Feature Documentary AFIN 102
Killing Escobar
Directed by 
David Whitney
AFIN 2021 Winner
- 2021
- 1h 33m
-
UK - English, Spanish
- Thriller
- Drama Reconstruction
- Action
Stills
2 frames
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Credits
Written by
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Cinematography
Editing
Music & Sound
- Elsewhere
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Synopsis
The true story of the British mercenaries who attempted to assassinate Pablo Escobar in 1989.
Director's Statement
It has taken many years to get this film to the screen, but I hope that audiences will be as enthralled by the story as I was when I first heard about it. The archive material that the men took of their mission in 1989 is extraordinary, and provides a rare and unique glimpse into a world that few of us ever see. It was as if they knew they were doing something that needed to be documented, and I am certainly grateful that they entrusted me with their footage and allowed me to show the world what happened over 30 years ago.
From the Judges
From the Judges
A slick, assured piece of documentary craft, this film carries the polish and production quality of work made with real command behind the camera. The panel was drawn to the depth of the telling, an account built from the real-life participants themselves and given room to unfold as the extraordinary true story it is. It struck them as the kind of documentary that finds a lost piece of history and does it justice.
Director's Biography
David Whitney Director
RTS Nominated Filmmaker David Whitney, born in 1978, began his career directing TV commercials, winning a Silver Award at the New York Film & Video Festival in 2005. He also directed broadcast documentaries for Sky TV in Afghanistan and Russia before moving into drama with his short film Taken Out, which led to his nomination for Best New Director at the Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival. He was also a finalist at the BBC New Filmmaker Award and the film was screened on BBC3. David then directed several episodes of the BBC drama Doctors and helmed an episode of Dream Team for Sky TV. In 2008 he made George’s Day for The UK Film Council, starring renowned actor Michael Byrne. The film won the award for Best Short Film at The Time Film Festival, was nominated for best film at The Rushes Soho Shorts and was selected for LA Shorts, The New York Short Film Festival and many more. David’s debut feature film Kandahar Break, filmed in Pakistan and Tunisia, was released by eOne Entertainment in the US and by Revolver in the UK. It was also acquired by Netflix. A thriller set in Taliban ruled Afghanistan, the film won the awards for Best Film at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, The Newport International Film Festival and The Thrillspy Film Festival, and was also selected for the international festivals in Mannheim, Bratislava, Kiev, Glasgow and many more. His short film/documentary The Line of Freedom, shot near Dubai, was selected for the Gulf Film Festival, whilst his next short, Summer’s Gift, won a best film award at The Kino Film Festival. He has also directed four episodes of the BBC1 drama Moving On for Executive Producer Jimmy McGovern, and his first episode was nominated for an RTS Award. David’s latest work is the feature documentary Killing Escobar for the BBC and Screen Scotland, which premieres at the Glasgow Film Festival in March 2021.
Trailer
Fuller cast & crew
Pablo Escobar Self (archive footage) - Dave Tomkins Self
- Alex Lennox Self
- Jorge Salcedo Cabrera Self
- James Adams Self
- Sebastián Chávez Pablo Escobar
Details and imagery from The Movie Database This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
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Killing Escobar was Winner of Best Feature Documentary at the AFIN International Film Festival 2021, a Top 100 Best Reviewed and IMDb-qualifying festival.
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