Valencia Producciones and RTVC to Make Film About Colombian Hero Admiral Padilla, Starring Cuba Gooding Jr.

The life of Colombian national hero José Prudencio Padilla, better known as Admiral Padilla, will be brought to the big screen in a production set to be filmed in Colombia and starring Academy Award–winning American actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

The project, developed by Valencia Producciones in co-production with RTVC and partially financed by Colombia’s Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications (MinTIC), aims to reconstruct the story of the Colombian military leader whose role was key in the country’s independence and helped pave the way for other nations in the Americas.

IN SEARCH OF HISTORICAL JUSTICE

According to Andrés Valencia, who is directing the project alongside Mauricio Navas, development of the film began four years ago following an approach by the Colombian National Navy.

The director explained that one of the project’s goals is to shed light on a story he believes is not widely known in the country. “Admiral Padilla was a Colombian, from La Guajira, a mulatto man who secured freedom by defeating the Spanish in the Battle of Lake Maracaibo (1823),” he said.

The film’s narrative will also explore the events following independence and the judicial process that led to Padilla’s execution in 1828 after he was accused of conspiracy during the government of Simón Bolívar.

During the independence era, there were attempts to erase Admiral Padilla from Colombian history and even deny his Indigenous and Afro-descendant roots.

During the independence era, there were attempts to erase Admiral Padilla from Colombia’s history and even deny his Indigenous and Afro-descendant roots

“One of the critical issues the film will address is that racism was also involved,” said Carlos Fajardo. In one of the few official portraits that exist of Admiral Padilla from that period, he was painted with white skin, when in fact he was of Afro-Indigenous heritage.

The production team says the film will revisit these historical episodes with a narrative approach aimed at bringing the character closer to contemporary audiences. The screenplay was written by **Mauricio Navas** and will include historical, action, and romantic elements.

PUBLIC–PRIVATE INVESTMENT

PRODU learned that the feature film will have an unprecedented investment for a Colombian movie: 15.891 billion Colombian pesos (approximately US$4 million). Of that amount, 51% will come from MinTIC, while 49% will be provided by Valencia Producciones, which will secure the funds from private companies. However, filming will initially rely solely on private financing.

This is the second audiovisual project with similar investment from MinTIC, but the first in cinema. In 2025, the series La Vorágine, produced by Quinto Color, premiered with US$2 million in MinTIC funding. The series aired across all public television channels in Colombia and was later acquired by HBO Max.

In addition to financial support, the project has backing from the Colombian National Navy, the force responsible for protecting the country’s rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans. The Navy will provide research about the hero, some of its emblematic vessels, and marine personnel to participate in the production.

THE ARRIVAL OF CUBA GOODING JR.

The film about Admiral Padilla will star Cuba Gooding Jr., Academy Award winner. The connection with the actor came during the SMARTFILMS 2025 Festival, where the American performer attended as one of the event’s special guests.

During that meeting, the team presented the project and the historical context of the character. “When Cuba heard all of this and understood everything we were doing around a character whose history had been erased, he said: ‘I want to be Admiral Padilla. I have many things I can contribute to this character.’ We are very excited about what this could generate not only for the film but also for Latin American cinema.”

This move is part of the team’s broader goal for the film to achieve international circulation and help spread the story of the character beyond Colombia.

“We want the story of our hero—who was erased—to be in the hands and voices of the entire world,” concluded Andrés Valencia.