It has been reported that Catalina Sandino Moreno has joined Matthew Broderick in The New Group’s upcoming Off-Broadway world premiere of Kenneth Lonergan’s play ‘The Starry Messenger‘. Actually, she was already once slated to take the female lead in the play back in winter 2007, but the production was cancelled (our update). I’m really glad to hear it’s back on.

The play follows an astronomy teacher whose midlife crisis is thrown into relief by an unexpected affair that changes everything. Facing a stagnant marriage and a drowning career, Mark Williams is stuck teaching astronomy in the basement of the Hayden Planetarium. When a chance meeting with a young mother knocks them both out of orbit, their lives begin to realign in ways they never could have predicted. It’s set in 1995, the last year before the [Hayden] planetarium — one of the great NYC institutions — was torn down. On the inspiration for The Starry Messenger, Lonergan reveals that the work “dates back to an astronomy course at The Hayden Planetarium that Matthew Broderick and I took as high school students growing up in New York City.” He penned the new play specifically for Broderick.

Previews will start in October but no exact dates have been set.

Source: Playbill.com • The New Group

I’m sorry for the lack of updates on this site – but while it’s true that I’ve mostly been busy otherwise it also needs to be said that it’s very quiet in the Catalina world these days. So I was very happy to come across a new project of hers. She narrated a documentary called ‘Nombre Secreto: Mariposas‘ (which means ‘Code Name: Butterflies’):

The Chilean director Cecilia Domeyko premiered in Santiago the documentary “Code Name: Butterflies”, which tells the story of the Dominican heroines Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal. At the presentation that took place at the Centro León and was sponsored by the House of Representatives, Domeyko said that the lives of the Mirabals was worthy to be told to the world. During ten years, the president of Accent Media collected the pieces of information and testimonials that resulted in a clean account, which illustrates in a clear way the experiences of the times of Trujillo’s tyranny.

With the voice of the Colombian actress Catalina Sandino Moreno, nominated for an Academy Award for the film “Maria Full of Grace”, the film tells the touching story of the heroines from Salcedo. Their opposition to the regime, their arrestment as well as their husbands’ and their sad end, came to life again with the actresses avalys González (Minerva), Roxanna Montenegro (María Teresa), Yaremis Pérez (Patria) and Náyade Rivero (Dedé). The dictator was portrayed by Enrique Almirante. The Dominican Republic and Cuba were the countries in which the filming took lace. At the end of the event, Angie Del Riego performed the soundtrack for the documentary.
(source)

Many many thanks Mariana for the translation!

A DVD of the documentary can be ordered from the official website and you can watch the trailer on YouTube.

I’m a bit late about this but there it goes. Catalina Sandino Moreno is part of GAP’s Fall Campaign. I’ve added a preview picture to the gallery. Would anyone be able to spot and scan Catalina’s picture in one of the magazines the campaign appears? The campaign is being run in the September and October issues of national magazines including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, Interview, Paper, Nylon, GQ and Rolling Stone. It also appeared in the New York Times and New York Post.

Gap has tapped a diverse group of actors and style makers to launch its fall collection, the first full collection designed by Gap head designer Patrick Robinson. The campaign, launching this week, features Liv Tyler, Ginnifer Goodwin, Hugh Dancy, Edgar Ramirez, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Melvil Poupaud, Clemence Poesy, Nate Parker, Joe Anderson, Georgina Chapman, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Scott Schuman, Leigh Lezark, Sean Avery, David Benioff, Max Lugavere & Jason Silva, Cecilia Dean and Ryan McGinley.

Comprised of black and white images shot by acclaimed fashion photographer Mikael Jansson, the campaign features iconic pieces from Gap’s fall collection worn in unique ways by each individual.

“What we love about this campaign is that it speaks very directly to the ideas of self-expression and individuality,” said Ivy Ross, executive vice president of Gap Marketing. “‘Create Your Own Gap’ is about creating your own look through mixing and matching pieces that best represent you. It’s about conveying who you are and what you stand for through what you wear.”

Gap’s fall collection is all about classic items redesigned for today — from a timeless trench or leather jacket, to the perfect v-neck t-shirt and pair of jeans. Must-have items for the season include:
- The Deep V-Neck ($44), worn by Catalina Sandino Moreno, Actor

The 2 parts of Steven Soderbergh’s project about Che – also known as ‘Guerilla’ and ‘The Argentine’ – are to have their world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it also features in the official competition. Let’s hope Catalina Sandino Moreno, who plays Che’s wife in the movies, will also attend!

World Premiere: Wednesday, May 21, 6.30 pm
Second screening: Thursday, May 22, 1.15 pm

The film runs for 4 hours 28 minutes! Read an article here to learn what problems this – as well as the Spanish dialogue – might cause when it comes to find a general US release date. Also, apparently the second part (The Argentine) was only just finished in time for the prestigious film festival.

Synopsis:

PART ONE
On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro – to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
Che proves indispensable as a fighter, and quickly grasps the art of guerrilla warfare. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. This film tracks Che’s rise in the Cuban Revolution, from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero.

PART TWO
After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution.
The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice, idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.

Exciting news! Catalina Sandino Moreno has signed for a new project – and it is actually a two film project. Variety has just reported the following:

Colombian actress Catalina Sandino Moreno, Oscar-nommed for “Maria Full of Grace,” has been added to the cast of Steven Soderbergh’s two film project about Latin American revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, which begins shooting July 25 in Spain.

Entitled “The Argentine” and “Guerrilla,” the two Spanish language-pics have a combined budget of around $70 million. Benicio del Toro toplines as “Che.”

Other thesps attached include Julia Ormond, Germany’s Franka Potente and Cuban Jorge Perugorria, as well as Spanish actors Jordi Molla, Oscar Jaenada, Eduard Fernandez and Ruben Ochandiano.

U.S.-based Guerrilla has teamed with Spanish production houses Telecinco Cinema and Morena Films to co-produce. Wild Bunch handles international sales.

Shooting begins in Spain’s central Castille La Mancha region and will continue in other locations in Madrid and Andalusia for nine weeks.

There is no word yet on who Catalina is going to play. The project has been in the works for quite some time now. Apparently it was first announced back in November 2005 as one film but also starring Benicio del Toro. Before the script was finished (which was originally written by del Toro and Terrence Malick) the team shot some scenes for about a week at the UN in January 2006 in an effort to get in ahead of a planned refurbishment at the buildings. A little later Julia Ormond joined the cast and last October the film was split in two.

Check out the IMDb listings for the films: The Argentine and Guerilla.

‘The Hottest State’ will be screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival (running August 15-26)! Screening dates:

Thursday, August 16, 2007, 21:30
Friday, August 17, 2007, 17:10

For more information check out the film’s page at the official Festival site. It will get a Gala presentation, but no word on whether Catalina Sandino Moreno will be attending. Let’s hope so

Update by Riikka: Catalina has been listed for AskMen.com’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women for 2007. The 170 finalists have been selected, and now it’s up to you to help determine the final 99. Do you want to see Catalina make the final cut? Be sure to spread the news and give her a 10 here.