Un Traductor: Rodrigo Santoro, Rodrigo and Sebastián Barriuso Interview

Collider

Rodrigo Santoro and ‘Un Traductor’ Directors Rodrigo and Sebastián Barriuso on Their Sundance Drama

By Steven Weintraub

Published Feb 2, 2018

The film takes place in Cuba and it’s about a Russian Literature professor (Rodrigo Santoro) at the University of Havana that’s ordered to work as a translator for child victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster when they are sent to Cuba for medical treatment.

One of the many films to world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was Un Traductor. The film takes place in Cuba and it’s about a Russian Literature professor (Rodrigo Santoro) at the University of Havana that’s ordered to work as a translator for child victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster when they are sent to Cuba for medical treatment. The film is actually based on the true story of the father of the two directors of the film, Rodrigo Barriuso and Sebastián Barriuso. What’s interesting about the film is you get to see a different side of Cuba than you’re used to. You see what happened when the Berlin Wall started to fall and the repercussions on the other side of the world. Un Traductor also stars Maricel Álvarez, Yoandra Suárez, Nikita Semenov, Jorge Carlos Pérez Herrera, Genadijs Dolganovs, Milda Gecaite, Laura Mia, Ravelo Hernández, and Aleksandra Maslennikova.

Shortly after seeing the film Rodrigo Santoro, Rodrigo Barriuso and Sebastián Barriuso came into the Collider Studio at Sundance. They talked about how the project came together, how Santoro was cast, what the film is about, casting the kids, if it was tough getting financing, and so much more. In addition, Rodrigo Santoro talked about the challenges of speaking multiple languages in the film and Westworld season 2.

Check out what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what they talked about followed by the synopsis.

Finally, a huge thank you to everyone at Kia and The Future Party for helping to make these interviews happen at the Kia Supper Suite and offering up transportation in the all new Kia Stinger high performance Sportback for our guests. We’d also like to thank Altec Lansing, Kunde Wines, Blue Moon Brewing, and Topo Chico for their support.

Rodrigo Santoro, Rodrigo Barriuso and Sebastián Barriuso:

They talk about what the film about.
Rodrigo and Sebastián Barriuso talk about how they decided to make the film and how the material is based on their dad’s story.
Rodrigo Santoro talks about how he got involved in the project and the challenges of playing this role with the different languages.
When did Rodrigo feel like he got comfortable on set speaking the different languages?
How did they cast the kids and what was it like working with them?
How tough was it to get financing?
What’s the last great movie they saw?
Did Rodrigo Santoro have any idea how popular Westworld would be when he signed on to be part of the HBO show?
How early did he know about the different timelines when making the show?

Here’s the official Un Traductor synopsis:

In the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Malin, a Russian literature professor at The University of Havana, is sent to translate between Cuban doctors and children sent from the USSR for medical treatment. Torn from the abstract world of academia and forced into the relentlessly real world of medicine, Malin becomes increasingly depressed. When he meets a child who tells him a story, Malin connects with the kids and finds his way through. Just as he adapts to his new job, the Berlin Wall falls and Cuba enters the deepest economic crisis the island has ever known. But Malin is now so entrenched in the lives of the Chernobyl Children that he doesn’t notice his young family suffering. He must find his way back to his wife and child through the lessons he learns at the hospital – and become a better person on the way.