Guadalajara-born film director Patricia Riggen is to direct a movie based on the true story of 33 Chilean miners who were trapped in a collapsed mining shaft for 69 days in 2010.
Their captivating story drew the world’s attention, with over a billion people watching the rescue operation as it unfolded live on television. Now it will be recreated on the silverscreen in Riggen’s “The 33.”
“I was riveted – along with the rest of the world – as the drama of 33 Chilean miners unfolded,” Riggen said, after meeting the miners in Chile last year. “In their darkest hour, they struggled to maintain their unity. The collapse brought out the best and the worst in them. Ultimately, the human spirit triumphed and all of them came out alive. I feel honored to have the opportunity to bring their extraordinary story to the world.”Filming is due to begin in Chile this month, with release tentatively scheduled for late fall. Producer Mike Medavoy, who secured all 33 of the miners’ rights to the story, has said he chose Riggen to direct after seeing her 2007 debut feature-length film, “La Misma Luna.”
Riggen, who attended the American School of Guadalajara and ITESO, worked as a journalist for the now-defunct Siglo XXI paper before being recruited as a writer for a documentary series. She eventually graduated from Columbia University Film School as a rising star: her thesis film “La Milpa,” a 27-minute short, picked up a Student Academy Award, 21 international awards and was short-listed for an Academy Award nomination.
The profits enabled her to complete “Family Portrait,” a documentary about race and poverty in New York, which was shown at some 30 festivals and won the 2005 jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Riggen has since directed “Revolucion” in 2010, Disney Channel movie “Lemonade Mouth” in 2011 and indie drama “Girl in Progress,” which starred Eva Mendes and Patricia Arquette in 2012.
A Spanish-language movie detailing the Chilean miners’ ordeal, “The 22 of San Jose,” is in post production. Spaniard Antonio Recio directs.