Inspired by the simmering one-man rebellion that kicked off a tremendous tide-change in Barcelona, writer-director Marcel Barrena (“Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea”) and Spain’s The Mediapro Studio have begun filming “The 47.”
TMS has released first look images.The premise centers on social activist bus driver Manolo Vital, played by three-time Goya Award winner Eduardo Fernández (“Smoke & Mirrors”), as he grows increasingly outraged at the abject neglect faced by immigrant communities outside the city’s center, whose neighborhoods, peeled by immigrants from Extremadura and Andalusia, had only just achieved running water.
Stonewalled by the City Council, Vital seizes a bus used on Barcelona’s #47 line and extends its route to Torre Baró in an attempt to prove that the vehicle can safely service the outlying communities in need.
“What the film shows is that this good man tried to convince everyone that it was feasible. The contempt of the system towards those communities of immigrants living in the slums is what ignited the spark. The spark of hijacking the bus was born from that unwillingness or inability of the system to respond to the most basic needs,” producer and Mediapro Group co-founder Jaume Roures toldPvNew. “In the end, history is always changed by individuals through unexpected acts outside of the norms,” he added.
Begun by “La espalda del mundo,” released in 1999 five years after the launch of Mediapro, the company has always plowed a strong line in social-issue dramas, distinguished by a sense of humor, knowing sense of character, and large central performances, such as Fernando Leon de Aranoa’s “Mondays in the Sun” and “The Good Boss,” both starring Javier Bardem.
“The line that we adopted works. Beyond working economically, you also gain international recognition which encourages us to continue,” Roures toldPvNew.
Making such film was one reason Roures co-launched Mediapro.
Taking place between two timelines, 1958 and 1978, “The 47” captures the essence of hard-fought battles for a lesser measure of inequality and affords Barrena the chance to explore stylistically, maneuvering color palettes to suit the minutiae of the script and experimenting with framing formats to allow audiences to sink fully into the scene the project encapsulates.
Borrowing from his experience in documentary filmmaking alongside crafting buzz-titled fictitious tales spun from true events, he further hints that sound will play a crucial role in pulling the story together.
Award-winning screenwriter-producer Alberto Marini (“REC;” “Retribution,”) acts as co-scribe on the evergreen narrative that demonstrates the broad impact of solidarity and diligent mobilization, conduits of non-violent revolution.
“A European capital city like Barcelona was changed by a small act of peaceful dissent performed by one man driving a bus. What can you do as a journalist, or what can I do as a director, my fishmonger as a fishmonger? What can you do to improve the world? He did it out of honor and struggle. Without hurting anyone, he changed a whole city,” Barrena mused.
Produced by Roures alongside executive producers Laura Fernández Espeso, Javier Méndez and Eva Garrido with support from Catalan public broadcaster Televisió de Catalunya and Catalan culture industry agency ICEC, the cast is rounded out by Clara Segura (“The Sea Inside”), Zoe Bonafonte (“Escándalo, relato de una obsesión”), Salva Reina (“Con quién viajas”), Aimar Vega (“Prison 77”), Carlos Cuevas (“Merlí: Sapere Aude”), Vicente Romero (“Intemperie”) and Goya winner David Verdaguer (“Summer 1993”).
Freshly into the shoot, Barrena admits to taking a slightly different approach this time around.
“We’ve started by shooting the scenes of greater emotional weight, not shots of the neighborhood or transition scenes. Sometimes you start like that to achieve a relaxed shoot and set the tone, but in this film, the first two weeks we’ve shot the most complex and difficult acting and character sequences,” he explained. “I have to say that I’m very happy with the result, the truth is that I think people will connect a lot with the characters played by Eduardo Fernandez and Clara Segura, we’re getting something very emotional.”
