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LOS CHAVALES DE MORELIA Premiered at the 22nd Morelia International Film Festival

Ariadna Lucas Coronel

As part of the Mexican premiere lineup, Spanish director Miguel Ángel Olivares presented the international premiere of his debut film Los chavales de Morelia (2024) at the 22nd edition of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM).

The film depicts the lives of Santi, Sergio and Luisa, three young people on the autism spectrum. Although they don't know each other, each of them takes us through their unique strengths and personal adventures, offering an intimate and authentic perspective of their lives. Through the eyes of their mothers, we see the daily struggle to give their children the opportunity to thrive and be accepted in a society fraught with prejudice.

The audience warmly applauded Santi, Sergio and Luisa, who attended the screening with their families and are also part of the cast that the Spanish director, Miguel Ángel Olivares, returns to in order to raise awareness about the discrimination and lack of integration suffered by neurodivergent people.

Those attending the screening commented that Miguel Angel's work plants a seed for the visibility of neurodivergent and/or autistic people.

A woman who was present at the screening highlighted her excitement at seeing a topic on screen that “we think of as something very foreign to us and it is not true, we are part of society and we have to support each other.”

The exchange was also joined, with a moving speech, by Santi, Sergio, Luisa and their mothers; Santiago, who was the first to speak, hopes that the documentary reaches the right people, given that there is still a lot to teach those who think that autism is a problem. He also hopes that more people with autism fight for their dreams: “ Those of us who fight every day to be half-understood… There is a world of opportunities for us and the important thing is to be happy.”