Mexico has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 1957. The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. The award was not created until the 1956 Academy Awards, in which a competitive Academy Award of Merit, known as the Best Foreign Language Film Award, was created for non-English speaking films, and has been given annually since. As of 2026, Mexico has been nominated nine times, winning once for Roma (2018).
Submissions The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 1956. The International Feature Film Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award.
The Mexican nominee is selected annually by the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas. The selection committee holds separate votes to decide which film will represent the country in the Academy Awards and in the Goya Awards.
Mexico has been nominated nine times, including Macario (1960), The Important Man (1961), The Pearl of Tlayucan (1962), Letters from Marusia (1975), Amores perros (2000), The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002), Pan's Labyrinth (2006), and Biutiful (2010).
Pan's Labyrinth (2006), directed by , won Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Makeup, at the 79th Academy Awards, alongside other two nominations.
Roma (2018), directed by Alfonso Cuarón, was the country first winner. It also won Best Cinematography and Best Director (both for Cuarón), while was also nominated for Best Picture (the first Latin American film to ever be nominated in this category), Best Actress for Yalitza Aparicio, Best Supporting Actress for Marina de Tavira, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.
Tear This Heart Out (2008), I'm No Longer Here (2020), Prayers for the Stolen (2021), Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022), and Tótem (2023), all advanced to the December shortlists, but were not nominated.
Arturo Ripstein has represented Mexico five times, more than any other Mexican filmmaker, although he has never received a nomination. While was nominated twice, and shortlisted once.
All the films submitted are primary in Spanish. Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Mexico for review by the Academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.
Year(Ceremony) Film title used in nomination Original title Language(s) Director Result 1957(30th) Torero!Spanish 1959(32nd) Nazarín 1960(33rd) Macario 1961(34th) The Important Man Ánimas Trujano (El hombre importante) 1962(35th) The Pearl of Tlayucan Tlayucan 1963(36th) The Paper Man El hombre de papelSpanish, Italian 1965(38th) Always Farther Away Tarahumara (Cada vez más lejos)Spanish, Rarámuri 1966(39th) Black Wind Viento NegroSpanish 1967(40th) The Adolescents Los Adolescentes 1971(44th) El Topo 1973(46th) Reed: Insurgent Mexico Reed, México insurgente 1974(47th) Calzonzin Inspector 1975(48th) Letters from Marusia Actas de Marusia 1976(49th) Length of War Longitud de guerra 1977(50th) Pafnucio Santo 1978(51st) A Limitless Place El Lugar sin límites 1981(54th) Mojado Power 1983(56th) EréndiraSpanish, Portuguese 1985(58th) Frida Still Life Frida, naturaleza vivaSpanish 1986(59th) The Realm of Fortune El Imperio de la fortuna 1987(60th) Life Is Most Important Lo Que Importa es Vivir 1988(61st) The Last Tunnel El Último túnelSpanish, Rarámuri 1990(63rd) Cabeza de VacaSpanish, Latin 1991(64th) Homework La TareaSpanish 1992(65th) Like Water for Chocolate Como agua para chocolateSpanish, English 1993(66th) Chronos Cronos 1994(67th) The Beginning and the End Principio y finSpanish 1995(68th) Midaq Alley El callejón de los milagros 1996(69th) Between Pancho Villa and a Naked Woman Entre Pancho Villa y una mujer desnuda and Isabelle Tardán 1997(70th) Deep Crimson Profundo carmesí 1998(71st) Un embrujo 1999(72nd) No One Writes to the Colonel El Coronel no tiene quien le escriba 2000(73rd) Amores perros 2001(74th) Violet Perfume: No One Is ListeningPerfume de violetas, nadie te oye 2002(75th) The Crime of Padre AmaroEl crimen del Padre Amaro 2003(76th) Aro TolbukhinSpanish, Hungarian, Catalan , and 2004(77th) Innocent Voices Voces inocentesSpanish 2005(78th) Al otro lado Gustavo Loza 2006(79th) Pan's Labyrinth El laberinto del fauno 2007(80th) Silent Light Luz silenciosaPlautdietsch 2008(81st) Tear This Heart Out Arráncame La VidaSpanish 2009(82nd) BackyardAlso shortlisted: Bajo la sal, Five Days Without Nora, The Desert Within, Los bastardos, Los herederos, Rudo y Cursi and I'm Gonna Explode. Source: https://www.informador.mx/Entretenimiento/Mexico-arma-su-equipo-para-el-Oscar-20090922-0247.html El TraspatioSpanish, Tzotzil, English 2010(83rd) BiutifulSpanish, Mandarin, Wolof 2011(84th) Miss BalaSpanish, English Gerardo Naranjo 2012(85th) After Lucia Después de LucíaSpanish 2013(86th) Heli 2014(87th) CantinflasSpanish, English Sebastian del Amo 2015(88th) 600 Miles 600 Millas 2016(89th) Desierto 2017(90th) TempestadSpanish 2018(91st) RomaSpanish, Mixtec, English, Japanese, German, French, Norwegian 2019(92nd) The Chambermaid La camaristaSpanish, French 2020(93rd) I'm No Longer Here Ya no estoy aquíSpanish, English, Mandarin Fernando Frías de la Parra 2021(94th) Prayers for the Stolen Noche de fuegoSpanish 2022(95th) Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdadesSpanish, English 2023(96th) TótemSpanish 2024(97th) Sujo Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez 2025(98th) We Shall Not Be Moved No nos moverán Pierre Saint-Martin 2026(98th) On the Road En el camino David Pablos
Shortlisted Films Every year since 2007, Mexico has announced a list of finalists or eligible films that varied in number over the years (from 5 to 20 films) before announcing its official Oscar nominee. The following films have been shortlisted by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences: YearFilms2007Bad Habits · Eréndira Ikikunari · Never on Sunday · Under the Same Moon2008Burn the Bridges · Cochochi · Cumbia Connection · Déficit · Familia tortuga · Lake Tahoe · Nonna's Trip · Two Embraces · Used Parts · The Zone2009The Bastards · The Desert Within · I'm Gonna Explode · The Inheritors · Nora's Will · Rudo y Cursi · Under the Salt2010Abel · Alamar · The Attempt Dossier · Chicogrande · Daniel & Ana · The Good Herbs · Meet the Head of Juan Pérez · Northless · Vaho2011180° · Bitten Bullet · Days of Grace · Flowers in the Desert · Middle of the World · One Long Wall for Cecilia · Round Trip · Saint John's Dance · Siete instantes · We Are What We Are2012Between Us · Colosio: El asesinato · The Fantastic World of Juan Orol · Pastorela · Post Tenebras Lux · The Tiniest Place2013The Amazing Catfish · Amorous Pancho Villa · La cebra · Cinco de Mayo: The Battle · The Crazy Machine · The Dream of Lu · The Golden Dream · Instructions Not Included · The Precocious and Brief Life of Sabina Rivas · The Prize · Tlatelolco, verano del 68 · Tooth for a Tooth · She Doesn't Want to Sleep Alone · The Walls Talk2014Disrupted · Eufrosina's Revolution · González: falsos profetas · Güeros · Guten Tag, Ramón · H2Omx · The Incident · Inercia · The Last Call · My Friend Bety · My Universe in Lower Case · Orphans · Paradise · The Perfect Dictatorship · Perfect Obedience · Purgatorio: A Journey into the Heart of the Border · The Tears · Volando bajo · What do Goats Dream? · Workers2015Echo of the Mountain · Eddie Reynolds y los ángeles de acero · Elvira I Will Give You My Life But I'm Using It · Four Moons · Gloria · Happy Times · Lonely Stars · One for the Road · Perpetual Sadness · A Separate Wind · The Thin Yellow Line · Time Suspended · Una última y nos vamos2016The 4th Company · 7:19 · The Alien · Being or Not Being · Carmin Tropical · The Chosen Ones · The Dead · Epitaph · El Jeremías · Made in Bangkok · El más buscado · A Monster with a Thousand Heads · Panamerican Machinery · We Are Mari Pepa · You're Killing Me Susana2017All of Me · April's Daughters · Beauties of the Night · Bleak Street · The Dance of the Memory · I Dream in Another Language · Loneliness Square · The Man Who Saw Too Much · Nocturne · The Pleasure Is Mine · Purasangre · The Untamed · Warehoused · We Are the Flesh2018The Angel in the Clock · The Bouquiniste · El club de los insomnes · The Darkness · Devil's Freedom · The Eternal Feminine · Everything Else · The Gaze of the Sea · Museum · The Night Guard · Tigers Are Not Afraid · Time Share2019Belzebuth · Chicuarotes · Eight Out of Ten · Esmeralda's Twilight · The Good Girls · The Mongolian Conspiracy · Olimpia · Ready to Mingle · This Is Tomas2020Guie'dani's Navel · I Carry You with Me · New Order · This Is Not Berlin · Workforce2021A Cop Movie · Devil Between the Legs · Identifying Features · Los lobos · Tragic Jungle2022The Box · The Hole in the Fence · Nudo Mixteco · Presencias2023The Great Seduction · Huesera: The Bone Woman · Noise · ¡Que viva México! · Where the Tracks End2024All the Silence · Bad Actor · Disappear Completely · Human Resources · I Don't Want to Be Dust · Pedro Páramo · Valentina or the Serenity20251938: When Mexico Recovered Its Oil · Concerto for Other Hands · Corina · Cracked · Dead Man's Switch · Fine Young Men · The Follies · I Am Frankelda · Rain2026Ashes · Campeón Gabacho · A Child of My Own · Crocodiles · The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) · Don't Leave the Kids Alone · Flamingos: Life After the Meteorite · Flies · The Garden We Dreamed · Hombre al agua · The Mutations · Oca · Over the Waves · Perpetual Adolescent · The Reserve · Sad Girlz
See also List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best International Feature Film List of Academy Award-winning foreign language films
Notes
References
External links The Official Academy Awards Database The Motion Picture Credits Database IMDb Academy Awards Page