Past Editions

Short film Jury

PABLO FENDRIK

Argentina

As a director and screenwriter, he gained international recognition after participating for two consecutive years in the Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival, with his first film, El asaltante (2007), and his second, La sangre brota (2008). He is currently working on his third feature, El ardor, which has the support of the Programa Ibermedia and other foundations for project development. He is co-screenwriter of the documentary Vida en Falcon (2005), directed by Jorge Gaggero, as well as the feature Las vidas posibles (2007), directed by Sandra Gugliotta.

JUKKA-PEKKA LAAKSO

Finland

He is chairman of the board of directors of the Film Festival of Tampere, Finland, and has been in charge of the selection and programming of the films at the festival since 2000. He has also been executive director of the Film Center of thePirkanmaaregionsince 1998.This non-profit organization manages an art house theater and brings people closer to the media. He has worked as a critic of independent film for radio and diverse publications. He is a member of the National Council for the Arts of Finland and of the European Film Academy.

CHARLES TESSON

France

He is currently a critic for Cahiers du cinéma, the influential French film magazine where he began working in 1979 and was its editor from 1998 to 2003. He gave classes in history and film aesthetics at the Sorbonne. He has published numerous books and essays on film, such as: Satyajit Ray (1992), Luis Buñuel (1995), Él de Luis Buñuel (1996), Théâtre et cinéma (Theater and Cinema) (2007) and Akira Kurosawa (2008). He has been in charge of several special editions of Cahiers du cinéma, including “Made in Hong Kong” (1984), with Olivier Assayas. He is a member of the selection committee of Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

Michoacan Section Jury

ÁNGEL-SANTOS GARCÉS CONSTANTE

Spain

He is co-founder and current director of the Huesca International Film Festival in Spain, founded in 1973, as well as acting representative and secretary of the Huesca Film Festival Foundation. He has made several documentaries and has been a jury member at film festivals in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Morocco and Spain. He is the co-author of Literatura, cine y guerra civil (Instituto Estudios Altoaragoneses, 2004). He has also organized film series, given lectures and created film workshops for children and adults.

CRISTINA PRADO ARIAS

Mexico

She studied film, visual arts, communication and scriptwriting. She is the promotion director of cinematographic cultural at the Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE). She designed and coordinated the film department at the Universidad Anáhuac México Norte and worked at the Cineteca Nacional as assistant director of research and academic outreach. She is a member of the Women in Film and Television Mexico, in addition to being its communications secretary. She has also organized many film events, and has collaborated for both written and audiovisual media in the area of culture and film.

GUSTAVO SÁNCHEZ PARRA

Mexico

He studied acting at the Centro Universitario de Teatro (CUT) of the UNAM. In 2000, he began his career in film with Amores Perros, for which he won an Ariel for Best Actor in a Minor Role. He has participated in dozens of shorts and features. Although his work has mainly been in film, he has also acted in theater and television series. He is currently an acrobatics teacher at the CUT. He also appears in the soon-to-be released film, Año Bisiesto by Michael Rowe, winner of the Golden Camera at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010.

 

Mexican Documentary Jury

DAVID COURIER

United States

He graduated with honors from Columbia University where he studied English literature and theater. He is a programmer for the Sundance Film Festival and is mainly interested in documentary films. He was co-director of programming for four years at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Outfest) and has worked with different production companies, such as Sanford Pillsbury Productions and Paramount’s Wilshire Court Productions. He has acted in theater as well as in film and television. He has served as a jury member in numerous festivals, and has formed part of the nominating committees of the IDA Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye Honors and the Gotham.

GIDEON KOPPEL

United Kingdom

After having studied mathematics, he decided to devote himself to the fine arts. His work as an artist and filmmaker has been exhibited all over the world, from the Tate Modern museum in London, England, to the MoMA of New York. His most recent feature, Sleep Furiously (2008), became one of the most acclaimed films amongst British critics and received important awards. He is a professor at the University of London, as well as at Green Templeton College, Oxford University.

DENNIS LIM

United States

He is a film critic and editor. He was the founder of Moving Image Source, an online magazine from the Museum of the Moving Image. He writes regularly for The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times and collaborated for years in the film section of the Village Voice. He is also a member of the National Society of Film Critics of the United States and has been a programmer and jury member for numerous international festivals, including the San Sebastián, Vancouver,Tribeca, Seoul Digital and South by Southwest. He also teaches at New York University.

 

Mexican Feature Jury

SCOTT FOUNDAS

United States

He studied at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television. He is the Associate Program Director for the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York. For several years, he was Film Editor and chief film critic for L.A. Weekly. He has also written for The Village Voice, Variety, Slate.com and The New York Times. He is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics in the United States. He has served on official juries at the Sundance, Cannes and Venice film festivals.

LUCRECIA MARTEL

Argentina

Born in the province of Salta, she studied animation at the National Experimentation Filmmaking School (ENERC) and communication sciences at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). A screenwriter, director and producer, she is one of the most prestigious contemporary filmmakers. In addition to several short films, she has written and directed three features. Her feature film debut La ciénaga (The Swamp, 2001) received numerous awards, such as the NHK at the Sundance Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the Latin American Film Festival in Toulouse, Best Picture and Best Director at the Havana Film Festival, and was in the Official Selection of the Berlin Film Festival and of the Cannes Film Festival, besides being voted the best Latin American film of the decade in a poll of New York area film critics, programmers, and industry professionals. She followed up the success of her first feature, with the films La niña santa (The Holy Girl, 2004) and La mujer sin cabeza (The Headless Woman, 2008), both in the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival. She has served as a member of the jury for important festivals around the world, including the Berlin Film Festival (2002) and the Cannes Film Festival (2006).

GERWIN TAMSMA

Netherlands

He worked as a writer and editor for the newspaper NRC Handelsblad and the yearly publication Filmjaarboek. Since 1996, he has been partially responsible for the programming of the Rotterdam Film Festival, where he is in charge of the section of films from China, Korea, Latin America, Belgium, Scandinavian countries, Spain and Portugal. He has organized special courses for Master’s degree programs and retrospectives of the work of different directors. In addition to serving as a jury member at several international film festivals.

Short film Jury

PABLO FENDRIK

Argentina

As a director and screenwriter, he gained international recognition after participating for two consecutive years in the Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival, with his first film, El asaltante (2007), and his second, La sangre brota (2008). He is currently working on his third feature, El ardor, which has the support of the Programa Ibermedia and other foundations for project development. He is co-screenwriter of the documentary Vida en Falcon (2005), directed by Jorge Gaggero, as well as the feature Las vidas posibles (2007), directed by Sandra Gugliotta.

JUKKA-PEKKA LAAKSO

Finland

He is chairman of the board of directors of the Film Festival of Tampere, Finland, and has been in charge of the selection and programming of the films at the festival since 2000. He has also been executive director of the Film Center of thePirkanmaaregionsince 1998.This non-profit organization manages an art house theater and brings people closer to the media. He has worked as a critic of independent film for radio and diverse publications. He is a member of the National Council for the Arts of Finland and of the European Film Academy.

CHARLES TESSON

France

He is currently a critic for Cahiers du cinéma, the influential French film magazine where he began working in 1979 and was its editor from 1998 to 2003. He gave classes in history and film aesthetics at the Sorbonne. He has published numerous books and essays on film, such as: Satyajit Ray (1992), Luis Buñuel (1995), Él de Luis Buñuel (1996), Théâtre et cinéma (Theater and Cinema) (2007) and Akira Kurosawa (2008). He has been in charge of several special editions of Cahiers du cinéma, including “Made in Hong Kong” (1984), with Olivier Assayas. He is a member of the selection committee of Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

Michoacan Section Jury

ÁNGEL-SANTOS GARCÉS CONSTANTE

Spain

He is co-founder and current director of the Huesca International Film Festival in Spain, founded in 1973, as well as acting representative and secretary of the Huesca Film Festival Foundation. He has made several documentaries and has been a jury member at film festivals in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Morocco and Spain. He is the co-author of Literatura, cine y guerra civil (Instituto Estudios Altoaragoneses, 2004). He has also organized film series, given lectures and created film workshops for children and adults.

CRISTINA PRADO ARIAS

Mexico

She studied film, visual arts, communication and scriptwriting. She is the promotion director of cinematographic cultural at the Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE). She designed and coordinated the film department at the Universidad Anáhuac México Norte and worked at the Cineteca Nacional as assistant director of research and academic outreach. She is a member of the Women in Film and Television Mexico, in addition to being its communications secretary. She has also organized many film events, and has collaborated for both written and audiovisual media in the area of culture and film.

GUSTAVO SÁNCHEZ PARRA

Mexico

He studied acting at the Centro Universitario de Teatro (CUT) of the UNAM. In 2000, he began his career in film with Amores Perros, for which he won an Ariel for Best Actor in a Minor Role. He has participated in dozens of shorts and features. Although his work has mainly been in film, he has also acted in theater and television series. He is currently an acrobatics teacher at the CUT. He also appears in the soon-to-be released film, Año Bisiesto by Michael Rowe, winner of the Golden Camera at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010.

 

Mexican Documentary Jury

DAVID COURIER

United States

He graduated with honors from Columbia University where he studied English literature and theater. He is a programmer for the Sundance Film Festival and is mainly interested in documentary films. He was co-director of programming for four years at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Outfest) and has worked with different production companies, such as Sanford Pillsbury Productions and Paramount’s Wilshire Court Productions. He has acted in theater as well as in film and television. He has served as a jury member in numerous festivals, and has formed part of the nominating committees of the IDA Documentary Awards, the Cinema Eye Honors and the Gotham.

GIDEON KOPPEL

United Kingdom

After having studied mathematics, he decided to devote himself to the fine arts. His work as an artist and filmmaker has been exhibited all over the world, from the Tate Modern museum in London, England, to the MoMA of New York. His most recent feature, Sleep Furiously (2008), became one of the most acclaimed films amongst British critics and received important awards. He is a professor at the University of London, as well as at Green Templeton College, Oxford University.

DENNIS LIM

United States

He is a film critic and editor. He was the founder of Moving Image Source, an online magazine from the Museum of the Moving Image. He writes regularly for The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times and collaborated for years in the film section of the Village Voice. He is also a member of the National Society of Film Critics of the United States and has been a programmer and jury member for numerous international festivals, including the San Sebastián, Vancouver,Tribeca, Seoul Digital and South by Southwest. He also teaches at New York University.

 

Mexican Feature Jury

SCOTT FOUNDAS

United States

He studied at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television. He is the Associate Program Director for the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York. For several years, he was Film Editor and chief film critic for L.A. Weekly. He has also written for The Village Voice, Variety, Slate.com and The New York Times. He is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics in the United States. He has served on official juries at the Sundance, Cannes and Venice film festivals.

LUCRECIA MARTEL

Argentina

Born in the province of Salta, she studied animation at the National Experimentation Filmmaking School (ENERC) and communication sciences at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). A screenwriter, director and producer, she is one of the most prestigious contemporary filmmakers. In addition to several short films, she has written and directed three features. Her feature film debut La ciénaga (The Swamp, 2001) received numerous awards, such as the NHK at the Sundance Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the Latin American Film Festival in Toulouse, Best Picture and Best Director at the Havana Film Festival, and was in the Official Selection of the Berlin Film Festival and of the Cannes Film Festival, besides being voted the best Latin American film of the decade in a poll of New York area film critics, programmers, and industry professionals. She followed up the success of her first feature, with the films La niña santa (The Holy Girl, 2004) and La mujer sin cabeza (The Headless Woman, 2008), both in the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival. She has served as a member of the jury for important festivals around the world, including the Berlin Film Festival (2002) and the Cannes Film Festival (2006).

GERWIN TAMSMA

Netherlands

He worked as a writer and editor for the newspaper NRC Handelsblad and the yearly publication Filmjaarboek. Since 1996, he has been partially responsible for the programming of the Rotterdam Film Festival, where he is in charge of the section of films from China, Korea, Latin America, Belgium, Scandinavian countries, Spain and Portugal. He has organized special courses for Master’s degree programs and retrospectives of the work of different directors. In addition to serving as a jury member at several international film festivals.