When the European Union was invited as Guest of Honour at the world-famous International Book Fair of Guadalajara (Feria Internacional del Libro/FIL) in Mexico last December, it was not just books which interested the organisers. The Mexican and FIL-going public also expressed a keen interest in European cinema during FILm.

This was the European Cinema Festival showcase which celebrated EU’s status as the guest of honour at FIL.

Photographer to the stars

With 800 000 visitors, FIL the most significant book fair in the Hispanic world. At the festival's opening night held in the modern Cineteca of Guadalajara, the local press vied for the attention of Romanian director Paul Negoescu, who presented his movie 'Men of Deeds' and Spanish photographer to the stars Jorge Fuembuena, showcasing twenty-one portraits of European actors and directors from the San Sebastián Festival.

Over the two weeks of FIL, the audience turnout was significant. This was evident at the Mexican premieres of ‘Fallen Leaves’, a romantic comedy by Finland’s Aki Kaurismäki and ‘The Wall’ by Belgian director Philippe Van Leeuw. A migration drama, the action of The Wall takes place at the Mexican border.

Alongside Paul Negoescu, the festival also welcomed Latvian author Nora Ikstena, who introduced the film adaptation of her best-selling autobiography about life in an oppressive regime called 'Soviet Milk'.

The celebrated Irish author Colm Toibin presented ‘Return to Montauk’ at the Alliance Française of Guadalajara, followed by author and director David Foenkinos with 'Fantasies', a story based around the lives of six couples.

Short films

The audience also engaged with more niche offerings. These included an evening dedicated to Croatian short films featuring screenwriters Olja Savičević Ivančević and Robert Perišic. There was also a discussion on Austrian Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek following the documentary about the author called 'The Language Unleashed'.

 A session with screenwriter Angelo Tijssens for the presentation of 'Close', winner of the Lux Prize, was also well-received.

The dialogue with Dacia Maraini, about her friendship with Pier Paolo Pasolini and in commemoration of Maria Callas' centenary, following the screening of 'Medea,' can be considered a highlight of the Guadalajara Book Fair.

However, the premiere of 'The Three Musketeers: Milady,' two weeks before its French release, drew the largest crowd. In total, 28 feature films and 3 short films were showcased across 30 sessions.

This predominantly free-access programme, curated by Benoît Martin on behalf of the delegation of the European Union to Mexico, was complemented by meetings with professionals and film students from Guadalajara.

Professional roundtable

Mexican producers Mario Savino (Woo Films) and Edgar San Juan (Tank Films), along with publisher Higinio Sanchez, participated in a professional roundtable dedicated to the Latin American audiovisual market of literary rights.

Spanish director and producer Alexia Muiñoz Ruiz led a three-day workshop on pitching techniques for cinema students from the University of Guadalajara.

For many people, FIL was the first opportunity to discover the diversity and depth of European movies, such as with the Greek 'Medium' by Christina Ioakeimidi. There was also the Slovenian 'My Last Year as a Loser' by Urša Menart, and Estonian 'Firebird' by Peeter Rebane on view in Mexico for the very first time.

Following this year’s presence of Guest of Honour at FIL, the European Union’s presence at is set to continue. Tune in next year for the European Cinema Festival in Guadalajara and in the meantime, the European Union Film Festival (EUFF) is taking its global footprint to a delegation near you soon. To learn more about the EUFF follow the link.