Exclusive with Ricardo Darín: “You don’t come back from Venice empty-handed”

Argentina, 1985Santiago Miter’s film, in which Ricardo Darin and Peter Lanzani impersonate the prosecutors Julio César Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo, who carried out the historic trial at the military juntas of the last dictatorship, for their terrifying and massive violations of human rights, did not get any award in Venice from the official jury that actress Julianne Moore presided.

The Golden Lion for Best Film went to All the beauty and the bloodshed, by Boston-born director Laura Poitras. And the Coppa Volpi for best actor, an award to which Ricardo Darín could aspire, was left Colin Farrellco-star of a dramatic comedy the spirits of the islandby Martin McDonagh, the director of 3 ads for a crime.

Ricardo Darín, who in addition to acting Argentina, 1985is one of its producers together with his son Chino Darín, who intervened after the award ceremony in Venice exclusively with Clarione.

-There were no official awards for the film, but what did it leave you, what do you keep of the experience at the Venice Film Festival?

I can tell you how I feel. I feel that we made a lot of noise in the first few days, which generated great expectations, as usually happens in festivals, a bit reckless, but I am very happy with the Critics’ Award (the one awarded by FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Press for Best Film in Official Competition), because you and I know that it is a completely independent prize from the Festival.

And it seems to me a very high rating for the film, beyond the other award, the SIGNIS Award (awarded to it by the World Catholic Communication Association), which seems to me also important, basically for the foundations, for how they support it.

It makes me very happy for the film, because beyond that we do not return empty-handed, we return with two important prizes And, as I said … The word is not independent, and it is not even detoxified, but you understand (the juries of these awards) do not have much relationship with the Festival, they are quite free in this sense, and it seems very, very, very good for us.

-You look happy, not sad.

-Makes me happy. Then, the rest, you know, is a Festival and there are very subjective opinions. And on the other hand, we haven’t seen the other films, so we can’t compare, or give an opinion, or anything. Simply, a lot of noise was made with us from the beginning, because, well, you saw what the reception of the film was, and in that sense there is a kind of “Oh, what a shame” feeling.

But the truth is that no, when you cool down a bit and look at it from a distance, you realize that it went very well for us and we come back with two very important considerations and acknowledgments.

I am very happy and can’t wait to see the film in San Sebastian – it will be screened out of competition on Sunday 18 September – and even more anxious for the premiere of the film in Buenos Aires, Argentina – on Thursday 29 September this month. -.

-What happens in the future?

-There is a long way to go, there are more projections like in London, Los Angeles, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Zurich … In short, a very long way to go, so you have to rest, have the energy well lit, to be able to face everything.

Santiago Miter speaks

For his part, Santiago Miter, the director of the film, on vacation with his partner Dolores Fonzi in Europe, after consulting Clarione, he replied that “the journey of the film has just begun. The reception in Venice, the comments of the people at the functions, what came out in the press, the two awards, gave us an incredible inspiration. Now we have to be premiered in Argentina and sharing it with the public will be strong and mobilizing. We have a long way to go. “