Pay Tribute to Juan Padrón in Madrid

July 17, 2021

A night to remember Juan Padrón, with a full auditorium and words courted by humor, so that the mark of the notable Cuban illustrator would be adorned with good vibes.

Without grandiloquence, with contained emotions, it was the magical evening at the Casa de América in Madrid, where anecdotes overflowed from the late creator of Elpidio Valdés and Vampiros en La Habana, his two emblematic works.

His daughter Silvia Padrón, an inspiring figure for the character of María Silvia, the partner of the intrepid mambi fighter Elpidio Valdés, and the prestigious artist Javier Mariscal, were the center of the colloquium led by journalist Toño Angulo.

As a preamble, a video titled Vidas animadas that, with an interview with Juan Padrón and fragments from his famous animated cartoons, set the precedent for the laughter and memories that introduced his book Mi vida en Cuba.

"Perhaps I admired him more as a person, because he was an extraordinary guy, with tremendous passion for life, always telling jokes, dedicated to his work without fear of difficulties," Mariscal confessed.

The director, along with Fernando Trueba, of the animated film Chico y Rita, nominated for the Oscar awards, highlighted Padrón's ingenuity when conceiving his works, "as the great illustrator and filmmaker that he was."

Silvia recounted that her father filled many spaces in their house and was always very collaborative in household chores with my mother. And she allowed herself to tell an anecdote.

"One day he began to complain (Padrón), always with his typical humor, and he said, 'Spielberg surely doesn't wash dishes in his house,' to which my mom replied: 'I'm sure Spielberg's wife doesn't do it either.'"

Silvia also noted that her father was so humble that she almost never grasped his talent and recognition both in Cuba and internationally.

Javier Mariscal mentioned that when he showed Padrón the film Chico y Rita, the Cuban filmmaker told him bluntly: "you Galicians are clever ones, we should have made this movie."

"He was very sincere, transparent, friendly, popular, he did everything he could for people wholeheartedly and left an enormous cultural legacy to Cuba, besides a beautiful relationship with his wife," he expressed emotionally. Besides a new presentation of Padrón's book Mi vida en Cuba, published by Reservoir Books, Silvia spoke of her developing dream of the Centro La Manigua in Havana.

"We have the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Government of Havana to move forward with the project that seeks a space for children, with exhibitions, films and the possibility of making animated cartoons, comic strips, an idea that fascinated my father," she indicated.

Next week, the Casa de América in Madrid will offer two days of screenings of Vampiros en La Habana.