Filmmaking is always a challenge
Argentine filmmaker Pablo Trapero is once again in Havana, with his film The Clan which opened the 37th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema
Written by: Maggie Marin Ayarde mmm@enet.cu
Opening the film festival in Havana gave me was a great joy and honour to launch the festival. We all know the importance of this Film Festival in Latin America and what it stands for to those who make movies in Latin America and for those who see cinema in this region; it was something special to see that vast hall, Karl Marx, full, it is and will be a great joy to me, said the film director of The Clan representing Argentina in this year’s Oscars.
A newcomer to the city, I talked to Pablo Trapero recognized for films like ” Mundo grúa, Leonera, Caracara, and White Elephant”.
-The Film comes to Havana preceded by major awards.
“The truth is that we had an incredible start, first in Argentina in commercial cinemas where it is the second most watched film in the history of Argentine cinema and is still running.
“Then it began a run in festivals that has not stopped. We started in Venice, Italy, where it won the Silver Lion for Best Director, won in Puerto Rico, won in Toronto, Canada; San Sebastian, Spain; and in Miami we received the Audience Award. It won almost everywhere it was presented in competition and in very diverse places and diverse awards which says the film speaks to very different audiences.
“What is in common between the public in Venice and Miami? However, the beauty of the film is thrilling and touches people, whether or not they know the real case on which the film is based, no matter if they know this part of Argentina’s history that is so special to us, the film also communicates with the public and they are very shocked.”
Can the viewer tell between fiction and reality in The clan?
“That was just the biggest challenge for me with this film because researching things from reality or the observation of reality worked in my previous films. Now this is a real case where each character takes the name of that person in real life where the dates mentioned are those that occurred in the facts, many events that are in the film were even filmed in places where they occurred.
“It was a very big challenge for me, what I think raises the film is that it reflects a particular moment in the history of Argentina and from that it allows someone who sees the work and does not know the history of my country to do an analysis or see how this relationship can be seen elsewhere.
“What counts is the film is like a society when it is not looking straight at its problems and tries to ignore what is happening outside its house and ends up looking like strange phenomena; that’s what the clan tells and that can be seen today in any part of world especially with the news we read recently where it seems that many of the people who have the potential to make things better are surprised by the news that are old and look like they happened yesterday.”
Ever since the Cuban public read the synopsis of this work it was somewhat surprised to see that the famous comedian Guillermo Francella was the main actor of the dramatic story.
“The Cuban public and all the public. Even in Argentina, in general all the people who follow Guillermo in Latin America and Spain were surprised and it was a great challenge for him as an actor and for me as a director that people believe him because otherwise the film would not work. I say again, people came to the cinema with suspicions thinking it was going to disappoint, but luckily it is quite the opposite and they are very surprised.
“Before finishing the script I asked Guillermo if he would like to play a character that people hated and at the same time fascinated that audience to finish the story of a different family. The answer was yes before finishing the script, and that’s a big risk for an actor.
“Guillermo Francella worked very, very focused on his physical change, we worked on his manner of speaking, walking, breathing, in the way he looks at people. People who know Francella were surprised by the character of Archimedes Puccio who Guillermo Francella plays. ”
-In Mundo grúa it seemed as if the camera was headed by itself now it seems more like a documentary?
“Well, is the idea that the film invites you to be with family, as if we were accomplices of the Puccio family and I think that’s what made people excited both because it is very close to the characters, who shall we say are bad, and there’s a bit of that invitation, and at times it was close to Mundo grúa here for other reasons being close to Archimedes Puccio.”
‘Is this an anti-hero character?
“More than an anti-hero he is a real villain.
-Will the change of government in Argentina have an impact on film production, will it go down?
“Well, I do not think so because the cinema in Argentina has enjoyed good health for many years. It’s been different times, different governments, different crises and luckily all these changes have done is to give more strength to the stories we do and I think that the changes force us to think and find solutions. I do not think that the change of government will affect the production of films at all.”
It will be an exercise then?
“It’s always a challenge to make movies. It is a natural process of learning to cope with the anxieties, overcoming them in every film is a challenge and in Latin America we are accustomed to crises that make us move forward. It is a way to be trained.”
What other stories is Pablo Trapero weaving?
“There are always stories. I’m writing an upcoming film to make in Argentina but I’m also reading scripts I am offered to do outside of my country and I am in these two areas, but the most important project now is that I will be a Dad again with Martina, my wife, who is the mother of our 13 year old son Mateo and everyone around here knows him because he’s been in movies like “Leonera, Carancho and White Elephant” so we are very happy and that’s the most important and largest project I have in the next few months, I will be a father in February. ”
Translated by ESTI