For Demian Bichir, the deserved Oscar nomination he received for his moving turn in "A Better Life," was validation for a career that has been building steadily. This year the actor is beginning to see the payoff with more substantial roles in bigger films like Oliver Stone's "Savages" (where he was one of the highlights) and Robert Rodriguez's "Machete Kills" which is now shooting. But this week a film arrives that is likely to serve as a reminder of how he came to the attention of Hollywood in the first place.
Bichir stars in "The Runway," the sophomore feature film from writer/director Ian Power. Inspired by true events, the comedy tells the story of Ernesto (Bichir), a Colombian pilot whose plane has crashed in a small Irish village. Not able to speak a word of English, he befriends a precocious 9-year-old boy named Paco (Jamie Kierans), the only one in his town who knows Spanish, who becomes his translator. Rewriting Ernesto’s mysterious and questionable past, Paco turns him into a hero and a celebrity, motivating the entire town to rally behind Ernesto to help rebuild his plane. When a seedy Colombian detective arrives and threatens to reveal a dark secret about Ernesto, the town begins to question who they can trust. This exclusive clip is a nice peek at the movie, with Paco trying to convince his mother (Kerry Condon) to let him miss school so he can help Ernesto — as he patiently waits outside, smoking a Cuban.
Available On Demand nationwide today (Cable VOD, iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, VUDU, Samsung Media Hub), "The Runway" will also open in select theaters on July 20th via Tribeca Film. Watch below.