Ideas and experiences of the director Mario Rivas and his creation team on the animated feature Fernanda and the strange case of Figueroa’s message, which opens next Sunday in Havana cinemas
Imaginative and jovial, at the age of 84, he feels great joy with Fernanda, “a little girl with the soul of a detective, somewhat dominant, but always impartial, fair.” For the teacher Mario Rivas Monzón, one of the prolific directors of the ICAIC Animation Studios, “it is a party to talk about his character, because he seduces audiences of different ages.”
He looks at the poster and in it he recognizes not only the value of the most recent post, but also the struggle for 20 years with the charismatic character.
When he talks, he spreads the enthusiasm that animates him. “Next Sunday the 19th, at ten in the morning, Yara and Riviera will be released in Havana theaters, the film Fernanda and the strange case of the message to Figueroa. I enjoy giving good news. It is the second feature that she stars in, before she left a good trace in the 74 chapters of the series brought to the screen”.
Smile, and continue with the same impetus. “We made Fernanda in a state of grace. She went well from the first script: school fraud. I am very interested in telling about our history. On this occasion, I include in the story Figueroa, a colonel in the war of independence, whom his great-granddaughter wishes to vindicate. I always give a dramatic sense to the story, I intend to hear a question from the viewers: And now, what is the moral, Fernanda? I make it very clear when, how and why the events occur.
He enjoys the company of his team. In particular, he thanks his wife, Marta Pérez, for being his assistant director. And he asks the producer, Lídice Marrero, “tell other important details.”
She agrees without delay: “Mario takes great care of his creative work. He is present throughout the process of each work. He defends essential points of view, the value of friendship, solidarity, collective work. He ensures that people learn something new, share experiences and knowledge with each other so that they become better human beings”.
During the exchange, the testimony of playwright and actor Maikel Chávez, who plays eight characters in the film, could not be missing. “I like the rigor of Rivas. By directing the recordings of the voices, he marks the psychology of the characters, their tone, their rhythm. Fernanda (Irela Bravo) always surprises with her ingenuity, she even says phrases in Latin, she amazes her friends”.
Undoubtedly, the passion of founding distinguishes the work of Mario Rivas, a dynamic storyteller who in his narratives promotes the pre-eminence of doing good. He patented it in the animated short films El bohío, An American legend, Máximo Gómez, his last campaign, The battle of the Guásimasjust to mention some of its emblematic titles under the leadership of child and adolescent education.
In them he displayed dissimilar abilities. He achieved the historical synthesis, the highlighting of the symbolic in cultural processes, the value of artistic truth by recreating multiple characters. They generally express ethical codes and give a well-thought-out role to the music of prominent composers, including the maestro Sergio Vitier.
All this process full of experiences has had a notable influence on the most recent feature film by Rivas, who never conceives of his solo work; she needs to listen, to take into account all the members of the team.
In recognition of the wealth of content and the aesthetic and artistic values of the series and feature films inspired by Fernanda, the director of Icaic editions, Mercy Ruíz, proposed to Rivas and her team to take these works into digital format in books. short stories and audiobooks. In addition, she highlighted the need to continue nurturing the critical training of audiences through the active socialization of quality cinematography.
CREDITS
Photos. / Leyva Benitez