10 · 22 · 14

Tribute to the Short Film Forum

Today, Daniela Michel, general director of FICM, presented the first program of the Tribute to the Mexican Short Film Forum.

The Forum began the same year that Carlos Carrera won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his short film El héroe (1994). That year, 20 years ago, a project was born that over time would end up being the seed for the current Morelia International Film Festival, in addition to changing the way the Mexican short film was conceived.

In 1994, Daniela Michel and Enrique Ortiga discovered the solution to the need for dissemination of a format that kept alive the creative spirit of one of the most important generations of Mexican cinema.

The following short films were shown at the event: Actos impuros (1993) by Roberto Fiesco, Disculpe las molestias (1994) by Fernando Eimbcke, Por encima el abismo de la desesperación (1996) by Julián Hernández, Sonríe (1997) by Lorenza Manrique, Adiós mamá (1997) by Ariel Gordon, El milagro (2000) by Ernesto Contreras, De Mesmer, con amor o Té para dos (2002) by Alejandro Lubezki and Salvador Aguirre, and Noche de bodas (2002) by Carlos Cuarón.

The tribute was attended by filmmakers Fernando Eimbcke, Carlos Cuarón, Ariel Gordon, Lorenza Manrique and Alejandro Lubezki, the co-founder of the Short Film Forum, Enrique Ortiga, and Pablo Baksht, general administrative coordinator of FICM.

Daniela Michel on presenting the tribute:

“Today we talked about what the Mexican Short Film Forum was like 20 years ago at the Cineteca Nacional, which was the venue of our generous host, and how it was such an important moment that we had shared, in which young people who were making films found a space in the Mexican Short Film Form to present them. They were very different times. It was very difficult for any young person to show their work and exactly from there, in ’94, the idea of the Mexican Short Film Forum was born. Carlos Carrera had just won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and there was no space, not yet any festival – now there are a lot  – but in 1994 there weren’t any. I’ve always said that the short film, in addition to being a work, kept the creative spirit of Mexican filmmakers alive because at that moment there was almost no cinema. We’re talking about two titles, entre la risa during vacation. It was terrible. Now the panorama of cinema in Mexico has changed a lot thanks to the work of these directors who have joined us today.”

Ariel Gordon at the end of the event:

“It is a pleasure to recall that era and those years – the beginning of where you started or tried to start, but well, I hope you enjoyed it.”

Alejandro Lubezki at the end of the event:

Daniela and Ortiga’s forums were amazing because they were a place where you could find things you couldn’t find anywhere else and that was amazing. One of the most exciting things about seeing these shorts is to see that film was made with negatives, something that you rarely see now. I know it is a romantic thing, but yes, it looks different.”

Carlos Cuarón at the end of the event:

“The forum was the seed of the Morelia Film Festival and what’s so amazing is that the four of us are a generation of short filmmakers … from a while ago. And right now I saw mine again and it feels very strange. I don’t dislike it, but it’s not what I thought it was either.”

Lorenza Manrique at the end of the event:

“It frightened me a lot, but I think the others are very, very good. It’s a great festival, an amazing community that didn’t exist before and it’s all thanks to Daniela who keeps working so hard at it.”

Pablo Baksht at the end of the event:

“I have fond memories of the time we worked together to promote the short film at a time when it was not known in Mexico. It was confused with the documentary; there was no custom or culture of short films. I think that among many people, especially the directors with their work, we made a culture of the short film in Mexico.”

Enrique Ortiga at the end of the event:

“I just want to acknowledge that, without a doubt, Pablo Baksht, who was the director of short films during that time, had the vision to recognize in time that there was a lot going on in the short film.”

On Thursday, October 23, the second program of the Tribute to the Mexican Short Film Forum will be screened at 1:30 pm at the Cinépolis Morelia Centro.

Coverage by Gabriel Andrade Espinosa (@gabolonio)