'August Evening' is Pedro Castaneda's film debut

There were four familiar names this year among the nominees for the 2007 Film Independent's Spirit Award for best actor -- Don Cheadle, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Frank Langella and Tony Leung, writes Susan King.

But there was one name few filmgoers had heard before: Pedro Castaneda, who was nominated for his work in the leisurely paced Spanish-language drama "August Evening."

The stocky, gray-haired Castaneda had never acted, much less made a movie, before "August Evening," for which he and his castmates were honored at last year's Los Angeles Film Festival. The film opens Friday.

The 53-year-old native of Laredo, Texas, was working in the computer business in San Antonio when he was spotted by filmmaker Chris Eska. The writer-director, who makes his feature debut with "August Evening," thought the soft-spoken Castaneda had the perfect look for the role of Jaime, an undocumented farmworker toiling on a Texas chicken farm whose life is turned upside down when his beloved wife suddenly dies.

Read the rest of Susan King's piece about "August Evening" here and click here for more on film.

Photo: Widower Jaime (Pedro Castaneda) sits with his widowed daughter-in-law (Veronica Loren) in "August Evening." Credit: Sarah Balderas