Rosita Arenas and Demetrio Bilbatúa to Receive Golden Ariel Award

The Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC) will present the Golden Ariel, its highest honor, to veteran actress Rosita Arenas and documentarian Demetrio Bilbatúa. Arenas, born in Venezuela in 1933, and Bilbatúa, born in 1935, are both 91 and 92 years old, respectively.

Arenas is remembered for her role as the catalyst for conflict between Pedro Infante and Luis Aguilar in the 1950 film "¿Qué te ha dado esa mujer." She also starred in the cult classic "La momia azteca" and worked with other Mexican cinema icons like Infante and Germán Valdés "Tin Tán."

Bilbatúa's career spans over a thousand productions, documenting significant events in Mexican history, including presidential campaigns, the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and World Cups. His work also captured mystical indigenous traditions, such as the Carnival of San Juan Chamula and the Holy Week of the Coras. His images were once shown in cinemas before main features and used in advertising.

The AMACC has not yet announced the date and location for the ceremony, which traditionally recognizes the best of national cinema from the previous year. Past recipients of the Golden Ariel include Silvia Pinal, Ignacio López Tarso, and Arturo Ripstein.