Film bosses are battling to be the first to make a movie about the kidnapping of 15 hostages, including former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.
The group was kidnapped by Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) in 2002, when Betancourt was running for office. They were finally freed last week (03Jul08) after a daring rescue operation.
And the incredible story looks destined to be played out on the big screen, with a number of production companies angling for rights.
According to Daily Variety, U.S. producers Scott Steindorff and Phil Maloof are negotiating with the Colombian government for its story.
But they could be beaten to the box office by Venezuelan actress Patricia Velasquez, who already has the rights to Betancourt’s husband’s memoir – and plans to have a film in theatres next year (09).
Velasquez says, “We had finished the treatment and presentation the day before Ingrid’s release. Her release changes our treatment, which had a poetic ending and a call for her freedom and others like her. Now we have a better ending, but the struggle has not ended.”
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