Cuban spy ring the focus in political thriller ‘Wasp Network’

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‘Unique story’

VENICE, Italy, Sept 2, (RTRS): A ring of Cuban operatives seeking to infiltrate anti-government groups exiled in Miami in the early 1990s is the focus of French director Olivier Assayas’ “Wasp Network”, a star-studded political thriller based on a true story.

Starring Penelope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, Gael Garcia Bernal and Wagner Moura, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, where it is competing with 20 others for the top Golden Lion prize.

The action begins in Havana with Cuban pilot Rene Gonzalez, played by Ramirez, flying off to the United States to defect, leaving his wife, Cruz’s Olga, and their daughter behind in the Communist state led by Fidel Castro.

While it appears at first that he wants to start a new life in Florida, he joins other exiled Cubans there as part of a ring known as the Wasp Network, a pro-Castro group.

Led by Garcia Bernal’s undercover operative Manuel Viramontez, they infiltrate Cuban-American groups that want to topple the Castro regime.

“I liked the idea of leading the audience in one direction and then twist it and then we see the other side of the game,” Assayas told a news conference.

Garcia Bernal described the key characters as “spies that are trying to stop violence”.

“There’s something very unique about this story that highlights the act of love that actually made them do this, and the people they left behind support them,” he said.

The film is based on the true story of The Cuban Five intelligence officers who were arrested in Florida in 1998, convicted of espionage and other activities and jailed, before eventually being released after lengthy jail terms as part of a prisoner swap between the two countries.

Shooting

Assayas, known for “Clouds of Sils Maria” and “Personal Shopper”, said shooting in Cuba was “what allowed this film to happen.”

“I thought there would be conditions, strings attached, the reality there was not. We were completely free to make the film as wanted. We were monitored to put it mildly, but there were no consequences on the film,” he said.

“This film was made during a period of tension between Cuba and the US and the situation was evolving fast. We are lucky we made this film (when we did) as I don’t think it would have been possible today.”

At the news conference Cruz, who described the story as “a very interesting subject to explore”, was asked about her biggest fears.

“The world seems more and more divided every day,” she said, also citing the impact of fast-changing modern technology on children and teenagers.

“I feel it is creating a lot of general anxiety. I worry,” she said.

Also:

LOS ANGELES: 3B Productions, the French production outfit behind Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Venice opener “The Truth”, is developing the next films of Atiq Rahimi (“The Patience Stone”) and Karim Dridi (“Chouf”).

Rahimi, whose latest film “Notre-dame du Nil” will be world premiering at Toronto, is developing with Jean Brehat at 3B Productions and Ron Senkowski (“The …”) the adaptation of “Les echelles du levan” (“Port of Calls”), a novel by French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf.

“I’ve always loved Amin Maalouf’s novels and I wanted to adapt one, so when Ron Senkowski proposed producing with him the adaptation of ‘Les echelles du levan’, I didn’t hesitate,” said Brehat, adding that he thought of Rahimi to direct the film because he admires his books and the quality of the two films he’s helmed.

“Les echelles du levan” will reunite Rahimi with Golshifteh Farahani, who had starred in his 2012 film “The Patience Stone”. The cast will include the singer Mika, a star in France who is one of the coaches on “The Voice”, French comedian Kev Adams and Turkish actress Belcim Bilgin.

Brehat, who is part of this year’s Oscar committee in France, is producing “Les echelles du levan” with Muriel Merlin and Rachid Bouchareb, who sits on Venice’s jury, at 3B Productions. Senkowski, Samira Kawas, Pol Cruchten and Marco Coen are co-producing. The script is written by Rahimi, Claire Le Luthern, Catherine Charrier and Senkowski. The movie is expected to start shooting next April.

3B Productions is also developing “Les Faineants” by Dridi. The film will take place in a seaside corner of Brittany where people from different backgrounds and ethnicities have found refuge and live in trailers, staying on the margins of society because they refuse to fit in. “Les Faineants” will mark Dridi’s follow-up to “Chouf”, which played at Cannes in the special screening section.

As with “Chouf”, which explored the criminal underworld of Marseilles, “Les Faineants” will star many non-professional actors. Dridi will also be casting well-known stars in some of the leading roles. He’ll film for a year and live alongside the people in the district in which it’s set, said Merlin, who is lead producing the project.

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