“Galerna,” a fiction feature from Mexico’s Tatiana Huezo, has snagged the top prize at Impulso Morelia, the pix-in-post industry section of the 10-day Morelia Film Festival, which wraps Oct. 25. The José Maria Riba Award, presented by Cinépolis Distribution and Profest 2026, bestows $14,740. (250,000 pesos) toward outstanding post-production needs and/or promotional activities.
Only her second fiction outing, following “Prayers for the Stolen,” Huezo first received critical acclaim for her documentaries, led by “Tempestad” and “The Tiniest Place,” both produced by Pimienta Films (“Roma”). “Galerna” recently won the coveted Egeda Platino Industria Award at the San Sebastian Festival where it participated in the festival’s WIP Latin America competition showcase.
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The road movie follows two casting directors into the remote reaches of Mexico, where their search for natural actors for a sci-fi film becomes an unsettling journey into their own fears, biases and preconceptions.
Following close behind with a Special Mention from the panel and a post-production award in kind from Caffeine was “Homeboys,” a documentary by Alonso Garibay and Alejandro Bernal which centers on Roberto Hernández, “Mr. Lucky,” who was deported to a country he barely knew and who later founded a shelter for those with similar experiences. “Homeboys” also took home the Eugenio Polgovsky award of $5,340.83 (100,000 pesos), created in memory of the beloved filmmaker.
“Tatiana’s ‘Galerna’ represents a new exciting direction for one of the best filmmakers working today, and I’m certain it will be a watershed moment in Mexico cinema when it is finally released to the public. I couldn’t be more thrilled than it is being recognized with the top prize. This year’s selection was fantastic, and I’m sure we’ll see these films succeed with audiences and critics,” said Piano’s Julio Chavezmontes, one of the jurors in the international panel.
“On a personal note, it was deeply moving to see the inaugural Eugenio Polgovsky award go to “Homeboys”. This is a film that shares Eugenio’s fearless humanism, and I have no doubt he would have championed it, if he was still with us today,” said Chavezmontes.
For fellow juror Mauricio Durán Ortega, president of National Film Industry Chamber, Canacine, “Impulso’s selection was outstanding, as always.”
“All the projects deserved support and having a film reach that stage is already a major achievement. The award makes a real difference in helping filmmakers complete their work. Since most projects are already in post-production, our recommendations focus on what can still be refined. This year, the decision was unanimous – ‘Galerna’ stood out so clearly that no further debate was needed.”
Post-production house Caffeine, selected “Galerna,” “All the Water in the World” and “Homeboys” to receive in-kind services valued at over $20,000 (387,000 pesos) in total.
For Caffeine CEO Adrian Geyer, all three “show the range of Mexican cinema right now.”
“Tatiana Huezo’s road movie takes us down paths that feel supernatural without ever becoming so, with images that tell so much they let us travel alongside the characters; Diego del Río and Diana Bracho’s ‘All the Water in the World’ dares to explore aging and family from a place Mexican cinema rarely goes, with an honesty that unsettles us because it confronts us, as viewers, with ourselves; and Alonso Garibay and Alejandro Bernal’s ‘Homeboys’ gives a voice, in their debut documentary, to people both countries have tried to forget.”
Fernanda Garduño of Estudios Splendor Omnia chose documentaries “Raká,” and “Katechon” as winners of its in-kind services at the studios’ facilities in Tepoztlán, Morelos, which are valid for two years.
“I chose Teresa Camou’s “Raká” for its sensitive direction, intimate storytelling and striking images. By letting its subjects speak for themselves without imposing judgments, the film offers a poetic view of alternative ways of life. Support for sound design will help bring its full potential to life.”
For Garduño, Javier Toscano’s “Katechon” stands out for its “compelling portrayal of hope as a disciplined way of life rather than a cliché. Despite some familiar documentary tropes, its exceptional archival footage and creative storytelling make it visually distinctive and deserving of the award to support its color grading and finalization.”
The 12th Impulso Morelia unspooled Oct. 18-20 during the festival. Below are the prizewinners.
INTERNATIONAL PANEL
Jurors: Cara Cusumano, Carlos Rodríguez Ríos, Julio Chavezmontes, Mauricio Durán and Sandrine Dumas
José Marià Riba Award
“Galerna,” Tatiana Huezo (Pimienta Films, Elastica Films)
Special Mention
“Homeboys,” Alonso Garibay and Alejandro Bernal (Norteña del Sur, Documotora)
AMBULANTE–EUGENIO POLGOVSKY AWARD
“Homeboys,” Alonso Garibay and Alejandro Bernal (Norteña del Sur, Documotora)
CHURUBUSCO AWARD, image and post services in kind split evenly between two projects
“Legit, Elisa Miller (Pimienta Films, UMI Films).
“All the Water in the World (“Toda el agua del mundo,”Diego del Río)
SPLENDOR OMNIA STUDIOS AWARD
“Raká,”Teresa Camou (Fontana Films, Oriente Cine)
“Katechon,”Javier Toscano (Didascalia Films)
CAFFEINE POST-PRODUCTION AWARDS
“Galerna,” Tatiana Huezo (Pimienta Films, Elastica Films)
“Toda el agua del mundo,”Diego del Río
“Homeboys,”Alonso Garibay and Alejandro Bernal (Norteña del Sur, Documotora)
LATAM CINEMA AWARD
“Galerna,” Tatiana Huezo (Pimienta Films, Elastica Films)
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