Officially selected at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) for its world premiere.
Tekenchu: The Ritual of the Nahuales, the new Mexican horror film directed by Carlos Matienzo Serment and represented internationally by AltaTensión Films, has been selected in the official competition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR), one of the most prestigious and influential events in contemporary arthouse cinema. The film will celebrate its world premiere there, marking a milestone for national fantasy cinema.
Set in the thick forests of San Luis Potosí, the story follows Gabriel, a wounded outlaw who is rescued by two healers in a village dominated by fear. As a federal agent investigates brutal murders of children—all found missing teeth—an ancient force emerges from the darkness: Tekenchu, a half-man, half-beast entity that not only watches, but delivers justice. In these lands where the sacred and the wild intertwine, justice does not come from man: it comes from the forest.
The selection in Rotterdam confirms the festival’s interest in works that expand the limits of genre cinema and incorporate local mythologies, cultural identity and territory from a contemporary perspective. With an atmospheric, sensorial commitment deeply rooted in indigenous traditions, Tekenchu: The Ritual of the Nahuales is emerging as one of the most promising voices of renewed Mexican fantasy cinema.
Before its completion, the film had a notable run on important industry platforms: it was selected at Blood Window WIP in Uruguay, where it stood out among the projects in development, and was subsequently presented as a work in progress at the Marché du Film de Cannes, within the Blood Window Showcase 2025, held in collaboration with the Fantastic Pavilion, one of the most influential platforms of the genre internationally.
“It is a huge honor to present my debut film in Rotterdam. The film is born from a dialogue between Mexican mythology and universal fears. Finding a space in such an influential festival confirms that these stories have a global echo,” said Carlos Matienzo Serment, director of the film.
The film’s participation at IFFR will include its world premiere, two additional screenings and a special screening for the international press. All exhibitions will be attended by the director and part of the cast, who will offer question and answer sessions at the end of each performance.
About Tekenchu: The ritual of the nahuals
A folkloric horror story born from Nahual mythology, where nature does not forgive and ancestral spirits claim what belongs to them. Between psychological horror, rituals, nocturnal atmospheres and body transformations, the film is positioned as a key piece of new Mexican fantastic cinema.
