10 · 08 · 05

Stars Out for Morelia Film Launch

Clara Sánchez

A quartet of models played the part of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Charles Chaplin, and Audrey Hepburn at last night’s opening gala, while posing with the real stars of the Festival: Tommy Lee Jones, Guillermo Arriaga, Michael Fritzgerald, and many other film industry celebrities, who walked down the red carpet to the première of Los tres entierros de Melquíades Estrada at the Jose Maria Morelos Theater in Morelia.

Among the celebrities to make an appearance last night where photographer Gabriel Figueroa; scriptwriter Marina Stavenhagen; filmmakers Gerardo Tort (De la Calle) and Armando Casas (Un mundo raro); actress Martha Higareda; actors Cecilia Suárez and Ignacio Guadalupe (Los tres entierros de Melquíades Estrada); as well as Kate del Castillo and Demián Bichir (American Visa).

Alfredo Joskowicz, Director of the Mexican Institute of Cinematography; Sergio Molina, Director of the Mexican Filming Commission; Víctor Sotomayor, Director of Sotomayor Film Services; Ramón Ramírez, Marketing Director for Cinepolis, where also there.

The opening ceremony began at 8 o`clock with an introduction by the Third Morelia International Film Festival’s director and president, Daniela Michel and Alejandro Ramírez, respectively. Michel reasserted that the festival will pay tribute to filmmaker Raul Ruiz and Valeria Sarmiento this year, as well as announcing that there will 11 national and 30 international feature film premieres. Ramirez highlighted the festival’s spirit, which was one of encouragement to national productions.

At the end of her speech, Michel handed the microphone over to Guillermo Arriaga, screenwriter of Los tres entierros de Melquíades Estrada, who said he felt honored at being once again at the Morelia Film Festival: “The day I received the award at Cannes I brought out a Mexican flag, because prizes are for all of us. I would like you all to feel as if you had won this award yourselves. I would have never written this story if I wasn’t a Mexcian,” Arriaga said.

Later that evening, Tommy Lee Jones expressed his admiration for his wife, Dawn Jones, the film’s still photographer: “I’ve worked in more that 50 films and never have I seen such good work,” he stated. He also congratulated his daughter for her role as Lou Ann: “My daughter played a small role that none the less required a lot of courage; the result is very moving, especially for me.”

The audience gave Jones a standing ovation, while he concluded his speech by underlining the importance of the relationship between Mexico and the US. “I hope that you can appreciate the beautiful things that can happen when Texas and Mexico unite in a film,” he said.