Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico – The Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC) recently revealed that the Santos Degollado Theater in Guadalajara will host the 65th Ariel awards ceremony. Traditionally held at Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes or the Cineteca Nacional, the ceremony is now headed to Jalisco for the first time.
The Ariel Awards are granted by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), an institution founded in 1946 with the aim of promoting the production and dissemination of Mexican cinema. Each year, AMACC convenes members of the academy and the film community to participate in the selection and voting process to determine the award winners.
During its more than 60 years, the Ariel Awards were delivered in Mexico City, but for its 65th edition this changed, as it was announced that it will now be held at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara, Jalisco, on September 9.
In a press conference, the president of AMACC, Leticia Huijara, expressed her excitement for the ceremony, stating that it marks a significant achievement for the association. “We are especially excited because with this ceremony, the AMACC inaugurates a long-cherished dream of its members: to leave Mexico City. Decentralizing the ceremony that awards excellence in Mexican cinema is taking a step in recognizing the diversity that makes up the universe of our industry,” she said.
This is not going to be the only time that the ceremony is held outside of Mexico City, since Huijara announced that the AMACC will seek to make the award ceremony itinerant and for the 66th edition, Nuevo León has already shown interest in hosting it.
While this year’s awards ceremony is set for September 9, the final list of nominees for each category is yet to be revealed. Two highly rated films, Huesera by Michelle Garza Cervera and La caída by Lucia Puenzo, are reported to be among the favorites for the award for Best Fiction Feature Film. The criteria that the nominated films must fulfill include excellence in execution and contribution to Mexican cinema.
At the beginning of last year, President Leticia Huijara publicly denounced the lack of support for the ceremony by cultural authorities. Despite denying the need for additional resources from her agency, the Secretary of Culture claimed responsibility for the success of the event. Guillermo del Toro responded to the incident by offering to fund the award’s statuettes. Though it is unclear if the federal authorities supported the event in any way, the ceremony’s successful announcement came as a relief to filmmakers across the country.
The president of the Academy thanked the people and organizations that joined to make the awards ceremony possible, saying that the Ariel awards ceremony is an essential event for recognizing excellence in Mexican cinema.
In a context in which Mexican cinema has achieved worldwide recognition, the Ariel Awards continue to be a symbol of quality and a platform to highlight the unique voices and stories of Mexico. These awards are a testament to the power of cinema to entertain, educate and transcend cultural barriers, and reaffirm Mexico’s commitment to film production and the promotion of art and culture.