Los Cabos International Film Festival is the only space throughout the American continent that promotes cultural and commercial exchange, and dialogue between the North American film industry and the rest of the world; with every new edition, it seeks to captivate its audience with a compelling program, through an international curatorship that screens some of the most acclaimed films from the most important festivals worldwide, and through a film selection which gives a voice to the new generation of Mexican filmmakers.

Los Cabos Film Festival 2018

On the other hand, Los Cabos International Film Festival platform industry is designed so that Mexican, American and Canadian cinema may showcase their films throughout the world, by means of three lines of action: the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund or GFFF, a selection of film and television projects, both in development and postproduction stages that seeks to promote business opportunities to insure their completion, by fostering relationships between North-American film industries; Gabriel Figueroa Meetings, a forum of one-on-one encounters between the selected film and TV projects participating in the different sections of GFFF, as well as an exclusive delegation of international industry guests; and Los Cabos Meet Mart, a space that works as a meeting point and a business center for the film professionals present at the festival.

These are some of the films to receive an award since the creation of the GFFF, six years ago: Tempestad (Dir. Tatiana Huezo), film chosen by the AMACC to represent Mexico at the 2017 Oscars; Clases de historia (Dir. Marcelino Islas), which premiered at the 2018 Tokyo International Film Festival; Rush Hour (Dir. Luciana Kaplan), which was released in theaters in October 2018; Cómprame un revólver (Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón), screened during the 2018 Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes; Los adioses (Dir. Natalia Beristain), released in the whole of Mexico in 2018, with excellent reviews; La caída (Dir. David Pablos), a film produced by the renowned actress Karla Souza; La camarista (Dir. Lila Avilés), which premiered at San Sebastián Film Festival; Bayoneta (Dir. Kyzza Terrazas), an eagerly awaited film which will hit the screens this month, amongst others.

To insure the making and increase the visibility of our Mexican films, the Festival upholds partnerships with international institutions and festivals such as Tribeca Film Institute, Marché du Film at Cannes and Sodec, Telefilm Canada and the Independent Filmmaker Project NY, all of which select new projects every year, via the Festival, to showcase on their own financing, development and promotional platforms.

These are the 21 projects chosen to participate in Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund, during the 2018 Festival:

GFFF- Film in development:

Mexico

Molar City / Dir. Santiago Fábregas / Prod. Gabriel Stavenhagen / Mexico
Estado del imperio / Dir. Amat Escalante / Prod. Nicolás Celis, Fernanda de la Peza / Mexico
The Hole in the Fence / Dir. Joaquín del Paso / Prod. Fernanda de la Peza, Joaquín del Paso / Mexico / chosen in partnership with MICA
Neza / Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón / Prod. Rafael Ley, Rodrigo S. González, María José Córdova / Mexico
Ona sur / Dir. Begoña Colomar / Prod. Joseph Mastantuono, Gabriela Gavica Marrufo / Mexico-United States Sangría / Dir. Pablo Agüero / Prod. Julia Cherrier, Thierry Lounas / Mexico-France Viaje al país de los tarahumaras / Dir. Federico Cecchetti / Prod. Edher Campos / Mexico-France-Canada

United States and Canada

The Gymnast / Dir. Charlotte Glynn / Prod. Michael Harrop, Brian Koppelman, David Levien / United States / Chosen in partnership with Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)
In cold light / Dir. Maxime Giroux / Prod. Mike MacMillan, Yanick Lètorneau / Canada
Milk / Dir. Gabriella Moses / Prod. Martisse Hill, Julius Pryor, Shruti Ganguly / Estado Unidos-Ecuador / Chosen in partnership with Tribeca Film Institute
Saint Cabron / Dir. Bruce Labruce / Prod. Nicolas Comeau, Jurguen Bruning / Canada- Germany

GFFF – Work In Progress:

Chèche Lavi / Dir. Samuel Ellison / Prod. Kyle Martin, Abraham Avila, Kim Parker, Rachel Cantave, Nora Mendis / Mexico-United States
Ana’s Desire / Dir. Emilio Santoyo / Prod. Araceli Velázquez Silva, Valeria Ariñez Sanjines / Mexico
Days of Winter / Dir. Jaiziel Hernández Máynez / Prod. Raymundo Hernández, Daniel Cabello, Edgar Nito, Jaiziel Hernández Máynez / Mexico
Labor / Dir. David Zonana / Prod. Michel Franco, Darío Yazbek Bernal / Mexico I’m no Longer Here / Dir. Fernando Frías / Prod. Alberto Muffelmann / Mexico

GFFF – TV Series in development:

The Devil’s Advocates / Prod. Daniela Alatorre, Elena Fortes, Mario Gutiérrez Vega / Mexico
Angels of Death / Dir. Miguel Cohan / Prod. Hernán Musaluppi / Argentina
Free Trade / Dir. Santiago Mohar Volkow / Prod. Juan Simons, / Mexico
Mario / Dir. Bernardo de la Rosa / Prod. Fernanda Gabenara, Alberto Muffelmann / Mexico
Versus / Dir. Raúl Cuesta / Prod. Gabriela Gavica Marrufo / Mexico

You can contribute towards the making of a new Mexican film!

In a bid to increase the incentives that, every year, allow for the completion of new Mexican films, Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund invites all our partners, participants and viewers to donate the sum of their choice and in doing so, help create the means for the production of a Mexican project. Information on how to donate will be available on the 1st of November at www.cabosfilmfestival.com

2nd Film Critic Contest. Los Cabos +, The Festival’s training area, announces the names of the three contestants who will be invited to travel to our 7th edition, to receive professional advice from respected and renowned film critics, who will come together to offer their guidance to Mexican cinema’s upcoming talents.

The young talents are:

Eduardo
Arantxa
María Magaly Olivera González

Female Journalists Panel
The Festival is proud to present the Journalists in cinema and culture panel. Territorios conquistados (Conquered territories), with the presence of renowned female profesionales who will share their experiences and points of view on the role of women in professional journalism.

With the participation of: Hipatia Argüero (Nexos Magazine), Adriana Fernández (Reforma), Columba Vértiz (Proceso) and Saraí Campech (Canal Once)

Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA arrives at #LosCabos7. ROMA, the latest film by Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón, will arrive at Los Cabos for its 7th edition, as part of our special presentations.

Having won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 2018 Venice Film Festival, the critically acclaimed Roma marks the comeback in Mexico of the award-wining director, and it is already a favorite for the 2019 Oscars, in the Best Foreign Film category.

Ortega Ríos Luna

journalists panel.

Cine en la playa (Cinema at the beach). We celebrate our partnership with Casa Dorada, by announcing the timetables for Cine en la Playa, held at the hotel on the 8th and 9th of November. The shows are free of charge and all that is needed is to contact the hotel’s conciergerie to make a reservation for these magical screenings.

The Thursday
8:00
Las niñas bien (Dir. Alejandra Márquez) in the presence of renowned author Guadalupe Loaeza.

Friday November 9th films screened at Cine November en la playa are: 8th pm.
Bayoneta (Dir. Kyzza Terrazas)

Free screenings at Cinemex San José del Cabo.

The Festival will offer free screenings at Cinemex San José del Cabo, to express our gratitude towards the community that, each year, endorses this event. These screenings will take place on Saturday the 10th of November and Sunday the 11th of November during the Festival.

Saturday November 10th 5:00 pm – Into The Okavango (Dir. Neil Gelinas) 7:00 pm – Las niñas bien (Dir. Alejandra Márquez)

Sunday November 11th 6:00 pm – Bayoneta (Dir. Kyzza Terrazas)

Green.

Films that prompt further reflection and invite us to meditate on our personal responsibility as inhabitants of a world that we share with others.

Free solo (Dir. Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi) Into The Okavango (Dir. Neil Gelinas)

American Specials.

One of our most successful film programs, American Specials comprises each year, international and American outstanding films that shine both for their subject matter and directing style, and for their powerful execution that have often catapulted their directors and actors into the spotlight during the award season.

Widows (Dir. Steve McQueen) Destroyer (Dir. Karyn Kusama) Wildlife (Dir. Paul Dano)
American Animals (Dir. Bart Layton)

This program offers a selection of the most inspiring voices from the present international film scene. The festival is proud to present, for the first time in Mexico, the greatly anticipated premieres of these international films.

At Eternity’s Gate (Dir. Julian Schnabel) Border (Dir. Ali Abbasi) The Sisters Brothers (Dir. Jaques Audiard) Sunset (Dir. László Nemes) Three Faces (Dir. Jafar Panahi)

Mexico Primero and Los Cabos Competition

After a thorough evaluation of the successful call for entries, Los Cabos International Film Festival presents its selection of 14 feature films which are part of the two competitive sections: Mexico Primero and Los Cabos Competition. These films will compete to win $1,166,000 MXN in prizes.

México Primero welcomes both novel and bold filmmakers, and more experienced ones who bring forward strong projects that span from intimate storylines to universal tales. The five films selected to compete in this segment range from indie chamber dramas, thrillers, and the study of the labyrinthine human psyche, to stories tinted with history, magic and sensory exploration.

Storks (Dir. Heriberto Acosta) History Lessons (Dir. Marcelino Islas) Faust (Dir. Andrea Bussmann) Feral (Dir. Andrés Kaiser) I’m not a Thug (Dir. Joyce García)

Competencia Los Cabos combines an eclectic and vibrant film selection, produced or coproduced by Mexico, the United States and Canada. It brings to Los Cabos, aesthetically strong films with powerful narratives that have received great praise in the other international forums in which they have been a part of, prior to their Mexican premiere, during the Festival’s 7th edition.

Bisbee’17 (Dir. Robert Greene) Cómprame un revólver (Dir. Julio Hernández Cordón) Genèse (Dir. Philippe Lesage) Lemonade (Dir. Ioana Uricaru) Madeline’s Madeline (Dir. Josephine Decker) Pájaros de verano (Dir. Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra) Skate Kitchen (Dir. Crystal Moselle) La Grande Noirceur (Dir. Maxime Giroux) We The Animals (Dir. Jeremiah Zagar)

Afterdark.

After a two year absence, one of the festival’s most popular parallel sections makes its big comeback: Afterdark is a platform for films that explore the universe of terror and sci-fi; extreme narratives, alternative realities and immersive universes that awaken and exploit our fear of the unknown.

Mandy (Dir. Panos Cosmatos) Sorry to Bother You (Dir. Boots Riley) Under the Silver Lake (Dir. David Robert Mitchell)

Confirmed artists

This is the list of our homegrown talent that shall attend our gala evenings: Aida López, Antonio Gaona, Benny Ibarra, Celina del Villar, Dario Yazbek, Fernanda Castillo, Julio Bracho, Leonardo de Lozanne, Linda Cruz, Miguel Rodarte, Paulina Goto, Pedro de Tavira, Rebecca Jones, Sandra Echeverría, Stephanie Cayo, Tenoch Huerta and Vanessa Restrepo, amongst others.

Presenters and friends of the Festival.

Los Cabos International Film Festival is made possible thanks to the support of federal and local authorities: the Ministry of Tourism, the Promotion Tourism Board of Mexico, Los Cabos Tourism Board, Department of Culture, Mexican Institute of Cinematography, State Government of Baja California Sur, Ministry of Tourism, Economy and Sustainability, and Municipal Presidency of Los Cabos.

We also wish to thank Cinemex, the Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, the GEPP Group, El Nacho, Lenovo, Condé Nast, Televisa, Monex, Del Cabo Event Design, Mexico Planners, EcobajaTours, Puerto Paraíso for joining our efforts to expand the Festival’s reach.

None of this would be possible without the accommodations and high quality services offered by local hotels for the filmmakers and artists who travel to Los Cabos to attend the Festival; this is why we wish to thank the Hotel ME, the Hotel Dreams, the Hotel Secrets, The Resort At Pedregal, Holiday Inn Express and Solaz Resort, as well as the hotel Casa del Mar, which hosts our press conferences.

We also would like to thank Questro Resorts, Casa Dorada, Hotel El Ganzo, Pueblo Bonito, Solmar, Montage, JW Marriott, Bahía, Sheraton Grand, Médano Suites, City Express and Comfort Inn Suites.

Thank you to the hotels that host our official events such as Hacienda Beach, 1 Hotel, and Viceroy.

Thank you to Cinemex, CTT, Chemistry, Cinecolor, FIPRESCI, Talent on the Road, Art Kingdom and BOBO, for awarding the prizes to the winners of the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund and the Official Competitions.

To the 138 sponsors that render possible this seventh edition: thank you.

We wish to thank the 100 plus media outlets that support us through their coverage, both of the event itself and of the exceptional Los Cabos experience.

La Ballena Award

We are grateful for our partnership with El Nacho, plastic artist and resident of Los Cabos, who pays tribute to this region’s most iconic of visitors, the whale, through his beautiful creation of statuettes that our winners and guests of honor will receive.

2018 Awards

$6,995,186 Mexican pesos will be awarded to the winners, distributed throughout the 15 prizes of the Oficial Competition and the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund.

This year, the prizes are:

LOS CABOS COMPETITION

Feature films produced by or coproduced with Mexico, United States or Canada.

Los Cabos Competition Prize : $300,000.00 MXN (three hundred thousand Mexican pesos) in cash for the producer.

Mexico PRIMERO

Feature films produced by or coproduced with Mexico.

Cinemex Mexico Primero Prize: $300,000.00 MXN (three hundred thousand Mexican pesos) in cash for the director.

International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI): Cinematographic Achievement Award.

Trailer Art Kingdom Prize worth $14,000 USD (fourteen thousand US dollars). It includes creative process, production and postproduction services for the trailer of the wining Mexican film.

All the Mexican films that will take part in the Los Cabos Competition and in Mexico Primero are elegible for the Cinemex Audience Prize that consists of $300,000.00 MXN (three hundred thousand Mexican pesos) in cash for the producer.

GFFF – FILM IN DEVELOPMENT

Feature films produced by or coproduced with Mexico, United States or Canada with any other country in the world.

Los Cabos Film in development prize: $100,000.00 MXN (one hundred thousand Mexican pesos) in cash.

CTT EXP & Rentals Prize: $813,067.00 MXN (eight hundred and thirteen thousand and sixty-seven Mexican pesos) for four weeks of film equipment rentals (camera and lenses).

Talent On The Road/ World Talent House Prize: $150,000.00 MXN (one hundred and fifty thousand Mexican pesos) in cash.

The Grand Prize Plataforma CTT EXP & Rentals + CHEMISTRY : $1,283,911.00 MXN (one million two hundred and eighty-three thousand nine hundred and eleven Mexican pesos) consisting of 4 weeks of equipment (camera, lenses, mobile unit and power plant) granted by CTT EXP & Rentals, and $1,789,416.00 MXN (one million seven hundred and eighty-nine thousand four hundred and sixteen Mexican pesos) in postproduction services, which include conforming ensamble material, color grading, digital deliverables, insertion of graphics, Quality Check, DCP, Blu Ray, DVD and backup of the film’s master copy, granted by Chemistry, for a Mexican project or a coproduction with Mexico.

Marché Du Film – Producers Network: 374 euros for the accreditations of the producer of a film in development project, to take part in the Marché Du Film’s Producers Network, at the 2019 Cannes Festival.

GFFF – WORK IN PROGRESS

Feature films produced by or coproduced with Mexico, in postproduction stages and with a running time greater than 60 minutes.

Los Cabos Work in Progress Prize: $100,000.00 MXN (one hundred thousand Mexican pesos) in cash.

CHEMISTRY PRIZE: $945,864.00 MXN (nine hundred and forty-five thousand eight hundred and sixty-four Mexican pesos) in postproduction services which include: conforming ensamble material, color grading, digital deliverables, insertion of graphics, Quality Check, DCP.

Cinecolor México Award: MXN $443,700.00 (four hundred and forty-three thousand seven hundred Mexican pesos), equivalent to 100 hours of color grading and a DCP.

GFFF – TV SERIES IN DEVELOPMENT

Fiction or documentary TV series projects, produced by or coproduced with Mexico or any other country in Latin-America.

Promo-Trailer Art Kingdom Prize worth $5,000 USD (five thousand US dollars). It includes creative process and postproduction services.

BOBO Prize: $100,000.00 MXN (on hundred thousand Mexican pesos) in cash. For more information, go to www.cabosfilmfestival.com