The 24th Morelia International Film Festival concluded its annual run with director Bruno Santamaría Razo taking home the event's highest honor. Santamaría Razo's fiction feature debut, "Six Months in a Pink and Blue Building" ("Seis meses en el edificio rosa con azul"), captured the coveted top Ojo award for Best Feature Film. The coming-of-age production also secured the National Audience Award for fiction films, highlighting its strong reception with both festival judges and general attendees.
International jury president J.A. Bayona, director of "Society of the Snow," praised Santamaría Razo's film for courageously confronting past pain and refashioning it into an expression of unbound beauty. The personal narrative draws directly from the filmmaker's childhood, zeroing in on the year he turned eleven when his father received an HIV diagnosis. Earlier in the year, the production made history by becoming the first Mexican feature to screen in competition at Cannes' Critics' Week in two decades.
Selected 24th Morelia Film Festival Award Winners
| Category | Recipient | Film Title |
|---|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | Bruno Santamaría Razo | Six Months in a Pink and Blue Building |
| Best Director | Nicolás Pereda | Everything Else Is Noise |
| Best Actress | Teresa Sánchez | Everything Else Is Noise |
| Best Actor | Sam Louwyck | Beauty Salon |
| Best Screenplay | Joaquín Ruano | Us |
| Best Cinematography | Gökhan Tiryaki | The Garden We Dreamed |
| Best Debut Feature | Fernanda Tovar | Sad Girlz |
| Best Documentary | Pablo Vaca | Forensita |
| National Audience Award | Bruno Santamaría Razo | Six Months in a Pink and Blue Building |
| International Audience Award | Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor | Naza |
Major Winners Across the Feature Competition
The festival's jury distributed awards across a diverse slate of projects. Director Nicolás Pereda claimed the Best Director award for his absurdist comedy "Everything Else Is Noise." The same film yielded the Best Actress Ojo prize for lead performer Teresa Sánchez, who portrays a cello musician and composer named Tere. The Best Actor award went to Sam Louwyck for his role as a gay hairdresser whose workspace becomes a refuge for marginalized individuals in Nathalia Acevedo's "Beauty Salon."
Other prominent titles in the feature competition included Joaquin del Paso's "The Garden We Dreamed," which focuses on a Haitian family traveling north and earned both a Special Mention and the Best Cinematography prize for Gökhan Tiryaki. The Casa Wabis-Escine award for best debut feature went to Fernanda Tovar's "Sad Girlz," commended by judges for its genuine cast performances and nuanced examination of modern teenage life. In writing, Joaquín Ruano took Best Screenplay for "Us."
Documentaries, International Screenings, and Audience Honors
Non-fiction programming stood out during the 10-day event, with Pablo Vaca's "Forensita" winning Best Documentary, alongside a Special Mention for Francisco Ohem's "The Lost Mariachis." In audience voting, "Yātrā," directed by Alejandro Rugama, took the Documentary Feature Audience Award. Among competitive shorts, Santiago Maza won the ECAM award for his short film "Black Shine," receiving a distribution Master's degree scholarship from the Madrid Film School.
On the international side, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor's acclaimed documentary "Naza" secured the International Audience Award after playing to a full house at the Teatro Matamoros. Ahead of the presentation, festival vice president Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel emphasized the film's role in helping audiences understand complex geopolitical conflicts, noting that the directors have faced treason accusations preventing their return home. Film critic Alonso Díaz de la Vega introduced the screening by addressing the project's examination of violence, artificial intelligence, and military surveillance technology.
Industry Heavyweights and International Partnerships
Cinépolis CEO and festival president Alejandro Ramírez described the 24th edition as an extraordinary showcase of national talent. Prominent Mexican filmmakers and actors gathered in Morelia, including Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, Carlos Reygadas, Jonás Cuarón, Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Demián Bichir, Diego Boneta, and Luis Gerardo Méndez. American director James Gray also attended to show his crime drama "Paper Tiger," while Bayona presented "Beyond Society," a three-part documentary chronicling the creation of "Society of the Snow."
Del Toro presented the 3D re-release of his Oscar-winning film "Pan's Labyrinth," holding masterclasses and press sessions where he addressed global divisions and the cultural responsibility of supporting younger generations. Separately, celebrating 200 years of diplomatic relations between France and Mexico, French Ambassador Delphine Borione decorated Alfonso Cuarón with the insignia of Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters. The honor recognized Cuarón's singular cinematic perspective, career reinvention, and impact on global cinema through works such as "Y Tu Mamá También" and "Roma."
Looking Forward to the 25th Milestone Edition
Festival director Daniel Michel highlighted the geographic and thematic breadth of this year's official lineup, pointing out how the selected works represented distinct regional perspectives across Mexico's vast territory. The gathering also maintained its ongoing sidebar partnership with Cannes Critics' Week, led by artistic director Ava Cahen, which showcased titles such as Aina Clotet's "Viva," Alexander Murphy's "Tin Castle," and Zou Jing's "A Girl Unknown."
Organizers have confirmed that the Morelia International Film Festival will adjust its calendar for next year, moving dates back to the final week leading into the Day of the Dead. Preparations are already underway for FICM's upcoming 25th anniversary, with organizers outlining plans for a landmark celebration featuring expanded retrospectives, prominent guests, and a comprehensive lineup.
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Source: Variety
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