Guadalajara, Jalisco - In a year of change and growth for Mexico's Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG), the revamped animation competitions, godfathered by Guadalajara native Guillermo del Toro, stood out as key examples of ambitions shared by the event's new leadership, headed by Vendo Cine co-founder and longtime FICG Industria head Estrella Araiza.

Where many animation-focused festivals and awards programs in Latin America tend to celebrate domestic or Ibero-American productions – think Mexico's Pixelatl, Spain's Quirino Awards – this year's selected films at Guadalajara demonstrate a global inclusion with less peers – France's Annecy Festival and Los Angeles' Annie Awards are good examples.

"I think it's important that every festival has its idiosyncrasies," explained Carolina López, FICG's animation section curator. "FICG is a festival with a specific DNA and we have adding to that DNA with what will be almost a festival within a festival."

Previously FICG did have a dedicated prize for the best Mexican animated short, but nothing dedicated to features. 2019 saw the addition of a feature section while the Rigo Mora shorts competition has gone international.

"This year's selections, with the sponsorship of Guillermo del Toro, have given the animation section a more global vision and desire to inspire creation that already exists in the Mexican industry," López said of the changes.

"The section defends the values that FICG has always stood for: the creativity of auteur cinema, promoting Ibero-American productions, diversity in cinema and building bridges between Mexico and the world," she continued. "The long-term idea is to generate collaboration flows between not just other Latin American countries, but the rest of the world." Read the full article on variety.com

BN editor's note: The 34th edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival wraps up today (March 15, 2019) with movies screening at various venues around the city, followed by a closing gala that promises to be a true Mexican Fiesta!