Cinema Tropical, the leading presenter of Latin American cinema in the U.S., has compiled a list of the Top Ten Latin American Films of the Decade (2010-2019), based on a poll of 97 international film festival and cinemathèque programmers.

In total, 234 films representing 17 Latin American countries were nominated for the distinction of being Best of the Decade, demonstrating the high quality and diversity of films from the region.

Click here to see the list of 10 Best Latin American Films from the Aughts (2000 - 2009).

TOP TEN

 THE REST OF THE LIST

11. NEIGHBORING SOUNDS / O SOM AO REDOR by Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil, 2012

12. THE TINIEST PLACE / EL LUGAR MÁS PEQUEÑO by Tatiana Huezo, Mexico, 2011

13. EL CLUB / THE CLUB by Pablo Larraín, Chile, 2015

14. BIRDS OF PASSAGE / PÁJAROS DE VERANO by Ciro Guerra, Cristina Gallego, Colombia/Denmark/Mexico, 2018

15. A FANTASTIC WOMAN /UNA MUJER FANTÁSTICA by Sebastián Lelio, Chile/Germany/Spain/USA, 2017

16. NO by Pablo Larraín, Chile, 2012

17. IT ALL STARTED AT THE END / TODO COMENZÓ POR EL FIN by Luis Ospina, Colombia, 2015

18. EL AUGE DEL HUMANO / THE HUMAN SURGE by Teddy Williams, Argentina/Brazil/Portugal, 2016

19. IXCANUL by Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala, 2015

20. THE UNTAMED / LA REGIÓN SALVAJE by Amat Escalante, Mexico/Denmark/France/Germany, 2016

21. IN THE INTENSE NOW / NO INTENSO AGORA by João Salles, Brazil, 2017

NEON BULL / BOI NEON by Gabriel Mascaro, Brazil, 2015

22. GLORIA by Sebastián Lelio, Chile/Spain, 2013

23. GÜEROS by Alonso Ruizpalacios, Mexico, 2014

24. RELATOS SALVAJES / WILD TALES by Damián Szifron, Argentina/Spain, 2014

25. COCOTE by Nelson Carlo de los Santos, Dominican Republic/Brazil/Argentina, 2017

26. DEVIL'S FREEDOM / LA LIBERTAD DEL DIABLO by Everardo González, Mexico, 2017

27. THE HEIRESSES / LAS HEREDERAS by Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Germany/Brazil/Uruguay, 2018

28. VIOLA by Matías Piñeiro, Argentina, 2012

29. FROM AFAR / DESDE ALLÁ by Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela/Mexico, 2015 

30. BAD HAIR / PELO MALO by Mariana Rondón, Venezuela/Peru/Argentina/Germany, 2013

OUR TIME / NUESTRO TIEMPO by Carlos Reygadas, Mexico/France/Germany/Denmark, 2018

TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG / TARDE PARA MORIR JOVEN by Dominga Sotomayor, Chile/Brazil/Argentina/Netherlands, 2018

31.  GOOD MANNERS / AS BOAS MANEIRAS by Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, Brazil/France, 2017

32.  BACURAU by Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil/France, 2019

33.  HELI by Amat Escalante, Mexico, 2013

WHITE OUT, BLACK IN / BRANCO SAI, PRETO FICA by Adirley Queiroz, Brazil, 2014

34.  THE WANDERING SOAP OPERA / LA TELENOVELA ERRANTE by Raúl Ruiz, Chile, 1990/2017

35.  INVISIBLE LIFE / A VIDA INVISÍVEL DE EURÍDICE GUSMÃO by Karim Ainouz, Brazil/France, 2019

36.  LA CASA LOBO / THE WOLF HOUSE by Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León, Chile/Germany, 2018

37.  ELENA by Petra Costa, Brazil, 2012

38. KINGS OF NOWHERE / LOS REYES DEL PUEBLO QUE NO EXISTE by Betzabé García, Mexico

39. BARONESA by Juliana Antunes, Brazil, 2017

40. EL VELADOR by Natalia Almada, Mexico, 2011

41. MARIMBAS FROM HELL / LAS MARIMBAS DEL INFIERNO by Julio Hernández Cordón, Guatemala/Mexico/France, 2010

SONGS / AS CANÇÕES by Eduardo Coutinho, Brazil, 2011

VIEJO CALAVERA / DARK SKULL by Kiro Russo, Bolivia/Qatar, 2016

42. THE GOLDEN DREAM / LA JAULA DE ORO by Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico, 2013

SENTIMENTAL EDUCATION / EDUCAÇAO SENTIMENTAL by Julio Bressane, Brazil, 2013

43. LOS REYES by Bettina Perut and Iván Osnovikoff, Chile, 2018

MONOS by Alejandro Landes, Colombia/Argentina/Netherlands/Uruguay, 2019

TWO SHOTS FIRED / DOS DISPAROS by Martín Rejtman, Argentina/Chile, 2014

44. 7 CAJAS / 7 BOXES by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori, Paraguay

45. BEDUÍNO by Júlio Bressane, Brazil, 2016

DROUGHT / CUATES DE AUSTRALIA by Everardo Gonzalez, Mexico, 2011

EL ESTUDIANTE by Santiago Mitre, Argentina, 2011

I PROMISE YOU ANARCHY / TE PROMETO ANARQUÍA by Julio Hernandez Cordon, Mexico, 2015

MATAR A JESÚS / KILLING JESUS by Laura Mora, Colombia, 2017

O PROCESSO / THE TRIAL by Maria Augusta Ramos, Brazil/Netherlands/Germany, 2018

46. GREATEST HITS / LOS MEJORES TEMAS by Nicolás Pereda, Mexico, 2012

ULTIMAS CONVERSAS / LAST CONVERSATIONS by Eduardo Coutinho, Brazil, 2015

47. ETERNITY / WIÑAYPACHA by Óscar Catacora, Peru, 2017

P3ND3JO5 by Raul Perrone, Argentina, 2013

48. LA LLORONA by Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France, 2019

ONE OR TWO QUESTIONS / UNAS PREGUNTAS by Kristina Konrad, Uruguay/Germany, 2018

49. THE NOBODIES / LOS NADIE by Juan Sebastian Mesa, Colombia, 2016

THE OTHER DAY / EL OTRO DÍA by Ignacio Agüero, Chile, 2013

THE WIND KNOWS I’M COMING BACK HOME / EL VIENTO SABE QUE VUELVO A CASA by José Luis Torres Leiva, Chile, 2016

50. BEHAVIOR / CONDUCTA by Ernesto Daranas, Cuba, 2014

EVERYTHING ELSE / TODO LO DEMÁS by Natalia Almada, Mexico

51. EL BOTÓN DE NÁCAR / THE PEARL BUTTON by Patricio Guzmán, Chile/France/Spain, 2015

52. AMAZONA by Claire Weiskopf, Colombia, 2016

THE CHAMBERMAID / LA CAMARISTA by Lila Avilés, Mexico, 2018

LIFE IN COMMON / LA VIDA EN COMÚN by Ezequiel Yanco, Argentina, 2019

MARIGHELLA by Wagner Moura, Brazil, 2019

MISS BALA by Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico, 2011

THE PRINCESS OF FRANCE / LA PRINCESA DE FRANCIA by Matías Piñeiro, Argentina, 2014

VIOLETA SE FUE A LOS CIELOS / VIOLETA WENT TO HEAVEN by Andrés Wood, Chile, 2011

53. NERUDA by Pablo Larrain, Chile/ Argentina/France/Spain, 2016 

54. THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL / LA VENDEDORA DE FÓSFOROS by Alejo Moguillansky, Argentina, 2017

ROJO by Benjamín Naishtat, Argentina/Brazil/France/Netherlands, 2018

THURSDAY TILL SUNDAY / DE JUEVES A DOMINGO by Dominga Sotomayor, Chile, 2012

THE SALT OF THE EARTH by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Italy/France/Brazil, 2014

YOUNG & WILD / JOVEN Y ALOCADA by Marialy Rivas, Chile, 2012

55. EMA by Pablo Larraín, Chile, 2019

56. BLEAK STREET / LA CALLE DE LA AMARGURA by Arturo Ripstein, México, 2015

DOG MOLINA / EL PERRO MOLINA by José Celestino Campusano, Argentina, 2014

HELL / EL INFIERNO by Luis Estrada, Mexico, 2010

LOS PERROS by Marcela Said, Chile, 2017

MOSQUITA Y MARI by Aurora Guerrero, USA, 2012

MUSEO by Alonso Ruizpalacios, Mexico, 2018

THE NIGHT / LA NOCHE by Edgardo Castro, Argentina, 2016

ON FOOTBALL / O FUTEBOL by Sergio Oksman, Brazil/Spain, 2015

PAPIROSEN by Gaston Solnicki, Argentina, 2011

PORCELAIN HORSE / MEJOR NO HABLAR (DE CIERTAS COSAS) by Javier Andrade, Ecuador, 2012

SILENCE IN DREAMLAND / SILENCIO EN LA TIERRA DE LOS SUEÑOS by Tito Molina, Ecuador, 2013

WE ARE ALWAYS WALKING / SIEMPRE ANDAMOS CAMINANDO by Dinazar Urbina, Mexico, 2017

57. BAD INFLUENCE / MALA JUNTA by Claudia Huaiquimilla, Chile, 2016     

HISTORIA DEL MIEDO / HISTORY OF FEAR by Benjamin Naishtat, Argentina/Uruguay/Germany/France, 2014

LAS ACACIAS by Pablo Giorgelli, Argentina, 2011

MEMORY EXERCISES / EJERCICIOS DE MEMORIA by Paz Encina, Paraguay, 2016

NIGHT ACROSS THE STREET / LA NOCHE DE ENFRENTE by Raúl Ruiz, Chile/France. 2012

RETABLO by Álvaro Aparicio, Peru, 2018

RUSTLERS / CUATREROS by Albertina Carri, Argentina, 2016

58. CLANDESTINE CHILDHOOD / INFANCIA CLANDESTINA by Benjamín Avila, Argentina, 2011

THE CHOSEN ONES / LAS ELEGIDAS by David Pablos, Mexico/France, 2015

FOGO by Yulene Olaizola, Mexico, 2012

THE GOOD GIRLS / LAS NIÑAS BIEN by Alejandra Márquez Abella, Mexico, 2018

THE HYPERWOMEN / AS HIPER MULHERES by Carlos Fausto, Leonardo Sette, Takumã Kuikuro, Brazil, 2012         

ONCE THERE WAS BRASILIA / ERA UMA VEZ BRASÍLIA by Adirley Queirós, Brazil/Portugual, 2017

RARA by Pepa San Martín, Chile/Argentina, 2016

WANDERING GIRL / NIÑA ERRANTE by Rubén Mendoza, Colombia, 2018

WILD FLOWERS / FLORES SILVESTRES by Pablo Pérez Lombardini, Mexico, 2015

59. THE ANGEL / EL ANGEL by Luis Ortega, Argentina/Spain, 2018

CALLE LÓPEZ by Gerardo Barroso Alcala, Lisa Tillinger, Mexico, 2013

HORSES / CABALLOS by Fabián Suárez, Cuba, 2015

I’M MUCH BETTER THAN YOU / SOY MUCHO MEJOR QUE VOH by Che Sandoval, Chile, 2013

JESÚS by Fernando Guzzoni, Chile, 2016

LIGHT IN DARKNESS: THE RETURN OF RED LIGHT BANDIT / LUZ NAS TREVAS - A VOLTA DO BANDIDO DA LUZ VERMELHA by Helena Ignez and Icaro Martins, Brazil, 2010

THE MONEYCHANGER / ASÍ HABLÓ EL CAMBISTA by Federico Veiroj, Uruguay/Argentina, 2019

SAND DOLLARS / DÓLARES DE ARENA by Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán, Dominican Republic/Argentina/Mexico, 2014           

THEATRE OF WAR / TEATRO DE GUERRA by Lola Arias, Argentina/Spain, 2018

60. BONSÁI by Cristián Jiménez, Chile, 2011

HERMIA AND HELENA / HERMIA Y HELENA by Matías Piñeiro, Argentina/USA, 2016

THE MUSHROOMS / LOS HONGOS by Oscar Ruíz Navia, Colombia, 2014

THE NAKED ROOM / EL CUARTO DESNUDO by Nuria Ibáñez Castañeda, Mexico, 2013

THE PARROTT AND THE SWAN / EL LORO Y EL CISNE by Alejo Moguillansky, Argentina, 2013

PURGATORIO by Rodrigo Reyes, Mexico/USA, 2013 

61. AVERNO by Marcos Loayza, Bolivia/Uruguay, 2018

BOY AND THE WORLD / O MENINO E O MUNDO by Alê Abreu, Brazil, 2013

CÉSAR’S GRILL / EL GRILL DE CÉSAR by Darío Aguirre         , Ecuador, 2013

CORTA by Felipe Guerrero, Colombia/Argentina/France, 2012

THE DAUGHTERS OF FIRE / LAS HIJAS DEL FUEGO by Albertina Carri, Argentina, 2018

THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY / DEMOCRACIA EM VERTIGEM by Petra Costa, Brazil, 2019

THE GOLDEN BUG / EL ESCARABAJO DE ORO by Alejo Moguillansky and Fia-Stina Sandlund, Argentina, 2014

THE GROWN-UPS / LOS NIÑOS by Maite Alberdi, Chile/Netherlands/France, 2016

HARD LABOR / TRABALHAR CANSA by Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, Brazil, 2011

JONAS AND THE BACKYARD CIRCUS / JONAS E O CIRCO SEM LONA by Paula Gomes, Brazil, 2015

LA SOLEDAD by Jorge Thielen Armand, Venezuela/Canada/Italy, 2016

THE LAST CHRISTEROS / LOS ÚLTIMOS CRISTEROS by Matías Meyer, Mexico, 2011

MEMORIES OF A VAGABOND / MEMORIAS DEL CALAVERO by Rubén Mendoza, Colombia, 2014

MY OWN PRIVATE HELL / INFERNINHO by Guto Parente and Pedro Diógenes, Brazil, 2018

NOBODY’S WATCHING / NADIE NOS MIRA by Julia Solomonoff, Argentina, 2017

PRIVATE FICTION / FICCIONES PRIVADAS by Andres Di Tella, Argentina, 2019

RUA APERANA 52 by Júlio Bressane, Brazil, 2012       

SONG WITHOUT A NAME / CANCIÓN SIN NOMBRE by Melina Leon, Peru, 2019

SUMMER / VERANO by José Luis Torres Leiva, Chile, 2011  

WHITE ELEPHANT / EL ELEFANTE BLANCO by Pablo Trapero, Argentina, 2012

62. THE CLAN / EL CLAN by Pablo Trapero, Argentina, 2015

63. A JOURNEY TO THE FUMIGATED TOWNS / VIAJE A LOS PUEBLOS

FUMIGADOS by Fernando E. Solanas, Argentina, 2018

AFTER LUCÍA / DESPUÉS DE LUCÍA by Michel Franco, Mexico, 2012

THE APOSTATE / EL APÓSTATA by Federico Veiroj, Uruguay/Spain, 2015

BIXA TRAVESTI by Kiko Goifman, Claudia Priscilla, Brazil, 2018

BUENOS AIRES TO THE PACIFIC / BUENOS AIRES AL PACÍFICO by Mariano Donoso, Argentina, 2018

CASA ROSHELL by Camila José Donoso, Chile, 2016

THE DEATH OF THE MASTER / LA MUERTE DEL MAESTRO by José María Avilés, Ecuador/Argentina, 2018

FANGO by José Celestino Campusano, Argentina, 2012

FIRE ON THE MARMARA / FUEGO SOBRE EL MÁRMARA by David Segarra, Venezuela, 2011

JUAN OF THE DEAD / JUAN DE LOS MUERTOS by Alejandro Brugués, Cuba, 2011

THE LAST SUITE / EL ÚLTIMO TRAJE by Pablo Solarz, Argentina, 2017

LEMEBEL by Joanna Reposi, Chile, 2019          

LIGHTNING FALL BEHIND / ATRÁS HAY RELÁMPAGOS by Julio Hernández Cordón Costa Rica/Mexico, 2017

LONG WAY HOME / TEMPORADA by André Novais Oliveira, Brazil, 2018

LOVELING by Gustavo Pizzi, Brazil/Uruguay, 2017

NAVAJAZO by Ricardo Silva, Mexico, 2014

PASSION AND VIRTUE / PAIXÃO E VIRTUDE by Ricardo Miranda, Brazil, 2014

THE PRINCE / EL PRINCIPE by Sebastian Muñoz, Chile, 2019

THE PRIZE / EL PREMIO by Paula Markovitch, Mexico/Germany/France, 2011

SERGIO AND SERGEI / SERGIO & SERGUÉI by Ernesto Daranas, Cuba, 2017

SUMMER OF GOLIAT / VERANO DE GOLIAT by Nicolás Pereda, Mexico, 2010

TEMBLORES by Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France, 2019

WE ARE WHAT WE ARE / SOMOS LO QUE SOMOS by Jorge Michel Grau, Mexico, 2010       

64. LA CORDILLERA DE LOS SUEÑOS / THE CORDILLERA OF DREAMS by Patricio Guzmán, Chile, 2019

65. A FAMILY SUBMERGED / FAMILIA SUMERGIDA by María Alché, Argentina/Brazil/Germany/Norway, 2018

ALBA by Ana Cristina Barragán, Ecuador/Mexico/Greece, 2016

THE ANIMAL’S WIFE / LA MUJER DEL ANIMAL by Víctor Gaviria, Colombia, 2016

THE ENDLESS FILM / LA PELÍCULA INFINITA by Leandro Listorti, Argentina, 2018

THE LAST CANGACEIROS / LOS ÚLTIMOS CANGAÇEIROS by Wolney Oliveira, Brazil, 2011

THE LAST LAND / LA ÚLTIMA TIERRA by Pablo Lamar, Paraguay, 2016

MULTIPLE VISIONS (THE CRAZY MACHINE) / MIRADAS MÚLTIPLES (LA MÁQUINA LOCA) by Emilio Maillé, Mexico, 2013

ON THE ROOF / EL TECHO by Patricia Ramos, 2016, Cuba

ONCE UPON A TIME VERONICA / ERA UNA VEZ EU VERONICA by Marcelo Gomes, Brazil, 2012    

TEMPTED / LOS TENTADOS by Mariano Blanco, Argentina, 2013

THE SUMMER OF THE FLYING FISH / EL VERANO DE LOS PECES VOLADORES by Marcela Said, Chile 2013

WE ARE MARI PEPA / SOMOS MARI PEPA by Samuel Kishi, Mexico, 2013

WHITE ON WHITE / BLANCO EN BLANCO by Théo Court, Chile/Spain, 2019

THE WINTER / EL INVIERNO by Emiliano Torres, Argentina, 2016

WITH MY HEART IN YAMBO / CON MI CORAZÓN EN YAMBO by María Fernanda Restrepo, Ecuador, 2011

66. THE BLUE ROSE OF NOVALIS / A ROSA AZUL DE NOVALIS by Gustavo Vinagre, Brazil, 2019

THE DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN / EL CIUDADANO ILUSTRE by Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn, Argentina/Spain, 2016

THE FIRE / EL INCENDIO by Juan Schnitman, Argentina, 2015

THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME / LA CASA DEL FIN DEL TIEMPO by Alejandro Hidalgo, Venezuela, 2013

HOTEL NUEVA ISLA by Irene Gutiérrez, Cuba/Spain, 2014

JEAN GENTIL by Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas, Dominican Republic/Mexico/Haiti, 2010

MAGIC WORDS (TO BREAK A SPELL) / PALABRAS MÁGICAS PARA ROMPER UN ENCANTAMIENTO by Mercedes Moncada, Nicaragua/Guatemala/Mexico, 2012

MAURO by Hernán Roselli, Argentina, 2014

THE OFFENDED / LOS OFENDIDOS by Marcela Zamora, El Salvador/Mexico, 2016

RAINS / LLUVIAS by Gustavo Fontán, Argentina, 2017

THE SECOND MOTHER / QUE HORAS ELA VOLTA? by Ana Muylaert, Brazil, 2015

THIS IS THE WAY I LIKE IT II / COMO ME DA LA GANA 2 by Ignacio Agüero, Chile, 2016      

US WOMEN/THEM WOMEN / NOSOTRAS/ELLAS by Julia Pesce, Argentina, 2015

VIAJE by Paz Fábrega, Costa Rica, 2015

67. A DAY IN THE LIFE / UM DIA NA VIDA by Eduardo Coutinho, Brazil, 2010

THE AMAZING CATFISH / LOS FABULOSOS PECES GATO by Claudia Sainte-Luce, Mexico/France, 2013

ANTIGONA by Pedro González Rubio, Mexico, 2018

AZÚ by Luis Alberto Lamata, Venezuela, 2013 

BELMONTE by Federico Veiroj, Uruguay/Spain, 2018

CHRONICLE OF A COMMITTEE / CRÓNICA DE UN COMITÉ by Carolina Adriazola and José Luis Sepúlveda, Chile, 2014           

THE DESERT BRIDE / LA NOVIA DEL DESIERTO by Valeria Pivato and Cecilia Atán, Argentina/Chile, 2017

FAUSTO by Andrea Bussmann, Mexico/Canada 2018

FOUND MEMORIES / HISTÓRIAS QUE SÓ EXISTEM QUANDO LEMBRADAS by Júlia Murat, Brazil, 2011

HAULING / EFEITO RECICLAGEM by Sean Walsh, Brazil, 2010       

LA MALDAD by Joshua Gil, México, 2015

LAND AND SHADE / LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA by Cesar Acevedo, Colombia, 2015

LEAP YEAR / AÑO BISIESTO by Michael Rowe, Mexico, 2010

ME AND THE ALIEN / EL ALIEN Y YO by Jesús Magaña Vászquez, Mexico, 2016

PIROTECNIA by Carlos Federico Atehortúa Arteaga, Colombia, 2019

POST MORTEM by Pablo Larraín, Chile/Mexico/Germany, 2010

THE PROJECT OF THE CENTURY / LA OBRA DEL SIGLO by Carlos Machado, Cuba/Argentina/Germany/Switzerland, 2015

RETREAT / RETIRO by Daniela Alatorre, México, 2019

SANTA TERESA AND OTHER STORIES / SANTA TERESA Y OTRAS HISTORIAS by Nelson Carlo de los Santos, Mexico, 2015

SEÑORITAS by Lina Rodríguez, Colombia/Canada, 2013

SO LONG ENTHUSIASM / ADIÓS ENTUSIASMO by Vladimir Durán, Colombia/Argentina, 2017

SO MUCH WATER / TANTA AGUA by Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay/Mexico/Netherlands/Germany, 2013

THE SUN AGAINST MY EYES / O SOL NOS MEUS OLHOS by Flora dias, Brazil, 2013

VIRUS TROPICAL by Santiago Caicedo, Colombia, 2017

WHILE WE ARE HERE / ENQUANTO ESTAMOS AQUI by Clarissa Campolina & Luiz Pretti, Brazil, 2019

68. PAULINA / LA PATOTA by Santiago Mitre, Argentina/Brazil/France, 2015

POLL PARTICIPANTS (in alphabetical order)

Carlos Aguilar, Programmer, Hola Mexico Film Festival, USA

Florence Almozini, Associate Director of Programming, Film at Lincoln Center, USA

Fábio Andrade, Programmer, Cinema Tropical, USA

Mariana Andrade, Director, Ocho y medio, Ecuador

Paula Astorga, Founder, Circo 2.12, Mexico

Tomás Astudillo, Programmer, Latin American Film Festival, Ecuador

Alberto Barberá, Director, Venice Film Festival

Dilcia Barrera, Feature Film Programmer, Sundance Film Festival; Director of Programming, Los Angeles Latino Film Festival, USA

Cecilia Barrionuevo, Artistic Director, Mar del Plata Film Festival, Argentina

Juan Pablo Bastarrachea, Co-founder and Programmer, Cine Tonalá, Mexico

Violeta Bava, Program Consultant, Venice Film Festival and IFFAMacao; and Industry Advisor at Visions du Réel, Argentina

Gustavo Beck, Independent Film Curator — Viennale, Rotterdam Film Festival, IndieLisboa, and Play-Doc.

Bernabé Bemozzi, Programmer, FICVIÑA / FICSUR, Argentina/Chile

Ela Bittencourt, Programmer, Brazil

Leonardo Bomfim, Programmer, Cinemateca Capitólio, Brazil

Emilie Bujes, Emilie Bujes, Director, Visions Du Reel, Switzerland

John Campos Gómez, Director and Programmer, Transcinema International Film Festival, Peru

Juan Carvajal, Head of Programming, Cartagena Film Festival; founder and artistic director, The Classics, Colombia

Andrés Castillo, Programmer, New York Latino International Film Festival, USA

Maximiliano Cruz, Programmer, Museo de Arte Moderno Medellín (MAMM) and FICUNAM, Mexico/Colombia

Lucile de Calan, Programmer, Biarritz Latin American Film Festival, France

Inti Cordera, Executive Director, Doc MX, Mexico

Aaron Cutler, Programmer, Olhar de Cinema, Brazil

Denis DeLaRoca, Programmer, USA

María Delgado, Program Advisor, BFI London Film Festival, UK

Bruno Dequen, Artistic Director, Montreal International Documentary Encounters, RIDM

Moisés Esparza, Curator, Digital Gym Cinema and the San Diego Latino Film Festival, USA

Vanessa Erazo, Film Editor, Remezcla, USA

João Federici, Director of Programming, Mix Brasil Festival; World Cinema Programmer, Mill Valley Film Festival, USA/Brazil

Isabel Fondevila, Director of Programming, Roxie Theater, USA

Mara Fortes, Programmer, Telluride Film Festival and Ambulante Film Festival, USA/Mexico

Hugo Gamarra, Founder and Director, Paraguay International Film Festival, Paraguay

Josh Gardner, President, Cinema Lamont, USA

Maru Garzón, Artistic Director, Los Cabos Film Festival, Mexico Ricardo Giraldo, director, Cinema 23, Mexico

Iván Giroud, President, Havana Film Festival, Cuba

Sandra Gómez, Director, Interior xiii, Mexico

Haden Guest, Director, Harvard Film Archive, USA

Víctor Guimarães, Programmer, ForumDoc, Cineclube Comum, Brazil

Carlos A. Gutiérrez, Executive Director, Cinema Tropical, USA

Andrea Guzmán, Co-Artistic Director, DocumentaMadrid, Spain

Jim Kolmar, Film Programmer, SXSW, USA

Roger Koza, Programmer, Filmfest Hamburg, Doc Buenos Aires, FICIC, Viennale, Argentina

Jaie Laplante, Executive Director and Director of Programming, Miami International Film Festival, USA

Jean Anne Lauer, Executive Director, Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, USA

Diego Lerer, Programmer, Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes and Pingyao Film Festival, Argentina

Dennis Lim, Artistic Director, Film at Lincoln Center, USA

Michel Lipkes, Artistic Sirector, FICUNAM, Mexico

María Paula Lorgia, Programmer, Cinemateca Distrital de Bogotá, Colombia

Marian Luntz, Curator of Film and Video, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, USA

Mike Maggiore, Programmer, Film Forum, USA

Chiara Marañón, Programming Director, MUBI, UK

Javier Martín, Program Director, Forum des Images, France

Nico Marzano, Film Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art, UK

Meghan Monsour, Programming Director, Ambulante Film Festival, Mexico

Eva Morsch Kihn, Coordinator, Cinélatino, Recontres de Toulouse, France

Luciano Monteagudo, Programming Director, Sala Lugones, Argentina

Andrés Nazarala, Programmer, FICVIÑA, Chile

Giona A. Nazzaro, General Delegate, Critic’s Week, Venice Film Festival, Italy

Daniel Nehm, Programmer, Ocho y medio, Ecuador

Raúl Niño, Programmer, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, IDFA, The Netherlands

Carlos Núñez, Artistic Director, SANFIC, Chile

David Obarrio, Programmer, Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival, BAFICI, Argentina

Pedro Orellana, Programmer, Cuenca Film Festival, Ecuador

Pituka Ortega Heilbron, Director, Panama International Film Festival, Panama

Andréa Picard, Programmer, Toronto International Film Festival, Canada

María Campaña Ramia, Programmer, Ambulante Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam IDFA, and Encuentros del Otro Cine, Brazil/The Netherlands/Ecuador

Chloë Roddick, Programmer, Morelia Film Festival and Tulum Film Festival, Mexico

Diego Rodríguez, Director, Festival Márgenes, Spain

Nina Rodríguez, Programmer, Guanajuato Film Festival, Mexico

Isabel Rojas, Director and Programmer, OaxacaCine, Mexico

Vicky Romano, Programmer and Producer, São Paulo Latin American Film Festival, Brazil

Rajendra Roy, Chief Curator of film, The Museum of Modern Art, USA

Gerardo Salcedo, Programming Director, Guadalajara Film Festival, Mexico

Diana Sánchez, Senior Director of Film, Toronto International Film Festival, Canada

Gabriela Sandoval, Founder and Producer, SANFIC, Chile

Roxanne Sayegh, Co-founder and Programmer, Cinéma Moderne, Canada

Susana Santos Rodrigues, Curator at large, VAIVEM, Portugal

Antoine Sebire, General Delegate, Biarritz Latin American Film Festival, France

Pedro Segura, Programmer, Black Canvas Festival de Cine Contemporáneo, Mexico

Charlotte Selb, Programmer, Montreal International Documentary Encounters, RIDM, Canada

Barbara Scharres, Director of Programming, Gene Siskel Film Center, USA

Josh Siegel, Film Curator, The Museum of Modern Art

Ruth Somalo, programmer, DOC NYC and DocumentaMadrid, USA/Spain

Carl Spence, Senior Programmer, Miami Film Festival; Founder and Chief Curator, Orcas Island Film Festival, USA

Andrea Stavenhagen, Programmer, Mexico

Paulina Suárez, General Director, Ambulante Film Festival, Mexico

Hebe Tabachnick, Senior Programmer, Seattle Film Festival; World Cinema Programmer, Palm Springs Film Festival; Artistic Director, Cine Latino, Minneapolis Saint Paul; Senior Curator, Cartagena International Film Festival; USA/Colombia

Gerwin Tamsma, Programmer, International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Anthoine Thirion, Programmer, Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland

Walter Tiepelmann, Director, Buenos Aires International Documentary Film Festival, FIDBA, Argentina

Alejandra Trelles, Director, International Film Festival of Uruguay; Programmer, Cinemateca Uruguaya, Uruguay

Jesse Trussell, Programmer, BAMcinématek, USA

Diana Vargas, Artistic Director, Havana Film Festival New York, USA

Pepe Vargas, Director, Chicago Latino Film Festival, USA

Francis Vogner dos Reis, Programmer, Tiradentes, CineBH, and CineOP, Brazil

Pedro Zuluaga, programmer, Colombia

Pedro Azevedo, Programmer, Cinema do Dragão, Brazil

Orisel Castro, Programmer, Quito International Film Festival, Ecuador

THE POLL

Over 150 International film programmers were invited to participate in Cinema Tropical’s poll to select the best Latin American films of the decade. The participants were asked to provide their top ten favorite Latin American films (those produced in a Latin American country and helmed by a Latin American director) that premiered between 2010 and 2019.

In total, 97 film programmers from the Americas and Europe participated in the poll. The ballots were tabulated according to the following point system: The #1 pick received 10 points, #2 received 9 points, and so on until reaching the #10 pick which was assigned a point value of 1. In total, 55 points were spread among the 10 films in each ballot.

Some participants chose not to rank their ballots. In those cases, the total points were divided evenly among the ten selections.