Blue Miracle shines a light on the heartwarming story of Casa Hogar in Mexico, an orphanage that faced devastation from a hurricane and bankruptcy, but kept the faith and found friendship in the community after winning a prestigious fishing tournament.
The film is an inspiring story of faith and the power of community. The film focuses on how God brought these boys and men together to change their lives in many different ways.
Blue Miracle begins streaming on Netflix on May 27th.
“If I could sum up this movie in one word it would be: fatherhood,” Director Julio Quintana says. “It’s a theme that is played out within every character. Omar has channeled his grief about losing his father into helping these young boys stay off the street. You see the theme with Captain Wade and his estranged son who he’s trying to impress from afar by winning the tournament. And you see it in these young boys’ desire to have a strong father figure. And it’s a theme we all connect to, the desire for unconditional love, whether through literal fathers or role models in our lives.”
Papa Omar (Jimmy Gonzales) took his experience of losing his father when he was a young boy and turned around and helped the boys in the community by giving them a safe place to thrive. When Hurricane Odile caused damage to Casa Hogar and the bank gave them 30-day notice, Omar knew he had to act fast. Due to the hurricane, the entrance fee to the Bisbee’s Black & Blue Fishing Tournament was waived, allowing more locals to join the tournament. Casa Hogar was paired with Captain Wade Malloy (Dennis Quaid), a fisherman that has his priorities out of line.
“Before I got the script, my agent told me it was a true story, and that pretty much got me right there,” Dennis Quaid says. “Stories about faith and redemption always make me well up. And I enjoyed Captain Wade’s character arc – he has to learn about his priorities. About what’s important in life. It’s not about trophies or winning tournaments. It’s about relationships.”
Fun Facts About Blue Miracle
#1: The year that Casa Hogar competed, the entry fee for Bisbee’s Black & Blue Fishing Tournament was $5,000. This would have immediately prohibited the orphanage from entering, but because of the devastation that Hurricane Odile had on the community, an anonymous donor pledged to pay the entry fee for any team that agreed to hire a local boat, thus injecting money into the local economy. It was due to this donation that Casa Hogar was able to enter and ultimately win at the tournament.#2: The largest fish caught in the Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament was a 993-pound blue marlin in 1994. The boys’ winning fish was 385 pounds.#3: Omar actually hooked the marlin in its side, not its mouth. When asked if he thought this was rare, the real Omar stated, “The boat helper was in shock when he saw it, he said it was a complete miracle, usually the hook comes off!”
#4: Most of the film was shot on a Horizon Water Tank, an eight-acre water studio that includes a 60,500 square foot horizon water tank with a 4,300 square foot inner deep tank and blue screen. The tank can be filled in just 12 hours – most tanks take a day to fill. It is one of only three in the world, the other tanks are located in Malta and Baja.
#5: Team Casa Hogar became the first Mexican team to win Bisbee’s Black & Blue tournament. None of the boys had fished before. They won $258,325, all put to use to remodel and expand Casa Hogar, including adding a girls’ program.
To learn more information about Casa Hogar Cabo, please visit CasaHogarCabo.com.
