Stars of the silver screen gather at the 23rd Morelia International Film Festival 

Local and world-famous movie stars walked on Morelia’s assemblage streets past week arsenic the 23rd Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) kicked disconnected its 10-day solemnisation of Latin American cinema, moving done Sunday.

On Friday night, Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, victor of this year’s Best Director Award astatine Cannes, walked FICM’s reddish carpet earlier presenting his latest film, “O Agente Secreto” (“The Secret Agent”). 

Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel (FICM co-founder), Emilie Lesclaux (Producer “The Secret Agent”), Kleber Mendonça Filho (Director “The Secret Agent”), and Daniela Michel (FICM cofounder) connected the FICM reddish carpet. (Vera Sistermans)

“I deliberation this is an breathtaking moment, and I anticipation that this afternoon, a antheral oregon a pistillate is moving connected a caller movie that mightiness beryllium successful Morelia adjacent year,” said Mendonça earlier that day, commenting connected the authorities of modern filmmaking successful Brazil.

During the inaugural weekend, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Film Archive honored Mendonça and Argentine manager Lucrecia Martel with medals recognizing individuals who person enriched satellite movie heritage. Previous recipients of this grant see Willem Dafoe, Jodie Foster and Alexander Payne. Medal recipient Martel besides presented her latest movie, “Nuestra Tierra” (“Our Land”) during the weekend. 

The festival besides featured French Oscar-winning histrion Juliette Binoche, known for her relation successful “The English Patient.” Binoche presented her caller movie “In-I: In Motion.” On Monday, Charlie Kaufman, Oscar-winning writer of “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” hosted a Q&A aft a screening of “How to Shoot a Ghost,” a abbreviated that is the effect of his 4th clip successful the director’s chair. .

Among different stars contiguous was Spanish manager Pablo Berger, whose Oscar-nominated animated movie “Robot Dreams” was projected connected 1 of Morelia’s cardinal squares. 

Before the screening, Berger unveiled his personalized cinema seat, successful a FICM contented honoring its astir notable guests. 

“Yesterday, I was astatine ‘The Secret Agent’ screening and felt envious watching Kleber instrumentality his seat. Now I get to beryllium successful excavation too,” a delighted Berger exclaimed to the crowd. 

Pablo Berger unveils his cinema seat. (FICM)

During the inaugural weekend, a full of 5 seats were added to the postulation —  which tin beryllium recovered astatine the Morelia Cinépolis Centro — and 5 much volition beryllium unveiled arsenic the festival continues. 

Promoting Mexican talent

The FICM is known for its efforts to beforehand section filmmakers, with its contention afloat focused connected Mexican productions. This year’s judging body, which includes Berger and different salient manufacture figures, volition measure 102 films competing crossed aggregate categories. 

Among the films competing for the diagnostic movie grant are David Pablos’ “En El Camino” (“On the Road”), produced by renowned histrion Diego Luna, and Fernando Eimbcke’s “Olmo,” which explores themes of adolescence, migration and palliative care. Brad Pitt’s amusement company, Plan B, produced Eimbcke’s movie. Plan B is down acclaimed films similar “12 Years a Slave” and the caller “F1.”

The 2025 variation of FICM besides boasts a ample enactment of Michoacán-made abbreviated films; an Indigenous Peoples Forum, featuring 10 productions directed by Indigenous people; and the Film Projects Development Lab for Indigenous and Afro-descendant Filmmakers. 

This year, 10 filmmakers from crossed Mexico, from Yucatán to Colima, took portion successful the afloat funded 3rd forum. For 4 days, experts from the movie manufacture offered guidance connected the participants’ projects successful workshops and idiosyncratic advisory sessions. Meanwhile, the filmmakers besides learned from 1 another, sharing experiences and insights.

“The thought is to beryllium capable to marque the voices and the gazes of the Indigenous filmmakers visible,” said Andrea Stavenhagen, 1 of the coordinators of the lab. “The much voices and much diverseness we person wrong the movie industry, the much enriching it volition be. If cinema is culture, and civilization is simply a reflection of ourselves, it has to beryllium inclusive of each those voices.” 

Stavenhangen hopes to spot immoderate of this year’s projects instrumentality to Morelia successful a mates of years, this clip connected the large screen. 

“Sueños Que Migran” (“Dreams That Migrate”) by Tzotzil Maya manager Xun Pérez Pérez, who participated successful the archetypal variation of the Indigenous Film Lab, serves arsenic an example. This Monday, Pérez’s movie was shown astatine Impulso Morelia, a level astatine the festival for films presently successful postproduction. 

Jodie Foster and Stellan Skarsgard to showcase their films 

Although the inaugural play has travel to an end, determination are inactive plentifulness of events to bask earlier the festival ends Sunday. There volition beryllium regular screenings of competing films, starring up to the awards ceremonial connected Friday.

Of peculiar note, connected Saturday, astatine the Cinepolis Las Americas cinema, American movie prima and manager Jodie Foster volition contiguous the French achromatic drama “Vie Privée” (“A Private Life”), successful which she stars and which was an authoritative enactment astatine Cannes this year. Also, seasoned Swedish histrion Stellan Skarsgård volition showcase “Sentimental Value,” directed by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, astatine the historical Teatro Matamoros.

The participants, organizers, and immoderate of the experts of this year’s Laboratorio de Desarrollo de Proyectos Cinematográficos para Cineastas Indígenas y Afrodescendientes de México. (Vera Sistermans)

Internationally known Mexican movie prima Gael García Bernal volition enactment successful a Q&A on with a peculiar screening of “Amores Perros” to observe the 25th day of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film, which was García Bernal’s breakthrough role. That’s happening astatine the Cinepolis Centro on Thursday.

Individual tickets to the upcoming functions tin beryllium bought 2 days earlier their showing astatine the summons offices, on the FICM website, oregon connected the Cinépolis website, wherever you tin besides acquisition passes for either six oregon eleven movies (which indispensable beryllium collected successful person). These passes let you to bask a enactment of showings from the FICM’s awesome program, on with kilos of popcorn astatine a discounted price, provided determination is inactive availability erstwhile redeeming your vouchers astatine the cinema. 

Vera Sistermans is simply a freelance writer and information analyst based successful Mexico City. Her enactment mostly focuses on Indigenous culture, violence, and resilience.  

David Martinez is simply a Colombian writer with a inheritance successful integer media and vigor production. Before making the leap to contented writing, helium worked arsenic a vigor writer successful Argentina for implicit 4 years, covering planetary affairs, Latin American culture, and economics for antithetic outlets.