SXSW Audience Award Winner CORINA Premieres in New York at Rooftop Films

New York Premiere of SXSW-Winning Mexican Dramedy CORINA at Rooftop Films, Thursday, June 12

Starring Naian González Norvind (NEW ORDER)

and Cristo Fernández (TED LASSO), the Debut Feature

by Urzula Barba Hopfner Is an Uplifting and Heartfelt

Fable About Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

and Embracing the Unknown

Corina, the auspicious and quirky debut feature by Mexican writer-director Urzula Barba Hopfner—winner of the Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival—will have its much-anticipated New York premiere as part of the 2025 season of Rooftop Films, with an outdoor screening on Thursday, June 12 at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn. Blending offbeat, deadpan humor with heartfelt emotion, Corina offers a vivid portrait of personal growth and the courage to step beyond the familiar.

Starring the captivating Naian González Norvind (New Order) in the title role and Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso) in a supporting turn, Corina premiered to critical acclaim at the Guadalajara Film Festival, where it won the Best Film Award in the Made in Jalisco competition, and later at the Guanajuato Film Festival, where it received the Press Award.

Its international premiere in the First Feature Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival last November was followed by its North American debut at SXSW this past March, where it struck a chord with audiences and earned the Audience Award in the Global section.

Set in the director's hometown of Guadalajara, the film follows Corina, a young woman who has rarely left her house in the past 20 years, except to work at a local publishing house. When she makes a grave mistake in the final installment of the company's most beloved book saga, her world is thrown into turmoil. To save her job—and the future of the publishing house—she must confront her deepest fears and, with the help of Carlos, embark on a daring journey to track down a mysterious writer whose words may hold the key to redemption.

With a carefully crafted screenplay, impeccable cinematography by Gerardo Guerra (Dos Estaciones), and intricate production design that brings its whimsical universe to life, Corina is an uplifting and endearing fable reminiscent of Amélie. It challenges viewers to embrace the unknown and find beauty in life’s unexpected detours, leaving an indelible mark on international audiences.

"Delightfully offbeat…. Refreshingly endearing, subtly stylized."

—Carlos Aguilar, Variety

"I love this movie.

Naian González Norvind shines… a terrific performance."

—Peter Martin, Screen Anarchy

 "Fun and quirky... Undeniably heartfelt."

—Joshua Stevens, Loud and Clear Reviews

CORINA. Mexico, 2024, 96 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. Director: Urzula Barba Hopfner; Executive Producer: Carlos Hernández, Iván López- Barba, Urzula Barba Hopfner; Producer: Carlos Hernández, Iván López- Barba, Urzula Barba Hopfner; Screenwriters: Urzula Barba Hopfner, Samuel Sosa; Cinematographer: Gerardo Guerra; Editor: José Villalobos Guerrero; Production Designer: Lou Perezsandi; Sound Designer: César González Cortés; Music: Gus Reyes, Andrés Sánchez Mahler. Cast: Naian González Norvind, Cristo Fernández, Carolina Politi, Mariana Gimenez, Laura de Ita, Gerardo Trejoluna.

About the Director:

Urzula Barba Hopfner (1982) is a Mexican film director from Guadalajara, Jalisco. She initially considered a career in architecture but spent a year traveling before pursuing her true passion: filmmaking. She graduated with a degree in directing from the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica in Mexico City. She has also taken part in dramaturgy seminars with Keith Cunningham and Thomas Schlesinger and completed an advanced directing workshop with Mark Travis at the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (HFF). Corina is her first feature film.