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Tinta Hosts a Conversation Between Sabina Berman and Carlos Cuarón During the 23rd FICM

Omar Sosa

During the 23rd Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), a conversation took place between Carlos Cuarón, director of Tinta (Society of Audiovisual and Cinematographic Writers of Mexico A.C.), and Sabina Berman, the acclaimed Mexican writer, playwright, and screenwriter.

Tinta is a nonprofit organization founded in 2020. Its purpose is to serve as a participatory society where writers are affiliated to advocate for their rights as creators.

Berman shared told the audience that her passion for writing began at a very young age. The printed pages fascinated her when she was just three years old. Humorously, she said: "Without realizing it, I was already into minimalism." From that moment on, the writer knew she wanted to dedicate her life to words.

"That mechanism—how a shape on the outside could produce a sound inside—completely captivated me," she added about her passion and love for language.

The playwright never had any formal training in writing; she learned it on her own, thanks to her parents filling the house with Mexican books. Her first encounter with writing came at the age of six through poetry. As she grew older, she developed an interest in film and theater.  

Today, she is known for her short stories, novels, and plays, but before that, Sabina Berman wrote a screenplay that won a production contest and earned her an Ariel Award. This led to the film La tía Alejandra (1980), directed by Arturo Ripstein.  

Berman is known for writing comedies, a preference stemming from her desire to make others laugh and allow them to suspend their thoughts, if only for a moment.

The writer discussed the contradiction she feels as an author while being constantly surrounded by narratives that define her as a person. "Humanism has returned from the prison of single narratives and those rigid, monolithic stories imposed on certain segments of humanity. We’re always condemned to death; we’re seeing it right now in Gaza," she remarked.  

Later, she encouraged the audience to stop viewing the world through a single lens and instead expose themselves to diverse perspectives, especially opposing ones, as a way to deconstruct and grow. "I always believe what I’m writing is meant to exist and be shared with others," she said, sharing her conviction that narratives can also unite us.  

Berman’s latest film project is a screenplay she wrote for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s upcoming movie, set for release next year.