Guadalajara International Film Festival underway in Mexico

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The Guadalajara International Film Festival, one of Mexico’s most important film events, kicked off Thursday.

The festival, which runs until March 27, is expecting visits from such figures as Gael Garcia Bernal, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and actor and director John Malkovich, who was recently in Mexico overseeing the production here of the play “The Good Canary.”

Serbian director Emir Kusturica, who along with Garcia Bernal will be honored with one of the festival’s top prizes, is expected to unveil his documentary on Argentine football legend Diego Maradona.

Colombia is the guest of honor this year. Documentaries and both short and long film features by Colombian directors will be screened at the event.

The festival received more than 650 film entries seeking to compete for its coveted prizes.

A number of Mexican films will premiere during the festival, and the festival will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC).

Check in here for reporting from the Guadalajara International Film Festival on La Plaza. You can check out the festival’s YouTube channel here.

See a review of one of the films showing at the festival -- writer-director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s ‘Sin Nombre’ -- here in today’s Los Angeles Times.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City