Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico - Mexican director Guillermo del Toro says that he will provide scholarships to young Mexicans who want to study cinematography at some of the world's leading universities.

Del Toro joined the Mary Street Jenkins Foundation and the Guadalajara International Film Festival to finance the transfer, maintenance and enrollment of future Mexican filmmakers in one of the 80 best film schools in the world.

The Mexican director already offers scholarships to upcoming directors, and this latest endeavor will expand the scholarship program he already offers at the Gobelins Animation School in Paris.

"The important thing is to support the people who are coming, those who are there and make it a possibility for the young people," said Del Toro. He says that each year, a new scholarship will be awarded while those who have previously been granted a scholarship will see it renewed for maintaining academic excellence.

The jury selection team consists of seven other professionals with international recognition in the cinematographic field who will evaluate the young applicants and choose a recipient.

The first edition will begin this year, on December 20, with the winner being announced during the Guadalajara International Film Fair in March of 2019. Among the list of schools to which winners can apply are the School of Cinematography and Audiovisual of the Community of Madrid and the Superior School of Cinema and Audiovisual of Catalonia.

Guadalajara, the capital city of the state of Jalisco, is the hometown of the accomplished Mexican film director.