Everly Production Notes

Naked, beaten, crawling into her bathroom, pulling together her last shred of dignity as her attackers, a half dozen Yakuza thugs, laugh and party just outside her door. Everly removes a secret plastic bag from the toilet - inside she finds a phone, a locket, and a loaded pistol. She quickly dials - but no one is there - no one is coming to help her. She removes the locket - drawn to the sweet image of a little girl - fighting back a flood of sorrow. A loud, drunk thug begins pounding on the locked door, ready for more. Everly breaks, knowing she can't face the horror again, and raises the gun to her head. The door bursts open and-- the world goes dark.When light returns we find a defiant Everly, standing like the angel of death, over the dead body of a naked thug, her pistol cocked and ready. Her attackers have no time to react as she enters the apartment and begins blasting away, killing every last motherfucking one of them.The eerie quiet of the aftermath is broken by a familiar caller. Taiko. We learn that Taiko is a very dangerous and powerful man who ruthlessly traffics in human beings - and he owns Everly. He has kept her in this apartment as his private possession - a love unrequited - for years - keeping her from seeing her mother Edith and precious daughter, Maisey. After learning that Everly was secretly talking to the police, he sent his men there to rape and kill her for her disloyalty. While Taiko admits to being surprised and impressed by her cold blooded killing of his henchmen, he makes it very clear that she will not leave that apartment alive on this night.This sets in motion a relentless series of battles whereby Everly, trapped in this room, must thwart wave after wave of vicious attackers, each motivated by a $50,000 bounty Taiko has placed on her head, all the while trying to guide her mother and daughter to a safe place, beyond the reach of Taiko's bloodthirsty thugs.With a little help from her mother, Everly defies seemingly impossible odds, battling the most eccentric of villains - and in the end makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure her daughter's survival. This is Everly.

Please note: Some production notes may contain spoilers.

About the Production

EVERLY, directed by Joe Lynch (WRONG TURN 2, KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM) based on a screenplay written by Yale Hannon, produced by Adam Ripp, Rob Paris, Luke Rivett and Andrew Pfeffer, with Rizal Risjad, Ricky Budhrani and Paul Green as executive producers, financed by Vega, Baby! which also served as production company.

Shot in Belgrade, Serbia, Everly stars Academy Award nominee Salma Hayek (FRIDA), Hiroyuki Watanabe, Laura Cepeda, Togo Igawa (MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA), and Akie Kotabe (NOVEMBER MAN).

Director of Photography is Steve Gainer (PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, SUPER). Costumes Designed by Olivia Miles and Momirka Bailovic who join Hair and Makeup Head Daniel Parker, and Production Designer Ondřej Nekvasil, who is known for his work on the critically praised SNOWPIERCER.

About the Filmamker

JOE LYNCH (director) was born in Long Island, New York and was raised on a steady diet of B-movies, Stephen King novels, heavy metal, 8-bit games & 4-color comic books. His first foray into filmmaking was hooking up 2 VCR cameras and creating "remixes" of his favorite movie scenes to new music, and creating home-spun gore effects to shock his family members (it rarely worked).

Upon graduating from Syracuse University in 1998, where his two student shorts, MAHARBA and HIBEAMS got Lynch named Filmmaker of the Year in 1999 in The Village Voice's Best of Long Island issue. Joe's first film job was working with the legendary Troma Films, working on TERROR FIRMER and was then hired as an in-house writer/producer/Toxic Avenger model. Post-Troma, Lynch then created, produced & shot the hit US TV show URANIUM for Fuse, and directed music videos and documentaries for artists like 311, Sugarcult, DevilDriver, DVDA, Coal Chamber, Strapping Young Lad & Pete Yorn.

20th Century Fox's WRONG TURN 2: DEAD END was Lynch's first foray into feature filmmaking – a dream come true for the die-hard horror fanatic. This cinematic “love letter” to Splatter films of the 80's was a surprising critical and financial success, making many Top 10 lists on horror publications and websites and is still considered one of Fox's best selling DTV films to date.

After WRONG TURN 2, Lynch served as Creative Director at G4tv.com, where he developed and produced many of the site's popular web franchises, including FEEDBACK, THE MMO REPORT, FRESH INK & the Webby Award winning series FREESTYLE 101. Lynch also oversaw many of the network's live coverage of events, including E3, Comic-Con & the Tokyo Game Show, as well as commercial campaigns for Jinx and Sony (which he also directed). Recently Lynch and G4tv.com partnered to create a viral anthology of short horror films to celebrate “EPICTOBER” on the channel, one of which-“THE BIRDS OF ANGER”-won numerous awards.

Lynch was then tapped to direct the "Heavy Metal Horror Adventure", KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM, which follows a band of modern-day friends who embark on a LARP (Live Action Role Playing), leaving to dark, dangerous - and often time hilarious - results. The film boasts an all-star cast including Steve Zahn (TREME), Peter Dinklage (GAME OF THRONES), Ryan Kwanten (TRUE BLOOD) Summer Glau (SERENITY), Danny Pudi (COMMUNITY) & Jimmi Simpson (HOUSE OF CARDS). The film was recently released by EOne Entertainment and has become a cult hit.

Lynch was also one of the 4 directors contributing to the recently-released Horror/Comedy Anthology CHILLERAMA (with fellow directors Adam Rifkin, Adam Green & Tim Sullivan) which enjoyed an international festival bow, a national "Roadshow" theatrical run and released on VOD, Blu-Ray & DVD by Image Entertainment in November 2011.

Lynch was also one of the co-stars and executive producers of the cult hit horror/comedy HOLLISTON on FEARnet, an “un” traditional comedy sitcom that has garnered strong reviews from both critics and fans, and the show is currently in development for Season 3.

Lynch currently resides in Los Angeles with his lovely (and extremely patient) wife Briana & their sons Remy Plissken & Ferris Carrick.

Screenwriter
YALE HANNON has worked as a Writer’s Assistant on shows such as Pamela Anderson’s V.I.P and Alfred Molina’s LADIES MAN then became script coordinator on shows like STRONG MEDICINE, VANISHED and IN TREATMENT before his script EVERLY, based on a story by Joe Lynch, landed on the Hollywood Blacklist in 2010.

Since then he has continued to work as a Script Coordinator on shows like BIG LOVE and PARENTHOOD.

ADAM RIPP (producer), the award-winning filmmaker, is CEO/President of Vega, Baby! Productions which sources, packages and produces 2-3 features per year for Singapore based film financier Vega, Baby!

In 1992 Ripp produced his first feature film, PUBLIC ACCESS and was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. That same year he developed the script WRITING HOME which was invited to the 1994 Sundance Screenwriters Lab and began writing BEAT COP, a character driven story about an idealistic young man who joins the LAPD and discovers his true heart of darkness. In order to capture the true essence of this world, Ripp decided to join the LAPD and become a cop. He went on to graduate in January of 1995 at the top of his class. Vega, Baby! Productions is currently packaging BEAT COP with Ripp attached to direct.

Ripp used personal experiences in order to help him write, produce and direct the feature film GANG TAPES, a coming of rage story about a young boy chronicling his descent into gang life with a stolen video camera, which was financed and distributed by Lionsgate and released in 2002. Ripp won multiple awards including Best Director at the DVD Premiere Awards and the Melvin Van Peebles award at the San Francisco Black Film Festival. In addition, GANG TAPES won Best Ensemble Cast at the New York Underground Film Festival.

In 2004 Ripp created HOLLYWOOD VICE for Fox Television, which he wrote, executive produced and directed. He also developed SWAT for TNT which tells the true story about the creation of the very first SWAT team.

In 2005 Ripp wrote the feature film SCAVENGER for Arnold Rifkin and Beacon Pictures and in 2006 he created the scripted television series DARIUS for MTV. He also developed and executive produced the animated movie review series THE COWBOY 
CRITIC for CinemaNow.com.

Ripp produced a number of reality television series including: INSIDE AMERICAN JAIL for TruTV, BUSTED for MTV, SPEEDERS for TruTV, JAIL for MyNetTV and SPEEDERS FIGHT BACK for TruTV. He also served as an Executive Producer on MATCHED BY DESIGN for Style Network.

In 2010 Ripp assembled the financing and produced a remake of GAMBIT written by Academy Award winners Joel & Ethan Coen and starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz Alan Rickman and Stanley Tucci. CBS Films preemptively acquired US distribution rights at the European Film Market in Berlin.

In 2013 Ripp wrapped production on Black List script EVERLY, an action tour de force starring Academy Award nominee Salma Hayek. RADiUS-TWC/Dimension preemptively acquired North American distribution rights at the 2013 American Film Market and are preparing for a first quarter 2015 release.

In 2014 Ripp launched Vega, Baby! Releasing, a boutique feature film distribution company that will acquire, market and distribute up to 10 films per year across all platforms in North America. Ripp serves as Chief Creative Officer/Co-President of Vega, Baby! Releasing while retaining his post as CEO/President of Vega, Baby! Productions.

Adam is a member of the WGA and represented by Underground Films Management.

ROB PARIS (producer) began his career in 1994 as a motion picture literary agent with Creative Artist Agency, representing filmmakers such as John Patrick Shanley, Jerry Bruckheimer, Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Mark Romanek and Richard Kelly.

In 2006 Paris acquired THE MAIDEN HEIST, an original screenplay by Mike LeSieur (YOU, ME AND DUPREE). Paris assembled a cast including Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy and Marcia Gay Harden. Shortly after, Paris launched production on Abe Sylvia’s DIRTY GIRL starring Juno Temple, Milla Jovovich, William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight Yoakam and Tim McGraw.

Prior to THE MAIDEN HEIST, Paris formed Mission Entertainment, a development and production fund. As head of production, Paris acquired over a dozen projects, including WHIP IT! a book proposal he developed as a directing vehicle for Drew Barrymore.

LUKE RIVETT (producer) grew up in the picturesque western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Having fallen in love with the world of cinema at a young age, Luke took the tried and tested route into the film industry… working in his local video store. From there, he graduated to usher at a movie theatre in downtown Melbourne and then made a leap into the distribution side of the film industry as a Account Manager for Buena Vista International releasing Disney at Miramax titles theatrically in Australia.

Luke then relocated to Los Angeles in 2003 where he started as an assistant at Anonymous Content and has since moved up the ranks to a literary manager where he represents writers and directors. Under the Anonymous Content banner, he most recently produced EVERLY starring Salma Hayek and directed by Joe Lynch which will be released by Radius/Dimension in 2015. Previously, Luke produced Scenic Route, starring Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in 2013.

ANDREW PFEFFER (producer) has had a wide-ranging career in the entertainment industry and has worked all over the world as both a creative and line producer, high-level executive and attorney, with experience and expertise in virtually all areas, including production, distribution/marketing, financing, legal and business.

He began his career in 1970 as an attorney with the prestigious Los Angeles law firm of Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, where he represented a broad range of entertainment- related clients including major studios (e.g. Columbia, Paramount, 20th Century Fox), major independent film and television companies (e.g. MetroMedia, Faberge’s Brut Productions, General Electric’s Tomorrow Entertainment), talent (e.g. Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn, Jack Nicholson, Paul Hogan, Sam Peckinpah), producers, banks, investors and others.

In 1974, Pfeffer was appointed Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, and spent three years handling a wide variety of important federal criminal prosecutions, principally so-called “white collar” crimes, including securities fraud, mail fraud and tax fraud as well as a number of major Southern California narcotics prosecutions. Over a three- year period, he successfully prosecuted over fifty major cases for the United States and argued over a dozen appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Returning to private law practice in 1977, Pfeffer was involved in raising substantial tax-advantaged investment financing for (among other ventures) the production and distribution of motion pictures, and in 1979 he became President and Chief Operating Officer of American Communications Industries, Inc. and its American Cinema subsidiary, a major independent producer and distributor of theatrical motion pictures worldwide. Over the course of his three-year tenure, during which he had hands-on responsibility for all production, distribution operations as well as project financing, American Cinema raised public financing in both the United States and the United Kingdom and produced and distributed over a dozen motion pictures, including GOOD GUYS WEAR BLACK, A FORCE OF ONE and THE OCTAGON, three highly successful films starring martial arts star Chuck Norris. In 1980, Pfeffer executive produced THE ENTITY (starring Barbara Hershey), Tough Enough (starring Dennis Quaid) and I, THE JURY (starring Armand Assante), all of which were distributed by 20th Century Fox.

In 1983, Pfeffer co-founded the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, an international membership association of fitness instructors, with members throughout the world and a host of activities including certification and training seminars, conventions, video tapes, books and manuals, merchandise and “American Fitness,” one of the industry’s most respected monthly fitness magazines. Today, AFAA remains a highly visible player in the worldwide fitness industry.

After another stint in private law practice at Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, Pfeffer became President of Empire Entertainment, an independent producer/distributor of “high concept” films. A few years later, in 1989, he became President of Production and also Chief Operating Officer of Epic Productions, Inc., a major independent motion picture company which, over a three year period, produced and distributed in excess of twenty motion pictures, including MEN AT WORK (starring Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez), BAD INFLUENCE (starring Rob Lowe and James Spader), TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT (starring Willem Dafoe, James Olmos and Robert Loggia), WILD ORCHID (starring Mickey Rourke), WAITING FOR THE LIGHT (starring Shirley Maclaine) and, in partnership with Michael Douglas’ Stone Group Pictures, HARD PROMISES (starring Sissy Spacek), STONE COLD (starring Brian Bosworth) and DOUBLE IMPACT (starring Jean-Claude Van Damme) all of which were distributed domestically through Columbia, and FIREBIRDS (starring Nicholas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones), released through Disney. Once again, Pfeffer had overall responsibility for production and domestic distribution and marketing operations, was integrally involved in banking and other financing activities, and took over the on-location production of WILD ORCHID and STONE COLD in Brazil and Arkansas, respectively, when the productions proved troubled.

Pfeffer was a co-founder of Signature Entertainment Group, which during the period 1993-1994 financed and produced a number of highly successful motion pictures, including HARD TARGET, TIME COP, SUDDEN DEATH and THE QUEST (all starring Jean-Claude Van Damme), MEN OF WAR (starring Dolph Lundgren) (which Pfeffer produced in Thailand), and a host of smaller films. In 1994 he executive produced THE WILD SIDE (starring Christopher Walken, Joan Chen and Anne Heche) for Nu Image and August Entertainment.

In 1995, Pfeffer co-executive (and line) produced THE WINNER (directed by Alex Cox and starring Rebecca De Mornay and Billy Bob Thornton) and supervised production on LOVED (starring William Hurt and Robin Wright).

In 1997 Pfeffer formed Pfilmco and, in 1998 in concert with Donald Zuckerman, completed production of two films, THICK AS THIEVES (starring Alec Baldwin, Rebecca De Mornay and Andre Braugher), which was premiered the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed domestically by October Films, and THE BIG BRASS RING (based on Orson Welles’ final screenplay and starring William Hurt and Nigel Hawthorne), which was selected as the closing film at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. Also in 1999 he produced BEAT, starring Courtney Love and Kiefer Sutherland, in Mexico, which also premiered at Sundance. In August, 2000, Mr.Pfeffer completed principal photography on DREAMING OF JULIA (starring Harvey Keitel, Iben Hjejle and Gael Garcia-Bernal) in the Dominican Republic, and in December of the same year produced THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS (starring Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, Olivia Williams, James Coburn, Julianna Margulies and Anjelica Huston). THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was critically praised upon its U.S. theatrical release by the Samuel Goldwyn Company. Subsequently, he and Mr. Zuckerman produced SAY NOTHING IN TORONTO with William Baldwin and Nastassja Kinski for HBO.

In 2004 Pfeffer executive (and line) produced SANTA’S SLAY IN EDMONTON and RUNNING SCARED, starring Paul Walker and directed by Wayne Kramer (THE COOLER), in Prague and Newark, both for Bret Ratner’s Rat Entertainment and Media 8 Entertainment. RUNNING SCARED was distributed domestically by New Line. In 2005 he line produced THE MESSENGERS, starring Kristin Stewart and directed by the Hong Kong-based Oxide and Danny Pang, for Sony, Mandate Entertainment and Sam Raimi’s Ghosthouse Pictures, in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The following year, 2006, he spent 6 months in Bangkok executive (and line) producing BANGKOK DANGEROUS, starring Nic Cage and also directed by the Pang brothers, for Initial Entertainment Group, Blue Star Pictures and Lions Gate, and in early 2007 he prepped MIRRORS, starring Kiefer Sutherland, in Bucharest for New Regency. During the first half of 2008, he produced 3 sequels (to GRUDGE, BOOGEYMAN & MESSENGERS) back-to-back in Bulgaria for Mandate/Ghosthouse/Sony, and, later that same year, was back in Sofia to executive/line produce Burst, once again for Mandate/Ghosthouse. In 2009 he was sent by International Film Guarantors to Iowa to complete production of THE EXPERIMENT, starring Adrian Brody and Forrest Whittaker, and was actively involved in pre-production on THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN for Mandate (ultimately put in turnaround and made by another company).
In the summer of 2013 he produced EVERLY, starring Salma Hayek, in Belgrade for Crime Scene Pictures, and then went directly to Chiang Mai, Thailand to produce, THE COUP, starring Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan and Lake Bell, for Bold Films. Both films have been picked up by The Weinstein Company for US distribution. Presently he is working on a number of projects, including THE FOREST FOR LAVA BEAR PICTURES/Focus Features, which is scheduled to be shot in Serbia in the spring of 2015.

Mr. Pfeffer is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a law degree (cum laude) from Columbia University Law School. His hobbies are varied and include classical music and opera, bicycling, motorcycling, power boating and anything chocolate. Between shows he has coached the interscholastic Mock Trial team at Harvard Westlake school in Los Angeles and at San Marcos high school in Santa Barbara. He resides with his wife and a variety of animals on a small ranch in Carpinteria, California.

STEVE GAINER (director of photography) - As director of photography, Steve Gainer’s credits include SUPER, A HAUNTED HOUSE, DIRTY GIRL, PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, and several episodes of the series AWKWARD and HAPPYLAND.

He is an active member of the American Soiety of Cinematographers as of 2004, as well as a member of AMPAS and curator of the American Society of Cinematographers museum. Most recently he shot Ryan Phillippe’s directorial debut CATCH HELL.

EVAN SCHIFF (editor) is a feature film editor based out of Los Angeles. In addition to EVERLY, he has cut independent films such as TOWARDS DARKNESS, BROKEN KINGDOM, and PEEP WORLD, and is currently editing the sci-fi film PRISONER OF WAR. He was also the Associate Editor on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL, and as an Assistant Editor has worked on many films including PAN’S LABYRINTH, HELLBOY 2, and STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS.

Originally from Syracuse, NY, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a film production degree at USC, while also working at Stan Winston Studio as their in-house VFX Editor.

ONDŘEJ NEKVASIL (production designer) - Winner of a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for the miniseries ANNE FRANK: THE WHOLE STROY, production designer Ondřej Nekvasil’s can most recently be seen in the critically praised SNOWPIERCER, starring Chris Evans, Ed Harris and Tilda Swinton.

While he got his start working on films in his native country such as THE INDIAN SUMMER and THE PASSAGE, his work on THE ILLUSIONIST and SNOWPIERCER has begun to get him noticed stateside more and more.

DANIEL PARKER (hair and makeup designer) - Acadamy Award nominee for FRANKESNTEIN, Daniel Parker has quickly become an in-demand make-up and hair designer whose groundbreaking work in prosthetics has been highlighted in the films CLOUD ATLAS, THE RAVEN, THE LAST SAMURAI and the Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg produced miniseries BAND OF BROTHERS.

His hair and make-up work can also be seen in THE NOVEMBER MAN, ZERO DARK THIRTY, LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED, MACHINE GUN PREACHER, CORIOLANUS, THE HURT LOCKER AND APT PUPIL, to name a few.

Soon you will be able to see his work in the John Erik Dowdle directed action/thriller THE COUP starring Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan, as well as Tom Tykwer’s latest A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING starring Tom Hanks.

About the Cast

SALMA HAYEK - Everly
Academy Award Nominee Salma Hayek has proven herself as a prolific actress, producer, and director, in both film and television. She received an Academy Award Nomination, a Golden Globe Nomination, a SAG Nomination, and a BAFTA Nomination for Best Actress as the title role in Julie Taymor's FRIDA.

Hayek has two upcoming films scheduled for release. HOW TO MAKE LOVE LIKE AN ENGLISHMAN stars Hayek opposite Pierce Brosnan and Jessica Alba and Joe Lynch’s EVERLY, which showcased at Comic Con 2014.

Most recently Salma produced, and lends her voice to THE PROPHET, inspired by the book by Kahlil Gibran, alongside Liam Neeson, John Krasinski, Quvenzhané Wallis, and Alfred Molina, as Kamila. The animated film debuted at Toronto International Film Festival in September 2014.

Hayek recently completed filming THE SEPTEMBERS OF SHIRAZ alongside Adrien Brody, the film is set to premier in 2015 and TALE OF TALES with director Matteo Garrone. She will also voice the part of “Teresa Taco” in Seth Rogen’s upcoming animated feature SAUSAGE PARTY about a sausage’s journey through the grocery store to be back on shelves by 4th of July weekend.

Most recently, Hayek reprised her role as Adam Sandler’s wife in GROWN-UPS 2, alongside Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade and Maya Rudolph. This is the sequel to success 2010 film, Grown-Ups. Hayek also starred in Oliver Stone’s SAVAGES, opposite Blake Lively, John Travolta and Benicio del Toro. She also appeared in HERE COMES THE BOOM opposite Kevin James.

On television, she was last seen guest starring on NBC's critically acclaimed show 30 ROCK. Hayek won an Emmy for her directorial debut, THE MALDONADO MIRACLE, which she also produced. The film, which starred Peter Fonda, Mare Winningham, and Ruben Blades, premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and later aired on Showtime. She has directed music videos for both Prince and Jada Pinkett.

Hayek’s other film credits include: Alex de la Iglesia’s LA CHISPA DE LA VIDA; Mathieu Demy’s AMERICANO; the Academy Award-nominated PUSS IN BOOTS with Antonio Banderas; GROWN UPS, released by Columbia Pictures, and alongside Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Chris Rock; Paul Weitz's THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT, released by Universal; Todd Robinson's LONELY HEARTS, opposite John Travolta and James Gandolfini; Robert Towne's ASK THE DUST, alongside Colin Farrell and Idina Menzel; Luc Besson's BANDIDAS, opposite Penelope Cruz; Brett Ratner's AFTER THE SUNSET; Robert Rodriguez's ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO; Mike Figgis' HOTEL and TIMECODE; Kevin Smith's DOGMA; FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, directed by Robert Rodriquez and written by Quentin Tarantino; and Robert Rodriguez's DESPERADO.

Since 2006, Hayek and her producing partner Jose Tamez have been developing, producing and acquiring mainstream projects that either draw on Latin themes or feature Latin talent, both in front of and behind the camera for ABC Studios. She served as the Executive Producer on ABC's award-winning program UGLY BETTY, starring America Ferrera, and based on the enormously successful Colombian series YO SOY BETTY, LA FEA. In 2001, she starred in and co-produced Showtime's IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES, for which she was nominated a Broadcast Film Critics Association's Award. Also produced by Hayek's Ventanarosa Productions was the Mexican feature NO ONE WRITES TO THE COLONEL, directed by Arturo Ripstein, and based on the novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. NO ONE WRITES TO THE COLONEL was selected for official competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

Born and raised in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, Hayek studied International Relations in college in Mexico. Her additional Mexican credits include, MIDAQ ALLEY, based on a novel by Nobel Prize recipient Naguib Mafouz.

Noted for her acting career, Hayek has also dedicated much of her time to social activism. Hayek served as spokesperson for the Pampers/UNICEF partnership worldwide, to help stop the spread of life-threatening maternal and neonatal tetanus. She also served as the spokesperson for the Avon Foundation's SPEAK OUT AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE program, which focuses on domestic violence education, awareness and prevention, as well as support for victims. In 2005, she spoke in front the US Senate, encouraging its members to extend the Violence Against Women Act. In January 2006, the legislation was passed, ensuring that 3.9 billion dollars will be allocated to thousands of domestic violence crises and intervention agencies throughout the US. In April of 2005, Hayek visited the Arctic Circle for the celebration of Earth Day, in an effort to bring attention to the dangers that global warming is putting on the lives of the Inuit people and the rest of the world. In November 2005, she served as co-host, alongside Julianne Moore, at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, which honored Nobel laureate Mohamed el-Baradei and the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency. She was also part of the One campaign that singer and activist Bono created, as well as a member of Global Green, and Youth Aids.

In 2013, Hayek, alongside Beyonce and Frida Giannini, the creative director of Gucci, co-founded CHIME FOR CHANGE, an organization dedicated to improving the education, help and welfare of women and girls around the world.

HIROYUKI WATANABE - Taiko
Hiroyuki Watanabe was born on December 9, 1955 in Mito, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for MAKAI TENSHÔ: THE ARMAGEDDON (1999), GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001) and REBORN FROM HELL II: JUBEI'S REVENGE (1996). He primarily acts in dramas, of which a handful are Tokusatsu series. One of his most recent roles was as Taiga Saejima in the Tokusatsu series GARO. He also played Kamen Rider Gaoh in the Kamen Rider Den-O movie, KAMEN RIDER DEN-O: I'M BORN!.

He has been married to Hideko Hara since 1994.

LAURA CEPEDA - Edith
Laura Cepeda was born on June 24, 1953 in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico as Laura Cepeda de Golferichs. She is an actress and casting director, known for LA VERDAD DE LAURA (2002), DARK HABITS (1983) and RAQUEL BUSCA SU SITIO (2000).

TOGO IGAWA - The Sadist
Togo Igawa is an actor/director who trained in Japan at The Haiyuza Theatre Company Acting School and Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music.

In 1986, he became the first Japanese actor to become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His work spans stage, film, anime, games and television, including movie roles in INCOGNITO (1998), MEMORIES OF A GEISHA (2003), THE LAST SAMURAI (2005), NIGHT TRAIN (2009) and 47 RONIN (2013). Additionally Igawa provides the voice for the character Professor Moshimo on the cartoon series ROBOTBOY and since 2009 he has been the voice of Hiro, the wise Japanese train engine in THOMAS AND FRIENDS. He appears in 2011's Johnny English Reborn, the sequel to Johnny English, as English's Tibetan guru, and is in the 2013 film GAMBIT playing businessman Takagawa.

In 2012, he was nominated for a BAFTA Games Award for his role in TOTAL WAR: SHOGUN 2 (2011).

Mr. Igawa lives in north Oxfordshire, England with his wife Adrienne Baba.

AKIE KOTABE - Dead Man
Akie Kotabe has long been sought after for his compelling presence on screen, and has built an impressive career playing a variety of roles in television and film.

Akie can currently be seen playing the role of Myers in THE NOVEMBER MAN, an upcoming spy film starring Pierce Brosnan, coming to theatres August 2014. Earlier this year, Akie appeared on the big screen in Kenneth Branagh’s thriller JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT alongside Chris Pine, Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner.

But his impressive filmography is not the only string to the talented actor’s bow; he’s built up a string of TV credits too, including playing Akira Takahashi on the well-respected hit show MAD MEN, working alongside Jon Hamm and Christina Hendricks, as well as voicing the title character for the upcoming Disney XD cartoon BOYSTER. The versatile actor has also featured in the Emmy award-winning primetime shows CSI: MIAMI and WITHOUT A TRACE, and has enjoyed appearing in series ranging from GHOST WHISPERER to E.R.

Akie, who is fluent in English and Japanese, was born in Lansing, Michigan, in 1980, and has lived all around the world – including long spells in Europe, Asia and South America – but he spent most of his life growing up in Austin, Texas. His desire to act was sparked at the age of 20, when a spur-of-the-moment whim saw him successfully audition for a student film while he was studying to complete a degree in Computer Science at the University of Texas.

Akie caught the bug and moved to Los Angeles in 2005 after working in theatre in Japan for a year. Within a few months, he landed the main role in a national commercial for Cingular Wireless, directed by Oscar-winner Errol Morris, and hasn’t looked back since.