Mexico produced 186 feature films in 2018—marking an all-time record—a number even higher than in the so-called Golden era of the 1940s and 50s. The Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE) made the numbers public this week as it published its statistic yearbook with detailed data on local cinema.
Out of the 186 films produced in Mexico last year, twenty-five percent were directed by women, and a forty-two percent were documentaries. Ninety-eight were debut features and fifty-two were second or third films. Sixty-seven of the films were international co-productions with 28 countries, including the U.S. with ten and Spain with seven. In total, forty seven percent of the productions were made without any state support. Mexican films participated 414 times in international film festivals and received a total of seventy-eight awards in festivals from twenty-three countries.
The report also noted that 115 films were released in local screens—the highest number in over three decades—and that they were seen by 30.3 million spectators. In total, there are 7,024 film screens throughout the nation. The most popular films at the box office were Pedro Pablo Ybarra’s Ya veremos with 4.1 million spectators, and Marco Polo Constandse’s Valentina's Wedding / La boda de Valentina with 3.3 million spectators. Additionally, the country produced 553 short films —37 less than in in 2017.
