Chile’s ‘Red Hangar’ Sweeps 41st Guadalajara Film Festival

Chilean Juan Pablo Sallato’s black & white fiction feature debut “Red Hangar,” which chronicles long-suppressed details behind the military coup that ousted Chile’s President Salvador Allende, swept the Ibero-American strand of the 41st Guadalajara Film Festival (FICG), taking home every single category.

In the Best Performance category, “Red Hangar” lead Nicolás Zárate shared the prize with María Magdalena Sanizo in “The Condor Daughter.”

“Looking to the past is essential to building a better future—especially in times when fascism is resurging,” Zárate remarked at the closing ceremony held on Saturday, April 25.

The Premio Mezcal section, which recognizes Mexican films, was dominated by “Querida Fátima,” which snagged the best film, director and audience awards. The documentary delves into the unresolved and persistent cases of feminicide in Mexico, underscored by the mother of 12- year-old victim Fatima, Lorena Gutiérrez, who went to President Claudia Sheinbaum to plead her case. “Justice is built through listening,” she said. “For so long, no one listened to us—until now.”

Elena Vilardell, technical and executive secretary of Ibermedia, received an industry tribute in recognition of her tireless efforts to foster collaboration across Ibero-American countries.

“All the good things that have happened in my program over more than 28 years have happened in Guadalajara… The program was born here,” Vilardell declared.

Meanwhile, FICG Board President Guillermo Arturo Gómez presented “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky with an International Tribute. Aronofsky professed his deep affection for Mexico, calling it his favorite destination. Reflecting on the craft, he said: “Storytelling is humanity’s original technology. It’s what makes us human – and what makes us better. Being here is a reminder of how vital it is to keep creating.”

The evening was capped by the screening of Chilean Maite Alberdi’s Mexico-set “A Child of My Own,” her docu-fiction hybrid which follows Alejandra, a Mexican woman who feigns pregnancy for months, triggering a complex psychological and social crisis that escalates into a media scandal.

“When I first heard this story, I could hardly believe it,” Alberdi said. “Reality can be more astonishing than fiction,” said Alberdi.

The 41st Guadalajara Film Festival took place April 17-25.

FICG Industry Spreads the Largesse  

Industry centerpiece Guadalajara Construye, for pics in post, saw Argentine-Spain co-production “Poor Daniel” snag five awards, which all but guarantees its completion. The directorial debut feature of Argentine actor and playwright Santiago Gobernori who adapted his own stage play, it follows a couple whose life together is disrupted when the woman’s brother is released from a psychiatric clinic.

The 22nd Co-Production Meeting, which showcased projects in development from Latin America and Spain, doled out a number of generous awards in kind, with genre drama “The Whisperer” “(La Susurradora”) by Ale García and Carla Sierra, winning two of the biggest awards. “The Other Side” from Colombia’s Rhayuela Films, which staged the world premiere of the late Jaime Osorio’s “The Awakening” at the fest, also won two key prizes in kind.

Both proects are horror-themed, underscoring the heightened interest in genre films in Mexico and Latin America at large. Colombian-French co-production “Name and Surname” from Franco Lolli’s Evidencia Films, a producer on Cannes-selected “La Perra,” took home the biggest award from BDC Prods, valued at $350,000, that covers the project’s pre-production, production and post.

Iberfest Launches

Aiming to streamline and facilitate cooperation among themselves, 11 Iberoamerican film festivals that include Guadalajara, Chile’s Sanfic, Malaga, Lima, Rio, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Morelia, Havana and Bogota, launched Iberfest at FICG, which Bogota’s Andres Bayona says will optimize communication among the festivals, hopefully leading to the sharing of costs, equipment and material whenever possible.

“This breaks an urban myth that says festivals compete with each other. It’s true that we all want the best programming, but for some time now we’ve learned that collaboration and the meeting of shared intentions always allow us to go further in achieving our goals. Unity makes strength,” said Malaga’s Juan Antonio Vigar.

Chile Brings Out the Big Guns

Chile’s joyous presence as the Country of Honor at FICG meant panels, tributes, masterclasses and fiestas galore. Leading the contingent of nearly 100 delegates were filmmakers Pablo Larrain, Sebastian Lelio and Maite Alberdi, as well as the newly appointed Daniel Laguna, executive secretary of Chile’s Audiovisual Development Fund. Talks to revitalize Mexican-Chile co-production also took place. Among the festival highlights was a Masterclass featuring Fabula’s Pablo and Juan de Dios Larrain, moderated by Netflix’s Francisco Ramos, VP of Latin American Content.

“I Was Told: ‘Ballet Fans Don’t Like Horror and Horror Fans Don’t Like Ballet,’” Said Darren Aronofsky About “Black Swan”

Darren Aronofsky regaled a massive audience at his Masterclass with anecdotes – and some advice – about the struggles behind the making of his lauded pics “The Wrestler,” “The Whale” and “Black Swan,” among others. It took him 10 years to cast “The Whale” he said, finally plucking Brendan Fraser from relative inactivity to play the life-changing role that won him an Oscar. Despite his outsized success with “The Wrestler,” getting his next pic “Black Swan” funded was a huge challenge. “A film executive told me ‘Ballet fans don’t like horror and horror fans don’t like ballet.’” It went on to garner Natalie Portman an Oscar aside from four other nominations. He capped the hour-long session by directing one of the most exuberant images to come out of the festival, jumping alongside moderator Gonzalo Lira with the audience in the background.

Film Incentives in Mexico, Portugal, and Spain

A panel on film incentives in Spain, Mexico and Portugal brought together industry leaders to break down funding opportunities and co-production pathways. Speakers highlighted Portugal’s mix of national funds and rebates, Spain’s support across every stage of filmmaking – with a focus on emerging female directors—and Mexico’s new incentives program, offering up to a 30% tax credit to boost local production and attract global investment. Filma Jalisco’s cash rebate also stood out as a tool to draw foreign shoots. The takeaway was clear: these incentives aren’t just financial—they’re gateways to international collaboration, with co-production framed as a creative engine for telling culturally resonant stories across borders.

LATAM Screenings Unveiled

Addressing the ever-thorny issue of theatrical distribution in Latin America, a new regional theatrical release initiative for Latin American cinema, was unveiled at the fest. Spearheaded by producer and distributor Guillermo Blanco, the plan is to operate a coordinated release circuit across the region with four films rolling out consecutively, one per week, in each country, following a touring model across Latin America. According to Blanco, “the same four titles will move from one territory to the next, replicating their theatrical release in each market, with a standard two-week run per film.” Heist thriller by Mexico’s Pancho Rodríguez, “Abracadáver,” will kick off LATAM Screenings. The pic screened during the opening weekend of FICG, capped by a posthumous tribute to the director who passed last November 2025.

FICG 2026 Winners:

Mezcal Award

Best Mexican Feature Film: “Querida Fátima,” Lorena Gutiérrez, Su Kim, Jesús Quintana Vega, Rodrigo Reyes and Dawn ValadezBest Direction: “Querida Fátima,” Lorena Gutiérrez Rangel, Su Kim, Jesús Quintana Vega, Rodrigo Reyes and Dawn ValadezBest Cinematography: Diego Tenorio for “City of the Dead” (“Ciudad de muertos”)Best Performance: Oustin de León for “I Am Mario” (“Soy Mario”)

Audience Award: “Querida Fátima” by Lorena Gutiérrez Rangel, Su Kim, Jesús Quintana Vega, Rodrigo Reyes and Dawn Valadez

Youth Jury Award: “La misma sangre,” Ángel Ricardo Linares Colmenares

Ibero-American Fiction Feature FilmBest Ibero-American Fiction Film: “Red Hangar,” (“Hangar rojo”)

Special Mention: “Nunkui,” Verenice Benítez

Best Debut Feature: “Barrio triste,” Stillz

Best Cinematography:”Red Hangar”Best Direction: Juan Pablo Sallato for “Red Hangar”Best Screenplay: Luis Emilio Guzmán for “Red Hangar”

Best Performance: Ex aequo Nicolás Zárate for “Red Hangar” and María Magdalena Sanizo for “The Condor Daughter”

Ibero-American Documentary Feature FilmBest Ibero-American Documentary: “Scarlet Girls” (“Niñas escarlata”), Paula Cury

Special Mention: “Flowers for Antonio” (“Flores para Antonio”), Elena Molina and Isaki Lacuesta

Best Direction: “Scarlet Girls” (“Niñas escarlata”), Paula CuryBest Cinematography: “The Fabulous Time Machine” (“A fabulosa máquina do tempo”) Eliza Capai (Brazil)

Maguey AwardBest Film: “Feito pipa,” Allan EvertonHonorable Mention: “Our Body is a Star that Expands” (“Nuestro cuerpo es una estrella que se expande”) Semillites Hernández Velasco, Tania Hernández VelascoJury Maguey Award: “I Am Mario” (“Soy Mario”), Sharon Kleinberg Best Performance: Yuri Gomes and Teca Pereira for “Feito pipa”

International Animated Feature FilmBest Animated Feature: “Coração das trevas,” Rogério Nunes

Made in JaliscoBest Jaliscan Feature Film: “El círculo de los mentirosos,” Nancy Cruz OrozcoBest Jaliscan Short Film: “Mi lugar favorito,” Alejandro Hidrogo Arechiga, Luis Zamarroni, Mariana Salazar and Sergio Campestre 

Socio-Environmental Film AwardBest Socio-Environmental Film: “Black Water,” Natxo Leuza

Genre CinemaBest Film: “Alpha,” Julia Ducournau

Special Mentions: “Motherwitch,” Minos Papas; “Hablando con extraños,” Adrián García Bogliano

Ibero-American Short FilmBest Short Film: “Tres,” Juan Ignacio CeballosHonorable Mention: “Replikka,” Piratá Waurá and Heloisa Passos

Rigo Mora AwardBest Animated Short Film: “Una vez en un Cuerpo,”  María Cristina Pérez González

Honorable Mention: “El fantasma de la quinta,” James A. Castillo

FEISALBest Film: “Oca,” Karla Badillo

FIPRESCIBest Film: “Aquí se escucha el silencio,” Gabriela Pena and Picho García