• Baja California ranks fourth among the states with the most reported film production, only behind Mexico City, Jalisco and the State of Mexico.

The organizing committee of the III Ensenada International Film Festival announced during a press conference, the launch of the call to submitte audiovisual projects that may be part of the selection of the third edition of this cinematographic event.

During the press conference held at the Marea Vista Hotel, Caleb Triana, director of the event, emphasized the relevance of this exhibition by projecting the best of local, national and international cinema. Triana mentioned that the idea of providing a space for emerging talents seeking to present their projects in Ensenada motivated the emergence of the Independent Film Series, opening the door to creators from all over Baja California.

"Currently, with the International Film Festival, we seek to establish a connection between independent filmmakers who are producing films with great narrative and technical quality, and who were often outside the vision of public institutions, both local and national," he added. Triana, also a film creator, announced that this edition will include the "Northwest Shorts" category, intended to highlight the talent of filmmakers from Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa and Chihuahua.

For his part, Félix Loera Romo, Director of the Independent Film Series, stressed the need for spaces to project local talents, and the Exhibition in Ensenada stands as the perfect setting to position the participating projects at the national level. Loera Romo highlighted that, given the evolution that Ensenada is having in this sector, it is time to have an important event for the film industry, so it is expected that this International Film Festival will have significant growth in the next three years. becoming a relevant international projection forum.

BC Occupies 4th place in film productions

Javier Espinoza Medina, Baja Film Commissioner, indicated that Baja California is positioning itself very well at national level, occupying fourth place among the states with the most reported film production, only behind Mexico City, Jalisco and the State of Mexico. “Baja California is an optimal destination for film production since it is distinguished by a wide variety of locations, as well as a wide portfolio of services and installed labor. Thanks to this, in 2023 we will close with 130 registered productions from student short films, debut films and other productions supported by the Federal Government or Focine and Eficine, in addition to many others from other latitudes,” he noted.

Due to the above, Espinoza Medina highlighted that initiatives such as the one headed by Caleb Triana become very important to nourish the cultural, economic and tourist portfolio of our state in relation to the exhibition of film projects.

During the event, Alberto Villaescusa, Film Critic and jury of the 2023 edition, shared his perspective on the Exhibition and praised the quantity and quality of the projects registered in previous editions.

He added that one of the main problems facing Mexican cinema is the distribution of productions, despite the fact that hundreds of films are generated every year; Few of them are shown to a mass audience or to an audience that might really be interested in seeing them, despite the fact that the Mexican audience is one of those that attends the most cinema in the world.

Finally, he extended an invitation to the people of Ensenada to come to the exhibition, learn about the selection of films and dare to be pleasantly surprised by experimenting with them.

Filmmakers are invited to register their productions

The call for short and feature films is open from February 5th at FilmFreeway until March 30, 2024. The selected works will be announced on August 14. Categories include: Baja Short, Northwest Shorts, National Feature Film and International Feature Film.

It should be noted that in the 2023 edition, a total of 447 productions were registered, of which 10 short films from Baja California were selected for the sample, 4 of them later formed part of Shorts México. In addition, 15 Mexican feature films and 10 international productions from various latitudes were exhibited.

Industry support was evident with post-production and distribution awards awarded by Jacalito Films and Benuca Films respectively. The event included an enriching dialogue with leaders of the BC HaceCine movement, addressing the current state of cinema in the region. The 2024 edition is committed to supporting Baja Californian cinema and extending its support to the cinema of northwest Mexico.

The 3rd. International Film Festival in Ensenada is emerging as an unmissable event for filmmakers and film lovers, consolidating its position as a key driver of the film industry in the region.