TRIBUTE TO A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN MEXICAN CINEMA
Luisa Huertas
Actress and teacher
A Mexican actress with a 57-year career. She graduated from the INBA School of Theater Arts and the UNAM University Theater Center (CUT). She has appeared in more than 75 plays, festivals, and international tours, as well as in more than 50 feature films and short films, and in TV series such as Capadocia, Diableros, and La casa de las flores.
She has 44 years of teaching experience. She has taught at CUT, Foro Contemporáneo, and NET, and served as the coordinator of the CasAzul de Argos Voice School from its founding until 2020. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of Voice Use (CEUVOZ), through which she conducts workshops in Mexico and abroad.
She has been recognized as Best Actress by INBAL and at various theater festivals. In film, she won the Ariel Award in 1989 for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Arturo Ripstein’s Mentiras piadosas . In 2025, she received the Ariel Award for Best Actress for No nos moverán, a role for which she also won awards at international festivals.
On September 14, 2024, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) awarded Luisa Josefina Hernández the Teaching Award.
She is a Principal Actress with the National Theater Company and a member of the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences. Among her honors are the Fine Arts Medal for Artistic Merit in Theater, her designation as a Living Cultural Heritage of Mexico City, the UNAM Bergman Chair Medal, and the Xavier Villaurrutia Medal from the National Theater Festival.
IBERO-AMERICAN TRIBUTE
Maite Alberdi
Director and Producer
Maite Alberdi is a Chilean director and producer who has been nominated for an Oscar®️ for her films *El Agente Topo* and La Memoria Infinita. She is a Goya Award winner for *La Memoria Infinita*. Most recently, she directed the Netflix feature film EThe Place of the Other, her first fiction film; it was also nominated for the Goya Awards.
His filmography also includes the documentaries *El Salvavidas*, La Once and Los Niños.
Maite has developed a distinctive style characterized by intimate portrayals of small worlds, and her renowned artistic vision has established her as one of the most important voices in Latin American documentary filmmaking. In 2023, she received the Visionaries Tribute Award at DOC NYC, the most prominent documentary film festival in the U.S., and in 2024, she received the Sundance Vanguard Award for Nonfiction.
His new documentary film *A Son of His Own*was filmed entirely in Mexico and premiered at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival.
IBERO-AMERICAN TRIBUTE
Pablo Larraín
Director, producer, and screenwriter
Pablo Larraín Matte (Santiago, Chile, 1976) is a Chilean director, producer, and screenwriter, as well as a co-founder of Fabula, an audiovisual production company with offices in Chile, Mexico, the United States, and Spain, dedicated to the development and production of content for film, television, and advertising, as well as international production services.
He made his film debut with Fuga (2006). He then directed *Tony Manero* (2008), which premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, and *Post Mortem* (2010), which was presented in the Official Competition at the Venice Film Festival. His international breakthrough came with *No* (2012), which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. He later directed *El Club* (2015), winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, *Neruda* (2016), and *Jackie* (2016), starring Natalie Portman and nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actress.
Later, he released *Spencer* (2021), which earned Kristen Stewart an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. In 2023, she starred in *The Count*, which won Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography. She also directed *María* (2024), a film about the life of soprano María Callas, starring Angelina Jolie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for the 2025 Oscar for Best Cinematography.
On television, he directed *Prófugos* (2010–2013), the first HBO series produced in Chile, and *Lisey’s Story* (2019), based on the novel by Stephen King and starring Julianne Moore.
As a producer, he has spearheaded films such as A Fantastic Woman (2017), directed by Sebastián Lelio and winner of the Oscar for Best International Feature Film; *Gloria Bell* (2018); the Sayen trilogy; and the documentary Infinite Memory (2023), a Sundance award winner and recipient of the Goya and Platino awards, as well as an Oscar nominee for Best Documentary.
It has also produced series such as La Jauría, Homemade, Señorita 89, 42 Days in the Dark, Baby Bandito, Midnight Family and El Dentista, in collaboration with platforms such as Prime Video, Universal, Netflix, Apple TV+, and ViX. At the same time, it has developed fictional audio series such as Creepy Hunters, Burn Your House Down, Batman Unearthed and Screens & Lies, recognized at the Ondas Globales Podcast Awards and the PRODU Awards.
In 2026, he will debut as a producer on the series The House of the Spirits for Prime Video, and is developing a miniseries for Netflix based on *Mis muertos tristes* by Mariana Enríquez. His career has been recognized with awards such as the Stella della Mole, the City of Huesca Carlos Saura Award (2023), and Best Director at the Cartagena International Film Festival (2025).
IBERO-AMERICAN TRIBUTE
Sebastián Lelio
Director and screenwriter
Sebastián Lelio is a Chilean director and screenwriter, and the Oscar winner for A Fantastic Woman. His filmography includes, among other titles: *Gloria*, *Disobedience*, The Wonder and the musical The Wave, which premiered at Cannes in 2025.
FICG INDUSTRY TRIBUTE
Elena Vilardell
Technical and Executive Secretary of the Ibermedia Program
She holds a bachelor's degree in Philology and Audiovisual Languages from the University of Valencia and a certificate in Film History and Aesthetics from the University of Valladolid.
She served as coordinator of the Film Club at the University of Valencia, and since 1991 has held various positions at the Film Archive of the Valencian Regional Government. She was a member of the Advisory Committee for the Cinema Jove Festival (Valencia) from 1992 to 1994.
Since 1998, she has served as Technical and Executive Secretary of the IBERMEDIA Program, a financial fund established by the Ibero-American Summits of Heads of State and Government to promote filmmaking.
INTERNATIONAL TRIBUTE
Darren Aronofsky
Director
Darren Aronofsky is an award-winning filmmaker who was born and raised in Brooklyn. Aronofsky founded Protozoa in Chinatown, New York. His credits include π, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Noah, Mother!, The Whale, the Sphere experience, Postcard from Earth , and, most recently, Caught Stealing.
As a producer, his credits include Jackie, The Fighter, The Good Nurse, Some Kind of Heaven, Viktor, Holding Liat, The Territory (winner of Peabody and Emmy Awards), National Geographic’s Limitless, starring Chris Hemsworth, Welcome to Earth, One Strange Rock, and Pole to Pole, starring Will Smith.
In 2023, Aronofsky founded Primordial Soup, a technology and storytelling company that is shaping the future of storytelling.
INTERNATIONAL TRIBUTE
Edgar Ramírez
Actor and producer
Edgar Ramírez can currently be seen in Emilia Pérez, the film that won the Jury Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and holds the record for the most nominations in the history of the Golden Globe Awards, with ten nominations at its 82nd edition, of which it won four, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Foreign Language Film. The musical film is directed by Jacques Audiard and also stars Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, and Karla Sofía Gascón.
More recently, Edgar Ramírez wrapped up his work as a producer and actor on the Netflix feature film It’s Still Night in Caracas, based on the New York Times best-selling novel, which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025.
Edgar has been nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award for his outstanding portrayal of Carlos the Jackal in Carlos, and he also received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his role as “Gianni Versace” in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
Edgar appears in the independent film Les Arenas, directed by Camille Perton. He will soon be seen in Next Life, by writer-director Drake Doremus, where he shares the screen with Emilia Clarke.
His other film credits include Disney’s Jungle Cruise, alongside Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt; Universal Pictures’ The 355, alongside Jessica Chastain and Lupita Nyong’o; and Yes Day, starring Jennifer Garner for Netflix, which became the platform’s number-one movie in 50 countries, reaching more than 53 million households in its first four weeks.
On television, Edgar can be seen in the second season of Peacock’s anthology series *Dr. Death*, alongside Mandy Moore. He also starred in HBO’s The Undoing —the network’s most-watched show in 2020—alongside Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, and Donald Sutherland.
MAGEY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TRIBUTE
Lola Dueñas
Actress
From a very young age, she knew she wanted to be an actress. She soon began training to launch her career in film and television.
Her professional film debut came in 1998, under the direction of Salvador García Ruiz, with the film Mensaka, for which she won the Best New Actress Award from the Actors' Union. Since then, she has appeared in more than thirty films in Spanish and French, including those directed by Almodóvar: Talk to Her, Broken Embraces,I’m So Excited!, and Volver, for which she and her co-stars won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival; Amenábar’s The Sea Inside and Yo, también (Dir. Álvaro Pastor / Antonio Naharro), for which received two Goya Awards for Best Performance; Alleluia, directed by Fabrice Du Welz; No sé decir adiós by Lino Escalera; Viaje al cuarto de una madreby Celia Rico; Sobre todo de noche, in which she stars in a film noir-tinged drama directed by Víctor Iriarte and also featuring Manuel Egozkue; and she is part of the stellar cast of the upcoming film by Los Javis (Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo), La Bola Negra, a story inspired by Federico García Lorca’s unfinished play of the same name.
On television, she is best known for her roles in the series *Instinto* for Movistar+ and *Veneno* for Atresplayer. She also stars in *La Mesías* by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, available on Movistar+. In this thriller, Lola plays “Montserrat Baró,” a devout mother who is convinced that God is communicating with her to entrust her with the mission of saving the world through her daughters.
MAGUEY DRAG ICON AWARD
C-Pher
Drag Artist
C-PHER is a Chilean drag artist, cosplayer, and costume designer based in Mexico.
She studied history and social sciences and holds a degree in costume design with a specialization in haute couture from Santiago, Chile; she further developed these skills while working as a costume designer in the opera and ballet departments of the Teatro Municipal de Chile.
Her connection to Mexico began in 2021 with her participation in the program La más draga in its fourth season, which she won in the episode "Solo la más" in 2024.
He has represented his country at international conventions and projects, expanding his work to countries such as Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, the United States, Japan, Spain, and France.
MAGUEY QUEER ICON AWARD
Valentina
Performing artist and singer
Valentina (Bell, California, 1991) is a performing artist, singer, and international personality of Mexican descent whose career has taken shape at the intersection of music, acting, fashion, and contemporary audiovisual culture. Recognized for her distinctive aesthetic identity and her deep connection to her Latin American roots, she has built a career marked by visual sophistication, interpretive charisma, and a constant exploration of femininity as an artistic language.
Her international reputation was cemented after her appearance on the television phenomenon RuPaul’s Drag Race, which led her to become a widely recognized figure worldwide. She later expanded her role in the franchise by hosting the spin-off RuPaul’s Drag Race México, where she brought her aesthetic sensibility, cultural familiarity, and experience in international entertainment, establishing herself as a key figure for the Latin American audience.
At the same time, she has built a career as an actress in television and film. She has appeared in productions such as the melodrama series *La Casa de las Flores*, created by Manolo Caro, where she explored a style of acting associated with contemporary melodrama. She has also taken part in film projects that expand her presence on screen, including musical films such as *In the Heights* and *La Usurpadora: The Musical* , as well as other collaborations in the audiovisual field that engage with diverse and contemporary narratives, including her special appearance on the television event Rent: Live starring as Angel.
In the music world, Valentina has established herself as a singer with the release of singles such as A Prueba de Todo, establishing a musical style aligned with her aesthetic identity and her interest in emotional and performative expression.
He has also played a significant role in audiovisual and film projects. In this context, his involvement with the film No translations required by Rafael Altamira is part of a line of collaboration that links her artistic work to contemporary narratives that engage with identity, language, and cultural representation. Her participation in this project reinforces her interest in film as a space for creative exploration and as a platform for amplifying diverse discourses.
Throughout her career, Valentina has established herself as an influential figure in international popular culture, standing out for her ability to move seamlessly between different media and disciplines—television, music, fashion, and film—as well as for her commitment to representing her Latin American roots on the global stage. Her career continues to expand, incorporating new forms of artistic expression and solidifying her place as a prominent voice in the contemporary scene.