The Liberator (Libertador, in the original Spanish) is a 2013 Venezuelan historical drama film, directed by Alberto Arvelo, starring Edgar Ramírez as Simón Bolívar. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected as the Venezuelan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, making the January Shortlist.
A rarity for local standards in terms of production value, The Liberator is a $50M co-production between Spain and Venezuela about military and political leader Simón Bolívar, who commanded an army that freed a great part of the region from Spanish colonialism back in the 19th century, and is regarded as a forefather of South America, together with Argentine José de San Martin.
The epic period piece stars Venezuela’s most high-profile international actor, Edgar Ramírez, as Bolívar, with a score by the L.A. Philharmonic’s music director, Gustavo Dudamel, and a script by Timothy J. Sexton, who co-wrote Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men.
The Liberator opened in Venezuela on July 24, 2014.