Maven to Produce Film Shooting in Havana, Cuba
Hollywood, CA—Mankind Entertainment announced today that Maven Pictures has signed on to produce their upcoming major motion picture, Castro’s Daughter. Maven’s Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler will be joining the production as lead producers with developing producers John Martinez O’Felan, Joe Lamy and Mexican filmmaker, Luis Mandoki (When a Man Loves a Woman, Message in a Bottle), who is directing. The screenplay was redeveloped this year by Mandoki and Cuban Pulitzer prize winner, Nilo Cruz. Oscar winner, Bobby Moresco (Crash)also credited as a co-writer.
Castro’s Daughter is a significant true story of modern time, which encapsulates major past and present world events. The film gives an internal and holistic take on the Cuban revolution through the coming-of-age life story of Alina Fernandez, Castro’s love child with his mistress and die-hard communist backer of over 50 years, Naty Revuelta, a key planner and financier of Castro’s revolution during the 1950’s. Revuelta and Castro fell in love while planning the July 26th movement which was Castro’s first failed coup attempt; and the two maintained contact through love letters during Castro’s prison sentence in 1953 and after he returned to take power along with his brother Raul.
During Fernandez’s elementary years, Castro would pay special late night visits to her and bring her gifts, keeping her secret until the age of 10, at which point she was told that Castro was her father. She later escaped Cuba disguised as a Spanish tourist in 1993 after the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism in Russia; and now lives in Miami. The film comes during a new age and through the voice of Alina, brings a message of calling to societies around the world on the importance of change for the good of her people.
O’Felan went on to comment: “Alina is much like a Mona Lisa of modern time and is a symbol of faith and empowerment for women around the globe; and we think that Celine and Trudie are the perfect producers to help deliver this project of importance as the world watches the U.S and Cuba go through such a positive transformation for the sake of humanity.”Maven Pictures will be working with Mankind and Mandoki as the project enters its next phase.
The project, which has been in development, is expected to begin casting immediately. The production aims to film on location in Cuba with Alina Fernandez herself on set during shoot as a voice of the project. Fernandez, once an exile forbidden to return, last visited Cuba in 2015 after over 20 years to reunite with her mother shortly before she passed away at the age of 89.
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