Reporting back on the screenings of Juan Grillo in Nicaragua
- By Marta Leclaire, Director of Juan Grillo
I am happy to report on the results of my trip to Nicaragua in 2015 for the re-release of the new version of my film and the celebration of the 30th anniversary of its creation. My goal was to share and distribute what he had been done three decades ago in revolutionary Nicaragua. The first screening was held on July 31st to commemorate the birthday of the heroic Luis Alfonso Velasquez Flores, on whose life Juan Grillo is based. On July 31st, he would have been 46 years old. The second screening was planned for children and was held on August 15.
The day after arriving in Nicaragua I was very excited to meet with Victor Rodriguez, the director of the Pablo Antonio Cuadra Cultural Center (PAC), part of the Hispamer bookstore, to discuss, plan and coordinate all matters relating to the presentation of Juan Grillo. I felt so lucky to partner up with this center, because from the moment we started planning the screenings in November 2013, the director of the PAC displayed great enthusiasm to see the film and was very welcoming to my project, providing all the technical support necessary the produce the screening.
I am happy to report on the results of my trip to Nicaragua in 2015 for the re-release of the new version of my film and the celebration of the 30th anniversary of its creation. My goal was to share and distribute what he had been done three decades ago in revolutionary Nicaragua. The first screening was held on July 31st to commemorate the birthday of the heroic Luis Alfonso Velasquez Flores, on whose life Juan Grillo is based. On July 31st, he would have been 46 years old. The second screening was planned for children and was held on August 15.
The day after arriving in Nicaragua I was very excited to meet with Victor Rodriguez, the director of the Pablo Antonio Cuadra Cultural Center (PAC), part of the Hispamer bookstore, to discuss, plan and coordinate all matters relating to the presentation of Juan Grillo. I felt so lucky to partner up with this center, because from the moment we started planning the screenings in November 2013, the director of the PAC displayed great enthusiasm to see the film and was very welcoming to my project, providing all the technical support necessary the produce the screening.
Thanks to the publicity organized by the PAC, I was interviewed on television on Channel 2 and Channel 12, and on Channel 6, Juan Grillo was broadcast in its entirety on the program Así es Nicaragua which has significant number of viewers nationwide. The event was also advertised in major newspapers with reviews written about the film.
The first presentation of the film Juan Grillo on July 31st was a big success! About 200 people were in attendance including the cast, the music composer, the technical team, and the painters, many of whom had not seen each other for many years. It was a very emotional reunion full of nostalgia, smiles and hugs. The Director of Hispamer Jesus Santiago opened the event, followed by the presentation of the film, and at the end there was a long applause.
Then the director of the PAC gave an overview of the production of Juan Grillo and the participation of the cast and team, then I was invited to give my opening remarks where I reflected on my motivation to create the film and use the best of the art and culture of Nicaragua. During the panel discussion it was very sweet to hear Danilo Padilla, the protagonist of Juan Grillo, reminisce about the filming. He said that—despite the painful political atmosphere of the time —as a 9-year-old child, filming the scenes felt like playing to him, and he reminded us to keep alive that childlike spirit in each of our hearts. The choreographer Veronica Arana also spoke and said she remembered feeling a great responsibility and pride when her dance instructors asked her to create the choreography for the film.
The first presentation of the film Juan Grillo on July 31st was a big success! About 200 people were in attendance including the cast, the music composer, the technical team, and the painters, many of whom had not seen each other for many years. It was a very emotional reunion full of nostalgia, smiles and hugs. The Director of Hispamer Jesus Santiago opened the event, followed by the presentation of the film, and at the end there was a long applause.
Then the director of the PAC gave an overview of the production of Juan Grillo and the participation of the cast and team, then I was invited to give my opening remarks where I reflected on my motivation to create the film and use the best of the art and culture of Nicaragua. During the panel discussion it was very sweet to hear Danilo Padilla, the protagonist of Juan Grillo, reminisce about the filming. He said that—despite the painful political atmosphere of the time —as a 9-year-old child, filming the scenes felt like playing to him, and he reminded us to keep alive that childlike spirit in each of our hearts. The choreographer Veronica Arana also spoke and said she remembered feeling a great responsibility and pride when her dance instructors asked her to create the choreography for the film.
Afterwards in the question and answer session, several audience members expressed that the film was a very important contribution and that there should be even more tributes to preserve and honor the memory of Luis Alfonso. The historian Francisco Sanchez also recounted his personal experience covering the tragic murder of the heroic Nicaraguan child and what it was like to be a journalist at that time. Now in his 70s, Francisco has devoted a significant part of his life to promoting and honoring the memory of Luis Alfonso. He was very excited to watch the film and felt that Juan Grillo was the best tribute that had been made to Luis Alfonso Velasquez.
Among the production team members present in the audience, we were honored to have the composer of the music for Juan Grillo, our beloved singer-songwriter Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy, along with his wife Lucia and their little grandson. Luis Enrique reiterated his satisfaction in having participated in producing the film because remembering and honoring the memory of the heroes and martyrs of the revolution has always been a priority for him. We also had the honor to have Professor Irene Lopez present, one of the founders of the National School of Dance who supported the production. Other cast members who were present included: Oyanka Cabezas, Mirian Bustos, Roberto Vallecillo, Mayte Cabezas, Luz Danelia Garcia, Roberto Castillo, the camera operator Pedro Vallecillo, the editor Mario Rodriguez, the sound engineer Alvaro Pacheco, the painters of the paintings that formed the scenery of the film Yelba Ubau, Mirian Guevara, Elena Pineda, Olga Maradiaga and Dario Zamora.
I was also touched to see the relatives of some of the production team who had died such as Hilda Vogl, the painter of the beautiful piece “El Cafetal” that was part of the scenery of the film. It was wonderful to see the actors now transformed into adults and to remember when they were filming the scenes at just 7-16 years old.
To really document this emotional event, the interviewer Violeta Guevara Ricci interviewed some of the cast members and the audience. These valuable interviews were filmed by cameraman Cesar Guillen and will be edited for future viewers of Juan Grillo to hear the experiences as told by the actors themselves.
To really document this emotional event, the interviewer Violeta Guevara Ricci interviewed some of the cast members and the audience. These valuable interviews were filmed by cameraman Cesar Guillen and will be edited for future viewers of Juan Grillo to hear the experiences as told by the actors themselves.
During the reception the audience was able to appreciate some of the original paintings used in the film, which were on display in the room. Before leaving, each of the cast members, production team members, and relatives of the deceased received a DVD of the film. It was beautiful to see the warm welcome and appreciation people showed throughout the film screening.
At the end of my stay in Managua I was able to donate DVDs to the Municipal Library, the National Library, the Luis Alfonso Velasquez Flores Library and the BiblioBus. In Matagalpa, my hometown, I also had the opportunity to donate DVDs to 5 schools and was able to screen the film to a group of fifty elementary school children at the school El Progreso where teachers and administrators said they would use the film to teach about the history of the revolution and Luis Alfonso’s life. I also donated DVDs to the Matagalpa Municipal Library. It was very special for me to screen the film for a group of the new generation of Nicaragua and observe their reactions, their smiles and their amazement.
I thank my son Inti Fernandez Leclaire for the remastering and editing of the film and the trailer, my niece Amelia Leclaire Nardinelli for designing the cover of the DVD, Diana Di Battista and Estrella Fitcher for the text of DVD, Judy Ehrlich, John Burnett and Lucha Corpi for writing notes and comments, and Miranda Bergman for supporting me with creating the Indiegogo campaign. I also want to express my deepest gratitude to all those who generously donated to make this project a beautiful reality.
I am very pleased to have completed this project and very happy to have achieved my big personal goal of disseminating this film, which was practically out of circulation for 30 years, and bringing it back to the people of Nicaragua where it belongs. I believe that Juan Grillo is a great contribution to the culture and history of Nicaragua and an important educational resource for children and youth.
What are my next steps? I want to continue the distribution of the film Juan Grillo for educational purposes and I am also considering producing a book for children based on the story of Juan Grillo and adapted for children of this millennium.
- Marta Leclaire
What are my next steps? I want to continue the distribution of the film Juan Grillo for educational purposes and I am also considering producing a book for children based on the story of Juan Grillo and adapted for children of this millennium.
- Marta Leclaire