Mexican Films
A collection of fascinating titles, from recent films to restored jewels, that highlight the significance of Mexican cinema’s quality and status while encompassing different aspects of the country's culture and traditions.
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The Mexican Films collection includes the following titles:
100 Ways to Cross the Border
Documentary
United States, Mexico
An exploration of the 40-year career of performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña as he enacts interventions by “queering the border” — claiming all borders as queer and liminal spaces.
50 (Or Two Whales Meet at the Beach)
50 O dos ballenas se encuentran en la playa
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
Félix and Elisa, both 17, meet while playing the Blue Whale Game, fall in love, and decide to face the game’s final challenge together: Suicide.
A Place Called Music
Un lugar llamado música
Documentary
Mexico
The captivating musical encounter between American composer Philip Glass and Mexican Wixárika musician Daniel Medina.
A Rebellion for Love
Un amor en rebeldía
Documentary
Mexico
In the late 70's, Yan María Castro founded Mexico's first lesbian-feminist group. Despite discrimination, the group won its place in society.
Angel Face
Carita de Cielo
Fiction, Comedy, Romance, Musical
Mexico
A singular comedy of errors, this Mexican classic follows Lupe as she pretends to be a thief to infiltrate a criminal cell that is threatening her father.
Art21: Borderlands
Documentary
United States
Five acclaimed artists create ambitious public artworks, photographs, sculptures and performances during one of the most divisive moments in the history of the U.S. and Mexico border.
At the Gates of Hell, Ep. 02 - Women Without a Name - Mexico
Mujeres sin nombre - México
Documentary, Series
Spain
Between Jan 2012 and June 2016, 9,581 women were violently murdered in Mexico, but just 1,887 were categorized as femicides. An analysis of machismo and misogyny in Mexican culture.
Atempa, Dreams by the River
Atempa, sueños a la orilla del rio
Documentary
Mexico
Tino considers herself neither male nor female, but rather a “muxe,” a third gender that has been integrated into Zapotec culture.
Behind the Scenes: La Llorona
Documentary
Mexico
The story behind the filming of the iconic film: La Llorona (1933).
Black in Latin America, Ep. 04 - Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet
Documentary, Series
United States
In Mexico and Peru, Professor Gates explores the almost unknown history of slavory and the worlds of culture that their descendants have created.
Comala
Documentary, Drama
Mexico
Filmmaker Gian Cassini investigates several generations of men in his family caught up in violence, including his father, who was a hitman in Tijuana.
Cuernavaca
Fiction, Drama
Mexico
Andy's world changes when his mother has an accident. With no one to care for him, he is taken to Cuernavaca to his distant paternal grandmother.
Día de Los Muertos
Documentary, Musical
United States
Latino rock greats Los Lobos, the salsa-rap-reggae-funk Ozomatli, and the all-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache lead this musical celebration of Dia de los Muertos.
Encounter
Encuentro
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
A sudden event will draw an unexpected path between Arcelia, an elderly lady, and the young Julian.
Enlightened
Iluminados
Documentary
Mexico
Two people are closely related by unconventional forms of life and vision: Pedro Miranda, a young, blind visual artist; and Iris Palau, a clairvoyant.
Erasing The Border
Documentary
Mexico, United States
Mexican American artist Ana Teresa Fernández imagines a creative way to make the US-Mexico border wall disappear.
Estación catorce
Drama, Fiction, Adventure
Mexico, Uruguay
Over the course of just a few days, Luis discovers the world at the age of 7. Violence touches his environment and triggers the first encounter with death, the discovery of his father's fragility and the learning of masculinity in his vulnerable world.
Exiles
Exilios
Documentary
Spain, Mexico
Exiles reveals the lives of three artists who fled the Spanish Civil War to reinvent themselves in Mexico, making an impact on art and culture.
Gabo & Cinema
Gabo y el cine
Documentary
Mexico
A commendable and well documented contribution to the general study of Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez’s cultural production. In the voice of his friends and accomplices, the documentary takes us beyond his literary figure and immerses us in his cinematic one.
Guie'dani's Navel
El Ombligo de Guie'dani (XQUIPI' GUIE'DANI)
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
A striking contrast to Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, Guie’dani’s Navel is a unique coming-of-age narrative exploring the racism inflicted on indigenous people in Mexico and the empowerment of a new generation that refuses to accept it silently.
Here on Earth
Acá en la Tierra
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
Sam is a child who thinks of himself as an extraterrestrial being because he doesn’t fit ‘normal’ human parameters.
Hijab
Hiyab
Drama, Fiction
Spain
The director of an institute tries to persuade a new pupil to remove her hijab but the young woman resists.
Home Is Somewhere Else
Mi casa está en otra parte
Documentary, Animation
Mexico, United States
Recommended by Alejandro González Iñárritu, this multi-award-winning animated story offers an intimate window into the hearts and minds of immigrant Latin youth. A powerful reminder of how the color of your passport determines your life.
In Exile: A Family Film
Un exilio: película familiar
Documentary
Mexico
In Exile: A Family Film tells some of the personal accounts that are intertwined with the shared history of Spain and Mexico from the time of Spanish King Alfonso XIII (1874-1923) through the present.
Indigo
Añil
Documentary
El Salvador, Mexico
Three young actresses recreate testimonies of Salvadoran civil war sexual assault victims in a fable guided by the history of Indigo.
Infernal Dolls
Muñecos infernales
Fiction, Thriller, Science Fiction, Classic
Mexico
In this remastered Mexican classic, four men are cursed by a voodoo priest for stealing a sacred idol from his temple.
Inner Borderlines
Visions of America Through the Eyes of Alejandro Morales
Documentary
Spain
In a trip around Southern California, Alejandro Morales, a pioneer of Chicano culture, presents a unique vision of America, as he explores a variety of topics that concern the Chicano/Latino community.
Juan of the Witches
Juan de las Brujas
Documentary
Mexico, United States
An homage to 82-year-old Juan Medellín, a founding member of Mexico City's prestigious Ballet Folklórico de Amalia Hernández.
La Frontera: Season 1, Episode 1 - Miles from Nowhere
Documentary, Series
United States
Pati travels from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez to Big Bend National Park. She discovers the people, places, and food that make the culture and economy of the region distinct.
La Frontera: Season 1, Episode 2 - From Dos Laredos to Mars
Documentary, Series
United States
Pati travels from Laredo and Nuevo Laredo to Brownsville, Texas. She learns how tight family bonds are an underlying theme connecting everything in the Laredos, and throughout La Frontera.
La Frontera: Season 2, Episode 1 - Fronterizos of the Golden Coast
Documentary, Series
United States
Pati Jinich travels from San Diego and Tijuana to Mexicali. She meets the golden coast fronterizos to experience the melding of cultures, cross-border collaborations, and explosive growth.
La Frontera: Season 2, Episode 2 - Ancient Seeds & Desert Ghosts
Documentary, Series
United States
Pati Jinich travels along both sides of the Arizona-Sonora border through some of the most untouched places in North America.
La Frontera: Season 2, Episode 3 - Back to the Middle
Documentary, Series
United States
Pati Jinich travels from Nogales through the border region of New Mexico and Chihuahua, which offers some of the most unique and bio-diverse places in the world.
La Llorona
Fiction, Classic, Thriller, Drama
Mexico
A new restoration of Mexico's pioneering horror sound film, La Llorona is a romantic melodrama with expressionist and supernatural elements based on the chilling tale of the ‘wailing woman’.
Lake Los Angeles
Drama
United States
A middle-aged Cuban man and a ten-year-old Mexican girl bond over being away from home in the hopeless back-drop that is Lake Los Angeles.
Latin Wars
América armada
Documentary
Brazil
Threatened with death, three activist in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico fight against violence fueled by the State and the arms industry using information, awareness, and affection.
Latino Americans, Ep. 01 - Foreigners in Their Own Land
Documentary, Series
United States
Survey the period of 1565-1880, as the first Spanish explorers enter North America, the U.S. expands into the Southwest territories, and war strips Mexico of half its territories.
Looking for El Santo
Documentary
Mexico, Cuba
This intimate short documentary reveals the surreal story of Santo's debut in cinema, during the Cuban Revolution.
Los Lobos
Los lobos
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
An absorbing coming-of-age story about migrant life through the prism of its most innocent figures: children.
Love & Mathematics
Amor y matemáticas
Comedy, Drama, Romance, Fiction
Mexico
Having known fame and recognition, former boy band star Billy now lives a dull life until Monica encourages him to resume his artistic career.
Luchadoras
Documentary
Germany
Courageous female wrestlers of Ciudad Juárez - a city known for its high murder rate against women - fight to redefine the image of what it means to be a woman in Mexico.
Lucinda Urrusti. Painter
Lucinda Urrusti. Pintora
Documentary
Mexico, Spain
A portrait of Spanish painter Lucinda Urrusti, who was exiled to Mexico with her family in 1939 as refugees from the Spanish Civil War.
Manuela
Drama, Fiction
Argentina, Mexico
A Latin American nanny finds an unlikely connection with the defiant two year old she's hired to look after when faced with an impossible decision.
Motorcyclist’s Happiness Won't Fit Into His Suit
Al motociclista no le cabe la felicidad en el traje
Fiction, Drama, Experimental
Mexico
There he sits proudly on his beautiful motorbike, certain that he alone can explore the jungle. A playful re-enactment with reversed roles that takes aim at colonialism.
My Brother
Mi hermano
Documentary
Mexico, Spain
A touching experience for the film’s subjects and for its audience, My Brother follows a single woman, Gabriela, as she and her adoptive son, Alexey, decide to adopt a second boy, Mateo.
Nudo Mixteco
Nudo mixteco
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
A quietly powerful triptych of stories that speak about the impact of migration and the plight of indigenous women in a rural Mixtec village in Oaxaca.
Off the Road
Fuera del camino
Documentary, Musical
Mexico, United States
Each year, the slow-paced lifestyle on Mexico’s largest desert in Baja Peninsula is given a turbo boost by the Baja 1000, the largest off-road motorsport race in the world.
Oliver and the Pool
Oliverio y la piscina
Fiction, Drama, Comedy
Mexico
When something unexpected happens in his family, Oliver finds refuge in a poolside lounge chair and decides there's no reason to move. Ever.
One Taxi Ride
Documentary
Mexico, Singapore
One Taxi Ride is an observational documentary that tells the intimate story of a male rape survivor. Erick’s innermost thoughts, fears, struggles, and triumphs weave a dramatic tale of a man fighting for a future and a life worth living. His journey impacts the world around him in a way that he never saw coming.
Open Cage
Los bañistas
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
A teenager and her elderly neighbor are hit hard when the economy collapses. They will have to learn to relate to each other to survive the crisis and rediscover the meaning of life.
Panther Women
Las mujeres panteras
Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Classic
Mexico
Panther women are worshipers of Satan and perform rituals in their honor and sacrifice. The fighters will face them up and down the ring.
Paradise: A Mexican romantic comedy
Paraíso
Comedy, Fiction, Romance
Mexico
Everything is going fine for childhood sweethearts Carmen and Alfredo in their own tranquil suburban paradise, until Alfredo’s job promotion forces them to move to bustling Mexico City.
Perdida
Documentary
Mexico
After being told that her family had made some of the worst films in the history of Mexican cinema, Viviana García Besné unearths 100 years of cinematic legacy.
Poets of the Sky
Poetas del cielo
Documentary
Mexico, Brazil, France
In the sky, for just a few seconds, sounds and shapes of one of the strongest artforms: fireworks. After, it all vanishes but remains in our mind.
Red Shoes
Zapatos rojos
Drama, Fiction
Mexico, Italy
Tacho tends to his farm as life passes on. He receives news of his daughter’s death and travels to the city for her body, discovering a foreign world.
Santo vs. the Evil Brain
Santo contra Cerebro del Mal
Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure, Classic
Mexico, Cuba
In this cult classic from El Santo's saga, an undercover police officer is kidnapped by Dr. Campos who brainwashes him into becoming a member of his gang.
Santo vs. the Infernal Men
Santo contra Hombres Infernales
Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure, Classic
Mexico
El Santo helps an undercover agent take down a gang of drug smugglers in this new restauration of the Mexican cult classic.
Santo vs. the Riders of Terror
Santo contra los Jinetes del Terror
Fiction, Thriller, Adventure, Classic
Mexico
A new restoration of the cult classic film featuring El Santo. A group of violent lepers escape from a sanatorium unleashing the terror on the inhabitants who have no choice but to turn to El Santo to save them.
Shout at Me!
¿Me vas a gritar?
Documentary
Mexico
Society's violence against women are a heavy burden that Melissa must lift everyday. When she gets in the ring, she’s the one answering back.
Stronger than Love
Mas fuerte que el amor
Fiction, Drama, Romance
Mexico, Cuba
Newly restored, this Mexican clasic melodrama and social critique of class tensions follows a humble man's fight to be accepted by the upper class after making millions.
Take Me in Your Arms
Llévame en tus brazos
Fiction, Drama, Musical, Romance
Mexico
One of the most important melodramas of the decade where a fishing-village girl sacrifices her reputation to the local banker to protect her family. Newly restored!
Tesoros
Drama, Fiction, Comedy, Adventure
Mexico
Siblings Dylan and Andrea set off with their new friends on a marvelous journey of discovery in search of long lost pirate loot.
The Apizaco Shaman
El brujo de Apizaco
Documentary
Mexico
The stormy life of Mexican bullfighter Rodolfo Rodríguez González and his alter ego "THE PANA," who worked as a baker, gravedigger, and bundles loader before becoming a bullfighter.
The Empty Classroom
El aula vacía
Documentary, Fiction
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, El Salvador
To explore the dropout crisis in Latin America, creative director Gael García Bernal gathered 11 award-winning filmmakers who have created a captivating anthology of short films that delve into the underlying reasons, from poverty to societal traditions, why students aren’t graduating.
The Guardians
Documentary
Mexico, United States
An indigenous Mexican community and millions of monarch butterflies are under threat of extinction in the ancient forest they call home.
The Phantom of the Monastery
El fantasma del convento
Fiction, Drama, Classic, Thriller
Mexico
The sexual tension between a trio of friends is being punished by the super natural experiences at an abandoned convent.
The Socialist Dream: Lázaro Cárdenas and the Reconstruction of Post-revolutionary Mexico
El sueño socialista
Documentary
Mexico
In the violent times of a post-revolutionary Mexico, a complex and divided country, the ideas of a man paved the way towards social transformation. Radical, practical, and courageous, Lázaro Cárdenas and a socialist dream shaped the future of a Mexico in reconstruction with their political concepts.
The Wall: The Effect of its Imposing Presence on Migrant Families
Documentary
United States
A firsthand look at the reality of the Hispanic population in the United States and the current undocumented immigration crisis, touching on topics such as the U.S.-Mexico border wall, the effects of family separation at the border, deportation, and DACA.
The Year of the Radio
El año del radio
Animation, Fiction, Drama
Mexico
Mexico in the '90s. Seven-year-old Alex and his little siblings are left in the care of their senile Aunt Lola, while their mother works as a host on a radio station.
They Called Me King Tiger: A Biography of the Chicano Malcolm X
Me llamaban el Rey Tigre
Documentary
Mexico
A balanced view of Reies López Tijerina, who inspired Mexican-American college students of the late 1960s and early 1970s to start the Chicano Civil Rights Movement that stressed ethnic pride, ethnic studies, and opposition to police brutality.
Time Theorem
Teorema de tiempo
Documentary
Mexico
Years after the death of my grandmother Anita, I found thousands of photographs and hundreds of home movies. The images revealed their secret profession as amateur filmmakers.
Tupamaro: Urban Guerrillas
Tupamaro: guerrilas urbanas
Documentary
United States, Mexico, Venezuela
A raw look at the infamous leader of one of Venezuela’s ‘colectivos,' armed leftists who fight drug-traffickers, political opponents, and even each other.
Untouched
Sombra verde
Fiction, Drama, Romance, Adventure
Mexico
A romance set in the jungle around Veracruz, where a scientist searches for barbasco roots. Lost in the interior, he meets a machete-wielding stranger and his beautiful daughter.
Valentina or the Serenity
Valentina o la serenidad
Drama, Fiction
Mexico
Young Valentina uses all her might to believe that her father is still alive. This poignant tale of loss is uplifted by the joyous nature of love.
We Are Mari Pepa
Somos Mari Pepa
Comedy, Drama, Fiction, Musical, Classic
Mexico
Alex has big plans for his summer in Guadalajara. He'll get a girlfriend and a new job, learn a new song with his band, Mari Pepa, and win the ”battle of the bands” concert.
Yo
Drama, Fiction
Mexico, Canada, Switzerland, Dominican Republic
Based on the story by Nobel Prize winner Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Yo follows a young man with limited mental skills as he befriends an eleven-year-old girl who will change his life forever.