Salma Hayek Pinault Makes Directorial Debut With ‘Arena’ Starring Yura Borisov and Cara Delevingne
Salma Hayek Pinault is stepping behind the camera for Arena, a new forbidden-love drama currently filming in Mexico, with Yura Borisov and Cara Delevingne joining her on screen.
Salma Hayek Pinault is taking on a new role behind the camera.
The Oscar-nominated actress is making her theatrical feature directorial debut with Arena, an independently financed drama currently in production across Mexico.
Hayek Pinault will also appear in the film alongside Anora star Yura Borisov and Cara Delevingne, with filming taking place across locations in Quintana Roo and Veracruz.
Salma Hayek Pinault is directing Arena
After decades in front of the camera, Arena marks a significant move into feature directing for Hayek Pinault.
The film is described as a forbidden-love story, though detailed plot and character information remains under wraps as production continues.
Hayek Pinault has described the project as an intimate story about discovering another person while also rediscovering pleasure in ordinary experiences.
Nature and the Mexican landscape will play an important role in that story, with the production using locations in Quintana Roo and Veracruz rather than treating the setting as a simple backdrop.
Yura Borisov and Cara Delevingne join Hayek Pinault
Hayek Pinault isn't limiting herself to directing duties.
She will also star in Arena alongside Yura Borisov and Cara Delevingne.
Borisov joins the project after his Oscar-nominated performance in Anora, and his recent work also includes Luca Guadagnino's Artificial. Delevingne continues to combine film and television work with her career outside acting.
The identities of the three actors remain undisclosed.
That secrecy means Arena currently has an intriguing combination: a clear emotional premise and setting, but relatively little information about how its characters fit into the story.
Angelina Jolie is among the film's producers
Hayek Pinault is also producing Arena alongside Angelina Jolie, Stacy Perskie and longtime producing partner José Tamez.
Jolie's involvement creates another connection between the pair after Hayek Pinault starred in Jolie's Without Blood.
The independently financed production has also brought in French cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd, whose credits include Sofia Coppola's Priscilla and Wong Kar-wai's The Grandmaster.
That choice feels particularly significant given the emphasis Hayek Pinault has placed on the landscapes and natural environment surrounding the film's story.
Arena is already in production
This isn't a project waiting around in development.
Production is currently underway in Mexico, with Hayek Pinault highlighting Quintana Roo and Veracruz as central locations for the film.
She has spoken about finding locations she believes audiences haven't previously seen on screen and about the pride she feels in showcasing parts of Mexico through the production.
A release date and distribution plans have not yet been announced.
For now, though, Arena gives Hayek Pinault one of the most significant creative roles of her career: director, producer and star of a feature built around a story she is bringing to the screen herself.