“From Prada To Nada” cast and pre-production announced

Odd Lot Entertainment, Lionsgate, and Videocine announced today the start of pre-production on an English-language Mexican-US co-production film, entitled From Prada To Nada.

Cannes Golden Camera-winner and Alma-nominated director Fina Torres (pictured, director of “Woman on Top” and “Oriana“) will helm a contemporary, Latina version of Jane Austen’s classic novel Sense and Sensibility. Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated actress Adriana Barraza (Babel, Drag Me to Hell, Amores Perros), Camilla Belle (When A Stranger Calls, 10,000 B.C., The Ballad of Jack and Rose), Alexa Vega (Spy Kids trilogy, ABC Family’s Ruby and the Rockits), Wilmer Valderrama (The Dry Land, That 70′s Show) and Kuno Becker (Goal! trilogy) are set to star in this ensemble romantic comedy.

A whimsical spin on Austen’s original, From Prada to Nada follows two spoiled sisters when they are left penniless after the sudden death of their father. Forced to move in with their estranged aunt in East Los Angeles, this is a fish-out-of-water story where the girls ultimately find romance, as well as a love for their culture. Torres co-wrote the script with Chicano dramatist Luis Alfaro (Electricidad).

Odd Lot, Lionsgate and Videocine are production, financing and distribution partners on the film. Odd Lot’s Gigi Pritzker and Linda McDonough will produce, along with Rossana Arau and Gary Gilbert.

“Fina’s decadent filmic style, combined with a socially relevant and hip story, drew together our exceptional and fresh cast,” says McDonough. Continued Prizker, “I believe in telling stories with a cultural basis, and of course I also believe in smart deals – From Prada to Nada does both.”

The deal was engineered by Odd Lot COO Bill Lischak, Lionsgate President and co-COO Steve Beeks and Videocine Vice President Fernando Perez Gavilan. “We were intrigued by the prospect of supporting this creative property with our unique strategic distribution relationship with Videocine,” Beeks said of the partnership. Lionsgate will distribute in North America and Odd Lot International will handle sales in foreign territories at the upcoming AFM. Lionsgate Executive Vice President, Production Lisa Ellzey spearheaded the film’s creative development at Lionsgate.

Barraza is repped by Craig Shapiro at Innovative Artists and Javier Contreras at Magnolia Entertainment; Belle by Brent Morley at WME and attorneys Marcy Morris and Darren Trattner; Vega by Ro Diamond at SDB Partners and John Carrabino at John Carrabino Management; Valderrama by Shani Rosenzweig and Carlos Carreras at UTA; and Becker by Carlos Gonzalez at The Gersh Agency, Ivan De Paz at DePaz Management and Fabiola Pena at Talent on the Road Management.