Ewan McGregor Has Fake Lightsaber Fight with Liam Neeson on Red Carpet, Gets Acting Award in Mexico

After four glorious days of soaking up the sun and marathon movie watching in Baja California, the 2015 Los Cabos International Film Festival wrapped on Saturday. Red carpets were walked, celebrities posed, flash bulbs went off, evening gowns glittered, and awards were bestowed at a ceremony at the majestic seaside amphitheater Pabellón Cultural.

The biggest cheers of the night came when Cyndi Lauper strutted down the press line, with her pink hair taking first place in red carpet fashions. Other celebrity appearances included Ianis Guerrero from Netflix’s Club de Cuervos and the highlight of every Star Wars nerd in attendance came when Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson posed for photos and pantomimed a lightsaber duel for the screaming paparazzi.

The festival’s director, Alonso Aguilar, took a moment at the top of the night to remember those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks in Paris by earnestly stating that “Todos somos Parisianos.”

The awards were given out swiftly, leaving no time for speeches, save for the big winner of the night, Julio Hernández Cordón. He took home two prizes for the Mexican film Te prometo anarquía and was given the chance to say thanks but politely deferred, commenting, “We’re just really sad because of what happened in Paris and Beirut.”

In the last honor of the night, while presenting the Protagonist Award for Excellence in Acting to Ewan McGregor, Rodrigo Garcia (director of Last Days in the Desert and son of Gabriel García Marquez) overflowed with praise for the Scottish actor. “He’s the kind of collaborator who lowers a director’s anxiety. He comes extremely prepared.” The biggest laughs came from Garcia’s assertion that “he’s also done a lot of full-frontal nudity over the years, for which we’re all very grateful.”

As McGregor accepted the statuette designed by acclaimed artist Gabriel Macotela, he shared that he had first met Rodrigo Garcia in Mexico and the connection he feels to the country. “My wife and I, and my kids have been coming to Mexico since 2008. Almost every year, we’ve been here. We’ve really fallen in love with Mexico. We love your country, we love your culture, we love your people.” He also spoke of Mexico’s talented exports, like cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. “The extraordinarily talented, creative people that this country produces in our industry is quite staggering.”

When the awards gala ended the focus shifted to the closing night film Steve Jobs. Then came the epic after-party complete with tiki torches and fireworks. Stay tuned here for more on the party and our trip to the Los Cabos Film Festival.

Without further adieu, here’s a list of the Latin Americans that won awards.