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Wixárika Cinema and Art Come Together at the Morelia International Film Festival

Brisa Naomi R. L.

As part of the 24th Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), a special screening of the short film Motoapuhua y sus cuadros de estambre, directed by John Lilly Jr., and the documentary Eco de la montaña took place. Director Nicolás Echevarría, Santos Motoapohua de la Torre, Daniela Michel, founder and director of FICM, and producers and crew members attended the event.

Under the theme “Wirikuta: A Call Answered,” the short film pays special tribute to the Wixárika artist Santos Motoapohua de la Torre. It celebrates documentary film's power to foster positive change, create space for diverse perspectives, encourage listening and understanding, and address the consequences of actions—all while giving a voice to Indigenous peoples and helping protect their sacred territories.

Motoapahua y sus cuadros de estambre, simultaneously explores the artist’s private life, the creative process behind his works, and the social and political challenges that have shaped his career. The documentary uses his yarn paintings as a window into the Wixárika worldview, transforming a personal story of institutional injustice into a visual tribute to cultural and artistic resistance. The recovered footage—which remained unfinished for nearly 60 years—is part of the John and Colette Lilly Archive and was recognized in 2024 by UNESCO as part of the "Memory of the World" register for Mexico.

During the performance, the recent inscription of the Huichol route on the UNESCO World Heritage List was highlighted, due to the sacred sites of Wirikut, Tatehuarí Huajuyé and other ceremonial spaces. This achievement was driven by the territorial defense of the Wixárika communities and supported by the dissemination of works such as the documentary Eco de la montaña. An example of how film can help us understand what is at risk.

Eco de la montaña revolves around the contrast between Santos's global artistic relevance and the oblivion and injustice in which he lives. In 1997, Santos created a stunning mural composed of more than two million glass beads, titled *Pensamiento Yeyarí*; it was presented by the Mexican government as a state gift and installed in the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre metro station in Paris. 

The film has received 10 awards and two Ariel Award nominations, including the Mayahuel Award (El Mezcal) and the Special Jury Prize at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, as well as the Golden Hugo for Best Documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival. Furthermore, it opened the "Native" section at the 2015 Berlinale and has enjoyed extensive international distribution on platforms such as Netflix and Amazon.

During the event it was announced that on November 19, the work of Santos Motoapahua de la Torre will cross the Atlantic again to present his first international retrospective entitled Santos Motoapohua de la Torre: Master of nierika at the Mexican Cultural Institute in France. This exhibition will mark the first international retrospective of a Wixarika artist in history and will bring together six decades of artistic creation, including his new monumental mural, Sacred Paths to Wirikuta.