Filming of “El Mayor” will start in February

 Film Filming of "El Mayor" will start in Februarying of "El Mayor" will start in FebruaryHAVANA, Jan 18th  (PL) Filmmakers have described their movie project “El Mayor” (The Mayor) that will start shooting in February, dedicated to patriot of the war of independence Ignacio Agramonte, as the romantic hero of Cuban history.

The director of the film, Rigoberto Lopez, said in a press conference that ‘it is a fiction film, but with a very rigorous historiographical base and research, backed by the most senior specialists, about one of the men who led the first Constitution of our Republic, an indispensable figure in Cuban history.’

Listed as the biggest cinematographic project of the Cuban Institute of Art and Film Industry (ICAIC), “El Mayor” will have Daniel Romero in the leading role. The movie will reflect the vital importance of the patriot’s example to the new generations ‘for his excessive love and his duty to the Homeland and his family,’ Lopez said.

Described by Cuban National Hero Jose Marti as a Diamond with a kissing soul, Ignacio Agramonte and Loynaz became one of the main leaders of Cuban revolutionary fight against Spanish colonialism of the 19th century, a politician and a military strategist of a transcendental value in the history of Cuba.

In defense of civic and revolutionary values, “El Mayor” arrives at a key moment for Cuban cinema, which seeks to strengthen national identity with this type of productions.

Lopez defined the film in three facets, ‘with a special script in which stands out its relationship with Amalia Simoni, a great woman; the political part, the war conflicts and his disputes with Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, another great hero; and the epic of Agramonte, who led a great cavalry as a military strategist.’

While Romero, who played Jose Marti in “The Eye of the Canary”, a film by the prestigious filmmaker Fernando Perez, was proud of the work for ‘the energy transmitted by Agramonte in a life that no production, no literature could match; a challenge in my career because of the historical magnitude of the character ‘.

The city of Camagüey, whose historic center is a Cultural Heritage of Humanity, will serve as the setting for the main locations, including the Casa Natal Museum, the San Juan de Dios Square and the Amalia Simoni House Museum, where Ignacio Agramonte’s wife was born.

Amalia Simoni will be interpreted by actress Claudia Tomas, while two American actors, Jonathan Koin and Michael Crowley, will be playing the roles of General Jordan and Henry Revee, respectively; while the character of the Father of the Nation, Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, will be in charge of outstanding actor Miguel Lahera.

The director is hopeful to premiere the work at the Festival of New Latin American Cinema at the end of this year, although he recognized the complexity of the final program.