A Celebrate Mexico Now tradition lives on. The Morelia International Film Festival, one of Mexico’s most renowned gatherings for contemporary cinema, sends us five award-winning short films from its 2016 edition ranging from animation to documentary. All films are in Spanish with English subtitles. Following the screening, stay with us for a Q&A with the Mexican filmmakers.

ELENA Y LAS SOMBRAS/ ELENA AND THE SHADOWS 

2016 · Color · 07 min.

Award for Online Mexican Short Film | Online Mexican Short Film Selection

Direction: Cepeda Sánchez , César Gabriel

Script: Troncoso, Lucero

Production: Moheno, César | Quiroz Corona, Rafael

Production Company: Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE)

Photography: Salgado Alemán, César

Edition: Juárez, Gonzalo

Sound: Villar, Gabriel

Music: Uboldi, Camilla

Cast: Medel, Samuel | Quiroz, Karen

Animation: Cepeda, César

Art Direction:  Figueroa Sánchez, Edgar

In an old Mexican neighborhood , Elena is alone in her world. Felix causes a miracle when it comes to life and shows you how to access other universes ; share with him those secret places that the child will recognize that your world can be longer and deeper than previously thought and that a blind child , like Felix , is much more than his visual impairment .

ESTO ES LO QUE ME TOCO 

2016 · Color · 07 min.

FICM Awards: OJO for the Michoacán Section | Michoacan Section

Direction: Gutiérrez, Alexa

Script: Gutiérrez, Alexa

Production: Sandoval, Javier

Production Company: potatoes films

Photography: García, Zaira

Edition: Sandoval, Javier

Sound: Reyes, Abner

Music: Río sucio | Tafolla, Valentina | Way, Gabriel

Animation: Rodríguez, Mauricio

Art Direction: Rodríguez, Mauricio

There are many offensives call a person who engages ways, but you wondered Why do it? What led them to this way of life ? How is that for them to live well ? Or just what if this was what touched them ?

TALLER DE CORAZONES/ THE HEART WORKSHOP

2016 · Color · 10 min. ·

FICM Awards: OJO for Short Animated Film | Mexican Short Film Section

Direction: Fernández, León

Script: Fernández, León

Production: Medina, Juan José

Production Company: Outik Animation SC

Photography: Basulto, Rita

Edition: Fernández, León

Sound: Acosta, Odín

Music: Fesway

Cast: Hoeflich, Carlos Hugo

Animation: Fernández, León

Art Direction: Basulto, Rita

In the middle of a forest lies the workshop of Matías. With the best artisan abilities, the young man fixes broken, frozen hearts and melancholy hearts. But every night his workshop shuts down emitting a mysterious sound… Matías has a secret.

JUAN PERROS

2016 · Color · 34 min. ·

FICM Awards: OJO for Short Documentary Film | Mexican Short Film Section

Direction: Imaz, Rodrigo

Script: Ímaz, Rodrigo

Production: Ziff, Trisha

Production Company: 212 BERLIN FILMS

Photography: Fernández Hurtado, Emiliano | San Esteban, Juan Pablo

Edition: San Esteban, Juan Pablo

Sound: Cervera Alarcón, Pablo (Sonido Directo) | Enríquez, José Miguel ( Diseño Sonoro)

Cast: Juan Perros

Juan Perros lives in the Coahuila desert with his animals. He works tirelessly in the most brutal environment. Through his testimony we witness, his universe in all its complexity; his near death experience and survival living from the trash discarded by his own community. Confronting both the power of nature and the aloneness of his existence, Juan practices, a simple way of life, with a philosophy that is both humbling and extreme.

VERDE/ GREEN 

2016 · Color · 07 min.

FICM Awards: OJO for Short Fiction Film | Mexican Short Film Section

Direction: Ruizpalacios, Alonso

Script: Ruizpalacios, Alonso

Production: Ramos, Linda | Ruíz, Ramiro

Production Company: Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE)

Photography: García, Damián

Edition: de la Peza, Fernanda | Ruizpalacios, Alonso

Sound: Umpierrez, Javier

Music: Barreiro, Tomás

Cast: Briones, Raúl | Huerta, Tenoch | Pérez, José Luis | Santiago, Alberto

Art Direction: Cabriada, Sandra

Ariel, a silent security guard in charge of transporting other people’s millions every day, has just discovered he’s about to be a first-time father. While deciding what to do about his imminent paternity, through a bizarre fault in the system, he suddenly finds himself before the possibility of fleeing with the loot he transports.