Mexico at the AFI Latin American Film Festival 2026
Mexico at the AFI Latin American Film Festival 2026 presents seven Mexican films as part of the AFI Latin American Film Festival, one of North America’s largest and longest-running showcases of Latin American cinema. Now in its 37th year, the festival features award-winning films, filmmaker conversations, special presentations, and Embassy-hosted events. The broader festival also highlights cultural connections among Latin America, Spain, and Portugal during National Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Mexican program ranges from intimate coming-of-age dramas and stories of family and identity to immigration films, comedies, and explorations of gender, grief, and transnational life. Several screenings include filmmaker Q&As, and the October 2 presentation of *Campeón Gabacho* is followed by a reception sponsored by the Mexican Cultural Institute.
When: September 16 through October 7, 2026. The listed Mexican-film screenings take place from September 17 through October 6.
Showtimes: *Olmo* screens Thursday, September 17 at 5:00 PM; Friday, September 18 at 9:10 PM; Saturday, September 19 at 11:30 AM; and Thursday, September 24 at 5:00 PM. *Sad Girlz (Chicas Tristes)* screens Sunday, September 20 at 3:30 PM and Monday, September 21 at 7:10 PM. *Flies (Moscas)* screens Friday, September 25 at 7:00 PM and Monday, September 28 at 9:00 PM. *Campeón Gabacho* screens Friday, October 2 at 7:00 PM and Tuesday, October 6 at 9:20 PM. *Everything Else Is Noise (Lo Demás Es Ruido)* screens Saturday, October 3 at 2:40 PM and Sunday, October 4 at 1:15 PM. *I Am Mario (So Mario)* screens Saturday, September 19 at 4:25 PM. *Ashes (Ceniza en la Boca)* screens Monday, October 5 at 7:00 PM.
Olmo: Set in 1979 New Mexico, Fernando Eimbcke’s coming-of-age film follows teenager Olmo over a single day as he tries to attend a neighborhood party while managing adult responsibilities at home. His bedridden father, Nestor, requires care, leaving Olmo to share duties with his overworked mother Cecilia and his older sister Ana, who would rather be at the local roller disco. When Olmo’s crush Nina invites him and his best friend Miguel to her party in exchange for bringing his father’s stereo, the boys undertake an increasingly desperate nighttime mission to fulfill the request. The film combines dry humor, a colorful visual style, and a disco soundtrack with an affectionate but unsentimental portrait of family life, cultural identity, and adolescent awkwardness. It was an official selection of the 2025 AFI FEST and Berlin film festivals. Directed and written by Fernando Eimbcke, with a screenplay by Vanesa Garnica, the film is produced by Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Eréndira Núñez Larios, and Michel Franco. United States/Mexico, 2025, color, 84 minutes. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.
Sad Girlz (Chicas Tristes): La Maestra and Paula are teenage best friends whose close relationship is built around swim-team practice, sleepovers, and conversations about romance. After Paula’s hopes for an upcoming party go awry, the consequences put their friendship under strain. Paula wants to move on as though nothing happened, while La Maestra is determined to seek justice but is uncertain how best to support her friend. Fernanda Tovar’s coming-of-age drama examines girlhood, trauma, friendship, and the complicated process of standing by someone you love. Rocio Guzmán and Darana Álvarez star. Tovar won the Crystal Bear for Best Film in the Generation sidebar at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival, and the film was also an official selection of the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival. Directed and written by Fernanda Tovar, with production by Daniel Loustaunau and Araceli Velázquez. Mexico/Spain/France, 2026, color, 90 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.
Flies (Moscas): In a busy neighborhood of Mexico City, Olga, a solitary retiree, rents out her spare room to help pay for a medical procedure. Her carefully controlled routine changes when an exhausted father arrives with his nine-year-old son, Cristian. Fernando Eimbcke’s bittersweet film uses a nostalgic black-and-white style to explore grief, companionship, and the unexpected connections that can grow out of disrupted lives. Gentle everyday humor and elements of magical realism, including a cosmic arcade game, shape this intimate story. Teresita Sánchez and Bastian Escobar lead the cast, alongside Hugo Ramírez. The film was an official selection of the 2026 Berlin and Toronto film festivals. Directed, written, and produced by Fernando Eimbcke, with additional screenplay work by Vanesa Garnica and production by Michel Franco and Eréndira Núñez Larios. Mexico/Spain, 2026, black and white, 99 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.
Ashes (Ceniza en la Boca): Diego Luna adapts Brenda Navarro’s acclaimed novel in this immigration drama about Lucila, a 21-year-old Mexican woman who travels to Spain with her younger brother Diego to reunite with their mother, Isabel. Already accustomed to responsibilities beyond her age, Lucila struggles to support herself in Madrid through precarious work as a nanny and caregiver. Although she finds solidarity among fellow immigrants, she remains an outsider, and long-buried resentments emerge as the siblings confront the emotional distance created by years apart from their mother. After a tragedy, Lucila returns to her grandparents in Mexico and must reconsider her family’s past, her mother’s choices, and her own future. Anna Díaz, Sergio Bautista, and Adriana Paz star. Directed, written, and produced by Diego Luna, with writing by Abia Castillo and Diego Rabasa, based on Navarro’s novel. Producers include Inna Payán, Valérie Delpierre, and Luis Salinas. Mexico/Spain, 2026, color, 98 minutes. In Catalan, English, and Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated. This screening is identified as a Centerpiece Screening and Special Presentation.
Campeón Gabacho: Liborio crosses the Rio Grande and arrives in New York City without money or prospects. A tough bookshop owner gives him work and a place to sleep, but Liborio’s life changes after he intervenes when Aireen is attacked on the street. A video of the incident, posted by influencer Doble-Ú, goes viral and unexpectedly launches Liborio into the boxing world. Jonás Cuarón’s visually inventive film explores love, resilience, immigration, and identity across national borders. Juan Daniel García Treviño stars as Liborio, with Eddie Marsan, Leslie Grace, Rosario Dawson, Rubén Blades, and Cheech Marin also appearing. The film won the Audience Award at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival. Directed, written, and produced by Jonás Cuarón, with a screenplay by Aura Xilonen based on her novel. Producers include Gabriela Rodríguez, Alfonso Cuarón, and Nicolás Celis. Mexico, 2026, color, 108 minutes. In English and Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated. The October 2 screening includes a Q&A with filmmaker Jonás Cuarón, followed by a reception sponsored by the Mexican Cultural Institute.
Everything Else Is Noise (Lo Demás Es Ruido): Musician and composer Tere, who has spent years in the shadow of male colleagues, agrees to let fellow composer Rosa use her home as the backdrop for Rosa’s first television interview. The arrival of an unreliable film crew brings a series of disruptions, including a barking dog, a power outage, and interference from Tere’s musician daughter. As the afternoon unfolds, the three women find shared ground while exposing the vanity of their interviewers and the wider art world. Nicolás Pereda’s playful chamber comedy satirizes avant-garde culture, filmmaking, musical prestige, and male ego. The cast includes Teresita Sánchez, Rosa Estela Juárez, Lázaro G. Rodríguez, and Francisco Barreiro. It was an official selection of the 2026 Berlin, Toronto, and New York film festivals. Directed and written by Nicolás Pereda, with additional screenplay work by Juan Francisco Maldonado and production by Catalina Pereda. Mexico/Germany/Canada, 2026, color, 71 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated.
I Am Mario (So Mario): Mario is a 40-year-old transgender cab driver saving money for continued gender-affirming care. When he can no longer afford his medication, an unexpected encounter leads to a pregnancy and forces him to consider the possibility of becoming a parent. The pregnancy challenges the masculine identity he has fought to establish, but with support from his mother and two sisters, Mario begins confronting his own assumptions about gender, the body, and family. Oustin de León, himself a trans man and a nonprofessional actor, plays the title role. Sharon Kleinberg’s intimate directorial debut was an official selection of the 2026 Guadalajara and Toronto film festivals. Kleinberg directed, wrote, and produced the film, with production by Jaime Tiktin. Mexico, 2026, color, 98 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not rated. The screening includes a Q&A with filmmaker Sharon Kleinberg and producer Jaime Tiktin.
Tickets: Price not available
Venue: AFI Silver Theater, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Film format: The listed films are presented in color except for *Flies*, which is black and white. All films are marked not rated.
Accessibility: The page specifies English subtitles for every listed film but does not provide additional accessibility information.
Note: The event page lists the festival program’s overall date range as September 16–October 7, 2026, while the individual Mexican-film screenings listed on the page conclude on October 6.