Martin Sheen plans movie on Spanish pilgrimage route

[ivar]

MADRID (AFP) — US actor Martin Sheen and his actor-director son Emilio Estevez plan to shoot a movie on the ancient pilgrimage route across northern Spain to the city of Santiago de Compostela, local officials said.

Sheen and his son presented the project to the president of the regional government of Galicia, Emilio Perez Tourino Tuesday at a meeting in Madrid.

"The film, which will have as its settings Santiago and several areas of the Galician coast will start being shot before the summer," a statement by the Galician government said.

Sheen, whose father is from Galicia -- a rugged fishing region near Portugal -- hopes to employ local actors and film producters in the making of the movie.

During his meeting with Tourino, the actor expressed his "desire to settle an historical debt with his father's land and he though a movie would be the best way to do this," the statement said.

Nowadays, the "Way of St. James" or "El Camino de Santiago" pilgrimage route usually begins in the Pyrenees mountain range of the Spanish-French border and ends at Santiago's cathedral where the faithful believe the remains of St. James the Apostle lie.

The cathedral has drawn millions of pious travelers from around the world since the Middle Ages.

Some who make the journey today still wear the traditional garb of cape, long staff and carling felt cap adorned with scallop shells, the symbol of the the saint which can be found all over the city.

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[DylanRomero]

A friend of mine saw "The Way" in a screening (Estevez and Sheen were there for Q&A!) and wrote a short review of it here: http://www.yesnofilms.com/2010/07/way.html

Still no word on a release date as the film has yet to be picked up by a studio.