Court rejects lawsuit against “Asalto en Progreso”, set to premiere May 2nd

Santo Domingo.– The president of the Civil and Commercial Chamber of the First Instance Court of the National District, Miguel Ángel Díaz Villalona, has rejected the copyright lawsuit filed by GT Films and Cirilo Michael Toribio Corniel against La Aldea Studio, Francisco de Jesús Disla Ferreira, Anna Iris Gómez, and the director of the film “Asalto en El Progreso”, Josell Hernández.

The decision was based on the understanding that copyright applies to works produced around a historical event, but does not grant exclusivity over the event itself.

“This means that different literary or artistic works can arise from the same historical event, or event of public notoriety, such as the assault that occurred at the financial institution, and it is these latter works that are protected by copyright, not the historical or public notoriety event illustrated,” the ruling stated.

The film “Asalto en Progreso” will hit the country’s cinemas starting next May 2nd.

Based on true events

A real-life drama unfolded in the Dominican Republic in 1993. A surgeon, Dr. Cristóbal Eliseo Payano Rodríguez, donned a clown mask and robbed a Banco del Progreso branch in Santo Domingo.

Holding 12 people hostage, including employees and customers, for over twelve tense hours, the armed robbery became a national spectacle. Live media coverage kept the entire country glued to the situation.

Negotiations involving journalists and religious figures failed to prevent tragedy. Payano Rodríguez’s fatal shooting of an employee left a lasting scar on the nation’s collective memory.