10 · 22 · 19 En el balcón vacío, a tribute to Spanish exile in Mexico, was presented at the 17th FICM Share with twitter Share with facebook Share with mail Copy to clipboard Gustavo R. Gallardo The film by Jomi García Ascot, En el balcón vacío (1961), was presented at the 17th edition of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) by its vice president, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel, in presence of the director’s daughter, Issa García-Ascot Ogarrio. Cuahutémoc Cárdenas Batel En el balcón vacío narrates Gabriela’s memories, who is exiled in Mexico, about the events that marked her during the Spanish Civil War when she was a child. The film was made with a budget of less than 50 thousand pesos and a 16mm camera. The film was recently restored by the UNAM Film Library, said García-Ascot, because "María Luisa Elía, the film’s actress, had the only copy and it was screened in Spain until 1994." "The film was not made with institutional funds; it was made by my father’s friends and by him. With the sale of works that were given to him he bought a camera, and they filmed during the weekends for a whole year. It won a couple of international festivals and enjoyed some recognition, but it is unknown in Spain. It is considered the first Mexican independent film," she revealed. For his part, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas said that the Spanish exiles were integrated into this country in the best way, "they delivered their talent, their commitment to the country’s causes. They have been a group that has contributed to making Mexico better and better, and in these difficult times they have always been present, and it is up to us now, in this room, to recognize that."
