Bernand Einbecke’s Moscus, a tender black-and-white drama that had its world premiere at the Berlinale, will open the 41st Guadalajara Film Festival (FICG). The FICG, which was rescheduled to spring to avoid conflicts with Soccer World Cup matches, will be held from April 17th to 25th this year.
Mexico’s most prestigious film festival will bring a slew of international stars to the world’s second city, including such luminaries as Darren Aronofsky, Edgar Ramírez and Almodovar regular Laura Dueñas, all of whom will be honored with awards.
Chile will be the guest of honor and will be sending big-name players led by Pablo Larrain, Sebastian Lelio, and Maite Alberdi.
Festival director Estrella Arraiza said the homage to Chile’s formidable troika is among a record 10 works planned by the festival this year.
Mexico’s best filmmakers are competing in different sections of the festival, including “Son in Law” by Gerardo Naranjo González (“Miss Rose”) and “Missing”, the latest film by Kenya Marquez (“Asphyxia”), both vying for the Premio Mezcal award.
Reflecting on this year’s entries, Araiza said, “We see a stronger and more unapologetically focused focus on social films than in previous years.”
Ibero-American pictures in competition include Álvaro Olmos Torrico’s The Daughter of the Condor (La Hija Condor), which was picked up by Bendita Film Sales ahead of Toronto Bow, and Juan Pablo Salato’s The Red Hangar (Hangar Rojo), which was acquired by Premium Films for worldwide sales ahead of the premiere of Berlinale Perspectives. Both won at the Malaga Festival last March. Premio Mezcal standouts include “Missing” by Kenya Marquez and “Oca” by Carla Badillo.
Araiza also pointed out that the international animation sector has been strengthened, with two Korean feature films being screened: “The Square” directed by Kim Bo-sol and “Your Letter” directed by Kim Yong-hwan.
Meanwhile, FICG’s Industry section, run by Ximena Urrutia, has officially launched a new division called FICG Generation, offering aspiring film students a guided immersive experience into festivals and industry programs.
After an initial pilot last year that helped define its direction, the program is now formalized with a clear identity, Urrutia said. “Its main goal is to provide students with practical tools. In parallel, we will bring together directors of film schools to foster dialogue and encourage co-production between schools. This is an ambitious but important initiative that will be supported through dialogue with institutions that can support funding,” she said, adding that the program combines didactic structures aimed at producing concrete results. Each participating school, local and international, will select five students to participate.
“We have a very significant track record of films being made in the industry section of film festivals and then premiering again at film festivals,” Urrutia said, noting that FICG Industria is offering prizes of approximately $2 million in both in-kind and cash.
Among the panels, master classes and presentations, winners Aronofsky, Alberdi, Larrain, Dueñas, Ramírez and Lelio, as well as Elena Vilardel, head of Ibermedia, will also hold master classes.
Larraín will lead a masterclass discussing the international trajectory of Fabra, the company he runs with his brother Juan de Dios Larraín. Francisco Ramos, vice president of Latin American content at Netflix, will moderate the talk.
Ibero-American Fiction Film Competition
“Barrio triste” Stilz (Colombia, USA)
“The Black Snake” (“La couleuvre noire”) Aurélien Verne-Helmeuge (France, Colombia, Brazil)
“La hija condor” Alvaro Olmos Torico (Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay)
“Fuse” (“Precisamos Faral”) Rebecca Diniz and Pedro Waddington (Brazil)
“He Who Came Back” (“El regresado”) Armando Capo (Cuba, Colombia)
“Nuncuy” Vereniz Benitez (Ecuador, Chile, Germany)
“Pioneer” (“Pionellas”) Marta Díaz de Lope Díaz (Spain)
“Red Hangar” (“Hangar Rojo”) Juan Pablo Salato (Chile, Argentina, Italy)
“The Reborn” (“Los renacidos”) Santiago Estevez (Argentina, Spain, Chile)
“18 Holes to Paradise” (“18 buracos para o paraíso de João Nuno Pinto”), Portugal, Italy, Argentina
Ibero-American Documentary Competition
“Amílcar” Miguel Eek (Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Cape Verde)
“Calle Cuba” Vanessa Batista (Chile, Cuba, Mexico)
“Flowers for Antonio” (“Flores para Antonio”) Elena Molina, Isaki Lacuesta (Spain)
“Here Silence Is Heard” (“Aquí se escucha el silencio”) Gabriela Peña and Picho García (Chile, Spain)
“LS83”, Hermann Schwarckwald (Argentina, Germany)
“Meyrin” Maria Silvia Esteve (Argentina, France, Romania)
“Scarlet Girls” (“Niñas Escallata”) Paula Curie (Dominican Republic, Mexico, Germany)
“The Fabulous Time Machine” Eliza Capai (Brazil)
Premio Mezcal, Mexican Film Competition
fiction
“Celestino”, Hans Brissink (Belgium, Mexico)
“City of the Dead” (“Ciudad de muertos”) JM Cravioto (Mexico)
“I Am Mario” (“Soy Mario”) Sharon Kleinberg (Mexico)
“Missing” (“Se Busca”) Kenya Marquez (Mexico)
“Oca”, Carla Badillo (Mexico, Argentina)
“The Rest Is Memory” (“Lo que nos van dejando”) Issa Garcia Ascot (Mexico)
“The Son‑In‑Law” (“El yerno”) Gerardo Naranjo González (Mexico)
documentary
“Dear Fátima” (“Querida Fátima”) Lorena Gutierrez Rangel, Sue Kim, Jesus Quintana Vega, Rodrigo Reyes, Dawn Valadez (Mexico, USA)
“Mickey” Dano Garcia (Mexico)
“My Own Blood” (“La Misma Sangre”) Angel Ricardo Linares Colmenares (Mexico)
“Our bodies are expanding stars” (“Nuestro cuerpo es una estrella que se Expande”) Semirites Hernández Velasco, Tania Hernández Velasco (Mexico)
“Flies” provided by: FICG
