ALBERTO ARVELO’S “THE LIBERATOR – LIBERTADOR” STARRING EDGAR RAMIREZ SELECTED AS VENEZUELA’S SUBMISSION TO THIS YEAR’S ACADEMY AWARDS
Cohen Media Group to Release in North America on October 3rd
Los Angeles, CA – Sept. 6, 2014 – Director Alberto Arvelo’s (A House with a View of the Sea, Cyrano Fernández) The Liberator – Libertador a modern epic about the life of Simón Bolívar starring Golden Globe and Emmy nominated Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramírez (Point Break, Carlos, Zero Dark Thirty) will be Venezuela’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film to this year’s Academy Awards. The film co-stars Spanish actress María Valverde (Melissa P.), Danny Huston (Magic City, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Imanol Arias (El Lute) and Gary Lewis (Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York).
Cohen Media Group acquired the North American rights and will be releasing the film theatrically on Oct. 3rd. Mundial, IM Global’s joint venture with Canana is handling international sales on The Liberator – Libertador.
The film was released in Venezuela on July 24 and has since attracted almost 600,000 spectators. The Venezuelan committee chose the film for it’s: “artistic and production value, staging/realization, music and photography.”
“Cohen Media Group is incredibly proud to bring THE LIBERATOR – LIBERTADOR to North American audiences this October, starting in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and other key markets. This elegant, powerful film explores the life of one of history’s great men, and we are thrilled to know it will be Venezuela’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film to this year’s Academy Awards,” said Charles S. Cohen, Chairman and CEO, Cohen Media Group.
The Filmmakers said: “We are honored by the decision of the national committee for selecting The Liberator – Libertador in representation of Venezuela for the awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This news is of great joy to all those that with great effort made this film possible.”
“Alberto’s film is something incredibly unique and extraordinarily ambitious for South America, and for this reason has really resonated with foreign distributors since its inception. The film’s performance in the local box office is truly remarkable and a sign of the success we expect internationally,” said Mundial’s Pablo Cruz.
The Liberator – Libertador is a modern epic about the life of Simón Bolívar (1783 – 1830), who was instrumental in Latin America’s struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire, and is today considered one of the most influential politicians and emancipators in American history. The film is told from the viewpoint of Bolívar, featuring his quests and epic military campaigns, which covered twice the territory Alexander the Great conquered, and his vision to unify South America.
The film is written by Timothy Sexton (Children of Men) and produced by Ana Loehnert, Winfried Hammacher and Alberto Arvelo. Co-producers include Jose Luis Escolar and executive producers are Edgar Ramírez and Maria A. Guerrero Rocca. The Liberator – Libertador was shot in 13 different locations between South America and Europe.
LA Philharmonic Conductor and Venezuelan Native Gustavo Dudamel composed the score for The Liberator – Libertador which is a Venezuelan-Spanish coproduction between Producciones Insurgentes and San Mateo Films. It was filmed in rarely seen Venezuelan locations such as Llanos de Acarigua, Parque Nacional de Canaima, and Caracas, in addition to the Spanish cities of Jerez, Barbate, Zahara, Carmona, Seville, Sierra Nevada, Alcalá de Henares, Chinchón and Madrid.
