Eric Ortiz Garcia Picks The Best Mexican Cinema Of 2013

In Mexico, 2013 will be remembered for the release of the now top grossing Mexican films ever: Instructions Not Included and Nosotros los Nobles. Some people celebrate the money injection and the fact that Mexicans went to the cinemas not only to watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster, while others (myself included) question the quality of these movies and the involvement of Lions Gate and Warner Brothers for the distribution.

This year was no exception in terms of Mexican films being honored around the world, which is always a good thing. The best news came straight from the French Riviera when Amat Escalante won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for Heli, becoming the third Mexican director to earn this prestigious award in less than ten years. Other movies, such as Los Insólitos Peces Gato (The Amazing Catfish) and La Jaula de Oro (The Golden Cage), keep earning accolades, most recently this month at the Havana Film Festival.

Personally, in 2013 I watched more Mexican cinema than ever and this was mostly because I joined the ScreenAnarchy team back in June. I got to see most of the films from the official Mexican selection at Morelia and Guanajuato film festival as well as the biggest commercial releases, including Cinco de Mayo, La Batalla and the previously mentioned Instructions Not Included. Obviously, I missed many but quite frankly the ones I'm most excited for (Levantamuertos, Narco Cultura) are yet to be properly released here.

This list, composed by five documentaries and only three fictions, features my personal favorites of 2013, those Mexican films I recommend checking out on DVD or when they arrive to a theater near you next year!

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