Marcelo Tobar was the winner of the top prize in the Mexican feature film competition at the 15th edition of the Morelia Film Festival for his third feature film Polar Bear / Oso polar, while Luciana Kaplan was the winner of the award for Best Documentary for Rush Hour.
Shot with an iPhone, Polar Bear follows Heriberto who gives two old friends a ride to an elementary school reunion. Along the way—which is full of car malfunctions, stories, and booze—Heri tries to reconnect with them, but Flor and Trujillo start replicating the same abusive dynamics they inflicted on him when they were kids. Heri, no longer his old submissive self, will give them the surprise of their lives.
Rush Hour tells the parallel stories of three characters in three of the most complex and emblematic cities of the world: Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Istanbul. They share the fact that they spend almost half of their lives commuting to work. All three feel that they are losing something essential, something that will never come back. As their conflicts evolve, they will continually wonder: is it possible to live a different life?
Gabriel Mariño received the award for Best First or Second Feature for his sophomore production Yesterday Wonder / Ayer maravilla fui, while Natalia Beristain's Los adioses / The Eternal Feminine was the winner of the Audience Award. Artemio received a Special Mention while María José Glender's Back to the Origin / Regreso al origen received the Audience Award in the documentary section.
The 15th edition of the Morelia Film Festival took place October 20-29 in Mexico.
