EFE.- The Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) is hosting a new edition after more than 20 years of promoting this industry in Mexico and becoming the most relevant event in the country’s cinematography, attracting influential figures from the so-called “seventh art”, and with an initial day, this Saturday, in which the commemorative plaque to figures such as Alexander Payne, Liv Tyler and Ira Sachs will be unveiled.
To keep the name of the festival high, the vice president of FICM, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel, revealed the plaque honoring the members of the jury of the 2024 edition.
The plaque, which contains the awards and recognitions given to all the winners of the XXI edition, last year, will be present along with the names of previous guests such as the actor Willem Dafoe, at the Cinépolis in the center of the city of Morelia (west Mexican).
Another stellar participant in the unveiling was Rodrigo Prieto, who was president of the jury last year and now returns to this great festival with his debut film ‘Pedro Páramo’ (2024), an adaptation of the book by renowned writer Juan Rulfo.
“Something very nice about this festival is all of you, the people who attend are film fans and for me that is very nice,” said Prieto.
“It really is an emotion, the people who get excited when they go to see the movies, that excites me a lot,” he added, after wishing all attendees a great week dedicated to cinema.
Morelia, the capital of Mexican cinema
Without aspiring to become Cannes, Berlin or San Sebastián, the FICM only has the motivation to disseminate the potential of Mexican cinema, with an official competition in which only productions made in Mexico participate through the feature film, short film, and documentary sections.
In addition to the local section, which seeks to find talent in the state of Michoacán.
With its two decades of experience, Morelia is already the capital of cinema in Mexico having witnessed the passage of films such as ‘Amores Perros’ (2000), by Alejandro González Iñárritu; ‘And your mother too’ (2003), by Alfonso Cuarón, or ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006), by Guillermo del Toro, film pieces and creators that are now an indelible symbol of the country’s big screen.
Although at the beginning of the century there was a golden age thanks to the work of filmmakers like Luis Buñuel, the FICM adventure began in a context in which film production in the North American country was going through a deep crisis.
In 1997, only nine films were produced in Mexico, the year with the fewest national feature films in history, according to the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE).
Despite the circumstances, the then film critic and now general director of the FICM, Daniela Michel, decided to meet with the architect Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel and the director of the Cinépolis company, Alejandro Ramírez, to form an event “that sought to group and disseminate the work of young Mexican directors”, as explained by the historical collection of FICM itself.
This year, the festival can be enjoyed until Sunday, October 27, with great guests still to attend, such as the American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, who will receive the major decorations from the FICM.
It will also happen with the Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón, who is responsible for closing this notable event with the presentation of his latest series, ‘Disclaimer’ (2024), starring actress Cate Blanchett.
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