06 · 22 · 21

Guillermo del Toro and Cinépolis granted the 2021 ANIMEXICO scholarship to a young Mexican talent

Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro, with the support of Cinépolis, granted, for the 3rd year, young Mexican talent Ezequiel Garibay Cires a scholarship to study in the Master of Arts in Character Animation and Animated Filmmaking at GOBELINS, the most renowned animated cinema school in the world.

The scholarship will help the beneficiary, previously admitted to GOBELINS Master of Arts, in Paris, by covering her living expenses and tuition, from September 2021 to June 2023.

"For the third year running, in collaboration with Cinépolis, I am delighted to present this opportunity to young Mexican talent. This will be the fifth animator to receive the scholarship, precisely because of the great number of artists and animators seeking a creative outlet in our country. The first scholarship awarded prizes to three animators simultaneously, and each call for entries has offered a challenge to the jury from GOBELINS in Paris. We will continue with this initiative, and I am grateful to Cinépolis, Alejandro Ramírez, FICM, Daniela Michel, Pablo Baksht and GOBELINS for their support to be able to carry out this work in a continuous and committed way", says multi-award-winning director Guillermo del Toro.

For his part, Cinépolis CEO and President of the Morelia International Film Festival, Alejandro Ramírez, says: "We are pleased and proud to be part of an initiative that supports Mexican young talent, such as Ezequiel. It is a great pleasure to continue collaborating closely with Guillermo del Toro to make this possible for the third time. Now more than ever, we must encourage young people to pursue their goals and continue working together for the benefit of cinema, a passion shared by all those who are involved in this initiative. I am grateful to Guillermo del Toro, to GOBELINS and the FICM, as well as to the FICM’s coordination team and Daniela Michel for their support".

"I can only try and express sufficient gratitude - to Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Ramírez; to Cécile Blondel and the administrative staff at Gobelins; to the FICM, to my family, my girlfriend Narda, my dear friend Fraser and many others for supporting me in doing this crazy thing; and to every human being that I've encountered in this life of endless ups and downs.

Much is said about the international success of Latin American talent, but it is still very difficult to develop that talent in Latin America itself. Support of the kind offered by Cinépolis, and Guillermo del Toro makes an enormous difference, and we see proof of this in the well-deserved global recognition of Ram Tamez's work on his powerful short film, 'La Bestia' made at Gobelins", explains Ezequiel Garibay.

Promoting equality in opportunities: "GOBELINS for all"

The ANIMEXICO scholarship program is part of GOBELINS' desire to promote equal opportunities by opening its training to all talents. Ezequiel Garibay Cires will be part of the 2021-2023 class of the GOBELINS Master of Arts, a group made up of 26 students from 16 different nationalities.

"The financial dimension must not be a hurdle. At GOBELINS, the diversity of profiles and cultures is a real asset. As proof, Ram Tamez, a young GOBELINS graduate and ANIMEXICO scholarship holder from 2018 to 2020, has just won, with his team, the ‘Best Student Film’ Award at the Annie Awards 2021 for their film ‘La Bestia’. The short film is also eligible for the OSCARS 2022!”, explains Nathalie Berriat, Executive Director of GOBELINS.

"We chose Ezequiel for his creative potential, his mastery of the art of movement and his personal universe. We are convinced that these two years at GOBELINS will allow him to blossom and will give him all the assets to carry out his projects in animation!”, explains delighted Cécile Blondel, director of International Development at GOBELINS.

The submissions were selected based on the following criteria:

• Their technical and artistic excellence
• Their motivation
• Their social and economic circumstances

This animation course allows students to deepen their knowledge of filmmaking and storytelling. At the end of the course, they participate in a graduation film project in conditions close to those of the professional world. They work in teams on different projects and can thus acquire a versatility combined with a level of excellence recognized by professionals, in France and internationally.

Ezequiel Garibay Cires is a Mexican animator. He has worked in different local studios since 2016, in the 2D animation department. As a result, he has contributed to several advertising projects, as well as films and TV shows. Gifted in illustration and animation, he enjoys composition and illustration design. By coming to study at GOBELINS, he wishes to further develop his skills in animation, but also in writing and filmmaking in general. Ezequiel holds a Bachelor's degree in Animation Media Production from the University of Audiovisual Media (CAAV) in Guadalajara, Mexico. IG: @zklgrby