Speakers at the opening of the GMFF in Mexico City, November 7, 2024.
The opening event of the 2024 Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF), hosted by IOM Mexico, was held in Mexico City last week, attended by local representatives, private sector partners, and community members.
The feature film, A Million Miles Away highlighted the story of Jose Hernandez, who through determination from a young age as a Mexican American farm worker, fulfilled his dream to become a NASA Astronaut.
The film’s Director Alejandra Marquez Abella spoke on a panel on the impact of migrant talent contributing to the development of communities of destination and origin.
“It was very important for me to see one of the interviews Jose Hernandez gave from the ship. He said, ‘From space you can’t see borders’,” said Alejandra Marquez Abella. “That phrase inspired me to shoot the film.”
The GMFF in Mexico is supported by 25 entities: universities; government partners; private sector; and film, cultural and development organizations.
“Film plays an important role in USA for IOM’s mission. Through the stories presented at GMFF, we reach a diverse audience—ranging from the general public to key players in the private sector, as well as institutions and, of course, migrants themselves. These films allow us to see the reality migrants face on a daily basis, they’re challenges and resilience, not merely as numbers or data, but as individuals with their own stories—stories that could very well be our own,” said Luciano Arroio, Interim CEO of USA for IOM.
Multiple speakers highlighted the contributions of migrants to innovation, arts and sciences, successful companies, and work force dynamism.
“With this event begins the seventh edition of this festival in Mexico in which we want to bring you closer to extraordinary, inspiring and necessary stories to help us understand that those who migrate are not a threat, but that they make significant contributions to the communities that welcome them,” said Dana Graber Ladek, IOM Mexico Chief of Mission.
Dana Graber Ladek, Chief of Mission, IOM Mexico, and Luciano Arroio, Interim CEO, USA for IOM.
The GMFF in Mexico highlights films that share the unique contributions that migrants make to their host communities. Launched by IOM, the GMFF began in 2016 and has been held in more than 100 countries around the world. Films bring the stories of migrants to diverse audiences, with the aim to create space for respectful discussion and engagement.
A total of 25 film screenings on various migration experiences will be take place from November 7 to 28, across nine cities, including Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, Mexicali, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Villahermosa, Tapachula, to be hosted in in shelters, cultural and university spaces, AVES Community Centers and theaters. The functions are completely free.
As in 2023, a special function will again take place in El Paso, Texas, USA at the Rubin Center, located in the University of Texas (UTEP), United States on November 21.
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