Panamax Films

Odell is President and partner of Miami-based feature film company, Panamax Films.  They most recently wrapped the feature film, SIN MEMORIA (which Odell also co-wrote) a co-production with Lionsgate Entertainment and Televisa Studios in Mexico.  Odell is currently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his production, SANGRE DE MI SANGRE.

Odell most recently executive produced AMOR DOLOR Y VICE VERSA (Official Selection, Tribeca International Film Festival, 2008) and ALL INCLUSIVE (Official Selection, Guadalajara Film Festival, 2008), both Spanish language films being released by Lionsgate in the US.

Prior to this Odell produced the action/comedy, LADRON QUE ROBA A LADRON, released by Lionsgate in August 2007.  At the time of its release it held the record for the biggest box office opening weekend for a Spanish language film in US history.  On LADRON, Odell coordinated the first ever product integration/cross promotional campaign between a Spanish language film and a major U.S. corporation, General Motors.

Previously, Odell produced the art house Spanish language thriller, SANGRE DE MI SANGRE.    SANGRE (under its then title, PADRE NUESTRO) which won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival (2007) and played at New Directors/New Film at Museum of Modern Art in New York in the Spring of 2007.  It was an official selection in more than a dozen major international films festivals including the San Sebastian Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival, Havana Film Festival, and Pusan International Film Festival and was the closing night film at the Morelia Film Festival in Mexico. It was released by IFC Films in May 2008.  SANGRE is nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards, for Best First Feature and Best Screenplay.

Odell was an Executive Producer on the film LA MUJER DE MI HERMANO, distributed by Lionsgate, in April of 2006.  Prior to the release of LADRON, LA MUJER held the record as the largest opening weekend box office for a Spanish language film.

Odell lived in Colombia, South America from 1992 to 2000.  He first worked as a freelance journalist before becoming a Spanish language television writer and screenwriter there. As a television writer, he created and wrote over 300 hours of Spanish-language narrative television including the first ever action series, FUEGO VERDE, which was one of the highest rated series on Colombian television with an average rating its first year on the air of 38 points Nielsen, representing nearly a third of the country’s households.  His shows also won dozens of national awards.  He also co-wrote the Colombian political satire feature film, GOLPE DE ESTADIO, which was nominated for Spain’s Academy Award, the Goya, in 1999, and was Colombia’s nomination to the Oscar in 2000. It is still one of the ten highest grossing Colombian films of all time.

Odell holds an MFA in film from Columbia University where he was the recipient of the Carla Kuhn Fellowship, the Producer’s Apprentice Fellowship, the Arthur Krim Memorial Award, the Faculty Selects Best Producer Award and The Hallmark Entertainment Producers Development Award.  He has taught screenwriting and production at Columbia University and The New School and has given lectures in filmmaking in Central and South America and Europe.