By now, you’ve hopefully read all about our adventures at the 2015 Guanajuato International Film Festival (GIFF). Even with two of us covering the humongous event, we probably didn’t experience close to half of what the festival had to offer. If you think GIFF is just movies and parties, you’re way wrong.

In addition to the more than 200 films projected in both San Miguel and Guanajuato, there were countless industry events, including: the Series Lab workshops dedicated to episodic projects; Epicentro, a showcase of virtual reality technology; Incubadora, an incubator for works in progress; MexiCannes, a Summer Residency program that brings Cinefondation-selected filmmakers to GIFF; and an International Pitching Market. That’s not even mentioning the 48-hour film contest, the Rally Universitario; the Women in Film tributes; panel discussions; concerts; and… you get the point.

While watching movies, attending panel discussions, and hobnobbing with indie directors and big celebs at parties that went into the wee hours of the morning, we decided to get a little more up close and personal. We stopped people whenever we could, asked them for a photo, and talked about their lives, loves, and work. From the chef Jose Pedro Hernandez Trejo, who runs a catering business with his abuela and was tasked with feeding all the festival guests in San Miguel; to the Press Department volunteer Sofia Guerrero, who dances salsa competitively; to the countless directors like Alonso Ruizpalacios (Gueros) and Flavio Florencio (Made in Bangkok) who told us they are constantly riddled with self-doubt every time they shoot a film – take a look at our gallery (above) to meet the Humans of GIFF.

Keep an eye out here for more in-depth coverage of the fest and to follow our adventures in Guanajuato.