Mórbido Fest 2013: Award Winners And Closing Night Festivities

This year's awards went to four distinct visions from across the globe.

The coveted director's award, which is selected by the directors with films playing at the fest and who are in attendance, went to Richard Stanley for his documentary The Other World (L'autre Monde). A special mention went to Michael Bartlett for his ghost story The House Of Last Things.

The press award went to Eugenio Mira's Grand Piano, while the audience award went to Frankenstein's Army.

Elijah Wood and Nacho Vigalondo were also on hand to unveil the fest's commemorative poster.

The closing ceremony was preceded by... a wedding.

Though festival coordinator for special guests and Here Comes The Devil producer Andrea Quiroz had already married that film's director, Adrián García Bogliano, it wouldn't be truly official until festival director Pablo Guisa Koestinger lead a proper Mórbido ceremony.

As someone who became friends with the couple over the course of the week, I can say this was a rather amazing way to wind down/wind up the fest. Also (and you probably had to be there), German producer Tim Luna as an altar boy was hilarious.

FX Sculptor Bruce Spaulding Fuller presented his new 2014 design for the Mórbido awards statue.

My final night at the Teatro Emperador ended with me standing on the edge of the stage in a glowing Mórbido t-shirt along with all the other special guests at the fest -- a surreal and certainly most joyous moment to be sure. As the crowd cheered, waving their glow sticks and snapping photos, a 2001-esque beam of green light streamed across the darkened theater and I knew that I would miss this place, this time, and the people I had spent it with, like few other things in my life that had come before.

But there's always next year. And to be sure ScreenAnarchy and Mórbido are now closer than ever, so keep yer eyes peeled in 2014, both online and off, for even more.

A week ago I left L.A. for Mexico. I returned last evening. It feels like three months. I didn't know what to expect on this trip exactly. I was, at first, more than a little nervous, and also quite embarrassed by my lack of Spanish. I am only beginning to comprehend how I've grown and changed in the time since last Tuesday, but I know I've been on an incredible journey. Hopefully a shred of that has come through these fest reports, though I am too happy and tired to really know.

For making Mórbido 2013 an undoubted highlight of my year, I must thank a few folks: festival director Pablo Guisa Koestinger, a charming devil if there ever was one; the elegant executive producer Karyna Martinez Gonzalez; the effervescent programmer Abraham Castillo Flores; the calm n' cool Ricardo Farias Arauzo; all my new filmmaking friends... with the biggest round of applause going to guest coordinators Laura Rojas and Andrea Quiroz, plus the army of friendly volunteers. As it is with any festival those volunteers put in more blood and sweat than any of us press, which is to say you have the hard jobs, but make it look so, so easy and so much fun.