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The Tribute to Janet Alcoriza Begins at the 24th FICM with CUANDO VIAJAN LAS ESTRELLAS

Omar Sosa Topete

The 24th Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) paid tribute to Janet Alcoriza, the multifaceted actress and screenwriter of Mexican cinema’s Golden Age, with the special program Janet Alcoriza: actriz y guionista, presented with the invaluable support of the Televisa Foundation, the UNAM Film Archive, and the National Film Archive.

The program began with a screening of Cuando viajan las estrellas (1942, dir. Alberto Gout), introduced by Jorge Martínez Mícher, Deputy Director of Outreach for the General Directorate of Cinematographic Activities at the UNAM Film Archive, and Rafael Aviña, a researcher and film critic. Janet Alcoriza took on various roles throughout her life, but she knew that her dream was to write for the cinema.

Rafael Aviña

Between 1939 and 1943, she worked as an actress. In 1944, she made her debut as a screenwriter with Norman Foster’s La hora de la verdad, under the pseudonym Raquel Rojas. A year later, as Janet Riesenfeld, she married actor and screenwriter Luis Alcoriza, whose last name she later adopted. The filmmaker couple would become one of the most renowned duos in Mexican cinema, known for comedies and melodramas that allowed stars such as Cantinflas, Tin Tan, Jorge Negrete, and Pedro Infante to shine on the international stage.

“Janet Alcoriza’s great significance lies in the fact that she was one of the most prolific screenwriters in Mexican cinema, having written more than 50 screenplays. She is a figure who has gone unnoticed, as has generally been the case with female screenwriters,” commented Rafael Aviña.

Jorge Martínez Mícher

The Mexican researcher added that women played a fundamental role during the Golden Age. Many other screenwriters, such as Elena Garro and Josefina Vicenz, had significant careers in the national film industry, but the patriarchal system rendered them invisible. The audience had the opportunity to watch a 35mm print of this film thanks to the UNAM Film Archive.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity to see a film as it was originally shown on the big screen. What’s more, the cinematography is by Gabriel Figueroa, so you’ll be able to see the Mexican cinematographer’s extraordinary visual work in all its splendor, just as it was seen at its 1942 premiere,” Aviña added as he kicked off the screening.