Rooney Mara Drama ‘La Cocina’ Pre-Sells To Germany & Austria On Eve Of Berlin Film Festival Debut

EXCLUSIVE: HanWay Films has closed a Germany & Austria pre-sale on Berlinale competition title La Cocina with SquareOne Entertainment.

From Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios (A Cop Movie), and starring two-time Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (The Girl with Dragon Tattoo) and Mexican star Raúl Briones (A Cop Movie), the love story is set over one day in a Times Square kitchen.

The deal was negotiated by SquareOne Entertainment‘s Head of Acquisitions Thomas Sierk with Vinh-Minh Nguyen and CEO Al Munteanu, and Nicole Mackey, Head of Sales at HanWay Films.

Fifth Season has co-financed the film and is co-representing North America with WME.

The film’s synopsis reads: “It’s the lunch rush at The Grill in Manhattan, and money has gone missing from the till. All the undocumented cooks are being investigated, and Pedro (Briones) is the prime suspect. He’s a dreamer and a troublemaker, and in love with Julia (Mara), an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship. Rashid, The Grill´s owner, has promised to help Pedro with his papers so he can “become legal”. A shocking revelation about Julia compels Pedro to spiral into an act that will stop the production line of one of the city’s busiest kitchens once and for all.”

The producers add about the project: “La Cocina is a tragic and comic tribute to the invisible people who keep our restaurants running and our stomachs full, whilst chasing a perhaps unreachable version of the American dream.”

Written and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, the movie is based on the play by Arnold Wesker and is produced by Ramiro Ruiz, Gerardo Gatica, Lauren Mann and Ivan Orlic. The project is a co-production of Filmadora, alongside partner production companies Panorama, Fifth Season, Astrakan Film AB and Seine Pictures.

Al Munteanu from SquareOne Entertainment said: “We are ravished by Alonso Ruizpalacio’s meticulously crafted film which impressed us as a thrilling, timely, and immersive cinematic experience. The ensemble cast is a knockout across the board, led by unforgettable performances from Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones.”