The 21stGuadalajara International Film Festival handed out a record $525,000 in prizemoney on a glittering awards night.

TheGolden Mayahuel for the best Iberoamerican film - with a $50,000 purse -was shared jointly by Rodrigo Moreno's Argentinian/ Uruguayan/ French/ Germanco-production El Custodio and Brazilian Marcelo Gomes' AspirinasE Urubus (Movies, Aspirins and Vultures).

In theMexican competition, the Golden Mayahuel was claimed by Maryse Sistach and JoseBuil's La Nina En La Piedra.

Thebest Iberoamerican director award went to Isobel Coixet for La Vida SecretaDe Las Palabras, while the equivalent Mexicanaward was claimed by Javier Patron forFuera Del Cielo.

Amongthe biggest successes of the event was Mexican Juan Carlos Rulfo's In thePit. He added the $10,000 best Iberoamerican documentaryand the $47, 000 JVC Trophy to January's Sundance jury award.

Theevent this year attracted major stars from across Latin America.

Highlights included a four-day screenwriting workshop for film studentsrun by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Another was Spanish starMarisa Paredes who flew in to receive an honorary Mayahuel for her career.

TheCuban presence was also important, featuring a score of films and a delegationincluding such legendary film personalities as the Cuban Film Institute(ICAIC) founder Alfredo Guevara and Julio Garcia Espinosa, head of the San Antonio de los Banos film school.

Thesuccess of this year's festival seems to justify the decision by Raul PadillaLopez, founder, president and driving force of the event to turn lastyearthe former "Muestra de Cine Mexicano en Guadalajara" into a fully-fledgedInternational Film Festival with a special focus on the Iberoamerican filmindustry.

Amongthis year's most appreciated sections of the event were the 2ndIberoamericanCo-production Meeting, the 4th Iberoamerican Film Market plus such newstrands as the Visionary Distributors conference and the Digital Space workshopwhich Sanchez intends to develop along the Montreal Digimart model.

Aninternational blend of 34 producers, financiers and distributorsattended the sessions.

AlejandraPaulin in charge of the Film Market reported a substantial boost inactivities compared to last year. - 458 films from 27 countries wereregistered in the market representing a spectacular 60% increase over2005.

Mexicoentered 185 productions , followed by Spain (91 titles), Brazil (37) andArgentina (84).

Amongthe films that generated particular interest were Rulfo's In ThePit, Patron`sFuera Del Cielo and the Cuba/US co-produced documentary Kordavision,A Cuban Revelation by Hector Cruz Sandoval.

Otherhot titles were, Cuban veteran Humberto Solas' Barrio Cuba and the Colombian, Mexican, Brazilian, Spanish, French co-production RosarioTijeras by Emilio Maille.

Thefestival's new director, former producer Jorge Sanchez, received thumbs upfrom local and foreign guests for theboth the organisation and theprogramme.

Sanchezis, however, expected to partiallyreshuffle next year's festival is to be relocated in new premises at theUniversity Cultural Centre. The University of Guadalajara (UAG) is the founderand principal sponsor of the event.

Thefestival wrapped with the gala out of competition presentation of Edward JamesOlmos' Walkout.

IberoamericanCompetition

GoldenMayahuel (joint winners)

ElCustodio - director Rodrigo Moreno

AspirinasE Urubus (Movies, Aspirins and Vultures) -Marcelo Gomes

Bestfirst film

TheMost Beautiful Of My Very Best Years -Martin Boulocq

Bestdirector

IsabelCoixet - La Vida Secreta De LasPalabras

BestIberoamerican documentary

Inthe Pit - Juan Carlos Rulfo

JVCTrophy

Inthe Pit - Juan Carlos Rulfo

Mexicancompetition

GoldenMayahuel

LaNina En La Piedra - Maryse Sistach and Jose Buil

Bestdirector

JavierPatron - Fuera del cielo (Outside of Heaven)

Bestfirst film

MasQue A Nada En El Mundo (More Than Anything in the

World) - Andre Leon Backer andJavier Solar

OtherAwards

Tornasolaward

EighteenCigarettes And A Half ( 18 Cigarillos Y Medio) - MarceloAdrian

TolcesAsrilevich

Audienceaward

LaUltima Mirada (The Last Look) - Patricia Arriaga

FIPRESCIaward

ElCustodio - director Rodrigo Moreno