Antonio Banderas To Star In Latest Feature From Mariano Cohn & Gastón Duprat

Antonio Banderas will star as Captain Álvaro Salcedo in Mare Nostrum, the latest feature from Argentinian filmmakers Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat (Official Competition). HanWay Films will launch world sales on the film at the AFM. Principal photography is set to begin on the film early next year in Spain. Mare Nostrum follows the Captain (Banderas) at the helm of a giant commercial container ship carrying a billion-euro cargo from Istanbul to Cape Town. In the middle of a storm, he comes across a small boat packed with African migrants on the verge of sinking. The captain faces a moral dilemma: rescue them or leave them to their fate. He decides to bring them aboard, unaware that this will trigger an international political crisis when no European country allows them to disembark. As his profile escalates amid empty cries of support, the Captain navigates quite the odyssey with a bizarre cast including European leaders, activists, coast guards, an international rock star, a hard-nosed corporate lawyer, marine insurance brokers and an all-ages band of African refugees. Watch on Deadline With no apparent way out and no solution in sight, the captain takes extreme action to help the shipwreck survivors, setting up an unexpected and epic ending to the film. Jose Luis Escolar (Kill Jackie) is producing the film. Spanish cinematographer Xavi Giménez will shoot the film, and Marvel Universe VFX specialist Arturo López Iriarte (Wonka) is on board. Alain Bainée (Official Competition) will be the production designer. Executive producers include Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, Antonio Banderas, and Alejandro Roemmers. “With Mare Nostrum, we wanted to explore a world shaped by migration, borders and the contradictions of human nature,” Cohn and Duprat said in a statement. “We see this as our biggest and most ambitious film to date, bringing together tension, drama and uncomfortable humour on a scale we have never attempted before. We look forward to reuniting with Antonio Banderas and working alongside an outstanding team of international collaborators to bring this project to life.”