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The press conference for Te llevo conmigo was held at the 18th FICM

Ximena Cuevas

The press conference for I Carry You With Me (2020), by Heidi Ewing, was held virtually and was moderated by film critic Carlos Gómez. Actors Armando Espitia, Michelle Rodriguez and Christian Vazquez were present, as well as producers Edher Campos and Gabriela Maire.

The film is part of the special premieres taking place as part of the 18th Morelia International Film Festival (FICM).

I Carry You With Me, the first fiction of the American filmmaker Heidi Ewing, narrates the chance encounter between two men in a Mexican province that leads to a love story so great that it happens over several decades. Inspired by a true event, ambition and social pressure force one of them to abandon his soul mate and take a trip to New York, changing his life forever.

After learning about Iván and Gerardo's story, the director understood that it was necessary to transform it into a fictional film. "It is a film that deals with memory, memories of the past, the memory of an migrant, remembering his past, of his Mexico to which he has not been able to return," Heidi said at the press conference.

"The project was a bit difficult to understand. An interesting, new process. An enriching process", said the producer, Edher Campos. A film that talks about love, self-improvement, about distance and the sacrifices that are made to achieve our dreams.

The director said that selecting the cast was a difficult process, however, when she met Armando and Christian, she knew that they were the right actors, as they showed an unexpected and immediate connection.

Michelle Rodriguez, shared her experience regarding the development of the connection with her character and with the narrative of the story. In the words of the actress: "It seems that it is a foreign issue, but we all have someone who has left, (…) Giving voice to such a strong issue and putting yourself in the shoes of those who are looking for something more to give to their family or having a better life, always puts you in a situation that's full of anguish."

This film "gives a face to an immigrant so that we stop seeing him as this mass that crosses borders. It allows us to humanize and identify with them," reflected the producer Gabriela Maire.

During the conference, they mentioned that the making of this film made it possible to delve more deeply in the migration situation and all that it implies, transforming their perspective to one with greater empathy, and social awareness. Finally, producer Edher Campos left us to reflect: "A film cannot change the world, but it can change people's perspective."