Highland Film Group has boarded international sales for AFM on the ViX Original romantic comedy, Toronto and Morelia selection A Taste Of Christmas (aka El Sabor de la Navidad) produced by Salma Hayek.

Mariana Treviño from A Man Called Otto and Andrés Almeida from Bardo star in the Spanish-language story of three personal stories which come together to make the magic of Christmas happen.

A lonely chef is unexpectedly drawn to her kitchen aide while preparing holiday feasts, an estranged daughter returns to her fractured family for the holidays, and two friends embark on a comical rivalry as competing Santa Clauses.

The cast includes Hernandez and Pamela Almanza. Alejandro Lozano (Netflix’s Control Z) directed and Jose “Pepe” Tamez (Netflix’s Monarca) wrote the screenplay.

A Taste Of Christmas premiered in TIFF and received its Mexican premiere at Moreila.

Hayek and Tamez produced through their Ventanarosa Productions with Erica Sánchez Su of Lemon Studios.

“A Taste Of Christmas is a heartfelt story that captures the high emotions that surround one of the most universal holidays of the year, while deftly exploring themes of diversity and LGBTQ+ acceptance,” said Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser.

“We are delighted to be working with producer Salma Hayek and the team at Ventanarosa Productions on this acclaimed TIFF title, which features a great ensemble cast led by Mariana Treviño and Andrés Almeida,” added Highland Film Group COO Delphine Perrier.

Highland Film Group’s current sales slate also includes Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller Not Without Hope starring Zachary Levi and Josh Duhamel; and Simon West’s action comedy Old Guy starring Christoph Waltz, Lucy Liu, and Cooper Hoffman.

By Jeremy Kay, Screen Daily