The 15th Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) will have the privilege of counting on Béla Tarr, one of the most important filmmakers in the history of contemporary cinema, as president of the jury of the Mexican Feature Film Section. This is the second time that Béla Tarr attends FICM -–in 2011 the festival had the pleasure of receiving him as a special guest– and this time the extraordinary Hungarian director will be awarded the UNAM Film Archive Medal in Morelia.
Since 1987, the UNAM Film Archive recognizes personalities or institutions that contribute to enriching the film heritage of the world in all aspects, through history, activities, analysis and interventions in the world of cinematography. The medal is a symbolic and artistic work that is made of 99.9% pure silver extracted during the process of developing, restoring and rescuing films within the Film Archive’s labs.
Throughout FICM's history, the UNAM Film Archive has granted this recognition to figures like Abbas Kiarostami, Volker Schlöndorff, Terry Gilliam, Arthur Penn, Juliette Binoche and Willem Dafoe, among others. This year, on the fifteenth anniversary of the festival and the thirtieth anniversary of UNAM Film Archive Medal, it is an honor for both institutions to grant this award to Béla Tarr, whose long trajectory stands out for the power and originality of his films, as well as for his commitment to the education of the next generations of filmmakers.
