Celebrities converge at 7th FICM inauguration

Administrador

The glamorous red carpet was conducted once again by the film critic Lucero Solórzano who was in charge of presenting actors, actresses and members of the film community whose outfits were designed by In Style. Their small interviews were transmitted simultaneously inside the Teatro Morelos.

Prior to the ceremony conducted by actors Joaquín Rodríguez and Irene Azuela, a large number of national and international actresses and filmmakers walked down the red carpet, organized by In Style. Among the celebrities participating in the event were Patricia Bernal, José María de Tavira, Michel Franco, Daniel Gruener, Gerardo Tort, Irene Azuela, Ximena Ayala, Julián Hernández, Roberto Fiesco, Claudia Álvarez, Fernando Arau, Miguel Rodarte, José María de Tavira, Oswaldo Benavides, Eugenio Polgovsky, Julio Bracho, Fernando Carrillo, Teresa Ruíz, Nailea Norvind, Julisa and Eli Roth, Michael Fitzgerald, John Cooper.

Fausto Vallejo, Morelia municipal president, welcomed those gathered at the packed theater, saying, "The festival has grown in importance during these past seven years and has become another attraction in this city already rich in cultural activities. Not only do we welcome the festival but we also express our appreciation for making Morelia a showcase for artists and visitors from around the world who share the vision of our community united by tradition, culture and diversity." 

Consuelo Sáizar, president of the National Council for Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA), read a message from Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa in which he pledged the same budget for the film industry next year as in 2009. "The film industry will have the same support in 2010 as in 2009, 421 million pesos, which will provide funding for 70 feature films," she said. "In times of crisis, art is an indispensable activity. It represents the possibility of dialogue and respect and a fountain of hope in the future."

In his remarks, Michoacán Governor Leonel Godoy, emphasized, "We will not forget that last year after the tragic [grenade] attack the film community rose up and supported us."

Alejandro Ramirez, Cuauhtemoc Cardenas Batel

Daniela Michel /Photo:Paulo Vidales/Imagen Latente

FICM President Alejandro Ramírez said that the essential part of the festival is the section in competition which this year includes 45 short films, 20 documentaries, 11 Michoacán films and six features. Those winning in the fiction and animation categories will be eligible to be nominated for an Oscar.

Ramírez announced some of the sections that make up the program for this year: a selection of films from the Critics' Week of the Cannes Film Festival, a tribute to Michoacán actress Fanny Cano and a program dedicated to Alain Resnais. He also mentioned the names of the jury members.

FICM Vice President Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel spoke in greater detail
about the program of the festival this year: 50 international
premieres, the Cinema without Borders, the First Nations Forum,
Imaginary Mexico proposed by Bernard Tabernier, Mexican Independence in
Film, tributes to Julio Bracho and Roberto Gavaldón , as well as the
program Suertes, humores y pequeñas historias de la Independencia y de
la Revolución.

Michel also mentioned that parallel to the festival, from Oct. 1 to 3, the 5th International Congress of Film Theory and Analysis brought together 100 academics from 12 different countries.

Quentin Tarantino thanked the film community for inviting him to the ceremony and said he felt honored to be in a festival that represents Mexican cinema and the best in international cinematography.