By Mateo Pazzi
The Guanajuato International Film Festival (GIFF) is more than an annual 10-day festival; it is an institution that trains, organizes, creates, exhibits, and promotes quality cinema all year round.
GIFF started as a movement to promote and develop quality filmmaking. Now, 25 years after its founding, the Guanajuato International Film Festival is positioned as one of the most recognized platforms for developing new talent and storylines in Latin America. GIFF is committed to bringing about opportunities that contribute not only to the growth of Mexico’s film industry but to the entire filmmaking profession.
The UNESCO World Heritage city of San Miguel de Allende is the Guanajuato International Film Festival’s base of operations. Importantly, GIFF gives voice and exposure to those who are new to filmmaking as well as seasoned veterans. The next generation of filmmakers—young people who are designated Ambassadors of the Stories of Guanajuato—become participants in their cultural heritage, portraying their roots through the language of film.
Permanent activities at GIFF, such as training programs, place a high value on professionalization. These programs guide the development of filmmakers who join the ranks of the Guanajuato International Film Festival throughout the year, connecting them to leading industry personalities through specialized workshops, master classes, international residencies, and professional stays.
This melting pot of experiences stimulates the creation of projects that are highly personal yet professional and universally appealing. This, of course, fulfills GIFF’s original objective: to promote filmmaking in an inclusive environment and on a massive scale.
Two of GIFF’s most recognized educational programs over the last decade are the University Rally and the Identity and Inclusion University Documentary Contest. The numbers confirm its success, scope, and significance. To date, 152 short films have been produced, 1,545 filmmakers have been trained, 237 specialized workshops have been taught by film industry professionals and 3 countries, 17 Mexican states, and 44 communities in Guanajuato have been invited to participate in productions. GIFF contributes to building a culture of awareness, using every opportunity to expand perceptions and channel dialogue toward social connection.
Over the past 25 years, GIFF Residencies have developed and consolidated partnerships with other leading international film festivals, including La Résidence Cinéfondation de Cannes, Rotterdam Lab, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and the Goethe Institute to name just a few. To encourage this new generation of young filmmakers, residencies in San Miguel serve as a platform to inspire talent and growth through solid training in the theory and technique of film direction, production, and post-production. During their stay in the city of San Miguel, residents dedicate themselves to writing, planning, and editing their films under the guidance of acknowledged experts.
The Guanajuato International Film Festival is evolving alongside its attendees and its organizers. Through filmmakers, mentors, and special guests as well as the central characters of each film screened, government institutions, universities and academic authorities, sponsors, partnered festivals, and an invaluable network of collaborators around the world, GIFF continues to change and progress. In short, the festival reflects the very pulse of society. In commemoration of 25 years of existence, GIFF celebrates an authentic and irreplaceable space where the film and cultural legacy of the state of Guanajuato shines…for Mexico and for the world.
More cinema, please!
