“Under Siege” (“Palacio”) the fictional series inspired by the storming of Colombia’s Palace of Justice by an M-19 guerrilla commando and its subsequent retaking by the Colombian army, bows Nov. 6 on Netflix.
The events, which unfolded in the capital of Bogotá on Nov. 6 and 7, 1985, is recounted in the eight-part series directed by a troika of directors comprising Edgar Nito (“The Gasoline Thieves”), Samir Oliveros (“Bad Lucky Goat”) and Guatemala’s Jayro Bustamante (“La Llorona”), whose latest feature, “Mountains of Fire” (“Cordillera de Fuego”) represents Guatemala at the Oscars, his fourth bid at the golden statuette.
As the synopsis goes, on Nov. 6, 1985, an M-19 guerrilla commando forced its way into the Palace of Justice and seized more than 300 people, including Supreme Court justices.
The next day, the Colombian Army stormed the Palace and retook it, resulting in the deaths and disappearances of at least 94 people, including justices, guerrilla members, civilians and military personnel. It also follows the victims’ families in their pursuit of justice for more than two decades.
Produced by veteran Colombian producer Dynamo (“Narcos”), which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and backed by more than seven years of exhaustive research based on archives, testimonies and interviews, the series follows multiple angles and related events to build a rousing narrative experience.
Written by showrunner Natalia Santa (“One Hundred Years of Solitude”) along with Enrique Videla (Lucia Puenzo’s “La Jauría”), Enrique Lozano (“Virus Tropical”), Jenny Ceballos (“Wild District”) and Estefanía Piñeres (“Ruido”), “Under Siege” was mostly filmed in Bogotá on a set spanning more than 4,000 square meters (43,000 sq. ft) that took more than three months to build. Production also included a 30-meter structure recreating the original façade of the Palace of Justice, according to Netflix.
In an earlier interview, Netflix’s VP of Latin American Content Francisco Ramos described it as “a huge undertaking, even by our own standards…and we’re of course, going to take it through what happened through the coup attempt,” stressing that authenticity is key at Netflix.
This is likely Netflix’s second most ambitious project in Colombia after its adaptation of Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” which wrapped its second and final season on Aug. 26, and involved the building of an entire backlot to represent the legendary town of Macondo.
It is among a slew of projects that Netflix has been producing in Colombia, buoyed by the incentives and burgeoning talent pool of the country.
The “Under Siege” cast includes Natalia Reyes (“Terminator: Dark Fate”), Carlos Manuel Vesga, Robinson Díaz, Luna Baxter, Mariana Gómez, Santiago Alarcón, Nicole Santamaría, Andrés Castañeda and Camilo Amores, among others.
It was produced by Mariana Berenguer and Mirlanda Torres while Andrés Calderón and Torres served as executive producers.