Inspired by the tragic case of Spanish toddler Jonathan Vega, abducted in broad daylight from a Madrid shopping center, writer-director Marc Romero (“75 Days”) is set to begin production on “Hour and Twenty” (“Hora y Veinte”), alongside producers El Orgullo Producciones, La Cochera, Sorenfilms, La Raíz, Shift Dif and Corax Films.
The directors’ second high-octane feature shoots later this month, filming in Torrevieja (Alicante), Martos (Jaén), and Madrid over a five week stretch, further sponsored by Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja (Alicante) in collaboration with Ayuntamiento de Martos (Jaén). The film is slated to hit theaters this fall.
“We chose locations such as the Parque Natural de Las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja (Alicante), because of its picturesque landscape of huge salt mountains surrounded by pink waters—it’s the perfect contrast to our thrilling, dark story,” Romero relayed.
The narrative centers onManuela, played by Goya nominee Macarena Gómez (“Shrew’s Nest”), a brazen and frantic mother who’ll stop at nothing to find her six-year-old son Iván after he vanishes from their local mall on Christmas Eve.
“Of the annual child disappearances worldwide, 95% have a happy ending and children return home to their parents. Our film talks about the other 5%, cases like that of Jonathan Vega,” Romero said in a statement.
In tandem with Iván’s disappearance, the local police track a suspected serial killer that could be to blame for a spate of crimes across the country, moving from city to city while eluding justice and leading them on a fruitless chase.
All happenings culminate at the expansive shopping space on the merriest of nights, the dichotomy palpable as the police ramp up the pressure to close-in on the culprit before he can capture his next victim, Manuela finding out that it only takes one hour and twenty minutes for somebody’s world to change indefinitely.
“‘Hour and Twenty’ is ‘Die Hard’ inside a mall, a high-tension thriller packed with chases, race-against-the-clock moments, and plenty of action elements,” Romero concluded.
Rounding out the lead roles are two-time Goya winner Roberto Álamo (“May God Save Us,” “The Skin I Live In”) and three-time Goya winner Emma Suárez (“The Dog In The Manger,” “Julieta”), who recently featured in the Malaga opener “Someone Who Takes Care of Me.”
Boré Buika (“Palm Trees In The Snow”) and Alex Sorian Brown (“Evan Wood”) also star, with a special appearance from renowned Spanish vocalist Álex Ubago.
“We’re very excited to board this production with our wonderful co-producers and this stellar cast lead by Macarena, Roberto, and Emma in roles we’ve never seen them play before,” said Leticia Moreno, CEO of Sorenfilms. “This exhilarating script inspired by real events deserves the best talent on and off camera, and we’re convinced this story will captivate audiences and leave them wanting more.”
