Women in Film‏

Adriana Roel

The Women’s Film and Television Association is proud to pay homage to Adriana Roel, a prolific actress who has enriched the film and television industry with her brilliant performances. Held during the Guanajuato International Film Festival, this special tribute is our way of recognizing a woman who, for many years now, has demonstrated her passion and love for the acting profession.
Adriana Roel first studied acting at Bellas Artes in Mexico City. She worked under Seki Sano, and subsequently, received a grant to study in Paris, to work under Jacques Lecoq.
She has acted with illustrious theater directors, such as Dimitrio Sarras and Luis de Tavira and has performed in numerous plays, including “Los frutos caídos,” “Las criadas,” “Las tres hermanas” and “Ilusiones.” In all, she has collaborated in over 40 plays and worked for four of the five national theater companies in Mexico.
Although she has enjoyed great success in theater, she has spread her talents to other artistic arenas, namely film and television. She debuted in “Mi esposa me comprende,” directed by Julián Soler. Other memorable movies of hers include Roberto Gavaldón’s “Días de otoño” and Mauricio Walerstein’s “Fin de fiesta.” She was nominated for three Ariel Awards, winning in 1979 for her portrayal in “Anacrusa” by Ariel Zúñiga and in 2004, for her role in “No quiero dormir sola” by young director Natalia Beristain.
Her television debut was in “Espejo de sombras,” produced by Ernesto Alonso, which was followed by over 20 other different roles. She has also collaborated with a number of notable producers, including Rosy Ocampo, Emilio Larrosa, Valentín Pimstein and Pedro Torres.
For over five decades, Adriana Roel has magnificently brought to life her characters and their inevitable dilemmas. In view of her tremendous career and quality as an actress, the Women’s Film and Television Association is pleased to present the Musa Award to a woman who has made such an enormous contribution.

Lucrecia González Muñoz “Lucky”

Since its foundation, the Women’s Film and Television Association has presented the Musa Award to many distinguished women, such as Katy Jurado, Silvia Pinal, Ana Ofelia Murguía, María Elena Velasco and Adriana Barraza, to filmmakers Marcela Fernández Violante and Brigitte Broch, to screenwriters Paz Alicia García Diego and Fernanda Villeli, and to journalists, including Carmen Aristegui.
This year, the Musa Award will be given to three prominent women: actress Adriana Roel, film director Maryse Sistache and posthumously, to make-up artist Lucrecia González Muñoz, better known as “Lucky.”
Born in Chihuahua in 1931, Lucrecia González Muñoz worked as a make-up artist, actress and model. At a young age, she started modeling for Pepín, the first photo-novel, and for television. She continued on as an actress, playing roles next to the stars of Golden Age Cinema, like Tin-Tan, Pedro Armendáriz (Senior) and Jorge Negrete.
She moved into make-up, becoming one of the most recognized in the industry. She worked on over 150 films in Mexico and abroad, earning her the first Ariel Award from the Academy of Film Arts and Sciences (AMACC) for Best Make-Up in the 1993 film “Miroslava.” Subsequently, she was nominated three times for the same award for “Ángel de Fuego,” “En el aire” and “Juego limpio.” She worked on Mexican soap operas, like “Nada personal,” “Mirada de mujer,” “El amor de mi vida” and “Todo por amor.”
She was a member of the National Association of Interpreters, the National Association of Actors and the Workers Union of the Film Industry, and was an honorary member of the AMACC.
During her final years, she shared her experiences with students at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, through make-up and characterization courses. Lucky also created workshops for the Women’s Film and Television Association, which were held up until July, 2013.
On August 18, 2013, at the age of 82, Lucrecia González Muñoz departed this world. By virtue of her outstanding career and to the legacy that she has left behind, we would like to take this moment to remember our beloved Lucky.

Maryse Sistach

There is no better occasion than the Guanajuato International Film Festival to pay homage to Maryse Sistach. When it comes to discussing the evolution and progress that women have made in film and television, Maryse Sistach has one of the most extensive film careers and manifests a deep commitment to changing the way women are portrayed on the screen and to addressing the gender issues that women face today.
She has gone beyond the stereotypes and the conventional stories about women’s social issues, in order to explore women’s real experiences. And this is the way she has done it from the beginning. As a student at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, she made “Y si platicamos de Agosto,” which won the Ariel Award, marking the onset of a successful career.
She directed her first feature independently. “Conozco a las tres” is a story about rape, a topic she would explore again in future films. Next, was “Los pasos de Ana,” a film about a single mother who tries to survive in a job world that is hostile toward women. In 1991, she co-wrote and directed “Anoche soñé contigo,” which takes a new look at teenage sexual awakening.
In 1997, she collaborated on “El cometa,” a Spanish, French and Mexican co-production, which she co-wrote with José Buil and Consuelo Garrido. From 2000 to 2006, she developed a film trilogy that addresses the sexual violence that teenage girls in Mexico suffer: “Perfume de violetas (nadie te oye)” in 2000, “Manos libres (nadie te habla)” in 2004 and “La niña en la piedra (nadie te ve)” in 2006. Through these films, Maryse Sistach skillfully constructed her perspective on feminist issues.
Her most recent work, “Lluvia de Luna,” released in 2013, illustrates a fresh outlook, narrating how a mother’s desire can be so great that through some sort of spell, she can free her daughter from her state of limbo and allow her to roam the earth.
In light of Maryse Sistach’s vast and profound film career, the Women’s Film and Television Association would like to honor the woman who has not only contributed to the film industry, she has contributed to society.