Dominican Film “LIBORIO” Wins Doha Film Institute Award and is Exhibited in Qatar

Santo Domingo, 16 de marzo 2020 – The Dominican film “Liborio” received a post-production award issued by the Doha Film Institute and was selected to participate in its film festival known as Qumra. The event was to take place in Doha, the capital of Qatar, but due to the exceptional circumstances produced worldwide by the Coronavirus, it will be held remotely.

“Liborio” is the first film directed by Dominican Nino Martínez Sosa, produced by Fernando Santos Díaz and co-produced with Puerto Rico and Qatar. The movie is about the life of Olivorio Mateo, a Dominican legendary figure that lived in the country’s southwest región in the early 20th century. He was considered to be one of the country’s first guerrilla fighters.

Filming took place in the country’s central mountain chain and in the Valley of San Juan de la Maguana, situated near the Dominican/Haiti border. It is currently in the post-production stage.

The project recently participated in the “Ventana Sur” Festival in Buenos Aires, and at the end of the month of March it will be available online. That is when it will participate, along with other films, in the Qatar event. Both the film’s director and producer will receive online personal advice and guidance from well-known industry experts and will be able to meet with Class A Festival coordinators, sales agents and international distributors.

Fernando (Nino) Martínez Sosa studied film in the Cuban Film and TV Institute. He later moved to Madrid where he began an extensive career as a film editor. He worked in numerous productions, many that were later distinguished in such important festivals as Cannes, Sundance and San Sebastian.

Fernando Santos Díaz, after receiving a degree in Economics and film production in Argentina, went on to produce “Cocote,” a Dominican film that so far has participated in more than 40 film festivals. It was recently recognized by the Dominican Press Association as the most distinguished local film produced in the last few years.

The “Liborio” character is interpreted by distinguished Dominican actor Vicente Santos, whose previous films include “Cocote”, “Miriam Miente,” “Malpaso”). Other actors are Karina Valdez (“Carpinteros”), Ramón Emilio Candelario (“Carpinteros”), Freddy Ginebra and other up and coming actors such as Fidia Peralta, Anderson Mojica and American Jeffrey Holsman, who interprets the character of Captain Williams.

The film, due to its cultural, aesthetic and anthropological value, has received funds from the Ibermedia in Development and Coproduction, Fonprocine, from the Dominican Directorate of Films (DGCINE) for its development and production, as well as from such private supporters as the BHD León Bank, Autohaus, Banco Ademi, Motor Crédito and the Grupo Cometa.