'Colonel' will fight for Oscar

Veteran Mexican director Arturo Ripstein's "No One Writes to the Colonel" has been selected by Mexico as the country's official Academy Awards submission. Based on the novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the film stars Fernando Lujan as the colonel and Marisa Paredes as his wife. Salma Hayek is featured in a supporting role. Her production company, Ventanarosa, co-produced the picture with Producciones Amaranta, Gardenia Producciones, Tornasol Films, DMVB Films, Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografia, Fondo para la Produccion Cinematografica de Calidad, Canal Plus and Television Espanola TVE. Adapted by Paz Alicia Garciadiego, the film centers on an elderly couple's painful memories as they come to terms with the recent death of their son and financial penury.