On November 6th, I had the honor of presenting the award for best documentary cinematography at the Apertura Awards, which were held at the El Cantoral Theater in Mexico City, representing IMAGO. But what is Apertura and why were we interested in supporting this initiative? Apertura is a collective whose work aims to promote the inclusion of women and the LGTBQIA+ community in the cinematography. Apertura has existed since 2018 and does not position itself as another society in the country, but, on the contrary, works in harmony with the Mexican Society, advising new applicants to prepare their candidacy before the AMC, to improve their chances of admission, also creating spaces for technical and artistic education and training.
The proposal of Apertura is a great idea, because exclusion does not occur the day a jury decides that your work is less good than others. Exclusion occurs when you cannot find a way to access projects with acceptable budgets and good technical teams, when you cannot reach the great directors or the great productions with recognized scriptwriters, whose powerful stories trigger the creative construction of beautiful images capable of moving those who see them. Exclusion occurs long before a project reaches the festivals or is exhibited and it is there where work must begin to correct exclusionary behavior and smooth out differences.
The Apertura awards were then, the cycle that closes a path of struggle against exclusion and in favor of diversity in Mexican cinematography. Just one more step in this interesting bet. In these awards, recognition was given to works photographed by men and women in the general category, and special awards were given to women in the Apertura category. This, which seems like a forced reward, is a great idea because it recognizes the excellence of works done under different conditions and that reveal small gems, where others have not wanted to go looking. Attending the Apertura awards was a great experience of discovery. I discovered that it is possible to work for inclusion without harsh confrontation, I discovered that there are many men willing to support women’s initiatives for equality and I discovered that Apertura is paving the way with its gentle but sure-footed approach, from which many of us should learn.
ADRIANA BERNAL, ADFC, Co-Vice President IMAGO
