Sinopsis
Set in the port city of Tampico, Mexico, Café Chairel tells the story of Alfonso and Katia, two lonely people burdened by loss, who find solace in each other’s company at a small café. While their days may seem trivial, an unspoken transformation is quietly occurring, revealing the subtle yet profound impact of shared pain and their unexpected connection.
Logline
She is bitter as dark coffee. He is sweet as cream. A blend of nostalgia and dreams.
Title: Café Chairel
Year: 2025
Country: Mexico
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Language: Spanish
Runtime: 110 min
Director: Fernando Barreda Luna
Cast: Mauricio Isaac, Tessa Ia, Leo Deluglio
Writers: Fernando Barreda Luna, Atsushi Fujii
Producers: Jessica Villegas Lattuada, Ernesto Martínez Arévalo, Fernando Barreda Luna
Executive Producers: Lawrence Davin, Josh Kesselman, José Antonio Abisad
Production Company: Nopal Army Films
Film made with the support of EFICINE and Grupo México
Director of Photography: Eduardo R. Servello
Production Manager: Andrea “Nina Kan” Juárez
1st AD: Argelia Martínez Escudero
Production Designer: Santos Moncayo
Costume Designer: Adriana Pérez Solís
Sound Recordist: Pablo Tamez
Sound Designer: Omar Juárez Espino
Composer: Uriel Villalobos
Postproduction Supervisor: Víctor Velásquez
Camera: Arri Alexa Mini LF
Lens: Arri Signature Prime
Equipment Rental: CTT Exp & Rentals
Locations: Tampico, Cd. Madero. Mexico
Festivals:
Sonoma International Film Festival (Official Selection – World Premiere)
Dallas International Film Festival (Official Selection)
Guadalajara International Film Festival (Official Selection – National Premiere)
Houston Latino Film Festival – Special Screening
Hola Mexico Film Festival (Official Selection) – Audience Award Winner
Árbol Rojo (Official Selection)
Bend Film Festival (Official Selection)
Seattle Latino Film Festival (Official Selection)
Chelsea Film Festival (Official Selection)
About the Production
Café Chairel is a humorous drama about two complete strangers who are dealing with their own sorrows and who find solace in each other as they cross paths while trying to get a coffee shop off the ground even though they know nothing about the business.
Through their memories we learn about their painful stories, while in the present they seem to be trapped in limbo, with their lives stopped and without direction. It is only thanks to this great bond that they build little by little through coffee that they both manage to heal their wounds and look forward.
It’s a production by Nopal Army Films, led by producers Jessica Villegas Lattuada (“Dad Wanted”), Ernesto Martínez Arévalo (“Nobody will ever know”) and Fernando Barreda Luna (“Atrocious”) as director, producer and co-writer of the film together with Japanese writer Atsushi Fujii. The cinematography is in the hands of Eduardo Rivas Servello (“Infection”).
To play the leading roles, we have the stellar performances of Mauricio Isaac (“Rain”) as Alfonso, and Tessa Ia (“The Eternal Feminine”) as Katia. In addition, we have the participation of Leo Delugio (“Who Killed Sara?”) and Hernán del Riego (“An Unknown Enemy”).
