From Digital Platforms to Dubbing: Mexico’s Film Law Reset
Mexico’s film industry has received a long-overdue legal overhaul with President Sheinbaum’s reform of the 1992 Film and Audiovisual Law, which cleared the Senate this week (87 votes in favor, one against and 18 abstentions) and will soon be signed into law by the executive. The bill was presented by Sheinbaum and Salma Hayek in February and aims to bring the country’s rules closer to the realities of a market dominated by digital platforms, streaming services and AI-enabled content production.
The government has framed the law as a rights-based model rather than a purely market-oriented one. While appealing, the real question is how much substance lies behind the language.
Key modifications include:
- Modernizing the regulatory framework to cover not just traditional film but all audiovisual works and streaming platforms, reflecting the technological transformation of how content is produced and consumed.
- Enacting screen quotas that require Mexican films occupy at least 10% of cinema exhibition time, with equitable showtimes and a minimum 14-day run. Streaming platforms must also include a dedicated section to guarantee visibility for Mexican content.
- Formally recognizing Mexican cinema as a public interest activity, establishing a clearer state responsibility to support it, not just as artistic expression but as a driver of employment and opportunity.
- Strengthening financial support via public funds and fiscal incentives, addressing a long-standing demand from the industry.
The most controversial aspect of the legislation relates to protecting actors from being supplanted by AI. The new law regulates the use of AI in dubbing by formally recognizing the human voice as an artistic tool; it also modifies both labor and copyright laws to prohibit the reproduction of a voice or image using AI without written authorization and fair compensation. Contracts must specify the conditions and payment for any use of a performer’s voice or image in digital environments, and unauthorized reproduction of a performer’s work (even partial) is banned unless there is express consent and agreed remuneration. Violations will incur fines between 50 and 100 UMAs, in addition to penalties under copyright law. It also seeks to distinguish unauthorized impersonation from legitimate uses such as parody and satire, an important line to preserve if regulation is not to spill into censorship.
The bill has been criticized for not addressing AI directly or substantively enough — PAN Senator Agustín Dorantes called the law “a film without a script, without production, and without a director” on that front — but could also come under fire for putting the country at a competitive disadvantage in the region. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and ViX have increasingly turned to cheaper AI-based dubbing tools, and the regulation could become an obstacle for them.
Beyond its industrial focus, the reform also expands the law’s cultural and social scope. It introduces accessibility requirements, such as adapted subtitling and audio description to ensure that audiovisual content can be experienced without barriers and positions audiences (including children and vulnerable groups) not just as consumers, but as participants in cultural life. It also strengthens the state’s role as custodian of Mexico’s audiovisual heritage, establishing clearer obligations around preservation, restoration and digitization, and consolidating a national archive under the Cineteca. Together, these measures signal an effort to anchor the industry’s modernization in broader goals of inclusion, access and cultural continuity.
Alongside the legislative reform, the government has introduced new fiscal incentives for film and audiovisual production, with an annual cap of MXN 400 million; the goal is to attract more production, generate formal jobs and strengthen linked sectors from technical services to tourism, without compromising a commitment to promoting local talent.
The reform is directionally correct: Mexico lacked a modern legal framework for audiovisual production and digital distribution. The challenge now is moving from announcing a new era for Mexican cinema and audiovisual content, to proving that the state and above all the creative voices that underpin the industry can make the reform matter.
The Collateral Collection
Natasha and Jacques Gelman were no strangers to the spotlight in life; today, decades after their deaths, the couple’s legacy is dominating the cultural conversation in Mexico.
The collection of at least 160 works of 20th-century Mexican art the Gelmans accumulated is remarkable in its breadth: it includes 18 paintings by Frida Kahlo (out of only 150 in her entire painting catalogue) as well as iconic works by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siquieros, Rufino Tamayo, Graciela Iturbide, Guillermo Kahlo and others. Sixty-eight pieces from the collection are currently on exhibit at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City and have drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors; this is the first time they’ve been on display in the country in more than 20 years. After Natasha Gelman’s death in 1998 (her husband died in 1986), the fate of the couple’s Mexican collection became the subject of tangled legal disputes, though Natasha was widely reported to have wanted the collection to remain together and in Mexico.
Banco Santander announced in January that the collection would anchor a new cultural venue in the bank’s namesake city in northern Spain. Not long after, Mexico’s Culture Ministry announced that a portion of the collection would be temporarily exhibited at the MAM; and the furor began.
How could it be that this national treasure — the collection contains 28 works designated as national historic monuments — went from languishing in obscurity to being shipped off to a museum in Spain? A group of 400 artists and cultural figures signed a letter petitioning the government for transparency about the collection’s fate; the official response was that this is only a temporary loan to Spain, within the parameters of regulation governing cultural heritage.
The latest twist in this winding tale broke late last week. Spanish digital outlet ArteInformado reported that the art collection is serving as collateral for a loan. This clarifies the opaque circumstances surrounding the 2023 acquisition of the collection by Marcelo Zambrano (of Cemex), and confirms suspicions that Banco Santander is acting as more than just a manager as initially stated; after all, it’s now been renamed the Gelman Santander Collection. According to judicial filings in the U.S., the loan was originally financed by Sotheby’s — around 30 works were sold at auction in December 2024 to cover interest owed — and then taken over by Santander in January 2026. Zambrano reportedly financed most of the purchase price (believed to be under $200 million) with debt; if he defaults, Santander takes control of Arte Mexicano en el Mundo, the Texas LLC through which the collection is held, and in theory, the art goes with it. No official statement from the Mexican government has directly addressed what would happen to the works in that scenario. However, a source close to the Zambrano financial negotiations quoted in Reforma flatly denied the collection is at risk: “The banks, when they do these transactions, don’t lend to keep things. Imagine what a ‘hot potato’ it would be for Santander to end up with this collection.”
ArteInformado also reported that the collection is supposed to remain in Spain until at least 2030, with indefinite right of renewal, according to a contract signed by the Zambrano family and with the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL).
To appease the outcry, the exhibit at the MAM (which was supposed to conclude in May) has been extended through July, and this week, the Culture Ministry announced that the collection will be required to return to Mexico every two years, though this is apparently contradicted by the contract referenced above.
Meanwhile, President Sheinbaum is visiting Barcelona this week to attend a progressive political summit, taking a significant step towards mending a relationship that had grown tense since AMLO’s 2019 request for an apology for atrocities committed during the Spanish Conquest went unanswered. The King of Spain was not invited to attend Sheinbaum’s swearing-in ceremony in 2024, but since a public statement by the Spanish foreign minister acknowledging the “pain” of the Conquest last October, there have been signs of a rapprochement.
Does this mitigate the sting for the nationalist ruling party of losing a highly symbolic trove of Mexican art to Spain?
The truth is that regardless of patriotic sentiment, the Mexican government’s hands are tied (or rather, their purse is too poor). Both AMLO and Sheinbaum’s administrations have dedicated resources to repatriating cultural heritage from abroad, but the 16,500 items that have been returned to the Mexican government since 2018 are dated prior to the 20th century. Why? Because they have more robust legal protection by the state, and the majority have been voluntarily surrendered — Mexico hasn’t had to buy them back. In fact, the Mexican government was apparently given the chance to buy the Gelman Collection from Littman in the early 2000s, but couldn’t come up with the cash. According to a 2025 Gurr Johns appraisal reported by ArteInformado, the 11 most valuable works in the Gelman Collection alone are worth nearly US $600 million.
What critics of the government’s decision may also overlook is that, in cases involving private collections, the role of the state is not to improvise nor to bow to self-appointed elite cultural experts, but to apply the existing legal framework. Mexican law permits export licenses for protected and privately-owned cultural works by the relevant statutes to be granted generally for two years — with the possibility of continued renewal, which is precisely the mechanism now in play. For sure the export of Santander – Gelman collection to Spain has been poorly managed from a PR perspective by both Santander and the government, but it does not seem anything illegal nor untoward has been done nor proposed.
Film Production Up, Revenue Down
The annual statistical overview of the film industry in Mexico was published by IMCINE this week and reported a record 235 feature films were in production during 2025, 41% of them with at least partial public funding through IMCINE. While this reflects strong manufacturing capacity, the industry faces a serious distribution and exhibition bottleneck: of the 429 films released in commercial cinemas in 2025, only 93 were Mexican — just 22% of the total. That figure is actually down from 112 Mexican releases in 2024. Only an estimated 40% of completed Mexican films make it to commercial theaters each year. The rest must find alternative circuits or platforms, but opportunities are scarce; only 13 feature films managed to debut on any streaming platform in that same period. On the economic front, the Mexican film industry generated 21.6 billion pesos in 2024 (the most recent data included), representing 17.2% of cultural sector GDP and making it the third-largest force within the cultural economy. However, this marks a gradual decline from 18% in 2022 and 17.6% in 2023, a contraction of 1.7 percentage points year-over-year. Of every 1,000 pesos generated by the sector, 686 went to companies, 307 to salaries, and just 7 to government production taxes. The industry employed 19,732 people in 2024 — comparable to the professional sports industry — but lost 1,720 jobs compared to the previous year. On a more positive note, average monthly salaries rose from 26,007 to 28,010 pesos year-over-year.
BTS and Ticketing Transparency
K-Pop boy band phenom BTS is back on world tour for the first time in four years and will perform in Mexico City for three concerts at Estadio GNP Seguros on May 7, 9 and 10. The ARIRANG tour spans 85 concerts across 34 cities, with analysts already suggesting it could rival Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in revenue.
All three CDMX dates sold out so quickly (150,000 tickets sold in 37 minutes) in January that President Sheinbaum sent a letter to the South Korean government requesting more concert dates in Mexico — to no avail. Fans reported suspected irregularities during the Ticketmaster sale and took to the streets to protest, prompting Profeco to open an investigation. The consumer protection agency ultimately fined the company more than 5 million pesos for infractions. Ticketmaster had stated it found no evidence of rule-breaking in Mexico, unlike in the US and Canada, where it identified problematic purchases and announced a limited ticket release at original prices.
Following the BTS debacle, Mexican authorities introduced new regulations requiring ticket sellers to disclose full event details at least 24 hours in advance, including venue maps, seating availability, final prices (which cannot increase at checkout), and refund procedures in case of cancellation. Profeco also established that ticketing companies must be transparent regarding additional services and packages offered for concerts and clearly warn that access to electronic waitlists or automated processes does not guarantee obtaining tickets.
Meanwhile, a US federal jury determined this week that Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, operated a harmful monopoly over major venues across the United States. The jury found that Ticketmaster overcharged customers across 22 states, potentially costing the company hundreds of millions in repayments. No immediate relief is coming for concert-goers, but the next phase will determine penalties, which could include forcing Live Nation to divest some of its venues.
In other creative industry news:
- A long-awaited museum reopening. After closing during the pandemic in 2020, the Museo Dolores Olmedo will finally reopen its doors at its original home — the Hacienda La Noria in Xochimilco — on May 30. Dolores Olmedo was a close friend of Diego Rivera, who chose her as a model for some of his murals. Over her lifetime she assembled a major collection of Rivera and Kahlo works, as well as pre-Hispanic art. Highlights include Kahlo’s La Columna Rota and a Rivera self-portrait dedicated to one of his daughters. The hacienda itself is also known for its xoloitzcuintle dogs, peacocks, and expansive gardens. After closing in 2020, a controversial proposal emerged to create an extension inside Aztlán, the amusement park in Chapultepec, raising fears about the collection being fragmented or relocated. Community groups, artists and intellectuals protested, and a formal complaint was filed with the CNDH, which confirmed after a site visit that the relocation plan had been scrapped and renovations were underway. The museum is expected to draw large numbers of visitors during the World Cup this summer.
- Guadalajara goes to the movies: The 41st Festival Internacional de Cine de Guadalajara (FICG) runs April 17–25, with three award-winning filmmakers as its headline guests: American director Darren Aronofsky and Chilean directors Pablo Larraín and Sebastián Lelio. Aronofsky, known for Requiem for a Dream y Black Swan, will receive an international tribute at the closing ceremony and lead a masterclass. Chilean directors Larraín and Lelio headline the festival’s focus on Chile as guest of honor country. Larraín has received two Oscar nominations for Best International Film (No y The Count) and directed Jackie y Spencer. Lelio made history winning the Oscar for Best International Film in 2018 with A Fantastic Woman, a landmark film for trans rights representation. The festival opens with Moscas by Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke, who will also present a free screening of his classic Duck Season. Notable titles include Rosebush Pruning by Brazil’s Karim Aïnouz, Sundance award-winner Hold Onto Me, and Venice prizewinner En el camino by David Pablos. The festival’s LGBTQ+ film section, Premio Maguey, celebrates its 15th anniversary this edition.
- Puccini, Verdi and..Cumbia?: Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform a free concert at the Zócalo in Mexico City this Saturday, April 18, as part of his 30th anniversary tour celebrating his landmark album Romanza, which includes the iconic Con te partirò. The show will feature special guests Los Ángeles Azules, the cumbia legends from Iztapalapa, and pop-alternative singer Ximena Sariñana, alongside the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, creating an unusual fusion of opera, pop, and cumbia on one of the country’s most iconic stages. Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada confirmed the guest artists and emphasized that the city government will not be investing any public funds in the event, which will be sponsored by Banco Plata, the upstart fintech bank that was just valued at $5 billion in a $405 million equity raise (see our Fintech Chatter). “The Zócalo remains an open and free space for the public,” she said, highlighting its role in democratizing access to culture.
- CDMX cultural calendar for the World Cup: With just over two months until the tournament kicks off, Mexico City’s boroughs (alcaldías) are finalizing their World Cup plans. The opening match between Mexico and South Africa will be played at the Estadio Azteca (now renamed Estadio Banorte) in Coyoacán on June 11. Beyond the match, Coyoacán is preparing a strong cultural program centered on its famous residents (Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and others) including the reopening of the Museo Dolores Olmedo. Cuauhtémoc is hosting the largest Fan Festival in the capital at the Zócalo, along with cultural routes and public activations. It also announced the Campo Marte festival near the Auditorio Nacional, featuring international acts. Iztapalapa has already opened Álbum Épico, a World Cup memorabilia exhibition at the Museo Yancuic with over 15,000 authentic pieces, inaugurated with FIFA president Giovanni Infantino in attendance. The notable exception is Miguel Hidalgo, whose PAN mayor Mauricio Tabe flatly announced there is no budget for World Cup activities and refused to authorize any events, placing responsibility for the Parque Cañitas Fan Festival squarely on city head Clara Brugada. Fan Festivals — giant screen viewing spaces for those without match tickets — are expected in all 16 boroughs, though Miguel Hidalgo’s participation remains in doubt. President Sheinbaum confirmed there will be no national dry law during the tournament, though alcohol sales will be restricted at the Zócalo Fan Festival.