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Brazilian Director Heitor Dhalia Attached to Direct April 23

by Alex Billington
November 8, 2009

I think I'm one of the few people who actually knows who Heitor Dhalia is, but I'm going to make sure everyone is familiar with him soon enough. Dhalia is a Brazilian director with three features under his belt, the latest of which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival (where I saw it). I knew nothing about him before seeing Adrift, but walked out of it amazed, it's such a beautiful film (read my review). Anyway, Variety says Lakeshore has hired Dhalia to direct their espionage thriller April 23, based on Erje Ayden's book "Sadness at Leaving: An Espionage Romance" that's being adapted by Hanna Weg (The Beautiful and the Damned).

"Heitor is one of the brightest filmmakers emerging from South America and is on the verge of a worldwide breakout," Lakeshore CEO Tom Rosenberg said. I completely agree and he's dead-on. I commend him for being one of the first to pick up on Dhalia and bring him to Hollywood. April 23 is based on the true story of a deep-cover KGB assassin sent to Manhattan amid the tumult of the 1960s with the mission of acquiring the attributes of an American life until the time he is called upon to assassinate a defector. He's then faced with the choice between family and country after he marries an American woman and becomes a father.

That sounds like a very interesting story and I can't wait to see what 1960's New York looks like through Dhalia's lens. You can get a glimpse of his style in the Adrift trailer we ran, but let me say, his films are as beautiful to look at as they are to watch. I'm already anxious to find out more info about this! Stay tuned.

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