07 · 11 · 17

XV years, 15 editions: FICM 2006, 4th edition

The fourth edition of FICM was held from October 14 to 22, 2006 in the city of Morelia. This year, Quinceañera was chosen for screening during the festival’s inauguration. Starring Emily Ríos, Jesse García, Chalo González and Araceli Guzmán-Rico, the film, by co-directors Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer, was produced by Todd Haynes.

This year's Special Guests were the distinguished screenwriter, essayist, novelist and playwright Jean-Claude Carrière, who worked with film legends such as Luis Buñuel, Milos Forman, Jean-Luc Godard, Andrzej Wajda and Louis Malle; Guillermo del Toro, who presented Pan's Labyrinth; Diego Luna, with Oliver Parker's film Fade to Black; and director and screenwriter Mike Hodges.

Other guests were the director Abel Ferrara, known for his disturbing creations and the questioning of moral and spiritual concerns within his work; and actors Cecilia Suárez, José María Yazpik, Iliana Fox and Ana Claudia Talancón.

The tradition of paying tribute to an important creator of the region was maintained through the Homenaje Michoacano. This year’s honoree was director Fernando Méndez, born in Zamora, Michoacán, on July 20, 1908. The recognition included some of the most important works in this Mexican film artist career, such as El suavecito (1950) Había una vez un marido (1952), Sí... mi vida (1952), As negro (1953) and El vampiro (1957).

Alejandro Ramírez, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel and Daniela Michel talked about the interest the catalogue has inspired, as well as the pride in the general perception of this being an intimate, serious and honest festival. Quoting British critic Nick James on Sight and Sound: “Most film festivals are about the search for hits or masterpieces, but there’s another kind closer to a spirit of real discover. In Mexico, there’s an elegant event designed to open minds to cinema’s democratic potential.”

If you want more details on the fourth edition of FICM, click here.