Mexican cinema is booming today, a decade after the international
successes of Amores perros and Y tu mamá también. Mexican films now
display a wider range than any comparable country, from art films to
popular genre movies, and boasting internationally renowned directors
like Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Guillermo del
Toro. At the same time, television has broadened its output, moving
beyond telenovelas to produce higher-value series and mini-series.
Mexican TV now stakes a claim to being the most dynamic and pervasive
national narrative.
This new book by Paul Julian Smith is the first to examine the
flourishing of audiovisual fiction in Mexico since 2000, considering
cinema and TV together. It covers much material previously unexplored
and engages with emerging themes, including violence, youth culture, and
film festivals. The book includes reviews of ten films released between
2001 and 2012 by directors who are both established (Maryse Sistach,
Carlos Reygadas) and new (Jorge Michel Grau, Michael Rowe, Paula
Markovitch). There is also an appendix that includes interviews carried
out by the author in 2012 with five audiovisual professionals: a feature
director, a festival director, an exhibitor, a producer, and a TV
screenwriter.
Mexican Screen Fiction will be an invaluable resource for students and
scholars and essential reading for anyone interested in one of the most
vibrant audiovisual industries in the world today.
