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Cinema: Michoacan’s Contribution to Culture

Sofía Alvarado

Jaime Vázquez presented the book Michoacán en el cine as part of the 23rd Morelia International Film Festival (FICM). In this book, he gathers the bi-weekly collaborations he did, which are dedicated to important names in the film industry for La Voz de Michoacán, under the title Nos vemos en el cine (See You at the Movies).  

The book is divided into five chapters, covering cinema-related music, films shot in Michoacan, and biographies of actresses such as Stella Inda, Lilia Prado, and Gloria Lozano. During the presentation at José Rubén Romero Theater, Jaime Vázquez was joined by Gabriela Molina Aguilar, Michoacan Secretary of Education; Hugo Villa Smythe, director of the UNAM Film Archive; Tamara Sosa Alanís, Secretary of Culture; and Carlos F. Márquez, editor of the publishing house Cuarta República.

During the presentation, Secretary of Education Gabriela Molina spoke about the union between Michoacan and cinema as a cultural benchmark, in addition to being a means to educate audiences. She said the book was an exploration of the state's film history, which reveals its hidden narratives, and described it as both a cultural contribution and a love letter to cinema.

Jaime López, on the other hand, shared his personal connection to cinema, reflecting on how we all have grown up relating to characters on screen and making them part of our lives. He explained that the book also emerged from the absence of any source documenting Michoacan's film history.

The book was published by Cuarta República, an editorial that has been operating for a year and was established through the Michoacán se lee program, an initiative that also includes workshops.

Editor Carlos F. Márquez explained that Michoacán en el cine is a way of reconstructing and rewriting history. For the editorial team and the author, it was essential to find an engaging and accessible style that appealed to readers.

Meanwhile, Tamara Sosa Alanís elaborated, explaining that the publishing house represents an opportunity for Jaime López's articles to become more than just a journalistic archive and instead be transformed into an appealing physical book that people can enjoy.

After the book presentation, the exhibition Michoacán en el cine, el orgullo de un legado, featuring photographs from the book, was inaugurated at the Palacio Cultural Clavijero. The exhibition will be open to the public for the next few days.