That Simón (2023) has been a box office success in Venezuela is surprising. Not only because of the quality of the film or its plot, but because it managed to reach theaters and avoid government censorship. “They did not block the premiere, but they put in the nationality certificate of the film that it could be in violation of the Law against hatred and peaceful coexistence, which would be between 10 to 20 years in prison,” the filmmaker tells La Vanguardia. Diego Vicentini, in charge of representing Venezuela with his debut film, at the Goya Awards. The film talks about the students' struggle in 2017 against the regime of Nicolás Maduro, the successor of the late Hugo Chávez in the government. The history of human rights violations of both is extensive, and freedom of expression is not left out. “I wrote the film assuming that it was going to be censored and focused on people who see it from the outside and, eventually, if it reached Venezuela through the internet. I never thought it would be in movie theaters,” he adds proudly after becoming the highest-grossing film of the last six years, surpassing 117,000 attendees.
The film follows Simón (Christian McGaffney), a student leader during protests against Nicolás Maduro in 2017, who must leave Venezuela and seek asylum in the United States, after being detained and tortured by the police. At the time of processing asylum as a political refugee, he is informed that, if granted, he will not be able to return to his country. This triggers an escalation of guilt as she abandons his fellow protesters. The strong images of torture as a flashback are mixed with the consequences that remain in the protagonist, while he tries to rebuild his life. “For me it was a very interesting exercise as a Venezuelan, to drain the guilt and responsibilities I feel for having left and abandoned the fight,” says McGaffney. “Simón was a gift in the artistic field and also as a Venezuelan, to be able to raise his voice,” adds the actor who also starred in the short film.
Simón was born in 2018, as Vicentini's graduation short film. With this, he toured several cities with a good reception, especially from Venezuelans who saw their stories reflected in the character, being part of the 7.7 million who have left the country, according to data from the UN Refugee Agency. “If a short film as a student could touch hearts, I wanted to do the same with a feature film. The reaction of the audience meant that when I returned from the tour, I sat down directly to write the script for the film,” says the also graduate in philosophy, who is still assimilating the reception of the feature film and the Goya nomination. “We premiered in Mexico and Argentina, but I have not been able to see how we have done in those countries. We are still assimilating that we are in Madrid. Not long ago we were practicing scenes at my house waiting for someone to give us financing.”
A big surprise was that the film won the awards for best film, direction, script, photography, supporting actor (Franklin Virgüez), editing and editing, at the Venezuelan Film Festival. This meant Vicentini's return to the Caribbean country, where he was able to share with some of the activists he interviewed to create the character. “I went to show the film. I entered through the border, more or less hidden. I didn't announce anything. It was good to see how the country is and that it is not something they are telling you,” says the filmmaker. “Being there with activists, with one of the ‘Simones’ that I interviewed, who is there with his group, seeing how they will mobilize in the coming months or in the next elections - in 2024 -. “It was like living my own movie,” he adds.
Diego Vicentini, who has lived in the United States since he was 15, believes that the government preferred to change the strategy and ignore the film, rather than censor it. “I think they bet on indifference and how little Venezuelan cinema is consumed in the country. In 2022 it had 5,000 spectators. They have censored films in the past and that generated more press and more attention. I think that this year they changed the strategy and instead of censoring it, they preferred to ignore it and not mention it,” says the director of the film. “When we won at the Venezuela Festival or with the Goya nomination, it was not mentioned by the Government. The Venezuelan Cinematography Institute has not published anything on social networks. They write and congratulate other films, but Simón, with a Goya nomination, does not exist,” he adds.
To create the character, Vicentini interviewed activists who experienced situations similar to Simón's. “The film is the accumulation of many stories. To write it I interviewed several young people who are 'Simons'. They were leaders of their groups, they were imprisoned, they were tortured and they are asking for asylum,” says the filmmaker. “I had different versions of Simón and I asked them how they felt, what was going through their heads. It was very important for the character to see the true emotional state that people went through,” he adds.
The name of the protagonist was not a coincidence either. The intention was to vindicate the figure of Simón Bolívar, a character of great importance for Venezuela and that his image has been used by the government. “For the Venezuelan, the association of Simón Bolívar as the liberator of the country is automatic. I wanted to attribute the mythology of liberator to the many anonymous young people who also deserve that title,” says Vicentini. “The government has appropriated Bolívar's image. It's a bit of a push the other way again. Return us to our liberator,” he adds.
McGaffney and Vicentini agree that the film has been the way they found to fight. “All of us involved in the film feel that this is our stone. The stone that we did not throw in the protests in Venezuela, we do it here, from art,” says the actor behind Simón. For Vicentini, including activism in his film is positive, but this does not mean forgetting those who are still on the streets. “It's nice to combine your art with some activism and do something for your country. But in the end, the real protagonists are the kids who have put their lives in danger and continue to do so,” says the filmmaker, who will premiere on January 19 in theaters in Spain. “There are still 'Simones' and 'Simonas' within the country. It is nice that as a filmmaker they recognize the film, but that it also helps redirect the focus to those who are the heroes, those who live this film in reality,” he declares.
