Mexican cinema has long been one of the most fascinating in Latin America, producing internationally celebrated filmmakers while maintaining a remarkably diverse national industry. From intimate independent dramas to documentaries, animation and ambitious genre films, its strength lies partly in its ability to tell stories that rarely fit into a single definition of Mexican identity.
The 68th Ariel Awards, held on 3 October 2026 at Estudios Churubusco in Mexico City, offered another reminder of that diversity. Organised by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the ceremony celebrated an industry in which established filmmakers continue to work alongside an increasingly visible generation of new directors.
This year’s ceremony was particularly meaningful because it coincided with the 80th anniversaries of both the Mexican Film Academy and Estudios Churubusco, two institutions closely associated with the country’s cinematic history.
But the evening ultimately belonged to one film: En el camino (On the Road), directed by David Pablos.
En el camino Leads the Night
Arriving at the ceremony with 13 nominations, En el camino (On the Road) was already considered one of the favourites. By the end of the evening, it had collected six Ariel Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Cinematography.
David Pablos also received the Best Director award, although in an unusual result he shared the prize with Pablo Pérez Lombardini, director of La reserva.
The film follows Veneno, a young man who survives by seducing truck drivers at roadside restaurants. His encounter with Muñeco leads him into the intensely masculine world of long-distance trucking in northern Mexico, where desire, vulnerability and power exist within an environment governed by rigid expectations of masculinity.
It is a premise that immediately distinguishes En el camino from more conventional road movies. The open road, so frequently associated with freedom and independence in cinema, becomes a setting in which questions of sexuality, belonging and survival acquire a very different meaning.
The film’s triumph was also significant for Osvaldo Sánchez, who won Best Actor, and Mariano López Sosa, recognised for Best Supporting Actor. Víctor Miguel Prieto received the award for Best Breakthrough Performance, while cinematographer Ximena Amann was also honoured for her work.
With Mexico having selected En el camino to represent the country at the 2027 Academy Awards, its Ariel victory arrives at an important moment in the film’s international journey.
One of the most interesting results of the ceremony was the success of La reserva, directed by Pablo Pérez Lombardini.
The film won Best First Feature, while Pérez Lombardini shared Best Director with David Pablos. Its original score, composed by YOM, also received an Ariel.
The recognition of a debut filmmaker alongside the director of the evening’s biggest winner was especially revealing. It suggested an Academy willing to reward established cinematic experience and emerging talent on equal terms.
The Best Actress prize went to Diana Sedano for Juana, while Ángeles Cruz received Best Supporting Actress for Las locuras. Both actresses celebrated their first Ariel victories.
Another notable result was the success of Autos, mota y rocanrol, which dominated several technical categories, winning awards for sound, costume design, make-up, production design and visual effects, the latter shared with Un cuento de pescadores.
Main Winners – Ariel Awards 2026
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Film | En el camino |
| Best Director | David Pablos – En el camino and Pablo Pérez Lombardini – La reserva |
| Best Actress | Diana Sedano – Juana |
| Best Actor | Osvaldo Sánchez – En el camino |
| Best Supporting Actress | Ángeles Cruz – Las locuras |
| Best Supporting Actor | Mariano López Sosa – En el camino |
| Best Breakthrough Performance | Víctor Miguel Prieto – En el camino |
| Best First Feature | La reserva |
| Best Original Screenplay | Gabriel Mascaro and Tibério Azul – O último azul |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Jimena Montemayor – Mujeres del alba |
| Best Cinematography | Ximena Amann – En el camino |
| Best Editing | Omar Guzmán and Sebastián Sepúlveda – O último azul |
| Best Documentary Feature | La libertad de Fierro |
| Best Animated Feature | Soy Frankelda |
| Best Ibero-American Film | Un poeta – Colombia |
The Ariel Awards are also an opportunity to discover films that may receive less attention on the international festival circuit.
In documentary cinema, La libertad de Fierro, directed by Santiago Esteinou, received the award for Best Documentary Feature. The recognition underlined the continued importance of documentary filmmaking within Mexico’s contemporary cinematic landscape.
Animation produced another particularly interesting winner: Soy Frankelda, directed by brothers Arturo and Roy Ambriz, which received Best Animated Feature. Its victory was a reminder that Mexican cinema extends well beyond live-action drama, with animation becoming an increasingly distinctive part of the country’s creative output.
The awards also looked beyond Mexico through the Best Ibero-American Film category, which this year brought together five productions from across the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world: Belén from Argentina, La misteriosa mirada del flamenco from Chile, Los domingos from Spain, Manas from Brazil and Un poeta from Colombia.
The winner was Un poeta, directed by Simón Mesa Soto. The Colombian film, which had already attracted international attention through its festival trajectory, examines artistic ambition, frustration and the difficult relationship between creativity and personal failure.
One film worth mentioning is The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box), directed by Ernesto Martínez Bucio.
The film arrived at the ceremony with eight nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best First Feature and recognition for its young performers. Despite that strong showing, it left without an Ariel.
Its lack of awards does not diminish the achievement of such an unusual debut. Indeed, its presence among the most nominated films demonstrates how much attention Martínez Bucio’s work has attracted within the Mexican industry.
For readers interested in discovering a more experimental and disturbing side of contemporary Mexican cinema, The Devil Smokes remains one of the films worth seeking out.
Alongside the competitive awards, the ceremony paid tribute to three important figures in Mexican film history.
Rosita Arenas and documentary filmmaker Demetrio Bilbatúa received the Golden Ariel, recognising their contributions to cinema over the course of their careers. Documentary filmmaker Óscar Menéndez was also honoured with the Salvador Toscano Medal.
A Cinema Looking Towards Its Future
The 2026 Ariel Awards produced a clear winner in En el camino, but the evening’s wider significance was found in the diversity of films and filmmakers recognised.
A queer road movie dominated the principal awards. A first-time director shared the directing prize. A Colombian film about artistic frustration won Best Ibero-American Film. Documentaries and animation received their own recognition, while technical awards highlighted the craftsmanship behind productions with very different ambitions.
At the same time, the presence of The Devil Smokes among the most nominated films, even without a victory, suggested an industry increasingly willing to make space for unconventional storytelling.
For international audiences, the challenge is now to discover these films beyond the ceremony itself.
The Ariel Awards celebrate Mexican cinema, but their greatest value may be in drawing attention to stories that deserve to travel far beyond Mexico.
And with En el camino preparing for the international awards season, La reserva establishing a new directorial voice and films such as The Devil Smokes continuing to attract attention, there are plenty of reasons to follow what Mexican cinema produces next.
For the complete results and information about the awards, visit the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC).
