ArtMattan Films acquired Brazilian action drama Marighella, the directing debut from journalist, musician, and actor Wagner Moura (Elite Squad; Pablo Escobar in Narcos.)
Marighella made its world premiere screening at Berlinale 2019 out of competition and is currently screening in major festivals in the USA. The festival run will be followed by a theatrical opening in early 2020, then a digital and home-video bow.
Currently censored in Brazil, Marighella is set in 1969 and is based on the life of Afro-Brazilian politician and guerrilla fighter Carlos Marighella. Facing a violent military dictatorship and with little support from a timid opposition, writer-turned-politician Carlos Marighella organizes a resistance movement. Alongside revolutionaries 30 years younger than him and willing to fight, the revolutionary leader opts for action.
The film is adapted from the biography Marighella – O Guerrilheiro que Incendiou o Mundo, by Mario Magalhaes. Brazilian musical artist, songwriter, and actor Seu Jorge plays Carlos Marighella.