Split amicable between producers and director; per script differences
Alina Fernandez
Hollywood, CA— Castro’s Daughter project is up for adoption. Mankind Entertainment announced today that British director Michael Radford is no longer attached to direct the upcoming award-driven historical drama.
The screenplay, penned by Bobby Moresco, who won an Oscar, a BAFTA and numerous other awards with Paul Haggis for co-writing Crash in 2005; and Cuban playwright: Nilo Cruz (Anna in the Tropics), is based on the coming-of-age, true story of Fidel Castro’s exiled daughter, Alina Fernandez, who was the result of a 1950’s extra-marital love affair Castro had with Cuban socialite, Natalia “Naty” Revuelta, prior to taking power.
Fernandez’s relationship with Castro was kept secret until the age of ten; when she found out that the man who would regularly bring her gifts during the odd hours of the night, and who she saw on the television screen giving speeches to the masses for hours on end, was her father. Fernandez escaped Cuba in 1993, after becoming a dissident being caught in between wanting a better life, and the political climate in Cuba at the time. Fernandez’s mother is said to have been a driving force that helped put Castro in power for nearly half a century; having sold her jewelry and emptied her bank account to help fund his army during his first failed attempt at taking power.
Producers note that the split with Radford was mutually agreed and amicable. “We are very respectful of Michael and his work; and hope to possibly work with him again at some point in the future.” The project is being produced and co-financed by Mankind Entertainment’s John Torres Martinez and Joe Lamy, who acquired the rights and have developed the project.
“Based on the world climate and the DNA of the film including the focus of self-liberation through faith and perseverance, we have no doubt that this project is going to be a huge success. This is one of those projects that can not only bring light to the human condition in Cuba, but also provide a sense of calling for world prayer and healing, “said Martinez.
Castro’s Daughter is a film told from a daughter’s perspective who overcomes the everlasting effects of the grips of her father through her own self-liberation.
The script was recently revised based on notes from the major studio system, and has pulled the attention of several major studio distributors. “We’ve taken the pains to knock on doors ourselves and have taken a series of meetings with acquisitions executives at studios like Fox, Universal, The Weinstein Co and Sony over the last two years; and based on the feedback on the current script from studios and talent, we have no doubt that this film will perform extremely well once it’s all said and done. And based on the world platform and low-budget formula, there is success in our see.”
About Mankind Entertainment
Mankind Entertainment is an entity formed for the development, packaging and production of feature films. The company was formed by Austin-based producers John Torres Martinez, and Joe Lamy, and focuses primarily on the financing, development and production of award-driven, specialty films. Mankind is working on the upcoming adaptation of Anna in the Tropics; which is written by Nilo Cruz, with Academy award nominee, Lee Daniels (Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Precious) having developed. http://mankind-ent.com or call (512) 709-2271.
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