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The Morelia International Film Festival, Mexico’s premier film festival, is set to welcome the acclaimed Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay as its Jury President for the 23rd edition, running from October 10 to 19. Established in 2003 in the capital of Michoacán, this festival celebrates auteur cinema and has become a cornerstone of the Latin American film landscape.

Co-founded by Daniela Michel, Alejandro Ramírez Magaña, and Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel, Morelia is recognized as one of the most significant film festivals in Mexico. As Jury President, DuVernay will lead the panel that selects this year’s award-winning films. In her own words, she expressed, “To serve as Jury President of Morelia this year is a true privilege. I admire the power of Mexican cinema, shaped beautifully by Alejandro Ramírez Magaña and Daniela Michel. The essential place of this wonderful festival within the film world cannot be overstated. I’m eager to join my esteemed colleagues on the jury and to once again be embraced by Morelia’s warmth and wonder.”

While Morelia does not always appoint a single jury president for its various sections, previous festivals have seen notable figures in leading juror roles, including:

• Alexander Payne (2024)
• Rodrigo Prieto (2023)
• Paweł Pawlikowski (2022)
• Volker Schlöndorff (2021)
• John Bailey (2020)
• Lila Avilés (2019)
• Lynne Ramsay (2018)

Daniela Michel remarked, “The Morelia International Film Festival is honored to have Ava DuVernay — a filmmaker with boundless creative energy and a cutting-edge vision — preside over the festival jury. Mexican cinema will benefit greatly from her perspective. It will be an immense privilege to welcome her back to Morelia.”

This year’s festival will feature a diverse lineup of Mexican and international films, alongside special events celebrating cinema. The opening film will be Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Brazilian Oscar entry, The Secret Agent. Other highlights include:

• Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love”
• Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein”
• Bill Condon’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
• Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia”
• Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” (Korean Oscar submission)
• Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” (Norwegian Oscar entry)
• Mascha Schilinski’s “Sound of Falling” (German Oscar selection)

Confirmed guests at the festival include:

• Juliette Binoche (“In-I: In Motion”)
• Rodrigo García with the cast of Netflix’s “Las Locuras”
• Jafar Panahi (“It Was Just an Accident”)
• Lucrecia Martel (“Nuestra Terra”)
• Robin Campillo (“Enzo,” co-directed with Laurent Cantet)
• Oliver Laxe (“Sirat”)
• Alexandre O. Philippe, Tomás Corredor, Javier Espada, and Michael Almereyda

Ava DuVernay’s impressive filmography includes “Origin” (Neon), which she presented at last year’s festival, the Best Picture nominee “Selma”, and the BAFTA- and Emmy-winning documentary “13th” (Netflix). She also directed Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time” and won the Sundance directing award for “Middle of Nowhere”. Notably, DuVernay was the first African-American woman to direct a film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

In addition to her filmmaking achievements, DuVernay founded the narrative change studio ARRAY, which received the Peabody Institutional Award. She holds honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees from Yale University and Morehouse College, and in 2025, she was awarded the Great Americans Medal by the Smithsonian. DuVernay also serves on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, representing the directors branch, and holds advisory roles with both the Directors Guild of America and the American Film Institute.

The full lineup, including the Mexican films in competition, can be found on the festival’s official website.