Ahead of El Sabor de la Navidad’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Salma Hayek Pinault and Jose Tamez discussed the film, which was made through their joint production company Ventanarosa. Along with director, Alejandro Lozano, the Spanish-language film is all about dealing with the dichotomy of tradition and progression, told through the stories of three different families.
“We enjoy what we do, and we take pride in what we do,” Hayek says about the work at Ventanarosa. We believe in projects that represent the community in the right way, but also makes them think, makes them feel proud of who we are. And we do it under very challenging budgets.”
The film deals with representing traditional aspects of Mexican life while also dealing with modern day challenges such as getting through to a younger generation, trans acceptance, and class differences. “Sometimes when it’s a family member, you have to accept first, and then understand. But it’s important to go towards that second step, so you’re not tolerating a loved one, but totally loving someone,” Hayek Pinault says, about the storyline of a mother learning to accept her transgender daughter.
“I was trying to present three stories about love,” says Tamez, who is also credited as a writer of the film. “Being a member of the gay community, that was a story that resonated with me. And I thought it could resonate with everyone, regardless of your situation.”
El Sabor de la Navidad premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and be available for streaming on ViX in November.
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