GIFF Selects Student Documentary Filmmakers

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The Minister of Tourism of the State of Guanajuato Fernando Olivera Rocha and the Executive Director of the Guanajuato International Film Festival Sarah Hoch announced the results of the 2014 Collegiate Documentary Contest “Identity and Belonging.” Six teams of university students were chosen as this year’s finalists.

The contest’s primary objective is to promote a sense of identity with and connection to Guanajuato—a region rich in tradition—among the younger generation. For the selection process, the contenders are asked to design a proposal for a documentary that paints a picture of their interests, concerns and expectations in terms of family life, the world around them and the day-to-day, which ultimately is a story on its own.

Each submitted documentary project is closely examined and the teams of those selected will go on to participate in GIFF’s educational program, consisting of workshops and training by industry experts in pre-production, filming, post-production and the marketing of their films, which will be screened during the 17^th edition of the Guanajuato International Film Festival.

“The turnout and level of quality were exceptionally good this year that we found it difficult to narrow down the selection to only six finalists,” states Sarah Hoch, GIFF’s Executive Director. “The festival’s contest is widely recognized for the students’ professional excellence, which allows them to go on to compete in other international festivals in countries like India, Spain, Portugal, England, the United States, Chile and Colombia. This year is unprecedented.”

To bring their projects to life, the teams will receive financial incentives and training by film-industry experts in various aspects of film production: plot development, structure, photography, audio production, film editing and post-production. Each team selected will have five months to produce a 10-minute documentary, which will premiere at the 2014 Guanajuato International Film Festival, held this year from July 25 to August 3 in the cities of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende.

Official Selections for the 5^th edition of the Collegiate Documentary Contest “Identity and Belonging”:

Baltasar, historia de una orquesta by Luis Alonso López Cardona

Valle de Santiago

Universidad de Guanajuato, Campus Irapuato-Salamanca

De Polonia a Santa Rosa by Alejandro Hurtado de León

León

Universidad de La Salle Bajío

El noveno horno by Emmanuel Vargas Diosdado and Erika Oregel Espinosa

San Miguel Octopan

Universidad de Celaya

Lienzos de la calle by Yaira Giovanna Cumberbatch Jordan

Celaya