“New York indie, "Rhythm of the Saints" debuts at The 2003 Sundance Film Festival

New York, NY (December 4, 2002) Actress Sarita Choudhury and newcomer Daniella Alonso work their magic in Rhythm of the Saints -one of the 2003 Sundance Film Festival’s selections for the Dramatic Competition section. The film directed by Sarah Rogacki, written by Cyn Cañel Rossi, produced by Ms. Rossi and Yvette Tomlinson, and Alex Rossi as Executive producer is the first feature film venture for Cynalex Productions. The film, which makes it debut at Sundance this January, tells the story of fifteen year-old Rena, who with her posse of street friends strikes back at her abusive stepfather through the ancient Afro-Caribbean rites of Santeria.

Sarita Choudhury, who exploded onto the scene in 1991 as Mina in Mississippi Masala and has over 20 films to her credit, delivers a thoughtful and penetrating performance as Mariela Juarez, the hard-edged, young single mother of troubled teen Rena. “I had Sarita in mind for the role of Mariela when writing the film,” says Ms. Rossi. Sarita has a kind of Ana Magnani quality and amazing emotional range that captures the essence of Mariela.” Daniella Alonso, who is also one of Covergirl’s new faces, makes a stunning debut, striking a chord as the streetwise and wounded Rena Juarez.

RHYTHM of the SAINTS was a labor of love for partners Cyn and Alex Rossi. After several years of producing theater, specifically the works of emerging Latin American playwrights, the two joined forces with producer Yvette Tomlinson to make the independent film. “The script is completely reflective of Cynalex’s body of work. Cyn has spent years committed to developing these type of character driven stories about young Latinas and we felt strongly that this was a perfect first-time project for us. Getting into SUNDANCE is such a great validation of our effort.”

Also for first-time director Sarah Rogacki and Ms. Rossi, RHYTHM of the SAINTS was truly a collaborative effort. When after principal photography Ms. Rogacki moved on to develop her own feature project, Ms. Rossi took over post-production and spent a year completing the film. “The two had worked very closely during the entire process, so the handing over of the reins seemed quite natural. Everybody knew the story we set out to tell, “ adds Ms. Tomlinson.

RHYTHM of the SAINTS also features Ivan Martin, Gano Grills, Nelson Landrieu, Onahoua Rodriguez, Ryan Donowho, Amatus Karim, Bridget Barkan and Prinya Intachai.