Austin wouldn’t be Austin without the steady festival deluge. As we over here in the film department are girding for SXSW to begin next week, next month’s big festival, Cine Las Americas, has announced the opening-night film for its 18th annual event, April 22-26.

The festival will open on Wednesday, April 22 with The Martini Shot, directed by Demetrius Navarro and written by Enrico Natale. The film is a dark comedy about two small-time producers who are threatened by their boss to make a successful movie. So they do the only thing they think will ensure the movie’s success: kill one of the lead actors. “To succeed in this business … you have to make a KILLING!” teases the film’s tagline.

The phrase “martini shot” is slang for the final shot of movie production. The film’s cast and crew includes James Russo (Public Enemies, Donnie Brasco, Django Unchained), Valente Rodriguez (McFarland USA, George Lopez show), Demetrius Navarro (Friday, The Yardsale, 187, ER), Daniel Lujan (Collateral, Gone Hollywood), Malcolm Danare (Godzilla, Lords of Discipline), and special-effect artist Harvey Lowry. Stay tuned for more fest details as they emerge.

This article appears in March 6 • 2015.

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Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.