07 · 21 · 10

"Each script is the genesis of a film," Alfredo Mendoza

Clara Sánchez translated by Cindy Hawes

On June 11, Alejandro Mendoza, a screenwriter and columnist who received a Sundance grant to finish his screenplay for Las estrellas me iluminan al revés., conducted the first class. Mendoza, who has taught for many years at the CCC, IMCINE and Arte 7, shared his impressions with FICM about teaching screenwriting outside established film schools and its repercussions on the film industry.

Articles and interviews by the screenwriter have appeared in various Mexican publications, including Revista Marvin, Conceptos and Dónde Ir.

What is your opinion of teaching screenwriting classes outside the confines of established film schools?
Writing is an enigma and teaching it is too. I always ask myself why is it that when I teach a workshop outside the [established] schools, students surprise me so much. It’s as though I were present at the final show, rather than at the rehearsal. I admire the potential that exists in each writer- even those who don’t know how to use narrative techniques have amazing stories to tell.

What is the importance of a script in a film?
Each script is the genesis of a film, just as the Book of Genesis is the starting point of the Bible. In my opinion, it is the most creative and fascinating phase of a film.

René Castillo says that Mexican cinema lacks good stories. How do you write a good story?
I think that when animation artists like Réne Castillo say “Mexican cinema lacks good stories,” they are referring to Mexico lagging behind in the art of finding and narrating good stories cinematographically. If there is anything that there is an abundance of in this complex country, it is great stories. A quick glance at contemporary Mexican literature – which is far better off creatively than film – makes this point. When directors listen to and communicate with screenwriters, stories develop by themselves. But in our country, where people don’t usually specialize in one area of work but think they are specialists in everything, finding teams with a yearning to establish a creative dialect is a complicated task.

What do you think of FICM organizing public events throughout the year apart from the week of the Festival?
As far as the screenwriter’s workshop goes, I think it will help to improve professional growth and provide a more serious approach to learning about and enjoying film.

Do you think these workshops can help the Mexican film industry?
I’m sure that if the stories reflected in the scripts are the genesis, the fuel and the wherefore of the industry, any workshop that deals with the area of screenwriting will help the development of film.

Could you share with us what your experience as a speaker at the workshop was like?
In the Morelia workshop, I discovered that many of the scripts that we are working on involve moral issues that our country is confronting today. Just a few years ago, when I started giving classes, films from other countries influenced us the most. Now the local press, the violence and general unrest [in the country] are ever present in the characters and their relationship with the world. Screenwriters today are struggling to portray their own environment, which I think will deliver some very interesting results.