The 39th Guadalajara International Film Festival took place from June 7 to 15, 2024, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Spanish documentary film This Excessive Ambition served as the festival's opening film, screened at the opening ceremony at Telmex Auditorium. Directed by Santos Bacana, Rogelio González and Cristina Trenas, the film follows the tour Sin cantar ni afinar by Spanish rapper C. Tangana. Yorgos Lanthimos anthology film Kinds of Kindness was the closing film.
Pierre Saint Martin's We Shall Not Be Moved won the Mezcal Award for Best Film in the Mexican films section. Brazilian-Portuguese film Toll, directed by Carolina Markowicz, won Best Ibero-American Film, while Chilean-Dutch film The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine, directed by Alfredo Pourailly De La Plaza, won Best Ibero-American Documentary Film.
Background
The Community of Madrid was chosen as the guest of honor for this year's edition. Spanish filmmaker ÃÂlex de la Iglesia and Spanish directing duo Los Javis (Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi) received the International Mayahuel Tribute and the Maguey Lifetime Achievement, respectively. Additionally, Chilean actor Alfredo Castro was honored with the Mayahuel Iberoamerican Tribute, Mexican filmmaker and actress ÃÂngeles Cruz received the Maguey Activism Award, and Mexican actor Diego Luna received the Mayahuel Honorary Award (Mayahuel de Plata).
The festival was directed by Estrella Araiza, who took over the festival's direction from Raúl Padilla López, who served as president for the festival until his death in 2023. Padilla López was honored for his work during the festival's previous edition.
The festival's poster, featuring a woman surrounded by nopales, was designed by Mexican graphic designer and tattoo artist Tata Mucino, and was inspired by "the facial featured of Mexican women".
Official selections
The following films were selected for the official competitions:
Mezcal Award
<span style="background:#eedd82">Highlighted title</span> indicates section's best film winner.
<small>(MG)</small> indicates eligible for the Maguey Award, for films that include LGBTQ+ themes.
<small>(HeJ)</small> indicates film eligible for the Hecho en Jalisco Award.
Ibero-American Fiction Feature Film
<span style="background:#eedd82">Highlighted title</span> indicates section's best film winner.
<small>(MG)</small> indicates eligible for the Maguey Award, for films that include LGBTQ+ themes.
<small>(MIT)</small> indicates film also screened as a part of the Mayahuel Iberoamerican Tribute, presented to Alfredo Castro.
Ibero-American Documentary Feature Film
<span style="background:#eedd82">Highlighted title</span> indicates section's best film winner.
<small>(GH)</small> indicates film also screened as a part of the Madrid, Guest of Honor section.
Ibero-American Short Film
<span style="background:#eedd82">Highlighted title</span> indicates section's best film winner.
<small>(HeJ)</small> indicates film eligible for the Hecho en Jalisco Award.
Maguey Award
The following list consists of the films eligible for the Maguey Award that are not listed in the previous competition tables. The films in contention for both the Maguey Award and other competition section appear with the symbol (MG) next to it.
<small>(HeJ)</small> indicates film eligible for the Hecho en Jalisco Award.
Hecho en Jalisco
The following list consists of the films eligible for the Hecho en Jalisco that are not listed in the previous competition tables. The films in contention for both the Made in Jalisco and other competition section appear with the symbol (HeJ) next to it.
<span style="background:#eedd82">Highlighted title</span> indicates section's best film winner.
Socio-Environmental Cinema Award
The following list consists of the films eligible for the Socio-Environmental Cinema Award that are not listed in the previous competition tables. The films in contention for both the Socio-Environmental Cinema Award and other competition section appear with the symbol (SE) next to it.
<span style="background:#eedd82">Highlighted title</span> indicates section's best film winner.
International Animation Feature Film
<span style="background:#eedd82">Highlighted title</span> indicates section's best film winner.
Rigo Mora Award
<span style="background:#eedd82">Highlighted title</span> indicates section's best film winner.
<small>(HeJ)</small> indicates film eligible for the Hecho en Jalisco Award.
Other sections
Special Screenings
Tribute Screenings
<small>(MG)</small> indicates eligible for the Maguey Award, for films that include LGBTQ+ themes.
Series Showcase
Imagenes Restauradas
Doculab
International Panorama
Guadalajara Construye
Cinema Libre
Official awards
The following awards were given:
Mezcal Awards
- Best Film: We Shall Not Be Moved by Pierre Saint Martin
- Best Directing: Isabel Cristina Fregoso for The Muleteer
- Best Performance: Juan Ramón López for Shame
- Best Cinematography: MarÃÂa Sarasvati Herrera for The Muleteer
Ibero-American Fiction Feature Film
- Best Film: Toll by Carolina Markowicz
- Special Mention: The Other Way Around by Jonás Trueba
- Best Directing: Bernardo Florim & Maju de Paiva for Seaside Avenue
- Best Performance: Maeve Jinkings for Toll
- Best Screenplay: Fernando del Razo & Santiago Lozano ÃÂlvarez for I Saw Three Black Lights
- Best Cinematography: Juan Velásquez for I Saw Three Black Lights
- Best First Film: Natural Phenomena by Marcos DÃÂaz Sosa
- Special Mention for New Actor: Franklin Aro Huasco for The Dog Thief
Ibero-American Documentary Film
- Best Film: The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine by Alfredo Pourailly de la Plaza
- Best Directing: Macu MachÃÂn for The Undergrowth
- Best Cinematography: Laura BasombrÃÂo for Souls
Maguey Award
Animated Film
- Best Animated Feature Film: Flow by Gints Zilbalodis
- Special Mention: Tender Metalheads by Juanjo Sáez, Carlos Pérez-Reche & Joan Tomás Monfort
Rigo Mora Award
- Best Animated Short Film: The Family Portrait by Lea Vidakovic
- Special Mention: Percebes by Alexandra Ramires & Laura Gonçalves
Hecho en Jalisco
- Best Film: Corina by Urzula Barba Hopfner
- Best Short Film: Bumbumpapá by Alexis Gómez
- Special Mention for Best Short Film: The Dog's Highway by Carlos Rueda
Socio-Environmental Cinema Award
- Best Film: The Battle for Laikipia by Peter Murimi & Daphne Matziaraki
- Special Mention:
- Wild, Wild by Emilio Fonseca MartÃÂn
- Rising Up at Night by Nelson Makengo
Young Jury
- Best Film: The Invisible Contract by Luciana Kaplan
- Special Mention for Best Performance: Luisa Huertas for We Shall Not Be Moved
Audience Award
Independent awards
FIPRESCI Awards
- Best Film: The Invisible Contract by Luciana Kaplan
FEISAL Awards
- Best Film: The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine by Alfredo Pourailly de la Plaza
- Special Mention for Best Film:
- Shame by Miguel Salgado Parra
- We Shall Not Be Moved by Pierre Saint Martin
Other
References
External links