Next week’s Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) will celebrate its 39th anniversary June 7–15 with a diverse lineup of films and honors for prominent figures in cinema as it highlights Spanish filmmaking.
The film festival will kick off with the two-hour documentary “Esta ambición desmedida” (“This Excessive Ambition”), which chronicles 33-year-old Spanish rapper C. Tangana’s creative process behind his 2021 album “El Madrileño” (“The Man From Madrid”) and the challenges of creating a subsequent tour worthy of his newfound global superstar status.
Directed by Santos Bacana, Cris Trenas and Rogelio González of Spain, the 2023 film will screen at the FICG’s opening gala on June 7 at the Telmex Auditorium in Zapopan, Jalisco.
The rapper is expected to attend, according to festival officials.
Closing night of the Guadalajara festival will feature “Kinds of Kindness” — an absurdist dark comedy by six-time Oscar-nominated Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemons. Premiering in Mexico and the U.S. on June 21, it received a Palme D’Or (the top prize) nomination at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where the audience gave it a four-minute standing ovation.
Several awards will be presented at this year’s FICG.
Mexican actor Diego Luna will receive the Mayahuel Award for Mexican Cinema for his career and contributions to national cinema. A former Mexican telenovela child actor, Luna broke through to the big screen in the internationally acclaimed 2001 film “Y tu mamá también.” He’s lately known for portraying Cassian Andor in the Star Wars films “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Andor.“ Luna is also known for playing drug kingpin Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo in the Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico.”
Spanish producer Enrique Cerezo, president of the soccer club Atlético de Madrid, will be honored with the inaugural FICG Industry Award. Alex de la Iglesia, a prolific Spanish filmmaker, will receive the Mayahuel International Award.
The Guadalajara film festival’s connections to Spain are not by chance. This year’s guest of honor is the community of Madrid, Spain, and a core program of the festival will be highlighting films from that region.
Activism in cinema will also be recognized at the festival:
- Mexican actress Ángeles Cruz will be awarded the Maguey Prize for her dedication to LGBTQ+ rights.
- Chilean actor Alfredo Castro will be presented with the Mayahuel Ibero-American Award.
- The Spanish filmmaking duo Los Javis, known for their work promoting LGBTQ+ equality, will receive the Maguey Award for their career.
The festival will screen over 200 films, including Mexican and Ibero-American productions in fiction, documentary and animation. There will also be films exploring environmental and LGBTQ+ themes. FICG officials said they are hoping to exceed 50,000 attendees.
The FICG Cineteca in Zapopan will serve as the main venue, with additional screenings at the Telmex Auditorium, the Museum of the Arts, the Diana Theater and the Carlos Fuentes Bookstore.
In conjunction with the film festival, the Guadalajara Museum of Arts will host a “Nazarín” photo exhibit from June 6 to August 4. “Nazarín” is a provocative 1959 film made in Mexico by acclaimed Spanish director Luis Buñuel with the Mexican cinematographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo.
For a full program guide, schedules and prices, visit the festival website.
With reports from El Universal, Guadalajara Secreta, El Informador, Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía, El Debate and La-Lista
