10 · 24 · 18

Gala for Roma at the 16th FICM

Gustavo R. Gallardo

The audience was waiting for Alfonso Cuarón on the red carpet from six in the afternoon, but they had been waiting for Roma since August. Rumor on the street says it "will win an Oscar". The founder and director of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), Daniela Michel, says it in other words: "This film will go into the history of cinema. It's a historic moment for FICM to present a masterpiece like Roma".

Written, produced, edited, photographed and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Roma has toured several film festivals around the world, such as Venice, where it won the Golden Lion, and San Sebastian, where it was also described as a "masterpiece".

In addition, Roma was selected as one of the twelve films postulated for the Oscar and the Goya, by a selection committee assembled by the Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences (AMAAC).

The expectation for the eighth film of the Mexican filmmaker gathered, in the capital of Michoacán, dozens of fans who expected to see the acclaimed director, awarded the Oscar in 2013 for Gravity, and the actress Yalitza Aparicio, who was nominated at the Gotham Awards as Revelation Actress.

Amid cries of "Alfonso, Alfonso!", the filmmaker walked the red carpet, gave interviews and posed for photographers with the president of FICM, Alejandro Ramírez, the vice-president, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel, and the founder and general director of the festival, Daniela Michel.

Roma narrates a turbulent year in the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City in the 1970s. Cuarón was inspired by the women of his childhood to produce an artistic ode in honor of the matriarchy that defined his life, as a vivid portrait of the domestic conflict and the social hierarchy in the middle of political turmoil.

In addition to Yalitza Aparicio, the 135-minute-long movie features the performances of Marina de Tavira, Daniela Demesa, Nancy Garcia, Marco Graf and Carlos Peralta.

Cuarón, who hadn't filmed in black and white since 1983, when he presented his short film Cuarteto para el Fin del Tiempo, and hadn't worked in Mexico for 18 years, when he presented Y Tu Mamá También, returns to his roots with Roma, a faithful portrait of his childhood that has captivated the audiences that have seen it in various festivals.

Award for Excellence in Cinematographic Creation

During the Gala for Roma, Alfonso Cuarón was honored with the Award for Excellence in Cinematographic Creation, an original prize by the artist Javier Marín, made especially for the festival and given in recognition of excellence in filmmakers.