Brief
Maeve Jinkings to star in women’s prison‑convent escape film “Cabildo 71”
The project, selected for Ventana Sur’s Proyecta Forum, is co‑produced by companies from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Spain.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Brazilian actress Maeve Jinkings, known for Walter Salles’ Oscar‑winning "I’m Still Here," will lead the cast of the upcoming drama "Cabildo 71," which dramatises a 1970 women’s escape from the Cabildo prison‑convent in Uruguay. Variety reported the film was chosen for Ventana Sur’s Proyecta Co‑Production Forum.
What happened
"Cabildo 71" follows a character called La Parda who joins a choir of twelve political prisoners to mask a breakout during Mass on 8 March 1970. The choir rushes down the chapel aisle and escapes under the watch of the Good Shepherd nuns. A year later La Parda is recaptured, this time by police, and a new escape plan is plotted.
What the reports add
The co‑production brings together Una Presencia (Argentina) and Vitrine Filmes (Brazil/Spain) alongside Uruguay’s Monarca Films and Brazil’s Boulevard Filmes. Funding includes Argentina’s INCAA minority fund and the Ancine‑ACAU bilateral minority fund. Director Victoria “Pitoka” Pena, whose debut "Delia" won the Silver Biznaga at Málaga, said she wants an intimate, personal view of the story rather than a purely heroic narrative.
What was said
“I am interested in telling this story from an intimate and personal point of view, giving this dimension precedence over the heroic narrative of the feat,” Pena told Variety. Monarca Films producer Eugenia Olascuaga added, “We want to portray the female characters within their variety of social class and the kind of life they led, not under the ‘guerrilla women’ stereotype that the popular imagination tends to default to.”
How it came about
The film’s premise is based on real events involving women imprisoned at Cabildo, including future Uruguayan vice‑president Lucía Topolansky and her twin sister Elia. The project’s multinational co‑production structure reflects a growing trend of cross‑border collaborations in Latin American cinema.
Key facts
- Maeve Jinkings will star in "Cabildo 71". (variety.com)
- The film was selected for Ventana Sur’s Proyecta Co‑Production Forum. (variety.com)
- Co‑producers include Una Presencia, Vitrine Filmes, Monarca Films and Boulevard Filmes. (variety.com)
- Funding comes from Argentina’s INCAA minority fund and the Ancine‑ACAU bilateral minority fund. (variety.com)
- Director Victoria “Pitoka” Pena wants an intimate, personal perspective on the escape. (variety.com)
Sources
- [1] variety.com — originally reported as “‘I’m Still Here’ Star Maeve Jinkings Set for Women’s Convent-Prison Daring Escape Drama ‘Cabildo 71’ (EXCLUSIVE)”
