“We live in moments of devastation and division in the world”
The multi-award-winning Mexican directors Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro held an intimate conversation this Friday where they reflected on their personal and professional trajectory, as well as the current political and social reality and the path of the new generations.
“We are living a moment of devastation and division (in the world), they are constantly telling us how different we are, there is a very strong destruction of the unit,” said del Toro about one of his current fears about the course that has taken power globally.
During the virtual dialogue that Del Toro maintained with Cuarón in “Monsters and Silences: Narratives for a Turbulent Century”, the creators showed their concern for young people and the difficult conditions they face in life.
Despite this, the director of “Roma” (2018) stressed that it is a generation with the possibility of “thinking the unthinkable”.
“It is a generation that is very vibrant and with all the adversities it is experiencing, it is finding possibilities and from
there they can think the unthinkable, we are not going to think about it from the point of view of fear,” said Cuarón.
The conversation was woven from an account of their own lives, their professional careers, their successes and their defeats, as well as their new aspirations when it comes to making movies.
“What I’m looking for are two things, life and others,” Del Toro said about his current intentions, while Cuarón emphasized his interest in the symbolic set of films beyond the narrative and technical details.
During the dialogue led by Dr. Gabriel Vallejo, from the University of Guadalajara and Grupo Solidario Ubuntu AC, the filmmakers also highlighted important moments of their friendship.
Among them, the time that del Toro prompted
Cuarón to do “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” in 2004, or the trip they both made by car from France to Italy where they had conversations that resonated with their artistic endeavors.
“My friendship with Alejandro and with you (Cuarón) has been essential, it is a confirmation that at the end of life the only thing you have left are the compas (friends) and the pact between the three is always to say the net (truth), many times abruptly, “said del Toro.
In 2017 Del Toro won his first two Oscars in the most important categories for his work on “The Shape of water” (2017).
In addition, he has become one of the Mexican directors most loved by the public for his constant social work, his harsh criticism of injus
tices and governments, as well as for his interest in promoting culture in Mexico with the creation of scholarships and support. to young people seeking space in the film industry.
For his part, Cuarón has five Academy Award statuettes for two of his most memorable films, “Gravity” (2014) and the multi-award-winning “Roma” (2018), a film that, among other things, had repercussions on the Mexican laws to guarantee the rights of domestic workers and became an emblem against racism and classism in Mexico.
The talk between the two directors took place in the middle of the Postmodern Unconscious event and the proceeds will benefit Grupo Solidario Ubuntu AC and AMPAG.