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Alfonso Cuarón Awarded the UNAM Film Archive Medal at the 24th FICM

Alan Rodríguez

Alfonso Cuarón was awarded the UNAM Film Archive Medal before the start of a discussion between the filmmaker and Fray Eugenio Martín Torres during the 24th edition of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM).

JJorge Martínez Micher, Deputy Director of Outreach for the UNAM Film Archive, presented the award and shared a message from Hugo Villa, Director General of Cinematographic Activities at UNAM, addressed to the Mexican director. “With this little treasure you take away halides that were lights and shadows in Los olvidados, El bruto, Canoa, you take away Tomás Tomás and Clarisa Negrete, you take away the charolastras, obviously, and many of the exercises and films that you and your colleagues from CUEC shot and that are also part of the permanent work of rescue and restoration of the Filmoteca,” Villa wrote.

Cuarón spoke about the importance of the UNAM Film Archive in his development as a filmmaker. He recalled an anecdote about the fire at the National Film Archive on March 24, 1982: “That was a great tragedy, a great deal of the collection was lost […]; this is why the work of conservation and restoration is fundamental.”

He also explained that, given the paradigm shifts we are currently witnessing regarding film exhibition and digital platforms, the task of film preservation has become increasingly vital for ensuring that the great works of the past are conserved and restored.

Following the presentation of the medal, a discussion took place centering around the film club at the Centro Universitario Cultural. Cuarón was joined by Daniela Michel, founder and general director of the FICM; Fray Eugenio Martín Torres, a historian and researcher; and film critic Alonso Díaz de la Vega.

Both Daniela Michel and Alfonso Cuarón reminisced about their time at the CUC and how it shaped them as cinephiles: “We saw films by Andrzej Żuławski, Andrzej Wajda, and Akira Kurosawa for the first time; it was a great school, it opened up a world of possibilities for us, of filmmakers and ideas. It was a breeding ground and something that stimulated us a great deal. It was like our home.”

A recurring theme throughout the conversation was the decline of cinephilia as a collective experience. At the same time, the discussion delved into the importance of curation for the recovery and revitalization of spaces like the CUC, which offer an opportunity to cultivate new audiences.

The students who attended this session were able to engage in a dialogue with Cuarón and express their gratitude for his work, which continues to inspire young filmmakers.