In 2006, the vessel Santa Pola under the command of Francis and Catherine became the first European ship to rescue sub-Saharan migrants adrift in the central Mediterranean, hundreds of miles from Malta. When it reached the coast, authorities refused docking, leaving the crew at sea for nine days with barely any food or water. The project, guided by Alberto Ruiz Rojo, was planned in three parts and would be filmed entirely in natural settings over two months, weaving together scenes from Madrid, Alicante, the City of Light, and Santa Pola to form a high seas-centered production.
Alongside Luis Tosar and Blanca Portillo, the cast included Sonia Almarcha, Víctor Clavijo, Alex Monner, and Pau Durà from Alcoy, as well as Lamine Thior, Carlos Serrano, Alfonso Lara, Teresa Hurtado, Eva Marciel, Paula Muñoz, and other notable performers. The project was directed by Alberto Ruiz Rojo.
The adventure, which drew widespread newspaper coverage and dominated international headlines for more than a week, also planned to shoot at the Alicante studios to launch the cinema complex after the European Commission’s penalty was lifted in March 2022, following negotiations by the regional government.
One story, three focal threads
The narrative unfolds across three regions. It explores the tension between fishermen and migrants aboard the vessel, the diplomatic maneuvers to address the crisis, notably through the Spanish ambassador in Malta, and the concerns of Santa Pola residents whose families and neighbors of the crew mobilized public opinion after learning of the event at a national level.
The miniseries, produced by RTVE and À Punt, with Studio60, Enrique Pérez Flipy, and MCFLY Prod, will be broadcast by À Punt for the Valencian Community and by RTVE for the rest of the country. This marks the first major collaboration in fiction between the two public broadcasters, inaugurating a series of projects designed to strengthen ties and promote Valencian audiovisual work on a national stage.
Ciudad de la Luz hosts the filming of a drama inspired by the Francisco and Catalina case
The ambitious project involves numerous Valencian manufacturers and service companies, with outdoor shoots in Santa Pola and within the Ciudad de la Luz studios. An established ship, similar to the real vessel, will feature in the production, alongside complex on-sea sequences.
Audio-visual showcase of Valencia
The budget for the series exceeds 3 million euros, with À Punt contributing 700,000 euros. Alfred Costa, managing director of À Punt, stated that the production demonstrates how public sector backing can drive the audiovisual industry. The joint efforts of two public broadcasters, À Punt and RTVE, together with the City of Light complex in Alicante, were instrumental in unlocking investment by the Generalitat Valenciana and in strengthening the regional audiovisual ecosystem.
In this sense, a statement highlighted the creative and technical strength of the team, with wide-scale fiction featuring both major stars and a broad supporting cast, including Sonia Almarcha, Pau Durà, Paula Muñoz, Jordi Ballester, Víctor Clavijo, and Ramón Ródenas among others.
A true account
José Durá, portrayed by Luis Tosar, and nine crew members from the Santa Pola fishing boat were involved in a pivotal incident on July 14, 2006. Francis and Catherine decided to place 51 Eritrean migrants, including a two-year-old girl and a pregnant woman, aboard a vessel prepared for ten crew members, about ten miles from Malta.
The boat waited under the watch of European authorities for nine tense days. During this period, diplomacy across Europe unfolded while more than sixty people shared a cramped space of roughly fifty square meters.
Back home in Santa Pola, relatives of the crew mobilized public sentiment, drawing media and officials to focus on the incident. The Spanish ambassador in Malta, depicted as fully engaged in mobilizing EU support for a humane solution, helped coordinate a response. On July 21, the migrants were finally allowed to land, and the incident contributed to shifting European immigration policies.