The Brits are not the only ones to have invaded Hollywood in recent years; the movie capital has seen an influx of cinematic talent from another part of the world as well. Mexican filmmakers have given Hollywood reason to sit up and listen, bringing to the world stage their adventurous and innovative attitude to cinema. This has never been truer than in the case of Birdman, which burst onto our screens in 2014, to huge critical acclaim, notably picking up four Academy Awards. Starring Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Emma Stone; the film is a remarkable demonstration of creativity from of a whole host of Mexican filmmakers.
To celebrate the release of Birdman on Blu-ray and DVD on 4th May we take a look at today’s top Mexican cinematic talent.
Emmanuel Lubezki
Emmanuel’s work as cinematographer has been nominated for no less than seven Academy Awards, and just a year after taking the trophy for Gravity (2013), he won the Cinematography Academy Award for his stunningly fluid work on Birdman.
Alfonso Cuarón
The first Mexican-born to win the Best Director Oscar, Cuarón has an enviable back catalogue including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Children of Men (2006) and Gravity (2013). Yearning for a career as an astronaut when younger he combined his fascination with space and film to bring to screen the latter film that shattered box office records.
Guillermo Del Toro
A man of many talents - Del Toro is a director, screenwriter, producer and novelist; known for his work on Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and Pacific Rim (2013), he actually started out in the film business as a special effects make-up designer.
Amat Escalante
Best known for Heli, a film that won him the Best Director prize at Cannes in 2013, Amat shocked audiences with the brutal telling of Mexican drug culture, portraying violence that Mexicans barely batted an eyelid at. He has not only garnered global recognition for his own cinematic talents but also for wider Mexican culture.
Rodrigo Prieto
The second cinematographer on our list, Rodrigo’s work on The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Argo (2012), and Brokeback Mountain (2005) means he can boast one of the most well-known back catalogues amongst our Mexican stars. Firmly established, he is flying the flag for Mexican cinematic talent in Hollywood.
Antonio Sanchez
A four times Grammy award winner, this talented drummer was the composer and performer of the now iconic Birdman score. The distinctive music he created for the film earned him both Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.
Eugenio Caballero
Another Mexican contributor to the 2006 epic Pans Labyrinth, where his creative film design gained him an Academy Award, Eugenio’s work is a perfect example of modern day Hollywood welcoming innovative Mexican cinema.
Martin Hernandez
Whilst travelling back and forth between LA and Mexico establishing his career as a sound editor, Martin fitted in time to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound Editing for his work on Birdman in 2014.
Guillermo Navarro
Born in Mexico City, this Academy Award winning cinematographer is best known for Pacific Rim (2013) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). Guillermo has also dabbled as Director of Photography on blockbuster series’ like the Twilight Saga and Night at the Museum.
Alejandro González Iñárritu
This one time radio host is now a world renowned director having received had a host of award nominations for Babel in 2006. However, it was with Birdman that he undeniably cemented his reputation, winning an academy award for Best Director. The critically acclaimed comedy that he directed, co-produced and co-wrote went on to share his success and win Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2014.
BIRDMAN - the critically-acclaimed film is out now on Digital HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD.
