France, 20 Mexican states to be honored guests at 54th International Cervantino Festival

France and 20 Mexican states will be honored guests at the 54th International Cervantino Festival, scheduled to run from October 3 to 18. The event will feature a diverse lineup of artists, including the legendary Mike Patton, who will present his album "Mondo Cane" at the opening, the Salzburg Camerata, María Dueñas, and Tamara Cubas. The festival will also include performances by the Dabeull Live Band, known for their appearance at Coachella, and Grupo Niche. Tributes to Mexican music icons María Grever and José Alfredo Jiménez are planned, alongside the immersive augmented reality installation "Noire," which won an award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

The festival is adopting a new model, moving away from a single national guest to invite 20 federative entities. This change aims to broaden the national scope and ensure that more states can participate, addressing a desire for wider representation. "All the other states want to come, and you're not going to wait 23 years, 32 years to see if it's their turn," said Secretary of Culture Claudia Curiel de Icaza. "So, it seemed to us that this change of model was urgent, which also speaks to a broad national vocation." She added that this approach allows for the showcasing of the country's diversity, particularly for states that may not have the substantial investment required to be a sole invited state.

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All the other states want to come, and you're not going to wait 23 years, 32 years to see if it's their turn. So, it seemed to us that this change of model was urgent, which also speaks to a broad national vocation.

Participating states include Sinaloa, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Yucatán, and Mexico City, each presenting unique cultural offerings. The National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL) will showcase recent high-quality productions, such as Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" with the National Opera Company and Héctor Mendoza's "Misantropías" with the National Theater Company. Five new commissions will premiere from the National Coordination of Music and Opera. In total, 29 countries will participate in the international program.

Curiel explained that the festival's duration of 16 days was adjusted for tourism in Guanajuato, emphasizing that the expansion has "pertinence." The programming budget has significantly increased from 30 to 55 million pesos to facilitate the circulation of quality programming nationally and internationally, extending beyond a single epicenter. "We can't just have one epicenter or just Mexico City, but rather that programming of such quality expands both nationally and internationally," she stated. Overall support for artistic creation has seen a roughly 20% increase across nearly 300 calls for proposals, amounting to an additional 500 million pesos in funding.

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We can't just have one epicenter or just Mexico City, but rather that programming of such quality expands both nationally and internationally.