Rooney Mara drama “La Cocina” by Alonso Ruizpalacios (“A Cop Movie,” “Gueros”) has been snapped up by boutique movie distributor Mubi to stream exclusively in the U.S. starting May 2.
Mara stars opposite four-time Ariel Award winner Raul Briones in this intense black & white kitchen drama which Variety described as a “chaotic symphony of nearly two dozen characters…” that “mixes biting social critique with stylistic bravura.”
Based on the seminal 1957 play “The Kitchen” by Arnold Wesker, the drama takes place in a hectic Times Square kitchen where a staff of mostly immigrant workers battles the heat, the pressure and the weight of dreams carried from distant homelands.
Drama premiered in competition at the 2024 Berlinale and was nominated for best director and best cinematography at the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
It was shot on location in New York City and at the venerable Estudios Churubusco in Ruizpalacios’ native Mexico City.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled that ‘La Cocina’ has found its streaming home at Mubi, a platform that champions bold, visionary filmmaking and auteurs like Alonso,” said Elizabeth Woodward, founder & CEO of the film’s U.S. distributor, Willa.
Following its Berlinale premiere, the film was an official selection at a number of international film festivals including the 2024 Tribeca Festival and the 2024 BFI London Film Festival, and has collected a clutch of awards including the Barrière Prize at the 2024 Deauville Film Festival, best film, cinematography, editing and sound at the 2024 Havana Film Festival, and is currently nominated for seven Diosas de Plata awards in Mexico: best feature film, director, actor, cinematography, adapted screenplay, score, and editing.
Willa released “La Cocina” in the U.S. last fall alongside an impact campaign with One Fair Wage.
It is currently available to rent and buy on TVOD, including on Apple TV and Amazon. Its international theatrical and streaming rollout continues across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, with HanWay handling international sales.
Ruizpalacios’ most recent credits include three episodes of Disney’s Season 2 of “Andor,” notably the season finale.
A co-production of Filmadora in partnership with production companies Panorama, Fifth Season, Astrakan Film AB and Seine Pictures, it was produced by Ramiro Ruiz, Gerardo Gatica, Lauren Mann and Ivan Orlic, whose most recent production, Lima-set “Mistura” by Ricardo de Montreuil, has been gathering accolades on the festival circuit.
Willa and Fifth Season negotiated the deal with Mubi.
