By Adam Egan
CANNES, France (AP) --Gael Garcia Bernal is finding it's a lot more relaxing being at the Cannes Film Festival as a director than as an actor.
"As a director everything is done," says Garcia Bernal, whose film "Chicuarotes" is playing as an official selection but out of competition at Cannes.
"There's nothing else to do. So, I just, I don't know, let myself go. And I love the movie, I like it a lot. I like what we all did, all the collaborators did a wonderful job. And I'm proud of them and I'm happy," he said.
"Chicuarotes" follows two teenage friends in a town within Mexico City who turn to crime in an attempt to change their lives. The Mexican star says the lives of the characters are completely foreign to what he experienced growing up.
"What's so striking about the world they live in is they grew up in something that I am so far away from," he told The Associated Press in an interview this week. "I grew up in a very loving family and these kids (have) not. They don't have it. And I just can't understand how anyone grows up like that.
"It's like 'how do you do it?' I don't know there's something about wanting to know a person … (and) the consequences of this cycle of violence that they go through."
This is not the directorial debut for Garcia Bernal, but he is better known for his acting projects, including "The Motorcycle Diaries," "Bad Education" and "Mozart in the Jungle."
Garcia Bernal first considered making the film a decade ago but decided to put things on hold following the birth of his son.
"I had to get out from it a little bit. So, I've been revisiting it constantly and now I've ended up making it," he says.
The film stars Daniel Giménez Cacho and Dolores Heredia, along with Benny Emmanuel, Gabriel Carbajal and Leidi Gutiérrez.
Gael Garcia said the casting was among the more complicated aspects of getting the movie done, particularly casting Emmanuel as the main character Cagalera.
"We had to find him, or rather he had to find us — rather he had to discover us because that's more or less what ended up happening," he said.
He added: "We did workshops for two years with actors and yes, it was really nice. It was wonderful."
Art Directors Club of Europe sets finalists for ADCE Awards 2024
The Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) has announced the finalists for the 33rd ADCE Awards, highlighting top creative talent from 22 countries.
An international jury gathered in Barcelona on October 29 and 30 to evaluate the best work of this year in European design and advertising, ultimately selecting the 2024 finalists entries.
Winners of the Gold Awards, along with Special Awards and the Grand Prix, will be unveiled at the ADCE Awards Gala Ceremony on November 22 during the ADCE Festival, while Silver, Bronze, and Shortlisted entries will be published immediately following the Gala on the ADCE website.
A total of 370 entries across 22 European countries have been selected as finalists. Final distinctions will include Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners, as well as special recognitions like the following:
European Star – honoring projects that reflect core European values such as democracy, freedom, justice, and peace.
Genius Loci – celebrating work that captures the spirit of specific places within Europe’s cultural heritage.
Green Star – recognizing projects that advance the circular economy, sustainability, or environmental protection.
Equal Star – rewarding creativity that challenges discrimination and stereotypes, promoting inclusivity.
This year’s ADCE Awards continue to celebrate the creativity, innovation, and values that characterize Europe’s artistic landscape.
The leading countries contributing to this selection include Germany with 108 finalist entries, Spain with 48, Austria with 33, Portugal with 30, Italy with 23, Switzerland with 21 and the U.K. with 20.
The finalists for the ADCE Awards 2024 can be accessed