On Christmas Day, 1492, the sailors who accompanied Columbus on his conquest of America celebrate on the Santa Maria. No one wants to miss the party, so they send a young flight attendant to take control. … ladder. However, something happens and he falls asleep at the controls of the ship, causing it to turn and run aground on a rock. Caravel is completely destroyed. This means: 39 sailors will be stranded on land Meanwhile, Columbus returns to Spain with news of his discoveries and the riches he has found. Of course he will return, but perhaps too late, for what he sees when he returns is a Dantesque sight. What actually happened in his absence?
This is the prerequisite for starting The 39, a new series directed by Roberto Serrano and Max Lemkestarring Pablo Delchi, Hugo Silva, and Victor Reburu, among others. Its protagonists, presented at the Celia Lizados Festival in Barcelona, are one of the strongest bets of the new season of Spanish fiction, and they want to go beyond historical reconstructions and approach horror, adventure films and thrillers. “In Ridley Scott’s film 1942, I followed Columbus’ voyage, and you want to know what happened to the sailors who had to stay on Hispaniola. It’s a story that’s not often told. It’s hard to find documentation, but it’s an interesting story,” Lemke says.
Filming took place in ColombiaThe farm, full of plants, had a Dantesque feeling of hell. It’s the same feeling that the 15th century Spaniards felt when they anchored on the coast. Hispaniola, today the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. “We know that most of those sailors left the galleys. They were tough, strong guys, and suddenly that new world was like being on Mars. Money, women, everything was new to them. “This led to all kinds of abuse,” Lemke, who conceived the idea to create the series 10 years ago, said after speaking with a Mexican anthropologist about what these sailors would have experienced.
The shoot wasn’t easy. The set was flooded by heavy rain, and two experts had to clear the way for potentially deadly insects and animals every day to avoid spooking the actors and technical staff. The team was mostly Colombian and Mexican, and included actors playing Taino people. «It was one of the most ambitious shoots I’ve ever been a part of, with 300 people working on it.. We were bitten by all sorts of bugs and had to deal with bad weather with overwhelming humidity and suffocating heat, but it was all worth it,” Lemke admits.
Jungle as another main character in the series
and Ruins of Santa MariaColumbus ordered the construction of a fort he named “Christmas.” There they took refuge from the dangers of the island, including five different chieftains facing each other, all kinds of animals and dangerous plants, and a town of cannibals. This series depicts the struggles of men and the inner conflicts they face in the process. “This was the first European settlement in America, and when Columbus returned he found the forts destroyed. The only thing I found about what happened to these people is that this, too, is not reflected in Columbus’ writings. A novel by writer Jose Luis Muñoz. We built the script around that original story,” Lemke admits.
Those pioneers were baptized as “Christmas” And despite its magnificent nature, its history remains a mystery. But the series doesn’t just want to be a Western take on Taino “savages” and the dangers of the jungle. The perspective of indigenous peoples and their power struggles is also faithfully recreated.. There were five Taino chiefs on the island. And everyone coveted the Spanish technological prowess to control neighboring countries. “We didn’t want to repeat the stereotypes, the old idea of stupid Indians and Spaniards placating them with little mirrors. We wanted to depict the real complexities of the region and the power struggles between the chiefs,” Lemke says.
In the era of Demonizing the historical figure of Columbus And while Spain is being asked to apologize for the “plunder” and violence that resulted from its conquest of America, the series wanted to handle this issue very sensitively. “It doesn’t cost anything to ask for forgiveness, that’s my opinion. What is clear is that the Taínos no longer exist and everything is part of the Spanish occupation. “From here everyone can draw their own conclusions,” stressed the director, adding that the series is already available on Amazon Prime in Latin American countries and will also be broadcast on Spanish television in January.
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