Tatiana Huezo’s “Galerna” Wins Top José María Riba Award

By Marcus Bennett

Tatiana Huezo’s “Galerna” won the $14,740 José María Riba Award at the 12th Impulso Morelia, held Oct. 18-20. The festival’s pix-in-post industry section honored the Mexican fiction feature during the 10-day Morelia Film Festival, which wraps Oct. 25.

Huezo’s road movie follows two casting directors into remote Mexico. They search for natural actors for a science-fiction film. Their journey becomes unsettling when they confront their fears, biases and preconceptions.

It is Huezo’s second fiction feature after “Prayers for the Stolen.” Her first critical acclaim came through documentaries “Tempestad” and “The Tiniest Place,” produced by Pimienta Films, which also worked on “Roma.” “Galerna” recently won the Egeda Platino Industria Award at the San Sebastian Festival’s WIP Latin America competition showcase.

What does this change for Mexican filmmakers?

Cinépolis Distribution and Profest 2026 presented the José María Riba Award. Its $14,740 (250,000 pesos) supports outstanding post-production needs and/or promotional activities. The award directs money toward work that remains after festival selection.

Post-production house Caffeine selected “Galerna,” “All the Water in the World” and “Homeboys” for in-kind services worth more than $20,000 (387,000 pesos) in total. “Galerna” separately received the Latam Cinema Award: a digital magazine advertisement, communications and press outreach consultancy valued at approximately $2,000.

Caffeine CEO Adrian Geyer said:

“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.”

Geyer said the three films “show the range of Mexican cinema right now.”

“Homeboys” follows Roberto Hernández, “Mr. Lucky,” after his deportation to a country he barely knew. He later founded a shelter for people with similar experiences. The documentary by Alonso Garibay and Alejandro Bernal earned a panel Special Mention and an in-kind post-production award from Caffeine. It also won the Ambulante–Eugenio Polgovsky Award, worth $5,340.83 (100,000 pesos), created in memory of filmmaker Eugenio Polgovsky.

“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,”

Piano’s Julio Chavezmontes, one of the international panel’s jurors, said.

“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,”

Chavezmontes also said.

Another juror, Mauricio Durán Ortega, president of the National Film Industry Chamber, Canacine, said: “Impulso’s selection was outstanding, as always.” He added:

“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.”

Fernanda Garduño of Estudios Splendor Omnia selected documentaries “Raká” and “Katechon” for in-kind services at the studios’ facilities in Tepoztlán, Morelos. The awards remain valid for two years. She said:

“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.”

Garduño said Javier Toscano’s “Katechon” stood out for its “compelling portrayal of hope as a disciplined way of life rather than a cliché.” She added: “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 international panel comprised Cara Cusumano, Carlos Rodríguez Ríos, Julio Chavezmontes, Mauricio Durán and Sandrine Dumas.

Prize list

Impulso Morelia’s results list records:

• José María Riba Award: “Galerna,” Tatiana Huezo (Pimienta Films, Elastica Films).
• International Panel 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 “Legit,” Elisa Miller (Pimienta Films, UMI Films), and “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); “All the Water in the World” (“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), with a digital magazine advertisement, communications and press outreach consultancy valued at approximately $2,000.

The practical change is access to finishing and promotional resources. The Riba prize can fund post-production or promotion. The service awards supply post-production, color grading, sound and studio access. The jury said that support can help filmmakers complete work and refine projects already in post-production.

The next test is release. The panel expects “Galerna” to reach viewers, while the other honorees gain concrete resources for completion, grading, sound and refinement.