A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP: The International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Relation with the Mexican Independent Film Industry (1988 – 2022)

Filmmaking is probably one of the most expensive art forms ever created, presenting significant challenges for independent filmmakers throughout the entire process. This is particularly true for those from developing countries, who heavily rely on subsidies, grants, and film festivals platforms to bring their projects to life. Founded in 1972, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) aimed to promote “Triple A” cinema—art, avant-garde, and auteurs—driven mainly by the film taste of its first director and founder, Hubert Bals. Bals's conviction that the best films came from Latin America and Asia led to the creation of the first film fund supporting high-quality projects from developing countries, among other actions to promote cinema from developing countries. This research explores the dynamic relationship between IFFR and the Mexican independent film industry, examining how IFFR has supported the development of independent Mexican films since the foundation of the Hubert Bals Fund in 1988 up to the 2022 edition, utilizing the framework of the independent film value chain. Through quantitative data analysis and the experiences of filmmakers Maria Novaro and Amat Escalante, this study highlights the symbiotic relationship between IFFR and Mexican cinema within the film festival studies framework.