Media Release Film Producing Country Mexico in ‘New World View’ Section New Mexican Cinema at 12th Zurich Film Festival Zurich, May 10, 2016 This year, the film producing country Mexico will be honoured as guest of the12th Zurich Film Festival’s ‘New World View’ section. The programme offers a multifaceted insight into the work of the latest generation of Mexican filmmakers. As a tradition-steeped film producing country, Mexico is currently experiencing a new heyday. It produces a continuously growing number of innovative films that are bold, direct and humorous in approach and deal - often with a penchant for the absurd - not only with such social problems as drug-related crime and poverty, but also highlight the Central American state’s sunny side of life. "Mexico's current-day film scene is tremendously exciting and varied," said Karl Spoerri, ZFF co-director and programme manager. "It is for this reason that we wish to showcase Mexico as a film producing country in all its facets," continued Spoerri. The Mexicans conquer America It is not a coincidence that Mexico is now producing innovative new cinema. It is the result of a continuous development that began around the turn of the millennium when directors such as Guillermo del Toro (CRONOS), Alfonso Cuarón (Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN) and Alejandro González Iñárritu (AMORES PERROS) enthused both worldwide film critics and audiences alike with their debut works. These filmmakers, along with such gifted cinematographers as Rodrigo Prieto (BIUTIFUL, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN), Guillermo Navarro (CRONOS, JACKIE BROWN) and three-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki (Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN, GRAVITY), have now well and truly arrived in Hollywood. But these famous emigrants are by far not the only great filmmakers nurtured by Mexico; they are simply the most well-known representatives of a film country that, despite economic crisis and the drug war, continues to bring forth new talents whose training as filmmakers enjoys an outstanding reputation. Award-winning new generation Mexico has become a perpetual and highly regarded guest in competition sections at international A-list festivals in recent years. It has, for example, been represented in Cannes with Amat Escalante's HELI (2014, award for best director) and Michel Franco's CHRONIC (2015, award for best screenplay). What has surfaced is an immensely creative generation of filmmakers whose bold content and formally convincing works have become much talked about and regularly win awards. This trend was reflected at the Zurich Film Festival in the not too distant past by two award- winning films: Diego Quemada-Díez scooped the Golden Eye in the 2013 feature film competition section for his refugee drama LA JAULA DE ORO and Betzabé Garcia won the main award in last year’s documentary film competition section with her debut film LOS REYES DEL PUEBLO QUE NO EXISTE. Mexico has also enjoyed considerable exposure at ZFF in recent years, for example with such films as the road movie SIN NOMBRE (Cary Fukunaga, 2011), coming-of-ager LAS HORAS MUERTAS (Aarón Fernández, 2013), tragicomedy GÜEROS (Alonso Ruizpalacios, 2014) and prostitution drama LAS ELEGIDAS (David Pablos, 2015). Cooperation with Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur Even award-winning Mexican arthouse productions rarely find their way into European cinemas. This coming September, Zurich Film Festival offers the opportunity to discover the next generation of Mexican filmmakers as it showcases a comprehensive collection of about a dozen new feature films and documentaries in its programme. The Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur will, for the ninth time, contribute to the ‚New World View’ section with a short film block. Further details regarding the programme will be available later this year. The Zurich Film Festival takes place from September 22 to October 2, 2016. ZFF Main Partners .