The 38th Guadalajara International Film Festival took place from June 3 to 9, 2023, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Heroic received the Mezcal Award while Costa Rican film I Have Electric Dreams won the Best Ibero-American Film award.
The festival opening ceremony took place at Telmex Auditorium and was hosted by Andrés Zuno. At the ceremony, Raúl Padilla López was honored for his work in the festival. Padilla López served as president for the festival until his death in April 2023. Mexican actress Arcelia Ramírez and Italian film editor Roberto Perpignani received special achievement awards. American film Asteroid City, directed by Wes Anderson, was the festival's opening film.
Juries Official competition Mezcal Award Pituka Ortega Heilbron, Panamanian filmmaker Gregory Nava, American director and writer Diego Calva, Mexican actor Melissa Cobb, American producer Paolo Genovese, Italian director
Ibero-American Fiction Feature Film Gabriel Nuncio, Mexican director, producer, screenwriter and actor Claudia Sainte-Luce, Mexican writer, director and actress Andrés Wood, Chilean director Gustavo Castillón, Mexican producer Paulina Dávila, Colombian actress
Ibero-American Documentary Feature Film Claudia Becerril Bulos, Mexican cinematographer Paulina Suárez, Mexican director of Ambulante Anna Saura, Spanish producer
Ibero-American Short Film Armando Espitia, Mexican actor Roger Durling, American SBIFF director Andrés Almeida, Mexican actor Marianna Vargas, Dominican film commissioner of DGCINE Luis Rosales, Mexican casting director
Maguey Award Adrián Silvestre, Spanish director Eréndira Ibarra, Mexican actress Ximena Romo, Mexican actress
Made in Jalisco Leonardo Ortizgris, Mexican actor Mariana Chenillo, Mexican director and screenwriter Pablo Zimbrón Alva, Mexican producer Cassandra Ciangherotti, Mexican actress
Socio-Environmental Cinema Award Cristo Fernández, Mexican actor Martha Reyes Arias, Mexican actress Carmen Elisa Gómez, Mexican researcher Andrés Castillo, Ecuatorian musician and cultural promoter
International Animation Feature Film and Rigo Mora Award Alberto Montt, Chilean-Ecuatorian illustrator João Gonzalez, Portuguese director and animator Cruz Contreras, Mexican animator Lefteris Becerra, Mexican researcher, journalist and academic
Young Mezcal Fanfan Zhou, California Institute of the Arts representant Yamir Perea, Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica representant Valeria Contreras, Columbia University School of the Arts representant Fernando Ramírez, University Centre of Art, Architecture and Design (University of Guadalajara) representant Adrián Morales, National School of Cinematographic Arts (UNAM) representant Emilio Sillero, Escuela Nacional de Experimentación y Realización Cinematográfica (ENERC) representant Irving Colorado, Escuela Veracruzana de Cine Luis Buñuel representant Tommaso Diaceri, Fondazione Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia representant Nicolà Folin, Fondazione Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia representant Samuel Vaca, ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara, representant Sergio Anchondo, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education representant Sergio García, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education representant Paola Arellano, Universidad de Artes Digitales (UAD) representant Hugo Rocha, Universidad de Medios Audiovisuales (CAAV) representant Andrea Hernández, Universidad del Valle de Atemajac (UNIVA) representant Lydia Acevedo, University of Southern California representant
Independent juries FIPRESCI Valentina Giraldo Sánchez, Colombian critic Andrew Kendall, Guyanese critic Ivonete Pinto, Brazilian journalist and film critic
FEISAL Guillermo Vaidovits, Mexican director of the master's degree in Film Studios of UDEG Ivette Liang, Cuban-Colombian Head of the Production Department of EICTV and Director of Nuevas Miradas, and film producer Juan Mora Catlett, Mexican film director, editor and screenwriter Busi Cortés, Mexican director, screenwriter and scriptwriter
Official selections The following films were selected for the official competitions:
Mezcal Award Highlighted title indicates section's best film winner. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Adolfo Sofía Auza Mexico, United States Love & Mathematics Amor y matemáticas Mexico Heroic Heroico David Zonana Mexico, Sweden Martinez Martínez Lorena Padilla Mexico Women of the Dawn Mujeres del alba Jimena Montemayor Loyo Mexico Rage Rabia Mexico Ch'ul be, Sacred Path Ch'ul be, senda sagrada Humberto Gómez Pérez Mexico The Invisible Frontier La frontera invisible Mariana Flores Villalba Mexico Kenya Gisela Delgadillo Mexico Tushkua Mexico A Wolfpack Called Ernesto Una jauría llamada Ernesto Mexico (HJ) indicates film eligible for the Hecho en Jalisco Award.
Ibero-American Fiction Feature Film Highlighted title indicates section's best film winner. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) 20,000 Species of Bees (MG) 20.000 especies de abejas Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren Spain Almamula (MG) Juan Sebastián Torales Argentina, France, Italia In the Company of Women (MG) Las buenas compañías Silvia Munt Spain Diógenes Leonardo Barbuy La Torre Peru, France, Colombia Great Yarmouth: Provisional Figures Marco Martins Portugal, United Kingdom, France Sister & Sister Las hijas Kattia G. Zúñiga Panama, Chile The Fishbowl (SE) La pecera Glorimar Marrero-Sánchez United States, Spain, Puerto Rico Octopus Skin La piel pulpo Ana Cristina Barragán Ecuador, Mexico, Greece, Germany, France, Italy I Have Electric Dreams Tengo sueños eléctricos Valentina Maurel Costa Rica, France, Belgium (MG) indicates film eligible for the Maguey Award that include LGBTQ+ themes. (SE) indicates film eligible for the Socio-Environmental Cinema Award.
Ibero-American Documentary Feature Film Highlighted title indicates section's best film winner. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Light Falls Vertical Ara La Llum Cau Vertical Efthymia Zymvragaki Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands The Bilbaos Los Bilbao Pedro Speroni Argentina (MG) El castillo Argentina, France Fauna Pau Faus Spain Alien Island Isla Alien Cristóbal Valenzuela Berrios Chile, Italy Calls from Moscow (MG) Llamadas desde Moscú Luis Alejandro Yero Cuba, Germany, Norway The Eternal Memory La memoria infinita Maite Alberdi Chile Notes For a Film Notas para una película Ignacio Agüero Chile, Francia A House for Wandering Souls O Auto das Ánimas Pablo Lago Dantas Brazil, Spain Samuel and the Light Samuel e a Luz Vinícius Girnys Brazil, France (MG) indicates film eligible for the Maguey Award that include LGBTQ+ themes.
Ibero-American Short Film Highlighted title indicates section's best film winner. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Things to Come L'avenir Santiago Ráfales Spain Dust Trails Caminos de tierra Miranda Pérez Ledesma Mexico The House of Sand La casa de arena Luis Vicente Fresno Chile Ashen Cenizo Gustavo Hernández de Anda Mexico Exceptional Tales from a Young Female Team: Reds Cuentos excepcionales de un equipo juvenil femeino: Las Rojas Tom Espinoza Argentina, Venezuela The Cage La jaula Cesar Saldivar Mexico Lava Carmen Jiménez Spain Look, Kid Mira, niño Sergio Avellaneda Belmonte Spain Human Nature Naturaleza humana Mónica Lima Portugal, Germany Saturn Saturno André Guiomar, Luís Costa Portugal The Treasure El tesoro David Rodríguez Estrada Mexico, United States An Avocador Pit Um Caroço de Abacate Ary Zara Portugal Ice Love Amor ice Katy Araiza Mexico Aqueronte Manuel Muñoz Rivas Spain Does a Snail Dream of Home? ¿El caracol sueña en casa? Luis Armando Sosa Gil Mexico, Portugal, Hungary, Belgium In My Skin En mi piel Sándor M. Salas Spain Lucas Jessica Quiroz Mexico Madre nuestra David Paredes Colombia, Cuba The Sea is Also Yours O Mar Também é Seu Michelle Coelho Brazil, Cuba Your Voice is Within Su voz está dentro Mariana Flores Villalba Mexico A Robust Heart Un corazón más contundente Argentina, United States, United Kingdom The View from Up Above La vista desde arriba Rafael Martínez Sánchez Mexico
Maguey Award The following list consists of the films eligible for the Maguey Award that are not listed in the previous competition tables. The films in contention for both the Maguey Award and other competition section appear with the symbol (MG) next to it. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Cross Dreamers Soledad Velasco Argentina I Woke Up with a Dream Desperté con un sueño Pablo Solarz Argentina, Uruguay In Bed Ke’elu En Machar Nitzan Gilady Israel Kokomo City D. Smith United States Little Richard: I Am Everything Lisa Cortés United States Liuben Venci D. Kostov Spain, Bulgaria Medusa Deluxe Thomas Hardiman United Kingdom Mutt Vuk Lungulov-Klotz United States Passages Ira Sachs France Till the End of the Night Bis ans Ende der Nacht Christoph Hochhäusler Germany
Hecho en Jalisco The following list consists of the films eligible for the Hecho en Jalisco that are not listed in the previous competition tables. The films in contention for both the Made in Jalisco and other competition section appear with the symbol (HJ) next to it. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Over There... Allá, cartas al corazón Montserrat Larqué Mexico Net: Games of Life Redes: Juegos de la vida César Aréchiga Mexico Telephone Teléfono Jerzain Ortega Mexico A Territory Without Us Un territorio sin nosotrxs Pablo Márquez Cervantes Mexico He, Behind the Gun Él, detrás del arma Gabriel Esdras Mexico The Legacy of Fire El legado del fuego Eliseo Chirino Sandoval Mexico The Old Had and the Crow La vieja y el cuervo María Lucía Bayardo Dodge Mexico
Socio-Environmental Cinema Award The following list consists of the films eligible for the Socio-Environmental Cinema Award that are not listed in the previous competition tables. The films in contention for both the Socio-Environmental Cinema Award and other competition section appear with the symbol (SE) next to it. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) City on the Back Ciudad a la espalda Paola Rodas Ziadé Ecuador Deep Rising Matthieu Rytz United States We Are Guardians Chelsea Greene, Rob Grobman, Edivan Guajajara Brazil, United States
International Animation Feature Film Highlighted title indicates section's best film winner. English title Original title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Art College 1994 Liu Jian China Black Is Beltza II: Ainhoa Fermin Muguruza Spain, Argentina Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman Saules aveugles, femme endormie Pierre Földes France, Canada, Netherlands, Luxembourg Chicken for Linda! Linda veut du poulet! Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach France, Italy Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be Le Petit Nicolas: Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux? Amandine Fredon, Benjamin Massoubre France, Luxembourg No Dogs or Italians Allowed Interdit aux chiens et aux italiens Alain Ughetto France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Portugal A Kingdom for Us All Un reino para todos nosotros Miguel Angel Uriegas Mexico, Colombia
Rigo Mora Award Highlighted title indicates section's best film winner.