What is Prime Video's Every Minute Counts all about? Everything to know

Every Minute Counts (or Cada Minuto Cuenta in Spanish) is an upcoming Mexican drama series that is globally set to air on Amazon Prime Video on November 8, 2024. The 10-episode series tells the real story of the massive earthquake that hit Mexico in 1985 and how ordinary people emerged as heroes after the tragedy.

Every Minute Counts is directed by Jorge Michel Grau, Moisés Urquidi, Analeine Cal y Mayor, and Fernando Urdapilleta and is reportedly the costliest production by Prime Video Latin America so far. The series reportedly uses virtual production to recreate scenes from historical images of the actual calamity, which added heavily to the production cost.

Follow along with the article to learn all about the upcoming series ahead of its premiere on Amazon Prime Video.

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What do we know from the trailer of Every Minute Counts?

Every Minute Counts is based on the real events that occurred in Mexico City on September 19, 1985, when an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale struck the city at 7.19 am. According to the official trailer, the earthquake released energy equivalent to 1114 atomic bombs and approximately killed over 20,000 people.

The trailer provides a glimpse at the series starring Osvaldo Benavides, Maya Zapata, Antonio de la Vega, and Jesús Zavala. The trailer shows the chaos that ensues as people are trapped under rubble with no hope of rescue, while others desperately try to save the injured.

The government meanwhile tries to suppress the effects of the disaster in fear of impending economic instability if the country is unable to host the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

The synopsis of the series, as per Prime Video, reads:

"September 19, 1985. An 8.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Mexico City, causing one of the country’s greatest tragedies. In the first hours, a doctor and his nurses become unexpected heroes as they work tirelessly to rescue those trapped beneath the General Hospital, a journalist reports on the disaster as she traverses the city, and a family attempts to reunite amidst the rubble."

The series focuses on the unity and courage exhibited by the Mexican people in the daunting face of a catastrophe. Iván Salcido, who has authored a book on the 1985 earthquake, was reportedly a consultant in the movie.

Every Minute Counts is produced by Amazon Studios and Traziende Films, with screenplays by Alfredo Félix-Díaz, Victoria Orvañanos, Natalia Quevedo, Alejandro Valenzuela, Venancio Villalobos and Grau.

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Why Every Minute Counts can change the face of Latin American television

A still from the series (image via Prime Video Mexico)

Every Minute Counts was made using virtual production technology to create an immersive experience for the actors while eliminating the need for post-production effects. This technology merges real imagery with computer-generated ones to produce a super realistic backdrop that is projected onto the set on large LED screens.

As director Grau said to Variety on October 6, 2024, a lot of effort and planning went into ensuring that the sets designed through virtual production were as authentic as possible. This visually makes Every Minute Counts an almost historically accurate representation of the catastrophe.

"Everything is an exact replica of how it was in 1985. It’s a time machine, but told through the eyes of our characters,” Grau noted.

The use of virtual production at this scale is unprecedented in Latin America, which is why the series will be monumental in changing how cinema is perceived.

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The cast of Every Minute Counts

A still from the series (image via Prime Video Mexico)

The upcoming Mexican series features an ensemble cast led by Osvaldo Benavides as Ángel, Antonio de la Vega as Ignacio, and Maya Zapata as Camila. Other members of the cast include:

• Damayanti Quintanar as Gabriela
• Daniel Martínez as Alberto
• Oswaldo Rada as Topoyiyo
• Miriam Balderas as Chave
• Jesús Zavala as Carlos
• Enrique Arreola as Moises
• Azalia Ortiz as Hilda
• Luis Fernando as Peña Pepín
• Zamia Fandiño as Mónica
• Pamela Vargas as Lucía Sánchez
• Gerardo Saldaña as Beto Sánchez
• Alexander Colmenares as Pablo
• Gabriela Cartol as Rosario
• Melanie Rius as Josefa
• Mónica Del Carmen as Toña

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Stay tuned for the premiere of Every Minute Counts on Prime Video on November 8, 2024.