EXCLUSVE: LA-based production company Jingletown will be in Cannes to discuss a slate of projects including films produced with Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix) and Killer Films (Carol).
Led by founder and CEO Cheryl Dunye, COO and Head of Latino Division Karina Hodoyán, and Creative Executive Danielle Schmidt, the company will be talking to potential partners about The Gilda Stories, based on Jewelle Gomez’s 1991 book.
The one-hour drama charts the story of a Black queer vampire as she grapples with two centuries of U.S. history and Black prophecy. Jingletown is producing with Lilly Wachowski’s Anarchists United and Lawrence Mattis of Circle Management and Production from a script by Shaz Bennett (Bosch).
The firm is also bringing a project with Carol and Past Lives outfit Killer Films, whose details remains under wraps.
Dunye, director of feature The Watermelon Woman and on TV series including Bridgerton, The Chi, Dear White People and Lovecraft Country, is currently in pre-production on queer dystopian sci-fi thriller Black is Blue, which she will direct and produce, and in collaboration with Liucrative and Didi producer David Liu, Dunye has also written and is planning to direct the feature crime drama Adventures in the 419 about a Nigerian con artists in Amsterdam.
Under their new Jingletown-MX arm, Jingletown is launching its first Latino focused project Coins, a coming-of-age feature currently in development.
Dunye said: “From The Watermelon Woman to Bridgerton and back again — I’ve always believed in mixing it up. At Jingletown, we tell the stories that won’t sit still: queer vampires, Nigerian con artists, magical borderlands. Our Cannes slate is wild, smart, and deeply rooted in voices that matter. We’re not here to follow trends — we’re here to start them.”
Dunye’s debut The Watermelon Woman won the Teddy Award for Best Feature at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival.
“We’re thrilled to launch Jingletown’s Latino division and to build deeper creative and cultural bridges between Latin America and the U.S.,” added Hodoyán. “Especially at a time when our rich stories and communities most need to be seen and heard, we believe Jingletown-MX is a natural extension of our mission to amplify diverse stories rooted in bold storytelling.”
