Cannes, Venice,Sundance, and…Morelia?

Cannes, Venice,
Sundance, and…
Morelia?
By Tara FitzGerald
This October, filmmakers gather in the
colonial city of Morelia, a pink-hued
UNESCO World Heritage Site, for the
sixth annual Festival Internacional de Cine de
Morelia, an event that serves as a springboard
to the international festival circuit.
“The festival’s raison d’être is to support
young Mexican filmmakers,” says General
Director Daniela Michel. “We are specifically
directed at Mexican films and we want Mexicans
to compete between themselves.”
The International Critics’ Week at Cannes
presents a selection from Morelia each year,
and winning animated and fiction shorts may
also be considered for Oscar nominations.
According to the Mexican Film Institute,
production dwindled during the 1990s economic
crisis, but recently Mexican cinema has been
riding a growing wave. “Since 2003 there has
been more and more film production in Mexico
and happily this has coincided with the growth
of the Festival,” says Daniela.
Critically-acclaimed films El Violín (Francisco
Vargas, 2006) and Luz Silenciosa (Carlos
Reygadas, 2007) premiered at Morelia, and
Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy El Laberinto del
Fauno was shown here before continuing to
Oscar glory.
State and municipal governments sponsor
the festival along with cinema chain Cinépolis.
Guests this year include US filmmaker Todd
Haynes and French documentarian Nicolas
Philibert. “We always invite international jurors
to the festival… [they] become ambassadors
for Mexican cinema and take it back home with
them,” Daniela explains.
INFO BOX:
The 2008 Morelia International Film Festival
will take place from October 4-12
www.moreliafilmfest.com.