Fidel, Brave Child

(Fidel, niño valiente)

Mario Verón / Paraguay / 2021 / 74 min
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  • Leonardo Favio Film Festival

    Special Mention
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Guarani with English subtitles - Spanish language audio description available *

With Fidel Canteros, Erico Canteros, Enrique "Yuka" Caballero

Fidel, a Paraguayan migrant, rides a spirited horse named “El Che” deep in the Argentine jungle. Wearing Maradona’s iconic number 10 jersey as his lucky charm, Fidel sets out on a quest to earn money and support his mother. What could have been just an intimate observational tale of peasants in the jungle of Misiones, becomes an epic story of a boy and his horse overcoming adversity.

* Spanish language audio description available via All4Access App and/or .wav file when purchasing a DSL license.

Accessibility for these films was created by DICAPTA and funded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education- Office of Special Education-OSEP, project “Enhanced Access to Video for Students with Sensory Disabilities through Emerging Technology,” TV Access H327C210001.

Press

“Mario Verón managed to tell a warm and simple story that shows how the protagonist and his horse struggle to achieve the desired triumph and the admiration of those around him. Shot with non-professional actors, the film finds in Fidel Cantero a protagonist who knew how to skillfully handle this adventure that speaks of friendship and love for the horse.” – Adolfo C. Martínez, La Nación

“Without judging or highlighting situations, Verón exposes the conflicts and lets the viewer draw his or her own conclusions in a harsh, necessary, but strangely hopeful film.” – Emiliano Basile, Escribiendocine.com

About the Director
Mario Verón studied Film at the prestigious National University of La Plata, Argentina. Since 2009, he has served in the Provincial Commission for Memory created by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Nora de Cortiñas.
Mario is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Documentaries of Argentina. He has received recognitions such as the Apacheta Award 2010-2012 for his commitment to his work with indigenous groups. Additionally, in 2010 the National University of La Plata recognized him for his dedication to the struggle for human rights and of the indigenous groups, which are always the central focus of his work.
 
Fidel niño valiente (an Argentinean-Paraguayan Co-Production), is his first international project. While working on a second film experience outside his country, he will be in co-production with the U.S. to film Victor, Locksmith of the Stars.
Notes on Film

“For more than 10 years I have been working in the Province of Misiones, Argentina, with indigenous people and farmworkers fighting for their land against Multinational Companies. I heard about a boy named Fidel that was racing on a horse named “El Che,” after Che Guevara. As if that wasn’t enough, this kid was running around in Maradona’s number 10 shirt because according to him, it brought him luck. They quickly became the horse and jockey representing the village. What touched me was that Fidel traveled to another country in shoes that were falling apart to try to win races and help his mother escape poverty. Without question, for me, this story had to be told.”

– Mario Verón, Director

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