The Guadalajara International Film Festival, through its industry programs, has announced the selection of projects for DocuLab: Documentary Lab, which will take place from April 20 to 22, 2026, during the 41st edition of the FICG.
Now in its 18th edition, this program serves as a hub for analysis and training in Ibero-American documentary film, bringing together leading figures from the world of non-fiction—including filmmakers, producers, editors, programmers, and post-production specialists—who contribute to the development of the selected projects.
THE SELECTED CANDIDATES ARE:
Mexican Bestiary | Mexico
Directed by Pablo Chavarría
Produced by Pía Quintana Enciso
*Bestiario Mexicano* is a musical journey through a multitude of real and imaginary animals, each captured using its own visual language: from minimalist strokes to archival footage, from myth to observation. Inspired by medieval bestiaries, the film transforms animal behavior into poetic reflection and cinematic form. A flow of intensities—rather than a narrative—in which each creature offers a different way of seeing and experiencing the world.
Boy | Brazil
Dir. Michel Carvalho
Produced by Fernando Sapeli
Lucas is a young Black man who works as an escort in downtown São Paulo. Embodied as the “negão,” his line of work is nothing more than a colonial fantasy. On the day he celebrates two years together with Sidney, a motorcycle deliveryman with whom he shares dreams and affection, Lucas needs to make money to prepare a romantic surprise for him. While looking for clients among the men hanging around Praça da República, he ends up meeting other Black escorts, and together they reflect on desire, the precarious nature of their work, and the (hyper)sexualization of men.
El Niño, La Niña, and the Gothic Orca | Chile, Argentina
Dir. Sidka S. Vera
Produced by Constanza Schmidt
Sidka, a young filmmaker and director, immerses herself in Buenos Aires’ underground gothic drag scene through her lens. By following the drag artist OrkGotik, she not only captures his journey from the underground to international fame, but also embarks on a journey of self-discovery that leads her to understand her identity as a trans man. Sidka sees herself reflected in every transformation, not only of OrkGotik, but also of Lest Skeleton and Morgana Autumn. Their stories intertwine and culminate in a catharsis that reveals their identities and desires.
The Last Journey | Mexico
Dir. Ludovic Bonleux
Produced by Mariana Marín
The Last Journey (working title) tells the story of Luis Olivares, a boy from the mountains who became a guerrilla fighter in an effort to end injustice in Guerrero. It is also the story of a friendship, a political assassination, and the legacy one hopes to leave behind after passing away.
The Impossible Files | Brazil
Produced and Directed by José Eduardo Lins
For decades, Jorge O Mourão lived in silence, surrounded by unpublished Super 8 reels, notebooks, and photographs. A filmmaker and poet who moved through the underworlds of Rio and New York in the 1970s, he financed his work by selling cocaine to artists who defined that era: Miles Davis, João Gilberto, John Lennon. In the final months of his life, he attempts to organize his “impossible archives”: a vault of memories preserved for half a century, containing intimate records of a generation and a life staged for the camera. He dies midway through filming, and the documentary becomes the revelation of a mystical outlaw who made memory his medium.
Dreams That Migrate | Mexico
Directed by Juan Javier Pérex
Produced by Daniela Contreras and Nicolas Defosse
A young Tsotsil man living undocumented in New York seeks to preserve his identity from his now-forced exile, while exploring the profound meaning of migration, the value of one’s roots, and the importance of community. Inspired by the tradition of direct cinema, the documentary takes us from New York to a Tsotsil Maya village, introducing us to various aspects of migration.
To request an interview, please email: