Mexican academy suspends 2023 Ariel awards due to ‘severe financial crisis’

The Mexican Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the body responsible for the preservation and development of cinema in the country, said on Thursday it was facing a “serious financial crisis” and would not host the 2023 Ariel- awards and the best film awards are not announced. of the country exposed. .

The Academy’s Coordinating Committee, led by Leticia Huijara, its president, said the panel had decided to suspend both the bidding and registration process for the Ariel Awards until further notice. The Commission also announced further budget cuts to restructure the central office.

“In the coming months, the Academy will refocus efforts to reorganize the work through its various committees, but most importantly to rebuild the organization’s finances,” reads the Academy’s statement.

The AMACC statement went on to criticize the Mexican government for shirking its responsibility to sustain the country’s cultural industries, particularly the country’s film community.

“Support from public funds has declined significantly in recent years,” the statement said.

“The state, which for a long time was the motor and supporter of the AMACC, shied away from its responsibility as the main promoter and distributor of culture in general and cinematography in particular. It seems that culture, along with the seventh art, is no longer a priority.”

The AMACC Ariel Awards are the most important awards of the Mexican film industry and have been presented annually since 1964. The most recent edition was moved from the traditional summer slot to October after two virtual pandemic editions. The tragedy Prayers for the stolen by Tatiana Huezo was awarded best film. The film will debut in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021. Huijara raised concerns about the academy’s finances early in the ceremony.

“Today the AMACC does not have the resources to function, we need to pause, explore alternative ways to proceed, we call on tight ranks to maintain the academy as it was, a dream come true by filmmakers considered good.” everyone portrayed as everyone’s home,” she said during her speech.

The AMACC is also responsible for selecting the Mexican entries for the Oscar race for Best International Feature Film and the Spanish Goya Awards. After news of AMACC’s financial problems broke, Mexican filmmaker and six-time Ariel Award winner Guillermo del Toro announced what he described as the “systematic destruction” of Mexico’s film industry.

In a tweet, he said: “The systematic destruction of Mexican cinema and its institutions – which took decades to build – was brutal. We got through Lopez Portillo’s six-year tenure, but it is unprecedented.”

Here del Toro is referring to José López Portillo, a deeply unpopular figure in Mexican history who, during his tenure as president, was responsible for one of the biggest financial turmoils in the country’s history.

AMACC concluded its statement by calling on all sectors to “close ranks around the institution” to help it “strengthen cohesion within the film industry and continue this and other spaces for free and independent reflection on what is Mexican.” to defend and strengthen films. “