Maya Entertainment Group, Inc. was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

multi-platform video distribution company.

Moctesuma Esparza Moctesuma Esparza (born March 12, 1949) is an American producer, entertainment executive, entrepreneur and community activist. He is the chief executive officer of Maya Cinemas, a theater chain servicing to the United States Latino audience. H ...

founded the company in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 2007.from maya-entertainment.com (domain for sale as of May 2014) Maya Entertainment procured and produced content that appealed to the new diverse

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Latino and multi-cultural audiences. The company acquired a library of over 100 titles. Maya Entertainment launched "Maya at the Movies" with

Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, o ...

. They also participated in The Maya Indie Films Festival, a traveling summer film tour. The festival embodied a culturally diverse cinema and attempted to promote Latino prominence and talent in the film industry and to provide an outlet for independent film exposure. Maya Entertainment recently released ''

Sympathy for Delicious ''Sympathy for Delicious'' is a 2010 American drama film, and the directorial debut of Mark Ruffalo. Filming took place in Los Angeles. Premise A newly paralyzed disc jockey (Thornton) gets more than he bargained for when he seeks out the world o ...

'', a major motion picture starring

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor. He began acting in the late 1980s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan's play ''This Is Our Youth'' (1996) and drama film ''You Can Count on Me'' (2000) ...

Laura Linney Laura Leggett Linney (born February 5, 1964) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several awards, including two Golden Globe Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards, and has been nominated for three Academy Awards and five Tony Awards. ...

, and

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series (2001–03). He reprised his r ...

History

Founder

was born and raised in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He received a B.A. and MFA in

Theatre Arts Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communic ...

Motion Pictures A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, and has dedicated himself to empowering and transforming the images of

Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

Feature films

Theatrical films * '' Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright''- starring

Aidan Quinn Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an Irish-American actor. He made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984), and has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), '' Stakeout'' (1987) ...

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...

, and

Andy Garcia Andy may refer to: People *Andy (given name), including a list of real individuals and fictional characters *Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianis ...

* ''

The Dry Land ''The Dry Land'' (also known as ''American Tragic'') is a 2010 American drama film written and directed by Ryan Piers Williams. The film stars Ryan O’Nan, America Ferrara, Wilmer Valderrama, Jason Ritter, and Melissa Leo. It premiered at ...

'' - starring

America Ferrera America Georgina Ferrera (; born April 18, 1984) is an American actress, director and television producer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by America Ferrera, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golde ...

Jason Ritter Jason Morgan Ritter (born February 17, 1980) is an American actor. The son of actors John Ritter and Nancy Morgan, he is known for his work in television series such as ''Joan of Arcadia'' (2003–2005), ''Gravity Falls'' (2012–2016), '' Anot ...

, and

Wilmer Valderrama Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom '' That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), his current role as Special Agent Nick Torres in '' NCIS'' (2016–present), and Agu ...

* '' Sins of My Father'' (''Pecados de mi Padre'') - the true story of

Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed the "King of Cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthie ...

, the infamous boss of Colombia's Medellin drug cartel, as told through the eyes of his son * ''

'' - directed by

; starring Ruffalo,

and

Juliette Lewis Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress, singer and musician. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark plots, themes and settings. Lewis gained prominence in American cinema during t ...

* ''

Without Men Without Men is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Gabriela Tagliavini and starring Eva Longoria, Christian Slater, Kate del Castillo, and Oscar Nuñez. It is based on the novel '' Tales from the Town of Widows'' by James Cañón. Premise Wi ...

'' - starring Eva Longoria Parker,

Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor. He made his film debut with a leading role in '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakout role as Jason "J.D." Dean, a sociopath ...

and

Oscar Nunez Óscar Núñez (born November 18, 1958), sometimes credited as Oscar Nunez, is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as the Dunder Mifflin accountant Óscar Martínez on NBC's ''The Office''. The accolades he has recei ...

International film distribution

International film distribution is currently headed by Elias Axume. Maya Entertainment sells rights to its entertainment properties worldwide and has a large presence at major markets including

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

/European Film Market,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

FILMART,

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

, MIP-TV,

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

, MIPCOM and AFM. Currently * '' Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright'' - starring

and

Mario van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...

* ''

Café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

'' - starring

Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel serie ...

and

Jamie Kennedy James Harvey Kennedy (born May 25, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. In film, Kennedy played Randy Meeks in the ''Scream'' film series (1996–2000), which saw him as a supporting character in the first and third installments and a le ...

* ''The Jesuit'' - starring

Michelle Rodriguez Mayte Michelle Rodríguez (born July 12, 1978) is an American actress. She began her career in 2000, playing a troubled boxer in the independent sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000), where she won the Independent Spirit Awards, Independent S ...

and

Willem Dafoe William James "Willem" Dafoe ( ; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various accolades including a Volpi Cup Award for ...

* '' La Mission'' - starring

Benjamin Bratt Benjamin Bratt (born December 16, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for playing Paco Aguilar in '' Blood in Blood Out''. He had supporting film roles in the 1990s in ''Demolition Man'' (1993), ''Clear and Present Danger'' (1994) and '' ...

* ''

'' - starring Eva Longoria Parker,

and

List of releases

References

Sources

* "The Film Catalogue - Maya Entertainment - Www.thefilmcatalogue.com." ''The Film Catalogue'' - Www.thefilmcatalogue.com. Web. 13 June 2011
The Film Catalogue - Maya Entertainment Group - www.thefilmcatalogue.com
* {{Cite web , title=Maya Entertainment {{! Home , url=http://maya-entertainment.com/ * "Maya Entertainment Buys Sundance Title 'All She Can' - IndieWIRE." ''Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews'' , IndieWIRE. Web. 13 June 2011
Maya Entertainment Buys Sundance Title “All She Can”
* "Maya Entertainment Makes Waves in Hollywood , HispanicTips." ''HispanicTips , The Ultimate Tool for Understanding & Appreciating Hispanics & Latinos :: Empower Yourself''. Web. 13 June 2011
Maya Entertainment Makes Waves in Hollywood , HispanicTips
* "Maya Entertainment Nabs Eva Longoria Parker, Christian Slater Comedy 'Without Men' - The Hollywood Reporter." ''The Latest Entertainment & Hollywood News - The Hollywood Reporter''. Web. 13 June 2011
Maya Entertainment Nabs Eva Longoria Parker, Christian Slater Comedy ‘Without Men’
* "Maya Entertainment s" ''The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)''. Web. 13 June 2011
Advanced search
* "Our Team , Maya Entertainment." ''Maya Entertainment , Home''. Web. 8 June 2011
Our Team , Maya Entertainment
* Jacoby, Anna. "FYIDC: The Maya Indie Film Festival." Washington Life Magazine. Web. 13 June 2011
FYIDC: The Maya Indie Film Festival – Washington Life Magazine
Film distributors of the United States Hispanic and Latino American culture in Los Angeles