An international cast spent part of May and April shooting scenes for ‘Sonora’, a film version of a story by local author Guillermo Munro. Rocky Point and the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve served as locations.
Mexican director Andrew Springall, along with U.S. writer/director John Sayles, wrote the script based on Munro’s novel, La Ruta de Los Caidos (The Route of the Lost).
Set during the Great Depression, the story follows a mixed group of travelers making their way across the harsh desert west of town. The film portrays a time when access into the United States was restricted. At the same time, Chinese immigrant to the state of Sonora were being expelled. The characters in the story are trying to make their way to Baja Mexico.
Production for key scenes to the movie center around the travelers and their car, lost in the sea of sand known as the Gran Desierto de Altar. The Devil’s Highway, or El Camino del Diablo, is the name for the route used through the area for milenia.
In a press conference before filming began, Director Springall stated that the film was likely to be one of the releases selected for distribution in China this coming year. The international cast includes well known Mexican Actor Joaquín Cosio, and is the work of the Tequila Gang production company, a group that includes director producer Guillermo del Toro, and producer Berta Navarro.