Francis Ford Coppola, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuaron at Morelia Fest

Mexico’s official entry to Oscars,”Sujo“, he made a sweep of the 22^when Morelia Int’l Film Festival (FICM), winning the festival’s Ojo Awards for Best Film, Director and Screenplay.

Co-helmer-scribe Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, whose debut picture “Identifying Features” won several Sundance awards and took home the award for Best International Feature at the 2021 Gotham Awards, also earned the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema with “Sujo,” their second feature, in January.

Greeted by Variety as an “upbeat alternative to violent drug war movies,” the heartwarming story of the majority revolves around the impact of drug cartels on youth. The story follows young Sujo (played by Kevin Uriel Aguilar Luna and Juan Jesús Varela) who grows up surrounded by their violence. When his father, a sicario (hired assassin), is killed, he becomes a target, but Sujo’s bold aunt saves him.

Sujo’s win caps off a light-filled festival that included Francis Ford CoppolaAlexander Payne, Alfonso CuarónLiv Tyler, Ava DuVernay, Ira Sachs and Leos Carax are in attendance.

The festival led by Daniela Michel opened on October 18 with France’s Oscar submission, “Emilia Pérez” by Jacques Audiard, which won the Cannes Jury Prize and the Best Actress Award for the four main characters, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz. The last two were special guests at the 22nd FICM.

Coppola’s latest opus, “Megalopolis,” was featured among the festival’s gala screenings, where the five-time Academy Award winner was presented with the FICM Award for Artistic Excellence.

Additionally, multi-Oscar nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto presented his directorial debut, “Pedro Páramo,” a film adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s literary classic for Netflix.

Prieto was nominated for his goals in Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” and Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” “The Irishman,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Cuaron, winner of multiple Academy Awards for “Gravity” and “Roma,” closed the festival Oct. 25 with his latest work, the AppleTV+ limited series, “Disclaimer.”

FICM, which recognizes and showcases the best Mexican works of the year, also hosted the Mexican premieres of prominent titles such as Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, Mark Cousins’ documentary A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things, El Jockey,” by Luis Ortega. DuVernay’s Origin, Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man and Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, as well as Sean Baker’s Palme d’Anora ‘Or at this event. Cannes Film Festival of the year.

22^when FICM Winners:

Best Mexican Fiction Film

“Sujo”, Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez

Best director

Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, “Sujo”

Best case scenario

Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, “Sujo”

best actor

Andrés Revo, “Fine Young Men” (“Hombres íntegros”)

Best actress

Diana Laura Di, “Violent Butterflies” (“Violentas mariposas”)

Best Mexican Documentary

“I died” (“Li cham”), Ana Ts’uyeb

Special Mention for Mexican Documentary

“Cracked” (“La falla”), Alana Simoes

Best Mexican Short Fiction

“Spirit”, Adolfo Margulis

Best Mexican Animated Short Film

“The Black Stain” (“La mancha negra”), Yareni Velázquez Mendoza

Best Mexican Documentary Short

“Looking for a Donkey” (“Buscando un burro”), Juan Vicente Manrique

Special Jury Prize

“Renta Imagen: Niño halcón duerme entre visiones de un incendio”, Mauricio Sáenz-Cánovas

The best short film from Michoacan

“Imprenta” (“Impronta”), Rafael Martínez-García

Best Michoacán short film script

“Antesala al primer beso”, Adrián A. González Camargo