After studying AV Media in Mexico and receiving a Master’s Degree in Creative Documentary in Madrid, Spain, Mónica Álvarez Franco wrote and directed several short documentaries. Her short “Venus y Arturo” was featured at the Guanajuato International Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Mexico DOCSDF. A frequent organizer at fests like DOCSDF and Guanajuato, Álvarez Franco helped put together DocsForum, a formative space within DOCSDF. “The Cloud Forest” (“Bosque de Niebla”) is her first feature film.
“The Cloud Forest” will premiere at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival on March 12.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
MÁF: “The Cloud Forest” portrays the life of a community dedicated to defend and take care of one of the most scarce ecosystems in the world. Besides caring for the environment, this community proposes to break with the stablished system, trying to redesign its life, culture, education, and the way they interact in order to live a more simple and equal life.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
MÁF: While dealing with this world crisis we are all going through I gave birth to my daughter. This event made me question the world I was bringing her into, and that is the reason I approached “The Cloud Forest” and Las Cañadas community.
It was a personal search of the best way to raise my daughter, while learning from the people who fight for change, changes that break rules and show us an even more human side of humanity.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
MÁF: Nothing. Everyone lives an experience from a very personal context, and I believe that is the most interesting point of the film. Personally, I like to give each piece of art its place, regardless of the discipline — cinema, theater, plastic arts, etc. I like to invite myself to understand what the artist is proposing.
At the end of the day there is a great effort behind a piece of art that we, as an audience, sometimes take for granted.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
MÁF: My biggest challenge has been at the same time the most satisfying experience. I got to experience maternity at the same time I was working on this project. My daughter was part of the crew since she was three months old. Her relationship with the team and the characters turned into something very familiar. Neither of us will ever forget this experience, but personally it was a test to my temper.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
MÁF: I got lucky since it is my first feature. I had two producers with experience getting funds. Moreover, México supports the industry with public funds. In this sense and following the natural logic, we participated and won a fund directed at the development of projects.
After that we got another public fund for the production and finally we applied to 189 EFICINE 189, a unique fund in Latin America where companies can spend up to 10 percent of the previous year’s ISR [income tax] for film productions and it is tax free.
That is how we got our budget together. The producers’ work was key since applying for all this funding is a task itself and they know how to do it well.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at SXSW?
MÁF: It is very exciting. This is my first time at SXSW and I believe it is amazing that such a big festival has accepted a small film like “Cloud Forest.”
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
MÁF: I am the kind of person who listens, observes, and then takes care of my characters. The worst advice I got was regarding breaking this structure, and it actually made me go back to an uncomfortable situation with my characters. I truly believe that — in whatever creative process — you have to listen to yourself, trust your intuition.
The best advice I received while filming was, “Take it easy and enjoy it.”
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
MÁF: I think women have an unique way of making others feel. Let’s not fight against that and let’s make movies with our guts, skin, and heart so we can transmit what we are made of.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
MÁF: Chantal Ackerman suggests in each of her films an absence of plot, but at the same time her movies are full of intimate sequences giving you an extra-sensorial experience. I like how she waves between fiction and documentary; her work is natural and humble. That level of subtlety is gold to me.
W&H: There have been significant conversations over the last couple of years about increasing the amount of opportunities for women directors yet the numbers have not increased. Are you optimistic about the possibilities for change? Share any thoughts you might have on this topic.
MÁF: I live in an extremely machista [male chauvinist] country. Micro-machismo in México is everywhere, between men and women and in every social status — even the ones that are supposed to be more open, like cultural, artistic, and intellectual spaces. Apparently, some people are not bothered by it. On the other hand, for women it is a daily battle. We have to prove to the world — and to ourselves — every day that we can go further than the world expects us to go.
Although, I think this is the beginning of a new era, not only because women are empowered but also because we there is more synergy and empathy between us. I have a good feeling about what is coming and we have to keep moving forward.
