Mexico’s Venice Queer Lion Contender ‘Tijuana, Todavía’ Trains a Spotlight on the Plight of a Gay Refugee Fleeing Persecution 

By Anna Marie de la Fuente

Anna Marie de la Fuente

Latest

• Mexico’s Venice Queer Lion Contender ‘Tijuana, Todavía’ Trains a Spotlight on the Plight of a Gay Refugee Fleeing Persecution  59 minutes ago
• Chilean Alfredo Castro-Led Dark Comedy ‘After Elena’ World Premieres at Toronto Film Fest, Bows Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) 3 days ago
• Martin Scorsese Mentee Celina Murga Preps Next Pic, ‘The Rehearsals’ 3 days ago

Nothing sharpens the mind like working within constraints. Made on a shoestring production grant of €200,000 ($234,000) and given three weeks to write a screenplay and outline a production schedule, ‘Tijuana, Todavía’ by Mexico’s Gabriel Gutiérrez Morales has been rewarded with a slot at the 83rd Venice Film Festival where it vies for the Queer Lion.

All in all, Gutiérrez Morales and his producer-lead Humberto Busto (“Amores Perros”) were given 10 months to develop, write, produce, shoot and complete the film by the Biennale College – Cinema, which backed it as part of its annual training program. “Not even the smallest films in Mexico are made with a budget that tiny but at the same time, all those restrictions made it a very joyful experience,” said Busto.

Related Stories

Jeff Bezos Tells William Shatner How His Childhood Love of 'Star Trek' Inspired Him to Go to Space With Blue Origin: 'All Those Things Are Linked' (EXCLUSIVE)