‘Chapeau’ Juan Padron, one would say in French language, to sum up the tributes that Spain has offered this year to the author of the most emblematic characters in cartoons in Cuba.

Again, in the presence of his daughter Silvia Padron, inspiring figure of the character of Maria Silvia, the partner of the intrepid Mambi fighter Elpidio Valdes, Vladimir Cruz, one of the leading actors in the Cuban film ‘Fresa y chocolate’ (Strawberry and Chocolate), and Jose Luis Farias, director of the Ibero-American Animation Quirino Awards.

It has all the attributes to, indeed, become a glamorous gala. Maite Ruiz de Austri, winner of two Goya Awards for two animated films, is the moderator of the post-screening colloquium.

Writer, screenwriter, and film and television director, specializing in programs for children and young adults, Ruiz de Austri will be the starting point to lead towards the late Cuban filmmaker and illustrator, who died in 2020.

The films ‘Elpidio Valdes encuentra a Palmiche’ (Elpidio Valdes meets Palmiche) (1977) and ‘Vampiros en La Habana’ (Vampires in Havana) (1985) are excellent options for the evening.

Juan Padron left a special legacy in phrases that are part of the popular heritage in Cuba, not only of the intrepid Mambi fighter against the Spanish colonialism, but also his occurrences around vampires.

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