“The luminous look of cinema” was the concept of our 19th edition, because when we look at cinema, we project ourselves. The guest country was South Korea, with its dazzling cinematography. The best international feature film was Zeria by Harry Cleven; and the national one, My girlfriend is the revolution by Marcelino Islas. South Korean director Yim Soon-rye was the international honoree. The national tribute was for the career of the Mexican actress Tina Romero. Seeking internationalization, in this edition the ficmonterrey’s Industry was held, a space for all experts in the film industry
The concept of our 18th edition was “The cinema is your voice”, because it allows us to speak through our eyes. The festival was held at 47 venues in 20 municipalities of Nuevo León. The best international feature film was Feast by Tim Leyendekker; and the national, The King of the Feast by Salomón Askenazi. The Mexican tribute for an artistic career went to Alejandro Pelayo and Juan Antonio de la Riva; the Mexican tribute to women in cinema, for Karina Gidi; and the Icon of Mexican Cinema, for Julieta Egurrola and Patricia Reyes Spíndola.
In the 17th edition, we returned to in-person events and the concept was “Cinema watches you.” The best international feature film was Supernova by Bartosz Kruhlik; and the national one, Sanctorum by Joshua Gil. The Mexican tribute to the artistic career went to Everardo González; the Mexican tribute to women in cinema, for Martha Sosa; and the Icon of Mexican Cinema, for Roberto Sosa.
The sixteenth was “the quarantine edition”, carried out remotely due to COVID. The best international feature film was Give Me Liberty by Dave McCary; and the Mexican, Huachicolero by Edgar Nito. In this edition, the international tribute was to the artistic career of the composer Michael Nyman; likewise, a tribute was paid to the Council for Culture and the Arts of Nuevo León (CONARTE) for its 25 years.
During the 15th edition of our festival, we celebrated that cinema not only moves, but that it moves us. The guest country was Israel, with its thriving and robust cultural mosaic. The best feature films were Kiss and Cry by Chloé Mahieu and Lila Pinell (international), and The Weak by Raúl Rico and Eduardo Giralt Brun (Mexican). In this edition, the cinematographic careers of Israeli directors Avi Nesher and Tomer Heymann were recognized; as well as the careers of the filmmaker Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, the art director Eugenio Caballero and the actor Joaquín Cosío.
In the 14th edition we had as our guest the country that is the birthplace of cinema, whose film tradition is huge: France. The best international feature film was Dave McCary’s Brigsby Bear; and the national one, The Blue Years by Sofía Gómez Córdova. The artistic careers of two greats of Mexican cinema were recognized: Bertha Navarro (director) and Blanca Guerra (actress); The international honorees were Claire Denis (director) and Pièrre-Henri Deleau (producer). In this edition, the KinoStart section was also established, a short film competition by Mexican students.
In our 13th edition, the concept was “Cinema moves”, because this art can move and put hearts and souls into action. The best international feature film was Amama by Asier Altuna and the best Mexican feature film was Almacenados by Jack Zagha. The tribute in this edition was for the Mexican actress Dolores Heredia.
For the 12th edition, the guiding concept was “The cinema is you”, because cinema is experienced and unfolded. We had Chile as the guest country, showing the great expression of Latin American cinema. The best international feature film was The Lesson by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov; and the national, Plan Sexenal by Santiago Cendejas. The international tribute went to the documentary filmmaker Patricio Guzmán, and the actor and director Jorge Perugorría; and the national one, for the director Luis Mandoki and the actress Diana Bracho.
Our 11th edition was built around the concept “The screen is you”, thinking that cinema is projected on our senses to understand the world. The best feature films were The New World by Jaap van Heusden (international) and Four Moons by Sergio Tovar Velarde (Mexican). The figures honored were the director Arturo Ripstein, the actor Fernando Becerril and the actress Verónica Langer.
Almost 10 years of ficmonterrey, the tenth edition of the festival proved to be unique from its previous editions; taking place in 2014, this edition featured a tribute to the Mexican actor Daniel Giménez Cacho. The film De Nieuwe Wereld by Jaap van Heusden, won the Cabrito de Plata for best fiction feature film.
The ninth edition of ficmonterrey arrived in 2013 with the United States as the guest country, dedicating a space to the best films from that country. As part of the tributes, tribute was paid to the career of the actor Ignacio López Tarso. The film Nairobi Half Life by Tosh Kitonga, won the Cabrito de Plata for best fiction feature film.
The eighth edition of the ficmonterrey was held in 2012 and had Spain as a guest country, carrying out several screenings of the best films from the European country; and paying tribute to the actress Marisa Paredes and the director Gerardo Herrero. Among the national tributes, the goat was awarded to Luis Estrada for his contributions to Mexican national cinema.
The year 2011 arrived and with it the seventh edition of the ficmonterrey, this time Canada being the guest country; honoring the hard work of the National Film Board of Canada, as well as the contributions to cinema of Carlos Carrera and Damian Alcazar. The Canadian film En Terrains Connus by Stephane Lafleur, won the Cabrito de Plata for best fiction feature film.
In 2010, a celebration of Mexican cinema was held in the sixth edition of the ficmonterrey, recognizing great icons of our Mexican cinema such as: Héctor Suárez, Ofelia Medina and Silvia Pinal. At the same time paying homage to the careers of great filmmakers such as Pedro Armendariz Jr. and Maryse Sistach. The Canadian film Les Signes Vitaux by Sophie Deraspe, won the Cabrito de Plata for best fiction feature film.
2009 had the fifth edition of the ficmonterrey, with Australia as the special guest country, presenting the highest quality of films from the same country. As honorees, tribute was paid to the careers of American filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, Australian director Bruce Beresford and Mexican director María Novaro. The Finnish film Kolme Viistasta Miesta by Mika Kaurismaki, won the Cabrito de Plata for best fiction feature film.
The fourth edition of the ficmonterrey, which took place in 2008, had Argentina as the guest country. Honoring the Argentine actress Cecilia Roth, the American actor Tommy Lee Jones and the Mexican actor Héctor Bonilla for their great cinematographic career. The Austrian film Revenge by Götz Spielman, won the Cabrito de Plata audience award.
In 2007 we had China as a guest country, presenting a rich variety of films from this nation. Among the honorees of this edition of the festival, we honored the career of the Bichir brothers, as well as the great works of director Tian Zhuangzhuang, also featuring the first appearance of our Cabrito de Plata (“silver goat”) award, bestowing it to the Hungarian film Iszaka Utazása by Csaba Bollók, for best fiction feature film.
In 2006 we had the opportunity to present our first guest country, Germany; featuring films from high-caliber directors like Wim Wenders. Among the filmmakers honored, we honor Marlene Dietrich and Alejandro Galindo for their film career. The Chinese film Sunflower by Zhang Yang won for best fiction feature film.
The first ficmonterrey saw the birth of the festival in 2005 with the restoration of Los Olvidados by Luis Buñuel; with a special tribute to Irma Lozano, celebrating her career and cinematographic career. The Mexican film De Nadie by Tin Dirdamal, won best feature film.
