10 · 21 · 23 "My country is where I like to film most": Michel Franco at MEMORY Press Conference Share with twitter Share with facebook Share with mail Copy to clipboard Said García, Gustavo R. Gallardo As part of the 21st edition of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), Mexican director Michel Franco gave a press conference accompanied by stars Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard for his film Memory. During the conference, the director said that his country, Mexico, is where he enjoys filming the most. In Memory, a woman named Sylvia deals with her alcoholism while caring for her teenage daughter and excelling at her job. Her whole life changes when a man who makes her remember and reflect on her past follows her home. "My favorite place to film is in my country, I wouldn't lend myself to film just any old nonsense," Michel Franco explained to an audience at the Centro Cultural Universitario's auditorium. The Silver Lion-winning director did not arrive alone: Oscar-winning actress Jessica Chastain, Golden Globe winner Peter Sarsgaard and producer Eréndira Nuñez joined him to talk about their experience with Memory. Founder and general director of FICM, Daniela Michel, praised the actors and the director, acknowledging his growth and emphasizing how much she appreciates Memory. For Michel Franco, Nuevo orden was the film that gave Chastain and Sarsgaard the confidence to work with him on Memory, a film that has been recognized at the Venice Film Festival and others such as the Toronto International Film Festival and the San Sebastian, Zurich and London Film Festivals. Jessica Chastain said she enjoyed filming in Mexico and praised Mexican directors for capturing their passion for life on set. She added that her character appealed to her precisely because, despite being low, she was steadfast in her pursuit of happiness and rejection of revenge. Chastain admitted that she felt relieved when she got rid of her character because of all the problems she had to deal with. She also pointed out that this is a different story from others since she doesn't choose the path of revenge, but the path of healing. Meanwhile, Sarsgaard said that he learned a lot from this role. In order to accurately portray his character, who suffers from dementia, he researched the condition in hopes of doing it right.
