07 · 23 · 15

FICM Presents the Image of its 13th Edition!

One of the first indicators that the FICM is approaching is the publication of the official image: a poster that will serve as the hallmark of the new edition and that will remain in the memory of those who attend the festival as an essential part of their experience in Morelia.

The designer of the poster 2015 is Rodrigo Toledo, who has been the creative mind behind the image of the festival since the beginning. Each year, the designer of the festival faces the challenge of inventing the theme once again and finding a new way of playing with the basic elements of FICM: film, festival and Morelia. In an interview, Toledo spoke of the creative process behind the image of the 13th FICM:

What was your source of inspiration to create the image this year?

This year, at the suggestion of Daniela Michel, general director of FICM, the source of inspiration was the graphic and film work of Saul Bass. What resulted is a rather simple graphic image composed basically of three elements:

1. The aqueduct of Morelia. This has been an important element since the beginning of FICM (it is in the logo of the festival, to begin with), but we have never used it as the main element.
2. The celluloid film, which is perhaps the most classical and well-known way of representing cinema. So its use becomes like a tribute, since film today is practically 100% digital!
3. The “walking eye.” This is an element taken directly from the work of Saul Bass, which appears like a small “walking clock” in the titles of Around the World in Eighty Days (1956, dir. Michael Anderson), and I’d like to think that it’s also a tribute. It is especially important for the general sense of the idea, of which I will speak about later. In addition, I want to point out that the use of the typography at times is a reminder of the graphic image of West Side Story (1961, dir. Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise), also by Saul Bass, which was accidental, but fortunate.

What does the image of the 13th FICM represent to you?
For me, the general sense of this year’s image should be “light and happy,” in contrast, in some way, to the “serious” and “inflamed” images of the last two years. The idea is to inject optimism in the present situation of our beloved State of Michoacán. I don’t know if that’s the best way of doing it, but it’s an attempt.

Following is the official poster of the 13th Morelia International Film Festival:

The next big announcement of the 13th FICM will be Friday August 14, when the films that will compete in this edition’s Official Selection will be revealed.