Spain, France

Synopsis

A novice prison official has the bad luck to start his new job on the same day theprisoners organize a riot. Caught up in a fast-changing and dangerous situation,he is forced to exploit to the maximum the only resource left to him: his cunning.He finds that far from being the shy, gentle and decent man he has long thoughthimself to be, he is a born survivor teetering on the edge of an abyss.

Director's Statement

When CELDA 211 fell into my hands, I read it in one go and knew immediately that I wanted to make a movie about it. The novel’s starting point was forceful and convincing, set in a powerful, recognizable and human universe; and the story was built on a suffocating tension and included some remarkable twists and turns. As a film, it represented a major narrative challenge and left me with little choice to do anything other than strip away all artifice and place the camera directly at the service of the characters. It was thus necessary to find a failsafe cast. Now that the film’s finished, it’s hard for me to imagine more reliable, suitable actors than the ones we went with.
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Cast & Crew

Directed by: Daniel Monzón

Written by: Daniel Monzón, Jorge Guerricaechevarría

Produced by: Emma Lustres, Borja Pena, Juan Gordon, Álvaro Augustin

Cinematography: Carles Gusi

Editing: Mapa Pastor

Production Design: Alicia Tellería

Cast: Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, Antonio Resines, Carlos Bardem, Marta Etura

Nominations and Awards

  • European Actor 2010
  • European Screenwriter 2010
  • Feature Film Selection 2010