Stone's "South of the Border" headed for U.S. theaters

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Cinema Libre has acquired North American rights to Oliver Stone's documentary "South of the Border," which chronicles the rise to power of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and other South American leaders.

The distributor plans to release the film June 25 in New York, followed by a July 2 opening in Los Angeles.

"Not only is it a genuine honor to work with one of the greatest American directors, but his insightful documentary shows how these leaders of Latin America are being intentionally villanized by the U.S. mass media," Philippe Diaz, founder of Cinema Libre, said, "This unique dialogue needed the eye and the courage of a director like Stone to convince us that these leaders are fighting for a more humane society, which means defending themselves against American corporate interests."

Tariq Ali, historian and author of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope," served as screenwriter with Mark Weisbrot on the film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. .