GIFF seeks to reconnect with theaters, but does not rule out Plan B

Published July 15th, 2021

In 2021, from September 17 to 26, the Guanajuato International Film Festival (GIFF) will experience perhaps the most emotional of its 24 editions. In the first instance, it will be emotional because the organization of the film festival is committed to reconnecting with theaters after last year’s festival, which was dominated by screenings in two drive-in theaters and an aquacinema in three host cities.

But the most emotional reason for this, one of the most important film meetings and events in the country, is because the entire edition will be dedicated to honoring the person and career of its co-founder and artistic director, Ernesto Herrera Godínez, also president of the Fundación Expresión en Corto, who passed away last February 12 due to complications derived from Covid-19.

Accompanied by state and local authorities, the general director of GIFF, Sarah Hoch, announced that in addition to Leon, Ernesto Herrera’s hometown, San Miguel de Allende and Irapuato will be the venues that complete the triad of this year’s edition.

“We are going to inaugurate in León. Then we will move to San Miguel de Allende and from there to Irapuato. There will be a digital festival, just like last year, with conferences, films, premieres, and the space to see all the films that are in competition. With these changes we are living, with the new variants of the virus, it is impossible for the festival to make a city or two cities and impact culturally to the same audiences. We are no longer for huge, massive events, with thousands of kids and crushed queues of people in theaters and outdoor spaces. We are looking for a way to do it with controlled audiences, but without losing audiences,” explained Hoch.

He also anticipated that this year there will be no Guest of Honor country, since the conditions are not yet in place, so much so that an alternative plan is being considered in case the pandemic conditions do not allow a return to the theaters.

“If we did the festival last year we are not going to suspend it this year,” he said. “We are working on plans A,B and C. Hopefully it will be achieved in the theaters, but if not, we will put chairs outside, we will go to drive-in theaters, we will see how to do it to achieve the event”.

In short, he told El Economista that the festival has received the support of 5 million pesos from the government of Guanajuato, plus one million pesos for each host municipality, in addition to the fact that the team is marketing the festival with the private sector, in search of economic and in-kind support, as well as awaiting the results of the Profest federal support program.