Is Mexican Cinema Booming?

A Mexican film is in consideration for an Academy Award, but let's talk about the state of Mexican cinema in general…

Mexican cinema has always been very hit or miss. You get something like Mirreyes contra Godínez, which is about Genaro, a 9-to-5 office worker who has to deal with the boss's obnoxious son who is expected to inherit his father's company, and then you get something like Ya No Estoy Aquí, the story of Ulysses, a young man from a low-income household who loves dancing Cumbia with his crew but is subjected to the hostile cartel takeover of his city Monterrey.

These are both sides of the same culture. For a long time, and to this day, projects like Ya No Estoy Aquí struggle to see the light of day, and this is despite this film being widely critically acclaimed and highly awarded.

It has long been a running gag between filmmakers in Mexico that if you want to receive funding for a movie in this country, you have to have an important last name, and you have to be pitching a silly rom-com. Nothing…