From afar it seems like Baghdad: car bombs, beheadings and corrupt politicians.
Up close, Mexico remains magical and picturesque in parts, feeling oddly safe even in the hardest-fought territories of the drug war.
The 8th annual International Film Festival opened Saturday in the drug-plagued state of Michoacan to its largest turnout ever, drawing the contrast that defines Mexico today.
Only blocks from the site where a 2008 grenade attack killed eight people, hundreds lined the red carpet to squeal at one of Hollywood’s leading men, Oscar-winning Spanish actor Javier Bardem. Unlike the Jonas Brothers in the drug-war-ravaged city of Monterrey, no one canceled – organizers say – for a festival that also features Hollywood blockbuster director Robert Rodriguez and Monty Python funnyman-turned-director Terry Gilliam.
“I’m waiting to see the bad side of Morelia,” Gilliam told reporters Sunday. “Since I’ve been in More lia, I’ve been blown away by the architecture. It’s such a beautiful place.”
Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, whose film “Biutiful” starring Bardem opened the festival, acknowledged to a full auditorium in cocktail attire that his homeland is seeing a difficult time.
He said on Sunday that violence in Mexico appears to be out control. But culture and education are very powerful weapons in the war against it.
“These are very powerful acts of resistance. I think the seed or the root of what we’re experiencing is a lack of education … the lack of opportunity for millions of Mexicans,” the director of “Babel” and “Amores Perros” said.
“So to talk about movies, the festival of Morelia and to support filmmakers and Mexican cinema as way to understand ourselves is a very important weapon … to have places where people can speak, think about the important things we have lost perspective on in the desperation we all confron t.”
The home state of President Felipe Calderon, Michoacan is the first place he sent troops after taking office and announcing a crackdown on organized crime. It’s a state largely controlled by the vicious yet devout La Familia (the Family) cartel, which made its debut by tossing heads onto a disco floor in 2006 in Uruapan, a city just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the state capital, Morelia.
Politicians are under attack, on the take or both as the Calderon government arrested 35 state public officials last year on charges of ties to La Familia, only to suffer the embarrassment of seeing a judge release all but one for lack of evidence. Michoacan’s sitting congressman, under indictment for aiding La Familia, sneaked into his swearing-in to gain immunity awarded to elected officials in Mexico.
Last week a radio station aired a recorded telephone call allegedly between the lawmaker and the leader of La Familia, Servando Gomez, known as “La Tuta.”
Mean while, people linger in Morelia’s sidewalk cafes and stroll the sandstone archways and cobblestone streets doused in temperature-perfect sunshine. The festival was heavily patrolled by soldiers in 2008 and 2009 after the grenade attack, but none are visible this year.
“Our life is normal,” said resident Salvador Diaz, 32, who took a spin with his motorcycle club Saturday afternoon before escorting his wife to the festival opening. “The people of Michoacan are very hardworking. No, our political and security situation are not adequate, but we’re moving forward.”
The festival has been a chance to show another face of Mexico and another family of Michoacan: Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, grandson of beloved, iron-fisted President Lazaro Cardenas, is vice president of the festival. He inaugurated the renovated Teatro Emperador Caltzontzin in nearby Patzcuaro on Friday night with a showing of the 1948 Mexican classic, “Maclovia,” starring Maria Felix in a story about the virtue s of the indigenous people of Michoacan.
Cardenas called it a special place because on the same date 72 years ago, his grandfather, who was president from 1936 to 1940, opened the theater for the first time.
His father, former presidential candidate and Mexico City Mayor Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, also attended the opening events.
“In some small towns, daily life is ruled by organized crime,” he said. “But that’s not the case in cities like Morelia. With cultural events like this, the atmosphere is calm and comfortable.”
The festival continues to climb the ladder of prestige as it seeks to sit beside Sundance, Toronto and Cannes with 270 entries this year and 500 invited guests, including about 100 foreignors – more than in the past.
Starting three years ago, its prizewinning short films have been eligible to compete for Oscars.
“I think with Telluride in the U.S., this is the best festival in the world,” said Hollywood producer Michael Fitzgera ld, who has been a juror and shown films at the festival, such as “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” starring Tommy Lee Jones.
He called Mexico’s drug violence “a parallel universe that none of us ever see.”
“I’ve had to convince people in the U.S. who have heard all this nonsense to come here,” Fitzgerald said, “and now they come every year.”
Hwang Dong-hyuk On Season 2 of “Squid Game,” Wrapping Production on Season 3; What’s Next?
Viewers may gasp, cringe or cry out watching characters die on Netflix's "Squid Game," but those simulated deaths have a different effect on its creator, writer and director. Instead, Hwang Dong-hyuk feels happiness seeing them go.
The show has a huge cast and Hwang says it was "really difficult" to manage everyone on set.
As characters would die, Hwang recalls saying to the actors on their last day, "'Oh no! How sad! I won't see you tomorrow,' but I was always smiling inside."
"Squid Game" season two premieres Thursday. It once again stars Lee Jung-jae and centers around a secret competition in South Korea that targets people in debt and the winner gets a big cash prize. What they don't know is that losing the game is deadly.
Hwang originally conceived of the show 15 years ago as a two-hour film but it failed to gain traction with financiers or even interested actors. He put it aside and worked on other films instead. He then had the idea to make it a TV series instead and took the project to Netflix. There, it could reach a wide audience.
"I never in my wildest dream thought it was going to be this huge," said Hwang, who spoke about the show and what comes next. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What have you learned from "Squid Game"?
HWANG: I learned that I shouldn't give up. If you love something and if you want to create something, it might not work now, but the time might come later. Or that idea could be the source of inspiration for something else.
Q: You've already finished filming season three of "Squid Game." Have you thought about what your next project will be?
HWANG: I'm afraid to talk... Read More