Secuestro Express takes its name from quick kidnappings currently in-vogue in Caracas where wealthy victims are abducted for a matter of hours until their families pay a 'reasonable' ransom for their release. We follow one such kidnapping as Carla and Martin become the latest victims of Trece, Budu and Niga and are sent on a terrifying overnight journey through the underbelly of Caracas as they wait for Carla's father to hand over twenty thousand dollars - a small amount for a rich Caraqueño, but the equivalent of almost five years of the Venezuelan minimum wage.
Ruben Blades (Carla's father) says of the film, 'It speaks from the heart and soul of the streets like where I was born - where violence is your daily bread, and the people in power are deaf. I believe in the youth, and this film is the youth of South America talking to the world.'
This film oozes energy and tension from the first frame to the last, not letting its audience off the hook for a second. Director Jonathan Jakubowitz's choice to shoot the film using DV brings a startling sense of reality to this undeniably powerful debut feature. JvF
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Following a sneak preview of the film on the 8th October, Jonathan will be interviewed on stage before an open Q&A session. Click here
