Manolo Cardona made his debut as a director in the film ‘Uno para morir’

Colombian actor Manolo Cardona made his directorial debut with “One to die,” a thriller shot in Mexico and starring himself, which he told EFE is a tribute to Korean cinema.

“I loved international cinema from a young age and I went to video stores to look for the most diverse films possible and in that search I discovered the work of Koreans and I was fascinated,” recalled Cardona, who traveled to the United States to present his film.

“Today, Koreans have fascinated the world with their productionsbut the truth is that it exists tradition i.a film legacy very important,” he said.

It was Audiovisual language which inspired him for his first film, a film that was cataloged this Friday the most important+.

“One to die for” is about seven people who wake up in a house where none of them have any idea how they got there. Suddenly a voice tells them that they have an hour to decide which of them will die. If they don’t, they will all be killed.

The cast of “One to die for”

Apart from Cardona, the cast consists of Maribel Verdú, Carla Adell, Juan Carlos Remolina, Adriana Paz, Dagoberto Gama and Fernando Becerril. The latter passed away last February and for the Colombian artist it was bittersweet to think about the premiere without him.

“He was really spectacular. I wish he could be a part of this, but I’m happy with the thought that he was happy with this farewell job,” said Cardona, who began his career in 1996 in his native Colombia.

From that time he caressed dream to achieve what he did with “Uno para morir”: “To be one of those artists who can be in front of and behind the camera”.

Known for acting in soap operas such as “The Sign of the Frog” (2008) and its sequel (2010) and series like “Fraternity” and the Netflix megahit “Who Killed Sarah”Cardona has experimented with production for over 13 years and started his production company 11:11 Films & TV with his brother Juancho Cardona.

His most recent credits as a producer include the series “La negociadora” and “Parientes a la fuerza”, and the film “Amalgama”.

The challenge of Manolo Cardona as a director and actor

Although sharing the responsibilities of director and protagonist “wasn’t the easiest thing”, he wanted to do it again because he felt “great support and accompaniment from the whole crew”.

“It was by no means a adventure solo,” he said.

The film was produced by the international studio Paramount in cooperation with the production house of the Cardona brothers.

But apart from that, the artist assured that Verdú next to him represents “a big dose confidence“.

After working together on several productions – the last one was the Apple TV + series “Now and Then” – “we became brothers and there is trust for her to tell me her opinion without hiding anything,” he said.

“I sent him the script and his DA confirmed that he was looking at this project which would allow me to achieve my goal.”