#3. LONG LIVE MEXICO! The Focus Section of the 9th edition of the Films by Women Madrid Festival will be dedicated to Mexican cinema, premiering six feature films by Mexican female filmmakers in Spain
A program comprising a total of 12 films, a round-table discussion, and a meeting with the director of the Guadalajara International Film Festival.
Each edition of the Films by Women Madrid Festival highlights a guest country to showcase its recent film output directed by women. To date, the Focus Section, organized through the invaluable collaboration of the guest countries' embassies, film institutes, and cultural centers in Spain, has featured the following nations: France (2025), Austria (2024), Germany (2023), the Netherlands (2022), China (2021), Poland (2020), Switzerland (2019), and Sweden (2018). Mexico is the guest country for 2026.
Why FOCUS MEXICO?
Mexican cinema is currently one of the most potent cultural hotbeds, a space for experimentation that has opened the door to a flourishing, committed, and honest cinema, presented in a manner that is at once raw and moving.
A film landscape distinguished by pioneers such as Dolores and Adriana Ehlers, Mimí Derba, and Matilde Landeta, and one that has continued to grow, offering us the chance to see key contemporary female directors, among many others, such as Ángeles Cruz, Issa López, Lila Avilés, Claudia Sainte-Luce, Natalia Beristain, Fernanda Valadez, Astrid Moreno, Alejandra Márquez Abella, Tatiana Huezo, Eva Aridjis, Michelle Garza Cervera, and Diana Cardozo, who won this festival's international competition in 2022.
Fortunately, thanks to the excellent work of Spanish distributors, this body of work is known and appreciated by Spanish audiences. In this diverse selection of films premiering in Spain and/or Madrid, we aim to pay tribute to established female directors while also showcasing new talent, specifically, the debut features of emerging filmmakers who are shaping the landscape of contemporary Mexican cinema: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Tovar, Indira Cato, Indra Villaseñor Amador, Kenya Márquez, Lucía Carreras, Lucía Gajá, Paloma López Carrillo, Sophia Stieglitz, Valentina Leduc, and Victoria Franco. Furthermore, we are fortunate to have some of these filmmakers attending the screenings and discussions of their feature films, alongside prominent experts who will join the conversation on Mexican cinema.
What is FOCUS MEXICO?
Mexican cinema's participation in this edition will feature a total of 12 recent feature films directed by prominent female directors, alongside various professional activities.
1. Focus México Section: this will take place from Wednesday, October 28, to Saturday, November 7, and comprises 6 recent feature films premiering at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (3 films) and the Cineteca Madrid (3 films).
2. Óperas Primas Section: this will take place from Thursday, October 29, to Saturday, November 7, and comprises 6 recent feature films to be screened at the Fundación Casa de México en España.
3. Presence of México at Espacio Fundación Telefónica:
- Wednesday, October 28th, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., we will host Estrella Araiza, director of the renowned Guadalajara International Film Festival, in conversation with Mariela Besuievsky, of the production company Tornasol, Vice President of the European Producers Club, and President of AECINE. During the session, both professionals will discuss their experiences in the film industry.
- Friday, November 6th, 2026 at 7:30 p.m., Indra Villaseñor will join the round table "How Did You Get Here? A Case Study of International Female Directors at the Festival," featuring four international directors attending the event. Participants will discuss their career paths, present their projects, and debate the impact of gender parity and equity practices within the international industry. The session will be conducted in Spanish, French, or English, with simultaneous translation and sign language interpretation provided.
This outstanding program is made possible by the essential collaboration of the Fundación Casa de México en España and the Centro de Estudios Mexicanos en España de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM-España). Thank you so much!
MEXICAN PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM OF THE 9TH FILMS BY WOMEN MADRID FESTIVAL:
- Focus México I Section - Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas
Wednesday, October 28th: 7.00 p.m.
Sad Girlz (Chicas tristes), by Fernanda Tovar (2026), a Spanish co-production that won two awards at the Berlinale and was selected for Tribeca, São Paulo, San Sebastián, and Cartagena festivals.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM, accompanied by Fernanda Tovar and Carlo D’ Ursi, spanish co-producer.
Friday, October 30th: 7.00 p.m.
Goodbye, love (Adiós, amor), by Indra Villaseñor Amador (2025), selected for Morelia festival.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM, accompanied by Indra Villaseñor.
Tuesday, November 3rd: 7.00 p.m.
Twelve Moons (Doce lunas), by Victoria Franco (2025), selected for Tribeca, Huelva, New Horizons and Guadalajara festivals.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
- Focus México ll Section - Cineteca Madrid
Wednesday, November 4th: 8.00 p.m.
Se busca, by Kenya Márquez (2026), selected for Guadalajara festival.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
Friday, November 6th: 7.00 p.m.
Vidas en la orilla, by Lucía Gajá (2026), awarded at Morelia festival.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
Saturday, November 7th: 6.30 p.m.
Posthumous (Póstumo), by Lucía Carreras (2025).
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
- Óperas Primas Section - Casa México
Thursday, October 29th: 7.00 p.m.
Llamarse Olimpia, by Indira Cato (2025). Documentary awarded at Morelia festival.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
Friday, October 30th: 7.00 p.m.
Mi vida dentro, by Lucía Gajá (2007).
Documentary awarded at Morelia, Bafici, Lima, DocumentaMadrid and selected for Tribeca and Zürich festivals.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
Saturday, October 31st: 7.00 p.m.
Los días más oscuros de nosotras, by Astrid Rondero (2017). Nominated to best ópera prima and actress at Premios Ariel.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
Thursday, November 5th: 7.00 p.m.
Say Goodbye, by Paloma López Carrillo (2025). Documentary selected at Dokufest.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
Friday, November 6th: 7.00 p.m.
Papá Melissa, by Sophia Stieglitz (2025). Documentary selected at Morelia festival.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
Saturday, November 7th: 7.00 p.m.
Los sueños que compartimos, by Valentina Leduc (2025). Documentary selected at Morelia festival.
Presented by representatives from the festival, Casa de México, and UNAM.
- Educational activities at Espacio Fundación Telefónica
Wednesday, October 28th: 7.30 p.m.
Estrella Araiza, director of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG), in conversation with Mariela Besuievsky.
Friday, November 6th: 7.30 p.m.
Indra Villaseñor at the round table "How Did You Get Here?": A case study of the international female film directors participating in the festival.
Nuestras invitadas:
Estrella Araiza:
Estrella Araiza currently serves as the General Director of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) and the Cineteca FICG, maintaining a professional focus on Mexican and Latin American cinema.
Her career includes experience as the FICG’s Director of Industry and Market, as well as roles as a sales agent, academic, and distributor within Mexico. She began her career in international distribution in 2005 and launched her own company, Vendo Cine, in 2012.
She has served on juries at international festivals and has collaborated with and participated in major international film markets.
During her tenure as Director of Industry, she implemented initiatives such as "Industria Incluyente" (Inclusive Industry), aimed at enabling people with disabilities to enjoy films on the big screen, and "El Principio del FILM," designed to connect writers, screenwriters, and publishing houses with the film industry.
Since 2018, she has spearheaded special projects for the FICG, such as the Guadalajara exhibition *Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters* (*En Casa con Mis Monstruos*).
Fernanda Tovar:
Fernanda Tovar (Mexico City, 1991) is a director, screenwriter, and member of the Colmena Collective. She graduated from the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC) and participated in Berlinale Talents Guadalajara and Berlinale Talents Latin America in 2020. Her short film *Mi edad, la tuya y la edad del mundo* was selected for the Cannes Critics' Week in 2022 and received a special mention at the Morelia International Film Festival. In 2024, her short film *Quiero estrellarme en seco contra el parabrisas del amor* premiered at the Tribeca Festival. *Chicas tristes*, her debut feature film, premiered at the 76th Berlinale, winning the Crystal Bear and the Grand Prix for Best Feature Film in the Generation 14plus section.
Indra Villaseñor:
She studied directing and screenwriting at UNAM’s National School of Cinematographic Arts. Her short films have won awards at various international film festivals; notably, *Pinky Promise* won the Best Short Film award at FICM 2020 and was screened at the Cannes Critics' Week. She directed *A Prisoner in the Family*—part of *The New York Times* documentary series *A Moment in Mexico*—which was nominated for a 2019 Emmy in the "New Approaches: Arts, Lifestyle and Culture" category and won the Short Form Series award at the International Documentary Association Awards. She is a recipient of the FONCA "Young Creators" grant in the Screenwriting category. She works as a screenwriter and/or director on television series for Amazon and Netflix. Her debut feature film, *Adiós, Amor*—winner of the 14th UNAM-FOPROCINE First Feature Film Competition—is about to begin its festival run.
