The 24th FICM Awarded the Best of its Official Selection and Impulso Morelia 12

The Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) concluded its 24th edition with a ceremony at the Melchor Ocampo Theater, where it honored the best entries from its Official Selection and the 12th edition of Impulso Morelia.

Following intense deliberations, the jury—comprising Juan Antonio Bayona, Jaione Camborda, Gabriela Ortiz, Amy Redford, Alexandre O. Philippe, Jonathan Romney, Juan Carlos Rulfo, Raphaëlle Pireyre, Pedro Aguilera, Federico Luis, Iván Trujillo, Antonio Zirión, and Nicolás Echevarría—selected the top works from the 96 films that competed in the 24th FICM. Additionally, the audience cast votes for their favorite films, determining the winners of the Audience Award across various sections.

Meanwhile, the international panel of experts for Impulso Morelia 12—consisting of Julio Chavezmontes, Sandrine Dumas, Mauricio Durán, and Carlos R. Ríos—presented awards to the post-production projects participating in this twelfth edition of Impulso Morelia.

The winners of the 24th FICM are:

MICHOACÁN SHORT FILM SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

The jury for the Michoacán Short Film Screenplay Competition was composed of Iván Trujillo, Director General of TV UNAM; Antonio Zirión, a prominent Mexican researcher and filmmaker; and Nicolás Echevarría, a renowned Mexican filmmaker.

  • Special mention from the jury: Brillantina, by Paula González Velasco.
  • Winner of the Michoacán Short Film Screenplay Competition: Virgen de la esperanza, by Rafael Martínez García. | The prize consists of a diploma, $20,000 pesos provided by Cinema Máquina, and an image post-production award for a short film, provided by Meseta Post.

MICHOACAN SECTION

The jury for the Michoacan Section was composed of Iván Trujillo, Director General of TV UNAM; Antonio Zirión, a prominent Mexican researcher and filmmaker; and Nicolás Echevarría, a renowned Mexican filmmaker.

  • Special mention from the jury: El sueño de las luciérnagas, by Porfirio López.
  • Ojo for Michoacan Section: Buenos días, buenas noches, buenas tardes, de Adrián González-Camargo | El premio consiste en un diploma, la escultura Ojo, diseñada especialmente para el festival por el destacado artista michoacano Javier Marín, paquete de postproducción de imagen para un cortometraje en formato digital patrocinado por Cinema Máquina y $100,000 pesos patrocinado por la Comisión Fílmica de Morelia y el FICM.

MEXICAN SHORT SECTION

The jury for the Mexican Short Film section was composed of Raphaëlle Pireyre, member of the short film selection committee for the Cannes Critics' Week; Pedro Aguilera, a renowned Spanish filmmaker; y Federico Luis, Argentine filmmaker who won the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film at the most recent Cannes Film Festival.

  • Special Mention in the Mexican Animated Short Film section: Cartas a los perdidos, by Adriana Monteforte Lahera.
  • Special Mention in the Mexican Documentary Short Film section: Nadie recuerda ese film, by Andrés Pulido.
  • Special Mention in the Mexican Fiction Short Film section: Albatross, by Amandine Thomas.
  • Ojo to Best Mexican Animated Short Film: Cuna de lobas, by Emilia Schettino Bustamante | The prize consists of a diploma; the Ojo sculpture, designed specifically for the festival by the prominent artist from Michoacán, Javier Marín; a package including 20 hours of color grading, 10 hours of audio mixing in a THX-certified studio, dialogue recording, and subtitling (sponsored by New Art); and 100,000 pesos (sponsored by Solaris).
  • Ojo to Best Mexican Documentary Short Film: Voces del bosque, de Teresa Camou, Arturo López Barrera | The prize consists of a diploma; the "Ojo" sculpture, designed specifically for the festival by the prominent artist from Michoacán, Javier Marín; a package including 20 hours of color grading, 10 hours of audio mixing in a THX-certified studio, subtitling, and DCP creation (sponsored by New Art); and 100,000 pesos (sponsored by Cerveza Victoria).
  • Ojo to Best Mexican Fiction Short Film: Cuerda manual, de Gustavo Obregón | The prize consists of a diploma; the sculpture Ojo, designed specifically for the festival by the prominent artist from Michoacán, Javier Marín; a package including 20 hours of color grading, 10 hours of audio mixing in a THX-certified studio, subtitling, and the creation of a DCP (sponsored by New Art); and 100,000 pesos (sponsored by Mundet).

MEXICAN DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM SECTION

The jury of the Mexican Documentary Section was made up of the legendary academic and film critic B. Ruby Rich; Andrei Ujică, acclaimed Romanian filmmaker; and Kathy Geritz, renowned film curator at the Pacific Film Archive.

Special mention from the Mexican Documentary Feature Section: Los mariachis perdidos, by Francisco Ohem.

Ojo for Best Mexican Documentary Feature: Forensita, by Pablo Vaca | The prize consists of a diploma, the Ojo sculpture, designed especially for the festival by the prominent Michoacan artist Javier Marín, a package of 40 hours of color correction, 20 hours of audio mixing in the THX room, and subtitling and DCP preparation, sponsored by New Art, and $300,000 pesos sponsored by Fundación Televisa.

MEXICAN FICTION FEATURE FILM SECTION

The jury for the Mexican Feature Film section at FICM was presided over by the acclaimed, Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona. Its members included the renowned Basque filmmaker Jaione Camborda; extraordinary Mexican composer and multiple Grammy Award winner Gabriela Ortiz; and American director and producer Amy Redford.

  • Special Mention for a Mexican Fiction Feature Film: El jardín que soñamos, by Joaquín del Paso.
  • Ojito for Best Actor in a Mexican Feature Film: Sam Louwyck for his work on Salón de belleza | The prize consists of a diploma and the Ojo sculpture, designed specifically for the festival by the prominent artist from Michoacán, Javier Marín.
  • Ojito for Best Actress in a Mexican Feature Film: Teresa Sánchez por su trabajo en Lo demás es ruido | The prize consists of a diploma and the Ojo sculpture, designed specifically for the festival by the prominent artist from Michoacán, Javier Marín.
  • Award for Best Screenplay for a Mexican Fiction Feature Film: Joaquín Ruano, por Nosotros | The prize consists of a diploma and 40,000 pesos, sponsored by Cinema Máquina.
  • Award for Best Cinematography in a Mexican Feature Film: Gökhan Tiryaki por El jardín que soñamos | The prize consists of a diploma and 50,000 pesos, sponsored by CTT AND RENTALS. It also includes a Sony award: a Sony Cinema Line FX2 camera, accompanied by an FE 35mm F1.8 lens.
  • Casa Wabi-Escine Award for a first-time director: Fernanda Tovar directora de la ópera prima Chicas tristes | The prize consists of a five-week residency in one of the bungalows at Casa Wabi in Puerto Escondido (Mexico), round-trip travel, and a commitment to develop a cultural exchange project with the neighboring communities.
  • Ojo for Best Director of a Mexican Fiction Feature Film: Nicolás Pereda por Lo demás es ruido | The prize consists of a diploma, the Ojo sculpture—designed specifically for the festival by the prominent artist from Michoacán, Javier Marín, and 100,000 pesos, sponsored by Diferenciarte.
  • Ojo for Best Mexican Fiction Feature Film: 6 meses en el edificio rosa con azul, de Bruno Santamaría Razo | The prize consists of a diploma, the Ojo sculpture, designed specifically for the festival by the prominent artist from Michoacán, Javier Marín, and 300,000 pesos.

The awards not granted by the jury of the 24th FICM are:

AUDIENCE AWARD

  • Audience Award for Mexican Feature Documentary: yātrā, by Alejandro Rugama.
  • Audience Award for Mexican Feature Film: 6 meses en el edificio rosa con azul, de Bruno Santamaría Razo.
  • Audience Award for International Feature Film: Naza, by Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor.

IMPULSO MORELIA 12

The panel consisted of Cara Cusumano, a key figure in film programming in the United States and director of the Tribeca Festival; Julio Chavezmontes, a prominent producer and screenwriter and co-founder of PIANO, whose experience includes collaborations with some of the world’s most renowned filmmakers; Sandrine Dumas, a French actress, screenwriter, director, and producer with an extensive background working alongside major international filmmakers, and founder of Pio & Co, through which she champions unique cinematic voices; Mauricio Durán, president of the National Chamber of the Film Industry (Canacine) and an executive with over 35 years of experience in film distribution and the motion picture business; and Carlos R. Ríos, a leading figure in independent cinema in Spain and director of the D’A – Barcelona Film Festival, who possesses an extensive track record in the promotion, programming, and distribution of international cinema.

  • The post-production services company Caffeine offered Homeboys, by Alonso Garibay and Alejandro Bernal (Norteña del Sur, Documotora) the following image post-production services for a total value of $387,000 MXN, distributed as follows:
  • A week in the Caffeine color room in Roma Norte, Mexico City, with a value of $120,000 MXN to Galerna, by Tatiana Huezo (Pimienta Films, Elastica Films).
  • Post-production workflow design sessions with a specialized supervisor, with a value of $167,000 MXN to: Toda el agua del mundo, by Diego del Río.
  • Design and creation of titles, with a voucher of $100,000 MXN in Graphics to: Homeboys, by Alonso Garibay and Alejandro Bernal (Norteña del Sur, Documotora).

The prize from Splendor Omnia Studios, with an approximate value of $300,000 MXN, was divided as follows:

  • A week in a THX-certified sound mixing room: Raká, de Teresa Camou (Fontana Films, Oriente Cine).
  • A week of color grading in a Dolby monitoring suite: Katechon, by Javier Toscano (Didascalia Films).

José María Riba Award: Galerna, by Tatiana Huezo , granted by PROFEST and Cinépolis Distribución.

The Churubusco Award is divided into two equal parts:

$350,000 pesos in image and sound post-production services are awarded to the project Legítima, by Elisa Miller (Pimienta Films, UMI Films).

$350,000 pesos in image and sound post-production services are awarded to the project Toda el agua del mundo, by Diego del Río.

The Ambulante-Eugenio Polgovsky Award—established in memory of one of the great Mexican filmmakers of this century, whose work served as the catalyst for the creation of the Ambulante Documentary Tour—consists of $100,000 pesos intended to complete the post-production of one of the documentary projects selected for Impulso Morelia 12. It is awarded to: Homeboys, by Alonso Garibay and Alejandro Bernal (Norteña del Sur, Documotora).

ECAM SCHOLARSHIP + CASA DE MÉXICO EN EL CINE + FICM

The Casa de México Foundation in Spain awards Santiago Maza, director of the Official Selection of the 24th FICM, a master's degree in Distribution at the School of Cinematography and Audiovisual of the Community of Madrid (ECAM).

AWARD FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION OF MEXICO

The Association of Women in Film and Television, through a jury composed of Gina Bardavid, Rossana Barro and Cristina Prado presents the following awards:

  • Special mention Hijas del bosque, by Otilia Portillo Padua.
  • Musa Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary Directed by a Woman: Mi sangre es petróleo, by Vania Carolina Quevedo.

The prize consists of a diploma and La Musa, a sculpture created by the Mexican artist Elena Somonte, established by the Association of Women in Film and Television of Mexico.

Join our newsletter

At FICM we are constantly creating content for the festival, talks, expositions and, workshops. We want to invite you to be part of our community.

Subscribe