MEXICO CITY - In a country that sends so many
citizens abroad, the breakthrough of Mexican artists
worldwide has generated a wave of soul-searching, at
times proud and wistful. An exploding Mexican film
industry - including directors Alejandro Gonzalez
Inarritu ("Babel") and Guillermo Del Toro ("Pan’s
Labyrinth") and actors Salma Hayek ("Frida") and Gael
Garcia Bernal ("The Science of Sleep") - gives rise to
national pride at the 79th annual Oscars.
“I think `bittersweet’ is how I would say it,” said
Alejandro Ramirez, first-time director and film school
instructor. “We are a country of storytellers, of
myths, of legends. You just have to lift a rock and you
will find talent. But these great storytellers are not
appreciated.”
Mexican filmmakers had already won awards or achieved
success in the U.S., for films such as “Amores Perros,” “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and “Like Water for
Chocolate.” Hayek co-produced the English-language film
“Frida,” which earned her an Academy Award acting
nomination.
Directors made 53 films in Mexico in 2006, up from 14
in 2002, according to the Mexican Film Institute. The
number could top 60 in 2007, officials estimate, and
several mid-sized Mexican cities such as Morelia have
launched film festivals. The country now boasts 10 film
schools, up from two in 2001, said Juan Carlos Blanco,
who heads an academic consortium and co-founded INDIE on
the rural outskirts of Mexico City.
Together, their films have generated 16 Oscar
nominations, led by the multi-continent epic “Babel,”
co-produced and directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
Guillermo del Toro directed “Pan’s Labyrinth,” a fantasy
set in Spain. The third member of Mexico’s most
successful filmmaking trio, Alfonso Cuaron, won
nominations for co-writing and co-editing the futuristic
“Children of Men.”
The success of Gonzalez Inarritu, del Toro and
Alfonso Cuaron has dominated Mexico’s entertainment news
for weeks. President Felipe Calderon made it a point to
publicly salute their recent triumphs at the Goyas,
Spain’s version of the Oscars.
Diego Luna, one of Mexico’s best-known actors, has been
equally vocal in calling the country’s film industry to
task. At the opening ceremony of a documentary film
festival in Mexico City last month, Luna told reporters
it was disingenuous for government officials to
celebrate the industry’s success.
“It
is a great call for attention, proof that in Mexico
there is a lot of talent but what is missing are paths
to channel it,” Luna said. “What’s missing is the desire
to stay here because many people decide to make movies
in Mexico but few follow through.”
The Mexican government tried to help the industry by
passing Article 226, a law that allows domestic projects
to recoup 10 percent of production expenses. But
filmmakers complain that the program is bogged down in
red tape and that its budget is inadequate.
Victor Ugalde, director of FIDECINE, the federal
agency that provides incentives for the film industry,
acknowledged that the government has not done enough. In
a country tackling poverty, public insecurity and other
challenges, cultural endeavors often take a back seat,
Ugalde said. “For Mexico to compete with other countries
in the First World, and their level of support and
stimulus, we still have a long way to go,” Ugalde said.
Despite their frustrations, Mexican filmmakers hope the
Oscars will represent a turning point for the industry.
Ramirez, the young director, fantasizes about an Academy
Award triggering a celebration on the major thoroughfare
of Paseo de la Reforma that would rival the joy of a
World Cup soccer victory.
But Moises Vinas, a film historian at the National
Autonomous University of Mexico, said he is less
optimistic that Oscar victories will elevate moviemaking
to a national priority.
“There is very little nationalism for being a country
that produces film, art, culture. We have a very
shortsighted vision,” he said. “If we win an award,
that’s always a boost. But I worry that it will end up
being praise for some very talented people and that’s
where the story will end.”
Source