During the 40th edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG), prominent members of the Mexican Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMACC) shared with the public their trajectory, methodology and creative processes, key elements in the realization of projects that have been nominated for and awarded the Ariel Award.
With the participation of filmmakers such as Samuel Kishi, Juan José Medina, Sofía Carrillo, Rita Basulto and León Fernández, this panel brought together ideas on the production processes in animation and live-action cinema, as well as the sources of inspiration that feed the creative vision of each filmmaker.
The conversation began with Juan José Medina, an animator and graduate of the University of Guadalajara (UDG), whose short film Tío ( 2021) won the Ariel for Best Animated Short Film. Medina stressed the importance of connecting with oneself and with one's own stories, beyond following international animation trends. For him, honesty is key to establishing a genuine bond with the audience. Currently, Medina works as creative director at Outik Animation and collaborates with Taller del Chucho.
From his experience in projects such as Los Aeronautas ( 2016), winner of the 2016 Ariel for Best Animated Short Film, and his participation in Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022), León Fernández shared key insights on how animation challenges the boundaries between the real and the imaginary. He agreed with Medina that honesty is fundamental in filmmaking: "You have a restlessness as an artist and you don't think about winning the Ariel," he said, emphasizing that the creative impulse is born out of an expressive need rather than the search for awards.
Animator Sofía Carrillo, renowned for her work in stop motion, took the floor to share her experience in the art of animation. With five Ariel nominations and two statuettes won for Prita Noire (2011) and Cerulia (2017), she spoke about the creative freedom offered by this format, which allows her to explore, experiment and create works that endure over time.
She also highlighted the emotional bond that animation has with childhood: "I feel like a child again, playing with little toys," she said with a laugh, emphasizing how her stories are deeply connected to the children's universe that continues to inhabit her imagination.
When talking about his writing process, Samuel Kishi, a graduate of Audiovisual Arts from the UDG and internationally recognized for films such as Los Lobos ( 2019) and Somos Mari Pepa (2013), began with a blunt phrase: "writing is rewriting". He shared that the script for Mari Pepa was born from a late-night conversation with his brother in which memories of his childhood surfaced. To his surprise, the short film won awards at both the Arieles and FICG. Later, she decided to develop the feature film, not with the intention of winning awards, but with the aim of "generating a profession" with her university classmates and building community through filmmaking.
Rita Basulto, visual artist and animator, has been recognized on multiple occasions with the Ariel for Best Animated Short Film for works such as Humo ( 2023), Zimbo (2015) and Lluvia en los Ojos ( 2012). During the panel, she defined herself as a "diverse and dispersed" artist. She shared that she does not feel tied to a single creative line, on the contrary, she enjoys experimenting freely guided by her sensibility and building her projects as if they were puzzles.
The panel closed with a round of questions and answers, in which the filmmakers offered valuable advice to young people interested in the creative process. Samuel Kishi emphasized that the secret to building endearing characters lies in the empathy and passion that the creator himself feels for his story. Juan José Medina stressed the importance of working with honesty, recalling that "we artists have a responsibility to ourselves first". In closing, Kishi emphasized the need to cultivate a "creative routine," noting that maintaining a healthy mind and body is fundamental to sustaining an authentic and lasting artistic process.