Édgar Ramírez-Produced Thriller ‘It Would Be Night in Caracas’ Casts a Light on Venezuela’s 2017 Riots and Diaspora
Set during the violent 2017 protests in Venezuela that resulted in nearly 200 deaths and thousands of injuries and arrests, the Édgar Ramírez-produced “It Would Be Night in Caracas” (Aún es de noche en Caracas”) world premieres at Venice’s Spotlight on Sept. 4, to be followed by its North American debut at TIFF on Sept. 9.
Helmed by directing-writing-producing partners Mariana Rondón and Marité Ugás (“Bad Hair,” “Zafari”), “It Would Be Night in Caracas” follows Adelaida who buries her mother as clashes between anti-government protestors and police forces intensify. When she returns from the cemetery, she discovers that her apartment has been taken over by a woman aligned with the regime. She takes refuge in the flat next door where she finds her neighbor’s corpse. As she falls into a tight, terrifying cycle of fear and despair, Adelaida realizes that in order to stay alive, she has to let go of who she is.
The project took off when Ramírez (“American Crime Story,” “Gold”) approached Karina Sainz Borgo, the author of the novel the film is based on, to secure the rights. He was in London then for a shoot and their half-hour Zoom turned into a nearly two-hour session. “It was almost like a therapy session between the two of us. We both really connected and saw the potential movie in the same way” he recalls.
When conferring with the film’s Mexican producer, Stacy Perskie of Redrum (“Bardo,” “Narcos: Mexico”), all the elements came into place organically. They agreed to tap Rondón and Ugás to write and direct and for Colombian thesp Natalia Reyes to play Adelaida. Ramírez plays a supporting but crucial role in the film.
“I’d always wanted to work with Mariana and Marité who I’ve known for a long time, little did I know that I’d end up working with them as a producer,” Ramírez notes.
“She’s such a versatile actress,” says Ugás of Reyes whose credits range from the darkly poetic “Birds of Passage” to big budget franchise “Terminator: Dark Fate.” “And even though it might have seemed risky for her to play a Venezuelan, in the end, no one has noticed, she really nailed the accent.”
“It’s been one of the most intense and wonderful creative processes I’ve ever experienced,” says Reyes. “The way Marité and Mariana work is incredibly detailed and structured. It was a deeply immersive process—emotionally as well—with lots of theatrical exercises. I also loved working with Édgar; the whole team was just incredible.”
This is the first time for the helmer-scribes to fully delve into the thriller genre. In adapting the book, they chose to focus more on the thriller aspect of the story, while still holding onto the spirit of longing for a place that’s slipping away.
“Venezuela is trapped in a permanent thriller. You never know what’s going to happen next,” they note.
“While there were protests in 2014 and 2019, the most intense ones happened in 2017, with many deaths and arrests. It was really important to give that context and weight to the story, because that’s what puts her — Adelaida — in that position,” Rondón adds.
“Speaking about Venezuela and its diaspora, we ended up filming in Mexico because it’s a Mexican production but we were able to gather an incredible cast made up of Venezuelan actors currently living in Mexico. We only had to bring in a couple of people from outside, because so much of that talent —scattered around the world — just happened to be in Mexico at the time,” says Ugás, “It made things so much easier from a production standpoint. Even the extras were Venezuelan.”
They used archival footage of the protests, but in many cases where they had to replicate some streets and scenes in Mexico City, they found very similar-looking neighborhoods with modernist buildings typical of Caracas.
“We spent two weeks in Venezuela — one in Caracas and another in Choroní, on the coast — and it was a very intense experience. The truth is, we had to shoot in a sort of guerrilla style…we couldn’t openly say we were making this film, so we had to be extremely careful with the scenes we shot there,” Reyes recalls.
Says Rondón: “What I find interesting about both the novel and the film is how they create a metaphor for the experience of so many Venezuelans — eight million of us — who’ve had to leave the country. For many reasons, the vast majority have done so without proper documentation. But it’s not just about papers. When you leave, you lose everything you are—everything you were. Your identity, your past, your life, your loves… all of it.”
She adds: “So the story speaks to that sense of loss — of losing your identity. And yes, maybe in losing that identity, you manage to survive. But we have always asked ourselves: is that truly survival?”
“It Would Be Night in Caracas” is produced by Redrum (Perskie and Stephanie Correa), Absolute Artists (Ramírez) and Impression Entertainment (Jill Littman).
Helmed by directing-writing-producing partners Mariana Rondón and Marité Ugás (“Bad Hair,” “Zafari”), “It Would Be Night in Caracas” follows Adelaida who buries her mother as clashes between anti-government protestors and police forces intensify. When she returns from the cemetery, she discovers that her apartment has been taken over by a woman aligned with the regime. She takes refuge in the flat next door where she finds her neighbor’s corpse. As she falls into a tight, terrifying cycle of fear and despair, Adelaida realizes that in order to stay alive, she has to let go of who she is.
The project took off when Ramírez (“American Crime Story,” “Gold”) approached Karina Sainz Borgo, the author of the novel the film is based on, to secure the rights. He was in London then for a shoot and their half-hour Zoom turned into a nearly two-hour session. “It was almost like a therapy session between the two of us. We both really connected and saw the potential movie in the same way” he recalls.
When conferring with the film’s Mexican producer, Stacy Perskie of Redrum (“Bardo,” “Narcos: Mexico”), all the elements came into place organically. They agreed to tap Rondón and Ugás to write and direct and for Colombian thesp Natalia Reyes to play Adelaida. Ramírez plays a supporting but crucial role in the film.
“I’d always wanted to work with Mariana and Marité who I’ve known for a long time, little did I know that I’d end up working with them as a producer,” Ramírez notes.
“She’s such a versatile actress,” says Ugás of Reyes whose credits range from the darkly poetic “Birds of Passage” to big budget franchise “Terminator: Dark Fate.” “And even though it might have seemed risky for her to play a Venezuelan, in the end, no one has noticed, she really nailed the accent.”
“It’s been one of the most intense and wonderful creative processes I’ve ever experienced,” says Reyes. “The way Marité and Mariana work is incredibly detailed and structured. It was a deeply immersive process—emotionally as well—with lots of theatrical exercises. I also loved working with Édgar; the whole team was just incredible.”
This is the first time for the helmer-scribes to fully delve into the thriller genre. In adapting the book, they chose to focus more on the thriller aspect of the story, while still holding onto the spirit of longing for a place that’s slipping away.
“Venezuela is trapped in a permanent thriller. You never know what’s going to happen next,” they note.
“While there were protests in 2014 and 2019, the most intense ones happened in 2017, with many deaths and arrests. It was really important to give that context and weight to the story, because that’s what puts her — Adelaida — in that position,” Rondón adds.
“Speaking about Venezuela and its diaspora, we ended up filming in Mexico because it’s a Mexican production but we were able to gather an incredible cast made up of Venezuelan actors currently living in Mexico. We only had to bring in a couple of people from outside, because so much of that talent —scattered around the world — just happened to be in Mexico at the time,” says Ugás, “It made things so much easier from a production standpoint. Even the extras were Venezuelan.”
They used archival footage of the protests, but in many cases where they had to replicate some streets and scenes in Mexico City, they found very similar-looking neighborhoods with modernist buildings typical of Caracas.
“We spent two weeks in Venezuela — one in Caracas and another in Choroní, on the coast — and it was a very intense experience. The truth is, we had to shoot in a sort of guerrilla style…we couldn’t openly say we were making this film, so we had to be extremely careful with the scenes we shot there,” Reyes recalls.
Says Rondón: “What I find interesting about both the novel and the film is how they create a metaphor for the experience of so many Venezuelans — eight million of us — who’ve had to leave the country. For many reasons, the vast majority have done so without proper documentation. But it’s not just about papers. When you leave, you lose everything you are—everything you were. Your identity, your past, your life, your loves… all of it.”
She adds: “So the story speaks to that sense of loss — of losing your identity. And yes, maybe in losing that identity, you manage to survive. But we have always asked ourselves: is that truly survival?”
“It Would Be Night in Caracas” is produced by Redrum (Perskie and Stephanie Correa), Absolute Artists (Ramírez) and Impression Entertainment (Jill Littman).