El Halcón, the debut film from Mexican director, screenwriter, and producer Eduardo Valenzuela of United Content, had a limited US release on Friday, September 13th in theaters in California, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Texas. It’s also available on Prime Video in Mexico and Latin America. Valenzuela proudly told PRODU that the film is a humorous and heartfelt tribute to the golden age of wrestling cinema in the 1960s and 1970s, exemplified by films featuring iconic figures like El Santo, Blue Demon, and Mil Máscaras.
El Halcón, the first film in a trilogy, premiered at the Morelia Film Festival in October of last year and subsequently screened in over 400 Cinépolis theaters across Mexico in February 2024.
The film is being distributed and promoted in the U.S. by Gustavo Aparicio’s Spanglish Movies.
Valenzuela emphasizes the strong partnership they’ve formed with Spanglish Movies. “We’ve been working closely together as a team,” he explains. “Both the actors and I have been actively involved in promoting the film in the US. Spanglish Movies is a fantastic team, full of enthusiasm and creativity. We recently completed a media tour in Los Angeles that was an incredible experience. We appeared on several TV and radio shows, which was exciting.”
Aparicio, CEO of Spanglish Movies, commented, ‘We’re thrilled to partner with Eduardo Valenzuela and distribute his debut film, El Halcón, in the US. The film’s release coincided with Mexico’s Independence Day, making its premiere a special event that celebrates Mexican culture on this side of the border.”
Valenzuela established his own production company, United Content, in 2017. The company specializes in creating innovative content for all platforms and has produced series for Amazon and Sony, including Destilando México and The Ultimate Mixologist.
The cast of El Halcón features Ianis Guerrero (known for his roles in Nosotros los Nobles and Club de Cuervos), Guillermo Quintanilla (recognized for his work in Los Casi Ídolos de la Bahía Colorada and El Señor de los Cielos), Ana Jimena Villanueva (Las Bravas FC), and Said Sandoval (Club de Cuervos, El Poderoso Victoria), among others.
The plot of El Halcón unfolds in a Mexico controlled by criminals, where wrestling has been outlawed. A retired wrestler and a policewoman team up to seek revenge against a ruthless criminal who has kidnapped the wrestler’s son.
Valenzuela recalls that part of the inspiration for the film came from his childhood when he watched programs featuring wrestlers like Capulina and Octagon. “For me, my first heroes, before Spiderman and Superman, were the Mexican wrestling warriors. They were heroes who didn’t possess superpowers but had a strong desire to fight evil. We wanted to capture a bit of that spirit in our film,” he explained. “We wanted to reinvent the Mexican superhero, a human being like you and me, with flaws and virtues. Our goal was to inspire people to believe that they can all be heroes in their own lives, within their homes, families, schools, and workplaces. We don’t need superheroes or superpowers to make a difference.”
