Cubans Luis Alberto García and Alina Robert act in the series 'The Cry of the Butterflies'

August 8, 2021

This week filming began in Colombia for 'The Cry of the Butterflies', an important Spanish-Argentine production in serialized fiction format that will be seen exclusively on Star+ ("Star Plus"), Disney's new subscription streaming service in Latin America. The series will consist of 13 chapters and will be the first with Spanish production and talent for this new platform that will offer entertainment content on the other side of the ocean.

The series stars Susana Abaitua, alongside Dominican actress Sandy Hernández and Cuban actor Luis Alberto García. Also part of the cast are Willy Toledo, Belén Rueda, Mercedes Sampietro and Cuban Alina Robert. The series will tell the true story behind the universal day for the elimination of violence against women.

Official synopsis:

Between 1930 and his assassination in 1961, Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, alias "El Chivo", turned the life of the Caribbean country into a tragic opera starring a monster that could not tolerate any opinion against him, and much less a "no" from a woman's lips. Murders planned from power, abuse and gender violence, artistic and sporting spectacles, and absolute control of the media were the tools put into practice by one of the most grotesque tyrants of the twentieth century to control the people. Only a few brave souls risked their lives to confront him. Minerva Mirabal, nicknamed "The Butterfly", was one of them. A unique woman, beautiful, cultured and committed, whose short life with a tragic end accelerated the end of the "Chivo's party".

'The Cry of the Butterflies' is a Spanish-Argentine co-production led from Spain by Gloriamundi Producciones, S.L.U., Tandem Films and Debut y despedida, A.I.E. together with Mediabyte, S.R.L. on the Argentine side. Pablo E. Bossi, Agustín Bossi, Pol Bossi, Juan Pablo Buscarini, Cristina Zumárraga and Eva Cebrián sign on as producers of this significant serialized fiction already underway.

Based on the true story behind the universal day for the elimination of violence against women, the series features Goya Award winner, Argentine Juan Pablo Buscarini as showrunner, Spanish Inés París in direction alongside Argentines Leandro Ipiña, Mariano Hueter and a large group of screenwriters from both Spain and Argentina that includes Azucena Rodríguez, Ricardo Rodríguez, Juan Pablo Buscarini, Juan Carballo, Gabriel Nicoli and Pablo E. Bossi.

Alongside artistic talent, we also find Spanish names leading some of the main technical departments, such as Néstor Calvo in cinematography and Jorge Garrigós as head of direct sound.

Filming began this week at different locations in Colombia (Bogotá, Santa Marta, Barranquilla) and will continue for 17 weeks.

'The Cry of the Butterflies' will be seen exclusively in Latin America through Star+, but for Spain and the rest of the world, international sales will be handled by Filmax.

The protagonist is Arantxa Oyamburu (Susana Abaitua), a young Spanish emigrant in the Dominican Republic of the 1950s. There she becomes friends with Minerva Mirabal (Sandy Hernández) and together they will have to face one of the most iron-fisted tyrannies of the twentieth century and survive the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo (Luis Alberto García). The series will show the gender violence and abuse to which women were subjected under this regime.

Juan Pablo Buscarini, Goya Award winner, is the showrunner of 'The Cry of the Butterflies'. In the directing team are Argentines Leandro Ipiña and Mariano Hueter. In the large group of screenwriters are names such as Azucena Rodríguez, Ricardo Rodríguez, Juan Pablo Buscarini, Juan Carballo, Gabriel Nicoli and Pablo E. Bossi. The filming of this Spanish-Argentine co-production will take place in Colombia and its launch will be hosted on Star+, Disney's platform in Latin America. In Spain, the rights to its thirteen episodes belong to Filmax.

Minerva Mirabal, nicknamed "The Butterfly", hence the name of the series, was one of the few who rebelled against Rafael Leónidas Trujillo's rule. Her life was marked by the reprisals of the dictatorship and her actions helped bring about the end of Trujillo's rule. With 'The Cry of the Butterflies' her memory is honored, as well as that of all the women who decided to fight for their rights.