29th Guadalajara International Film Festival

The 29th edition of the Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara (Guadalajara International Film Festival) took place in Guadalajara, the second most important city in Mexico, from 21 to 30 March 2014. The numbers were astounding: 1,459 films were submitted from 59 countries.

From this huge quantity of films all the competitive sections were comprised. The most important is the Iberoamerican Feature Film section with 18 movies (3 Mexican) from 22 countries. The Iberoamerican Documentary section had 17 films (5 Mexican) and the Iberoamerican Short Film section presented 47 titles (22 Mexican).

Also, Guadalajara gives the Mezcal Award to the Best Mexican Movie, Feature Film or Documentary that is shown in the competitive sections or out of competition. The only rule is that this Mexican Movie is shown for the first time in the festival. In this section there were 20 films, 12 features and 8 documentaries. And, for the first time in Guadalajara, the FIPRESCI prize was awarded to the Best Mexican Feature Film. It was a sort of Mezcal Award from the International Critics.

The awards (Mayahuel) for best film, best screenplay and best actress — Paula Herzog and Paola Barrientos — in the Iberoamerican Feature Film section went to Natural Sciences (Ciencias naturales) by Argentinean director Matias Lucchesi. The Mayahuel for best actor went to Gustavo Sánchez Parra for Perpetual Sadness (La Tirisia) and the award for best director went to Brazilian Fernando Coimbra for the gripping A Wolf at the Door (O Lobo atrás da Porta). The award for Best Documentary in the Iberoamerican Documentary Section went to the Chilean documentary The Last Station (La Última Estación), from Catalina Vergara and Cristian Soto. The Best First Feature Film was Los Angeles (Los Ángeles), a Mexican-German movie from the American director Damian John Harper.

Finally, the Mezcal Award for the Documentary and Feature Film from Mexico selection went to Echo of the Mountain (Eco de la Montaña) from the great veteran Nicolás Echevarría, and the FIPRESCI prize for best Mexican Feature Film, not Documentary went to The Hours with You (Las Horas Contigo) by newcomer Catalina Aguilar Mastretta. (Ernesto Diezmartinez)

Guadalajara International Film Festival: www.ficg.mx/29/index.php/en/