How 'Beyond Brotherhood' Director Arianne Benedetti Put Panama on the Map

"Beyond Brotherhood" Q&A with Director/Writer Arianne Benedetti and actors Drew Fuller & Robin Duran.hosted by the Wrap at the Landmark Theatre in Los Angeles/Ted Soqui

When you work in Panama, you’re on “island time.” That’s how it felt for American actor Drew Fuller on the set of “Beyond Brotherhood,” Panama’s submission for this year’s Foreign Language Oscar race. Shooting started at 8 a.m., and as he described it, everyone would show up by 8:30 or 9.

“We put a lot of passion into what we do, but we do it at our pace,” said director Arianne Benedetti, who joined Fuller at TheWrap’s Awards and Foreign Screening Series at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Fittingly, Benedetti spent 15 years trying to get “Beyond Brotherhood” made. The film is one of just eight Panamanian movies that opened in the country this year, she said. A modest total to be sure, but a big step up from just one native film as recently as seven years ago.

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“It’s different in Latin America. It’s an industry that is now waking up to the possibility of actually making films, getting the money and getting the funds, the government and private investors to realize this is something that can happen,” Benedetti told TheWrap CEO and Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman, who moderated the discussion. “We only have 3 million people there, it’s a very small country. And it’s an industry that is growing, and that’s why we are here.”

“Beyond Brotherhood” is a story about two children whose parents are killed in an accident and are separated into different orphanages and foster families. Unable to stay apart, they escape from their homes and live together on the street, finding mentors and becoming street performers to get by.

The film is brimming with Panama’s local color, and Benedetti said that the Panamanian government isn’t averse to separating kids should they get caught in this situation. But “Beyond Brotherhood” is a story that could happen anywhere.

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“We all have kids, we all have family. I don’t know if we think, what’s going to happen when we die? Do I have my kids covered? Who’s going to look over them?”

But her passion and dedication has paid off. Benedetti said “Beyond Brotherhood” has spent eight weeks in Panamanian theaters and is the second most watched film in the country’s history.

“We went all in,” Benedetti said. “And after 15 years of trying to get money out of everyone else, we decided that this is something we have to do, this is the dream, this is something we have to do for our country, we have to dream big, and we wanted to do this film and tell this story, and this is the way we wanted to tell it.”

Julia Roberts Turns 50: Her Evolution From 'Mystic Pizza' to 'Wonder' (Photos)

In honor of Julia Roberts' 50th birthday, TheWrap takes a look at her evolution from just the "girl with the big smile" to one of the most respected and highly paid actors in Hollywood.
Roberts' first big role came in 1988 with the coming-of-age movie "Mystic Pizza," which starred her as pizzeria waitress Daisy Arujo.
Samuel Goldwyn
Her first Golden Globe win and Oscar nomination came the following year with her tragic role as the diabetic expectant mom Shelby in "Steel Magnolias."
TriStar
Still, it wasn't until "Pretty Woman" in 1990 that Roberts made her case as a lead actress and caught the attention of moviegoers worldwide. She was paid $300,000 for her role in the rom-com, but after it became a box office hit, her pay grade went through the roof.
Buena Vista Pictures
Roberts next branched out into more intense fare in 1991 with "Sleeping With the Enemy," where she played a woman on the run from her wealthy -- but extremely abusive -- husband.
Fox
That same year, Roberts got her hair changed to a pixie cut to play Tinker Bell in "Hook," Steven Spielberg's maudlin take on Peter Pan.
Amblin
In 1999, Roberts reunited with "Pretty Woman" co-star Richard Gere to star in the comedy "Runaway Bride." She played Maggie Carpenter, a jumpy young woman who gets nervous about relationships and has left three men at the altar.
Paramount
2000 was a massive year for Roberts, who gave an Oscar-winning performance in "Erin Brockovich," playing the real-life activist who fought against an energy corporation.
Universal
The highest paid actress in Hollywood at this time, Roberts starred alongside George Clooney for the first time in the smash hit film "Ocean's Eleven." She played the ex-wife of Clooney's character and the girlfriend of the casino owner he's trying to rob.
Fox
In 2002, she played a CIA agent who teamed up with "Gong Show" host Chuck Barris in the film "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind."
Miramax
After getting paid in the mid six-digits for "Pretty Woman" 13 years earlier, Roberts got a whopping $25 million to star in "Mona Lisa Smile." It was the highest amount ever earned by an actress in Hollywood history.
Universal
In 2007, Roberts starred alongside Tom Hanks in the Aaron Sorkin movie, "Charlie Wilson's War," playing Texas socialite Joanne Herring.
Universal
In 2010, Roberts starred in "Eat Pray Love," a story about a woman who gives up her comfortable life and goes on a worldwide voyage of self-discovery.
Columbia
Roberts' most intense role in recent memory came in 2013 with "August: Osage County." She played Barbara, a bitter daughter who eventually comes to blows with her cruel mother.
The Weinstein Company
Roberts' latest ensemble film, "Mother's Day," may have been panned by the critics, but at least her Mom Hair was top notch.
Open Road Films
Roberts then once again starred alongside Clooney in the thriller "Money Monster," playing Patty Fenn, a television director trying to calm a gun-wielding man loose on her set.
TriStar
In the family dra-medy "Wonder," Roberts plays Isabel Pullman, the mother of a young boy (Jacob Tremblay) struggling to overcome a facial difference. It hit theaters Nov. 17.

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The Oscar winner’s career spans nearly three decades and has made her one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood

In honor of Julia Roberts' 50th birthday, TheWrap takes a look at her evolution from just the "girl with the big smile" to one of the most respected and highly paid actors in Hollywood.

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