10 Stand Outs at Mexico’s 20th Monterrey Film Festival, From Robie Flores’ ‘The in Between’ to Laetitia Dosch’s Palm Dog Winner ‘Dog on Trial’

From Sept. 25 to Oct. 2, the 20th edition of Mexico’s Monterrey Film Festival will screen nearly 100 films, culled from world-class festivals, including Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca and SXSW. The festival will stage Mexican, Latin American and world premieres of fiction and documentary features, many by first-time film directors. Below are 10 outstanding titles:

“The Blue Star,” Javier Macipe, Spain, Argentina (Mexican premiere)

An Ibero-American co-production between Fernando Bovaira’s Mod Producciones of Spain (“Biutiful”), Macipe’s El Pez Amarillo, Cimarrón (“Society of the Snow”) and Prisma, Argentina, the 90s-set film centers on Mauricio, a famous Spanish rock musician who decides to travel across Latin America in a bid to reconnect with his roots. He meets Don Carlos, an aging musician who’s struggling despite having composed some of his country’s most famous folk songs. Carlos, like a musical Master Miyagi, takes in the visitor, and together they form a quirky, Quixote-like duo destined for commercial failure. Film Factory Entertainment handles international sales.

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“Carnalismo,” José Luis Cano, Mexico (world premiere)

Documentary about the Low Biker community in Durango who forge a strong connection through their shared love of cumbia music and bicycles while challenging the everyday prejudices they encounter. Since 2019, Cano has been a programmer for the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival. He has developed a career as a music video director and as a producer of independent documentaries

“Dog on Trial,” Laetitia Dosch, France, Switzerland (Latin American premiere)

Winner of the Palm Dog at Cannes 2024 where it competed at the festival’s Un Certain Regard, the comedy centers on Avril, a young lawyer who goes to great lengths to save her client, a repeat-offender dog, from being euthanized. The dog helps Avril embrace the complexity of her own humanity. This is Swiss-French actress Dosch’s directorial debut. She has starred in Justine Triet’s “Age of Panic” and Léonor Serraille’s “Jeune Femme,” winner of the Caméra d’Or at Cannes 2017, among others. International sales: MK2 Films.

“Eat the Night,” Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel, France (Mexican premiere)

Pablo, a small-time dealer, and his teenage sister Apolline share a deep bond over their obsession with the online game Darknoon. When Pablo falls for the enigmatic Night, he neglects Apolline, leaving her to face the impending shutdown of their virtual world alone. As Pablo’s risky actions anger a rival gang, their digital and real lives spiral into chaos. World premiered at 2024 Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.

“Fragmentos de Olvido,” Rubén Villa, Mexico (world premiere)

Villa’s debut feature revolves around David, an avid and skilled therapist in memory manipulation who attempts to save his dying wife by implanting her memories into an unsuspecting patient. But his plan spirals into a dark, unforeseen nightmare. He has directed four fiction short films: “La Apuesta del Alma” (2017), “Musa Eterna” (2018), “El Edén de Lucía” (2019), and “La Receta del Sueño” (2019) and also directed a documentary short film, “La Melodía de la Victoria” (2019), and animated short film, “Akasha” (2020).

“Good One,” India Donaldson, U.S. (Mexican premiere)

In Donaldson’s debut film, 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias) joins her father and his friend on a three-day backpacking trip in the Catskills. As the two men bicker and revisit old grievances, Sam finds herself caught in the middle, trying to mediate. When tensions boil over and her trust is broken, Sam confronts her father’s emotional shortcomings and decides to shed her role as the “good one” in the family. Drama offers an exploration of the pivotal moment when a parent-child bond changes forever. World premiered at Sundance 2024.

”The In Between,” Dir. Robie Flores, U.S. (Latin American premiere)

Described as an intimate exploration that humanizes and celebrates the resilience of a thriving bi-cultural, bi-national community, Flores’ debut feature documentary follows her as she returns to her childhood hometown of Eagle Pass to recapture what it was like to grow up along the U.S.-Mexico border. Film is backed by Just Films, Chicken & Egg, Field of Vision, Firelight Media, and others. It had its world premiere at SXSW.

“Retaguardia,” Ramón Lluís Bande, Spain (world premiere)

Offering a peek at antifascist propaganda cinema that never was, but could have been, the documentary compiles a collection of unfilmed short films (Cine-Avances) from the Republican Asturias of 1937, made into a full-length feature. Drawing from the lessons of Soviet propaganda cinema of the 1920s and 1930s, documentary is supported by period materials and photographs, essays and drawings by leading pundits of the time.

 “Wild Diamond,” Agathe Riedinger, France (Latin American premiere)

Riedinger’s feature debut follows 19-year-old Liane who lives with her mother and sister in Fréjus in the south of France. Fixated on her aspirations for beauty and stardom, she auditions for a reality show called “Miracle Island.” As a writer, director, and photographer, Riedinger explores diverse narrative styles, blending excess and irony—often intentionally provocative or surreal—to challenge conventional world views. Her work frequently addresses themes close to her heart, such as emancipation and the female condition.

“Witches,” Elizabeth Sankey, U.K. (Mexican premiere)

In her follow-up to her 2019 documentary “Romantic Comedy,” British filmmaker Sankey, inspired by her own experience with post-partum depression, explores the portrayal of witches in cinema, examining how their depiction reflects views on women, motherhood and mental health, blending personal experiences with cultural critique. World premiered at Tribeca. Streaming on Mubi by 2025.