Maria del Carmen de Lara's En El Pais De No Pasa Nada made a sweep of major awards at the 15th Mexican film showcase in Guadalajara (March 10-16), although it was Salvadar Aguirre's De Ida Y Vuelta that won the official jury prize for best picture.

En El Pais was awarded best actor and actress for Fernando Lujan and Julieta Egurrola respectively while the International Catholic Organization of Cinema bestowed its best picture award, Premio OCIC, on the drama.

The best director award went to Benjamin Caan for Cronica De Un Desayuno. Best short went to El Milagro by Ernesto Contreras while a special mention went to Rodrigo Pla's short, El Ojo En La Nuca. En Un Claroscura De La Luna by Sergio Olhovich won the audience award.

Under newly appointed festival director Guillermo Vaidovits, the Muestra de Cine de Guadalajara kicked off March 10 with A Proposito De Bunuel, a documentary on Spanish director Luis Bunuel directed by Javier Rioyo. The Muestra de Cine also hosted a retrospective of Bunuel's films which included Ensayo De Un Crimen, Gran Casino, La Ilusion Viaja En Tranvia, Nazarin, Los Olvidados, Simon Del Desierto, Subida Al Cielo, El Angel Exterminador, Tristiana and Viridiana.

Eight Mexican films competed for the grand prize this year, led by Alejandro Gamboa's sequel to his 1998 box office hit, The First Night (La Primera Noche). The aptly titled The Second Night (La Segunda Noche) was considered the front-runner in the best picture race but was snubbed. Other local films in competition were Laura Mana's Las Alas Del Corazon and Oscar Blancarte's Entre La Tarde Y La Noche. Carlos Diegues' Orfeu, Brazil's foreign film Oscar entry this year, closed the festival on March 16.