Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez uses his platform to shed light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in his home country, describing a nation defined by 25 years of political and economic hardship. Promoting his new film, *Aún es noche en Caracas*, Ramírez detailed the realities of “surviving and resisting” under what he terms a “dictatorship” – a crisis that has displaced an estimated eight million Venezuelans [[1]]. The film, based on Karina Sainz Borgo’s novel *La hija de la española*, offers a stark portrayal of life in Venezuela amid escalating violence and systemic collapse, premiering internationally amidst recent political upheaval including the January 3rd capture of President Maduro by U.S. forces.
Venezuelans have adapted to “surviving” and “resisting” a prolonged economic, political, and social crisis following 25 years of what has become a “dictatorship,” according to actor Édgar Ramírez. He shared these observations while in Mexico to promote his new film, Aún es noche en Caracas.
“A society was brought to the point of absolute and total survival – it’s not about living, it’s about surviving and resisting,” Ramírez said in an interview with EFE. “This hasn’t been five or ten years, it’s been 25 years of the slow but consistent, absolute destruction of a country’s social fabric. Years of devastation and desolation.”
The ongoing crisis has prompted an estimated four out of ten Venezuelans to leave the country in search of better living conditions, with many relocating to Mexico and other nations throughout Latin America, as well as Europe. This mass exodus represents one of the largest displacement crises in modern history, with over eight million people having been forced to leave Venezuela, the actor and producer noted.
“This is a reality that all of Latin America and the entire world has had to confront,” Ramírez stated. “It’s essential to restore freedom and the rule of law.”
Reflecting a Difficult Reality
Ramírez, 48, was in Guadalajara, Mexico, to present Aún es noche en Caracas, a film he co-produced and appears in. The movie is based on Karina Sainz Borgo’s novel, La hija de la española, which depicts a Venezuela grappling with violence, scarcity, and a lack of freedoms. The film’s release comes at a sensitive time for the South American nation, following the January 3rd capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. military forces for alleged narcotics trafficking charges, a topic Ramírez declined to comment on.
The film centers on Adelaida Falcón, a woman whose Caracas home is invaded by regime militiamen after her mother’s burial, forcing her to hide and make difficult choices to survive the violence and collapse of her country. Ramírez, who has appeared in Hollywood films such as Che (2008) and Emilia Pérez (2023), explained that the character embodies the impact of “totalitarian systems” on individuals.
“These systems debase societies, contaminate them, and force victims to become perpetrators. You realize that many perpetrators were victims at some point,” he said. “That’s what totalitarian systems do – they invade every space of your reality until you completely break down.”
Ramírez emphasized that the film wasn’t intended as an act of revenge, but rather as a way to highlight the stories that have endured 25 years of the governments of Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) and Maduro. “It was very clear that this film had to be an artistic vehicle to tell a human story from an intimate perspective, focusing on the stories of the victims, and not a vehicle for political proselytizing, revenge, or blame,” he stated.
Shot in Mexico and directed by Venezuelan Mariana Rondón and Peruvian Marité Ugás, the film has been screened at the Venice, Morelia, and Toronto film festivals. It will premiere in Mexican cinemas on February 5th, followed by releases in Venezuela, Spain, and Colombia. The film’s international distribution underscores the global interest in understanding the ongoing situation in Venezuela and its impact on the region.
