The Morelia International Film Festival closed its 23rd edition in Michoacán with Pablo Pérez Lombardini’s La reserva taking the top prize for Best Mexican Feature and earning Best Director, while Carolina Guzmán was recognized as Best Actress for the same film. The awards capped a ceremony at the Melchor Ocampo Theater, where jurors led by filmmaker Ava DuVernay selected winners from 103 competing titles across sections, and audiences voted on their favorites.
Acting honors in the Mexican competition were shared on the men’s side by Víctor Miguel Prieto and Osvaldo Sánchez for En el camino, with Ximena Amann awarded for cinematography on the film. Karen Plata received the screenplay prize for El diablo fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja), and a special mention went to Basilio Moncada for his performance in El guardián. First-feature recognition from Casa Wabi-Escine went to director Nuria Ibáñez Castañeda for El guardián.
Indira Cato’s Llamarse Olimpia won Best Mexican Feature Documentary and also received an honorable mention from Mexico’s Women in Film and Television association, while the documentary audience award went to Mi Benjamín by Victoria Clay-Mendoza. Audience prizes in features included Vainilla by Mayra Hermosillo for Mexican fiction and, in the international category, Nouvelle Vague by Richard Linklater. Organizers also announced Impulso Morelia 11 post-production supports for projects including Mickey, Chicas tristes and Guerras invisibles.
Short-form winners included Casa chica by Lau Charles (Mexican fiction short), Las voces del despeñadero by Irving Serrano and Víctor Rejón (Mexican documentary short) and Una parvada de estruendo by Mariana Mendivil (Mexican animated short). Michoacán-focused honors went to Aki by David Buitrón Fernández, and the Michoacán short screenplay competition was won by Herculano by Melisa Estefanía Sandoval Partida. Festival organizers highlighted that this year’s juries featured producers and programmers from Europe and the Americas, underscoring Morelia’s role as a key platform for new Mexican cinema and regional industry projects.
