

Scott Steindorff (Producer)
Producer Scott Steindorff joined with prominent Las Vegas business-people Andrew Molasky, Robin Greenspun and Danny Greenspun to form Stone Village Pictures, LLC. As President and producer, Scott is committed to bringing strong, beautiful stories to the big screen and ensuring that Stone Village continues to grow and evolve while making a lasting contribution to the entertainment industry.

Steindorff filmed the adaptation of the classic novel Love in the Time of Cholera in Cartagena, Colombia and London. After a three year pursuit to convince the Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez to license the film rights, Steindorff and Stone Village VP Dylan Russell tapped Oscar-winning screenwriter Ronald Harwood to adapt the book and Mike Newell to direct with a cast including Javier Bardem, acclaimed Italian actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Benjamin Bratt, Liev Schreiber, Catalina Sandino Moreno, John Leguizamo, Fernanda Montenegro, and Hector Elizondo. The film will be released domestically by New Line Cinema on November 16, 2007.

Well-known in the industry for acquiring and adapting literary properties, Scott's first feature production was the 2003 film, The Human Stain, based on the novel by Philip Roth. A Lakeshore Entertainment and Miramax production, Stain starred Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman.

Scott's next project teamed him with Paul Newman and producer Marc Platt, producing the critically acclaimed and award-winning miniseries for HBO, "Empire Falls". Adapted from Richard Russo's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "Falls" starred Paul Newman, Ed Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, Aidan Quinn and Joanne Woodward. Directed by Fred Schepisi and filmed in the Fall of 2003, the miniseries premiered on HBO in May 2005 and received 10 Emmy nominations and the Golden Globe for Best Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

Next up was the modern-day fable Penelope starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Peter Dinklage, and Reese Witherspoon, which filmed in London. Produced in association with Witherspoon's Type A Films and financed by Stone Village and Grosvenor Park, Penelope will be released by Summit Entertainment in February 2008.

In keeping with the literary modus operandi, Steindorff is producing the adaptation of the T.C. Boyle book The Tortilla Curtain written by Dayan Ballweg and Modoc, based on Ralph Helfer's book about the greatest elephant who ever lived. In 2005, Steindorff bought the rights to the Michael Connelly New York Times Bestseller The Lincoln Lawyer and the Nicholas Sparks New York Times Bestseller True Believer. Steindorff also bought the rights to the A.M. Homes novel This Book Will Save Your Life.

Along with their literary adaptations, Stone Village has acquired remake rights to the 1955 French classic heist film Rififi and the Akira Kurosawa movie Ikiru.

In 2002, Stone Village Pictures and business entrepreneur Glenn Schaeffer formed Intellectual Property Group (IPG), a literary management company with book veteran Joel Gotler. The company focuses on the representation of writers. Clients of IPG for film and TV rights include Michael Connelly, James Ellroy, Harlan Coben, Andre Dubus, Tim LaHaye, James Lee Burke, Richard Russo and Alice McDermott, among many others.

Steindorff is a board member of the International Institute of Modern Letters, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, protection, and preservation of literature.

Alfonso Beato, ASC, A.B.C. (Director of Photography)
Alfonso Beato is an esteemed cinematographer with an award-winning international career spanning close to forty years. His most recent credits include The Queen, the most recent feature from Stephen Frears.

Beato's additional film credits include include: Dark Water, with Jennifer Conely, John C. Reilly and Tom Roth for director Walter Salles, Jr, The Fighting Temptations for director Jonathan Lynn, Dot the I for director Matthew Parkhill, Bruno Barreto's View from the Top, with Gwyneth Paltrow, Mike Myers and Christina Applegate, and Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World with Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch.

Most notably, Beato had a running partnership with acclaimed Spanish director, Pedro Almodovar, on such films as All About My Mother, which garnered a 2000 Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film, Live Flesh and The Flower of My Secret.
Beato has also worked with director Jim McBride on repeated occasions on such films as The Big Easy, Great Balls of Fire and Uncovered. His other select film credits include Price of Glory, Orfeu and Antonio Das Mortes, which won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Beato's television credits include "Dead by Midnight," "Pronto," "The IRA Informant," "The Wrong Man," and most recently the Hallmark Hall of Fame telefilm "Plainsong."

Originally from Brazil, Beato moved to New York in 1970, became an U.S. citizen and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Wolf Kroeger (Production Designer)
Wolf Kroeger's feature film credits include Popeye, Streamers, First Blood, Ladyhawke, Year of the Dragon, The Sicilian, Casualties of War, We're No Angels, Last of the Mohicans, The Three Musketeers, The Edge, The 13th Warrior, Running Free, Enemy at the Gates, Reign of Fire and Beyond Borders.

His television credits include the telefilms "Volpone," "Execution of Private Slovick" and "The Fortunate Pilgrim."

He is the recipient of three "Genie" Canadian Film Awards.

Mick Audsley (Editor)
Mick Audsley has been cutting feature films for 30 years and has worked with most of the leading directors in the UK including Stephen Frears, Neil Jordan, Terry Gilliam and Mike Newell. Amongst numerous credits, he was nominated for a British Academy award for work on Dangerous Liasons (1988) and was a BAFTA winner for film editing on The Snapper (1993), also directed by Frears.

He first worked with Mike Newell on Dance With A Stranger (1985) and in recent years was film editor on Mona Lisa's Smile, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and now Love in the Time of Cholera, all for Newell. He is based in London, England.

Marit Allen (Costume Designer)
Born in Chehire in 1941 to a Norwegian mother and English father, Marit Allen was educated at an all-girls private school in the English countryside (later an inspiration for Mrs. Doubtfire.) She continued on to the University of Grenoble in 1960, which was later useful during the making of La Vie en Rose, since Edith Piaf was all the rage then, as were the great New Wave film directors. It was here that Allen became a film fanatic.

In 1961, she joined Queen Magazine (later Harper's/Queen) in the fashion department as a trainee and quickly rose to edit and write the young fashion pages. Headhunted by British Vogue in 1963, Allen spent 10 years there, editing and writing the "Young Idea" pages, the apoge of the London Ready-to-Wear revolution.

In 1973, after marriage and three children, Allen left Vogue and soon established the Journalism B.A. course at Central St. Martin's Art College. She then segued into Film Costume, at Nic Roeg's request, to work on Don't Look Now, Bad Timing, Eureka and The Witches. Allen then went on to work with Frank Oz on Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Mermaids.

In a film career spanning 33 years, she has worked with such diverse and fascinating directors as Ang Lee (Ride with the Devil, Hulk and Brokeback Mountain), Jim Jarmush (Deadman), and Stanley Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut). During these years, Allen has worked on stories in various genres, set in eras ranging from Medieval to Modern, and filmed on six continents. The latest of these is Love in the Time of Cholera.

Antonio Pinto (Composer)
Celebrated for his brilliant score to the indie smash City of God (2003), Antonio Pinto has been scoring films for nearly a decade, including many award winning pictures including Central Station (1998), Behind the Sun (2002), and Midnight (2000). He has worked with such directors as Fernando Meirelles, Walter Salles, Michael Mann, Andrew Niccol, Brad Silberling, Sergio Machado, Heitor Dhalia, as well as up-and-coming Ecuadorian director Sebastian Cordero in Cronicas, starring John Leguizamo and produced by Alfonse Cuaron and Jorge Vergara. Cronicas was acquired by Focus Features at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
Antonio Pinto's gift is his understanding that music is something going on around us all the time. He can hear and bring to life a world and a spirit stolen directly from the streets and hearts of the people who live in his films' illustrated worlds. And for those who have never felt what his music describes, his music creates for them a new reality. His sense of story is musically driven and can cut to the center of the deepest emotion with the simplicity of a lingering note and can just as smoothly blazon its way instinctively into complicated dancy techno samba with an ever-flowing energy that continually compliments its narrative. He creates a flow and adds logic to vision. He can depict any mood and has over a thousand ways to musically describe human passions. He can make sense of scenes that have been smashed together with opposing tones; and has such precision in describing moments that he ends up orchestrating the audience as much as he orchestrates his instruments.
He is most at home in Brazilian styles of orchestrated street music, but is inventive and draws from many styles including jazz, funk, and rock. His choices of instrumentation are imaginative and diverse.
His projects include the score for Cronicas (2004), produced by Alfonse Cuaron which was in the Un Certain Regard category at the 2004 Cannes Festival. The film is about a journalist who travels to Ecuador to cover the case of a serial killer. Antonio collaborated with Michael Mann on Collateral (Dreamworks, 2004) starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, a film about a cab driver who is held hostage by a contract killer who uses the driver to make his rounds. Lord of War, the Andrew Niccol written and directed film starring Nicolas Cage and Ethan Hawke, Perfect Stranger directed by James Foley starring Halle Berry and Bruce Willis, 10 Items or Less for Brad Silberling starring Morgan Freeman.
Additionally, Antonio also scored City of Men aka Cidade des Homens, the follow-up to City of God directed by Paulo Morelli and produced by Fernando Meirelles's O2 Filmes, based on the television series. The film is currently in theaters in Brazil.