Chilean Miners Reunite For Fifth Anniversary Screening Of THE 33

©2015 ALCON ENTERTAINMENT, LLC Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

The Chilean miners – whose miraculous rescue from a collapsed mine five years ago today captivated more than a billion people around the world – reunited in Rome on Tuesday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the day they emerged from the mine.

In the Eternal City, the miners were applauded at a special anniversary screening of Alcon Entertainment’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ inspiring drama THE 33, where they were joined by director Patricia Riggen and producer Mike Medavoy.

The film not only reveals the remarkable story of their survival against the odds but of the families, whose unwavering faith and support was instrumental in the rescue, and of the international team of rescuers, who would not give up until they brought the miners home.

THE 33 opens nationwide in US theaters on November 13, 2015, exactly one month after the five-year anniversary of the rescue. The film will be released in UK cinemas on January 29.

During their trip, the miners took the opportunity to visit some of the city’s most famous landmarks, including the Coliseum, the Pantheon and the Basilica of San Giovanni.

On Wednesday, the miners will go to the Vatican to participate in an audience with Pope Francis.

In 2010, the eyes of the world turned to Chile, where 33 miners had been buried alive by the catastrophic explosion and collapse of a 100-year-old gold and copper mine. Over the next 69 days, an international team worked night and day in a desperate attempt to rescue the trapped men as their families and friends, as well as millions of people globally, waited and watched anxiously for any sign of hope. But 200 stories beneath the surface, in the suffocating heat and with tensions rising, provisions – and time – were quickly running out.

A story of resilience, personal transformation and triumph of the human spirit, the film takes us to the Earth’s darkest depths, revealing the psyches of the men trapped in the mine, and depicting the courage of both the miners and their families who refused to give up.

Based on the gripping true story of survival – and filmed with the cooperation of the miners, their families and their rescuers – THE 33 reveals the never-before-seen actual events that unfolded, above and below ground, which became nothing less than a worldwide phenomenon.

THE 33 features an international cast led by Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche (“The English Patient”), James Brolin, and Lou Diamond Phillips, with Bob Gunton and Gabriel Byrne. The cast also includes Mario Casas, Jacob Vargas, Juan Pablo Raba, Oscar Nuñez, Tenoch Huerta, Marco Treviño, Adriana Barraza, Kate Del Castillo, Cote de Pablo, Elizabeth De Razzo and Naomi Scott.

Patricia Riggen directed THE 33 from a screenplay by Mikko Alanne, Oscar nominee Craig Borten (“Dallas Buyers Club”) and Michael Thomas, based on the screen story by Jose Rivera and the book Deep Down Dark by Hector Tobar. The film was produced by Oscar nominee Mike Medavoy (“Black Swan”), Robert Katz and Edward McGurn. Carlos Eugenio Lavin, Leopoldo Enriquez, Alan Zhang and José Luis Escolar served as executive producers.

This film has been rated PG-13 for a disaster sequence and some language.