The University’s film festival returns with enough movies to confuse even the most dedicated couch potato. From November 5 to 15, 2026, the FICUNAM will screen 158 titles across more than 250 showings, complete with retrospectives, meetings with directors, and academic side quests that may or may not involve popcorn.
This year the dates shifted for the first time, landing squarely in November like an unexpected plot twist. French actress and director Julie Delpy joins Japanese filmmakers Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, all receiving the Medalla Filmoteca UNAM while their work gets the spotlight treatment. A fresh section called Premieres gathers twelve new films presented by their creators; the opener is María Aparicio’s Argentine-Spanish production *A veces me entra tristeza, otras veces rebelión*. Mexican entries include Fernanda Tovar’s *Chicas tristes*, Joaquín del Paso’s *El jardín que soñamos*, and Nathalia Acevedo’s *Salón de belleza*. Artistic director Maximiliano Cruz promises the program captures what the industry is actually arguing about right now.
Outdoor screenings and a closing double bill of Buñuel shorts scored live by university musicians round out the menu. Venues cluster around university spaces in Mexico City, offering everything from experimental shorts to features that treat narrative like an optional accessory.
In short, the festival delivers eleven days of deliberate strangeness without forcing anyone to pretend they understood the ending.
