Alberto Rodríguez presents in Spanish Cinema ‘Modelo 77’, a story “of solidarity and freedom” based on real events

The Spanish Cinema section of the 67th Seminci has screened this Saturday 23 October the feature film directed by Alberto Rodríguez, Modelo 77; “a story of friendship, solidarity and freedom, inspired by real events”.

The work starring Miguel Herrán and Javier Gutiérrez was produced in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville, the places that served as the setting for this feature film. Jesús Carroza, Fernando Tejero, Catalina Sopelana, Xavi Sáez, Alfonso Lara and Polo Camino also participated in the film.

The presentation was attended by a packed cinema and the director and screenwriter Alberto Rodríguez, who expressed his gratitude to the Festival’s audience. “There’s nothing like a full house, I’m happy”, said the director.

Model 77 is a film based on the setting of the 1977 Barcelona Model prison, where Manuel, a young accountant, imprisoned and awaiting trial for committing embezzlement, faces a possible sentence of between 6 and 8 years, a disproportionate punishment for the crime committed. Together with his cellmate Pino, he joins COPEL, a prisoners’ collective that will fight for the rights of common prisoners and amnesty. Throughout the film, a war for freedom begins that will shake the Spanish penitentiary system.

The film was born out of the concern of Rafael Cobos and the director himself, who could not pass up the opportunity to show this story on the big screen. “This has to be told, it’s worth it”, says Rodríguez, “the sewers of Barcelona rising up and 45 people fleeing through the centre of the city”, adds the director, confessing that as he delved deeper into the escape he realised that “the only interesting thing was what happened before, that the prisoners realised that, however remote it was, the possibility of amnesty was present”.

The filmmaker expresses his passion for the prison genre with a small nod to the film ‘The Escape‘ in his feature film. “I take many things from this film. The personal experiences, the interviews with the prisoners, for me it has been an exercise in simplicity. Sometimes it is more difficult to make things simple,” concludes Rodríguez.