Paradigm Pictures
Paradigm Pictures and it’s founder Frederico Lapenda develops, finances, produces, executive produces and distributes quality entertainment properties for the global marketplace.
Paradigm is a California Corporation founded in 2005 by Lapenda one of the pioneers of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). In 2002 after a successful 10-year run in MMA, Lapenda joined Mandalay Entertainment Group, which is owned by Peter Guber the former President and CEO of Sony Pictures. Mandalay is responsible for such films as Donnie Brasco with Johnnie Depp, Beyond Borders with Angelina Jolie and Seven Years in Tibet with Brad Pitt to name a few.
While at Mandalay Lapenda co-founded along with Peter Guber, Mandalay Lone Runner which was an independent arm of Mandalay. Mandalay Lone Runner’s first movie was the theatrically released The Perfect Game with a 10 million dollar budget. A heart wrenching sports movie based on the true story of the poor underprivileged Mexican Little League World Series team that shocked the world by winning the championship against all odds, in the first ever Little League World Series Perfect Game.
In 2005 Lapenda left Mandalay and formed Paradigm Pictures. Paradigm’s first movie was the award winning comedy Shut up and Shoot, which features Oscar Nominee Tom Sizemore, Daniel Baldwin and Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon). The same year Paradigm produced Wedding Dress, the most famous Brazilian play, written by esteemed Brazilian Scribe Nelson Rodriguez, which Lapenda brought to the big screen under Paradigm.
Nightmare Man was next on the slate, showing the ability to step into every genre; this Horror was quickly picked up by Lions gate and released theatrically in 400 screens.
Then Paradigm went on to produce and the multi award winning action film, Bad Guys which features Kate del Castillo, UFC Champion Rampage Jackson in his big screen debut and award winner Sherman Augustus. The film was theatrically released in the US by Maya Entertainment. After that, Paradigm produced The Way, shot in Thailand, Russia and the USA. ‘The Way’ starred Oleg Taktarov (15 Minutes) and Michael Madsen (Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs) and made a huge splash in Russia.
Continuing the expansion to all global markets, Blonde and Blonder starring Pam Anderson and Denise Richards and shot in Canada with the
cult famed ‘Porky’s’ Director Bob Clark, is a comedy that was theatrically released and also had huge DVD sales Internationally. The critically
acclaimed documentary Smashing Machine featuring UFC Champion Mark Kerr, exposing his trials and tribulations was a smashing success on HBO and still ranks as one of the most watched and reviewed documentaries released on HBO.
Paradigm has shown the ability to co-fincance, produce and release films theatrically in every genre and in every market both foreign and domestic with incredible success. Paradigm Pictures has made its rounds through Hollywood and Paradigm keeping growing. Staying in business for this long in Hollywood is rare and Paradigm is vamped to make even bigger developments into the industry.
Films
For four grueling years a two-man film crew follows the covert operations of the Sao Paulo Anti-Kidnapping Police Force, a limited number of elite units consisting of only a few highly dedicated men charged with combating a terrorizing crime wave that strangles Latin America’s largest megalopolis in fear. Utilizing candid interviews and an unprecedented level of access to police, ‘Sequestro’ chronicles the interwoven relationships and riveting real-life experiences of the kidnappers, victims, and police engaged in a dangerous game where innocent people’s lives hang perilously in the balance.
Based on a true story. In 1957 a rag-tag, shoeless, poor group of kids from Monterrey, Mexico shocked the world by winning 13 games in a row and the Little League World Series in the only perfect game ever pitched in the Championship. These kids, led by their priest and a down-and-out former major leaguer embark on a journey through the southern US and up into Williamsport, PA for the Championship game. They encountered many adversities including nearly being deported and the bigotry that wouldn’t allow them into certain restaurants or travel on certain buses. They never lost their faith and eventually captured the hearts of both nations. This is a heart-warming inspirational story in the tradition of “Rudy”, “Hoosiers”, “Coach Carter” or “Friday Night Lights”.
After receiving a mysterious demonic African mask in the mail, ELLEN MORRIS is attacked by a “being” she refers to as THE NIGHTMARE MAN. Her doctors and husband, WILLIAM believe ELLEN is a paranoid schizophrenic and needs to spend some quality time at a mental facility for further examination.
On the way to the hospital, their car runs out of gas. WILLIAM walks to the nearest gas station as ELLEN waits in the car while the sun sets. Alone once again, ELLEN is attacked by the mysterious NIGHTMARE MAN and runs off into the nearby woods but is this MAN/DEMON real or is it all in ELLEN’s mind?
The harrowing true story of the crew of the USS Indianapolis, who were stranded in the Philippine Sea for five days after delivering the atomic weapons that would eventually end WWII. As they awaited rescue, they endured extreme thirst, hunger, and relentless shark attacks.
Amsterdam Heavy is a the action-fueled story of one man’s relentless quest for revenge, as, against all the odds, he smuggles himself back to his home city, arriving with nothing but his fists and a burning desire for retribution. The movie takes us on a roller-coaster journey into the violent, criminal heart of Amsterdam, with diverse characters, fast set pieces, a streak of dark humor, and a twist that opens up rich sequel opportunities.
The Smashing Machine is a blurry, noncommittal portrait of would-be American warrior Mark Kerr, a soft-spoken drug addict who performs astonishing acts of violence for big money. A former wrestler turned extreme fighter, Kerr proves a contradictory subject–a boyish, quietly restless man who resorts to no-hold-barred savagery in the ring–in this shameless, often nauseating HBO project. Over several months, director John Hyams (NYPD Blue) captures Kerr’s seemingly unstoppable parade of victory in the U.S. and Japan. He also reflects the decay in Kerr’s private life and highlights a dramatic turn in his fortunes after Kerr loses an important MMA match to a Russian brawler. Along the way, we meet Kerr’s trainer, Mark Coleman, whose own destiny takes on ironic, unexpected importance in the end
Aleksey is an ordinary young man living in Russia during the 1990s. Like most of his contemporaries, he is looking for a way to survive. The easiest way is the way of crime. He joins a gang. Fortunately, his fate takes a sudden turn and he manages to find the right path. The film also addresses global terrorism, one of the most important and painful issues of today’s world. The main characters of the film, together with their American colleagues, take part in a special operation to destroy a band of international terrorists and drug traffickers. One of the scenes takes place on an American aircraft-carrier. It is from this aircraft-carrier that Aleksey and his friends start on their way to destroy the terrorist base hidden in the jungle.
Paul Maguire and his buddies Kane and Danny live a life of crime. One night, they ambush a Russian mobster, intercepting him when he’s on his way to drop off money to his boss. The take is much larger than they imagined; along with a Russian gun called a Tokarev, they get away with a briefcase full of cash. It’s enough for Paul to leave the life of crime and go legit, but their crime sets off a bloody protracted war between their Irish crime family and the Russian mob. Paul instructs his friends to hide the money until things calm down between their outfit and the Russians. In spite of several casualties on both sides, their plan works well; five years after stealing the money, Paul, Kane and Danny meet to split up the take.
When two dim-witted blonde bombshells are mistaken for the underworld’s most cunning assassins, they are approached with a lucrative contract to take out the head of the Chinese mafia in a globe-trotting comedy starring Pamela Anderson (“Baywatch”) and Denise Richards (“The World Is Not Enough,” “Wild Things”).
‘Spencer Spector’ (Joe Cortese) is an outrageous and crooked Hollywood producer whose leading b-movie actor, ‘Sonny Westwood’ (Silvio Pollio) becomes an overnight sensation on their newest picture, “The Last Rock And Roll Cowboy” However, before Spencer can get edged out of a financing deal by five of his business partners, he coerces Sonny to believe that their continued success depends on killing off the five partners and closing the whole deal themselves. Above that, Spencer requests that Sonny hire a couple of down-and-out filmmakers, gullible enough to be tricked into filming his murder spree.
Ana Maria, a battered wife, seeks help from a local spiritualist, Roque. Impressed with Roque’s community service and advocacy for women, a filmmaker, Pilar Franco, offers to make a documentary about him. Roque, however, is a fake and can offer Ana Maria little help beyond advice to leave her abusive relationship; Pilar is disgusted and denounces him as a con man.
In desperation, Ana Maria turns to Luna, a voodoo priestess, who warns her that her husband, Antonio, will be changed by the dark magic. To Ana Maria’s surprise, Antonio is transformed into a mindless slave. Unsure what to do, Ana Maria returns to Roque and seeks his help once again. Roque and Pilar team up to help Ana Maria discover what happened to Antonio. Together, they learn that Luna is creating slave labor out of the immigrant community now that her supply of illegal immigrants has dried up. These zombies are put to work on Luna’s farm and mindlessly follow her orders, including the murder of her enemies. A mix of Haitian Voodoo and undead ghoul, the zombies are nearly impossible to destroy. Eventually, a botched spell destroys the zombies and Luna is killed. Roque and Pilar, who have come to respect each other, decide to work together to help the community.
THE HAMMER is a sports drama depicting the struggles and successes Matt Hamill faced on the way to becoming a champion. Raised among those with the ability to hear, Matt later finds himself no less an outsider amidst the Deaf Community. Through sheer determination, he uses his perceived disability as an asset, and becomes both the first deaf wrestler to win a National Collegiate Championship and an inspirational force to the hearing and deaf alike.
The film narrates the story of José Abelardo Barbosa from the moment he leaves medical school to start his first gig as a radio announcer. From that point on we see his life transform and the birth of the best-known alter ego of Brazil, the well-loved, Chacrinha.
In 1942, in Rio de Janeiro, the twenty-five years old Alaíde is run over while crossing Carioca Street. She arrives in coma in the hospital, and while being submitted to an emergency surgery, she recalls her life since her family moved to a former brothel, mixing hallucination, reality and memory. In her surrealistic daydream, she meets Madame Clessy, the owner of the bordello that died in 1905, killed by her seventeen years old lover, and she tells a passionate and tragic love story between her husband Pedro, her jealous sister Lúcia and herself, and how Madame Clessy died.
