Cinema of Mexico

Mexico’s film history began in the late 1800s, under President Porfirio Díaz. After watching short films in 1896, he quickly saw their value and let filmmakers record his official activities—visits, parades, and ceremonies—as a way to project an image of progress and stability. Cinema became a fixture of public life, blending entertainment with political documentation.

When the Mexican Revolution erupted in 1910, both local and foreign silent filmmakers captured its leaders and key events. By 1915, Mexican cinema had shifted toward storytelling. The country’s Golden Age, from 1936 to 1956, saw it lead the Latin American film industry.

In 2019, Roma made history as the first Mexican film—and the fourth from Latin America—to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film; it also took the BAFTA for Best Film. A persistent legend holds that the Oscar statuette itself was modeled on actor and director Emilio “El Indio” Fernández. The story goes that in 1928, MGM art director Cedric Gibbons, an Academy member, needed a model for the trophy. His future wife, actress Dolores del Río, introduced him to Fernández, who reportedly had to be persuaded to pose nude for what became the iconic award.