The Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC) celebrated the 66th edition of the Ariel Awards, for the best of Mexican cinema, crowning the film “Totem” as the big winner of the night.
With 15 nominations, “Tótem,” which became the Academy’s representative to compete for an Oscar nomination in its 2024 edition, also took home the award for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, for Lila Avilés, as well as Best Supporting Actress for Montserrat Marañón, who shared the award with Ludwika Paleta for her role in “Todo el Silencio,” and Best New Actor for Naíma Sentíes.
Prior to the triumph of the film directed by Avilés, the AMACC celebrated the artistic career of art director Brigitte Broch, actress Angélica María and filmmaker Busi Cortés with the Golden Ariel, one of the most important awards of the Academy that recognizes contributions to the film industry.
In the main acting categories, actress Adriana Llabrés, star of “Todo el Silencio” was crowned Best Actress of 2023, while actor Noé Hernández, from “Kokoloko,” took home the award for Best Actor.
The Ariel Awards honor the best of Mexican cinema
“El Eco”, directed by Tatiana Huezo, one of the most promising creators in recent years, triumphed in the categories of Best Photography, for Ernesto Prado; Best Original Music for Leonardo Heiblum and Jacobo Lieberman, as well as Best Documentary.
Regarding “Hurricane Season,” based on the successful novel by writer and journalist Fernanda Melchor, it won in the categories of Best Makeup, for Alejandra Velarde; Best Editing, for Miguel Schverfinger and Paulina del Paso, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay for Elisa Miller and Daniela Gómez. Meanwhile, “Disappear Completely,” a horror film that pays tribute to the work of photojournalism in Mexico, won in the categories of Best Special Effects and Best Visual Effects.
“Heroic,” directed by David Zonana, based on a collection of stories about military life in Mexico, won the Ariel for Best Supporting Actor, for Fernando Cuautle; Best Art Design, for Ivonne Fuentes and Best Costume Design for Gabriela Fernández.
After winning a large number of awards, such as the Goya and the Platino Awards, among others, “La Sociedad de la Nieve”, directed by the Spanish director JA Bayona, took home the award for Best Ibero-American Film.
The Ariel Award for Best First Film went to Diego del Río with “Todo el Silencio”, which also won Best Sound thanks to Miguel Hernández, Mario Martínez Cobos and Liliana Villaseñor.
Finally, “Apnea” by Natalia Bermúdez won the award for Best Fiction Short Film; “Humo” by Rita Basulto won the award for Best Animation Short Film; and “Norte” by the same Bermúdez won the award for Best Documentary Short Film.