by Jorge Molina
Award season is a misnomer. Movie awards are a year-long, worldwide affair. At the end of last month the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences (AMACC) announced its nominees for the 61st annual Ariel awards, celebrating the films of 2018.
As you undoubtedly would expect, Alfonso Cuarón’s multi-celebrated, Oscar-winning Roma garnered the most nominations, with 15. It was followed by Museo, by Alonso Ruizpalacios, and The Good Girls by Alejandra Márquez Abella (still awaiting US distribution), with 14 each.
You can see a full list of the nominees after the jump with a bit of trivia and commentary [UPDATED IN JULY: WE'VE ALSO NOTATED WHICH FILM WON EACH PRIZE AT THE CEREMONY. WINNERS ARE MARKED WITH A STAR]...
Best Picture
- La Camarista (The Chambermaid)
- Las Niñas Bien (The Good Girls)
- Museo
- Nuestro Tiempo (Our Time)
- ★ Roma
Nuestro Tiempo (Our Time) from Carlos Reygadas stars his own family
Best Director
- Lila Avilés – The Chambermaid
- Alejandra Márquez Abella – The Good Girls
- Alonso Ruizpalacios – Museo
- Carlos Reygadas – Nuestro Tiempo
- ★ Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
Surprisingly, this is Alfonso Cuarón’s first ever nomination in this category. This is Carlos Reygadas third nomination in the category. Reygadas previously won for 2008’s Luz Silenciosa (Silent Light), and was nominated in 2004 for Japón. Alonso Ruizpalacios won this award back in 2015 for his film Gueros. Two female directors were nominated for this award, something rare in award bodies elsewhere. However, only one woman has ever won this category (Tatiana Huezo por Tempestad in 2017).
Best Actor
- Luis Gerardo Méndez – Bayoneta
- Damián Alcázar – De la infancia
- Baltimore Beltrán – Mente revólver
- Gael García Bernal – Museo
- ★ Noé Hernández – Ocho de cada diez
This is Gael García Bernal’s third nomination. He won in 2001 for Amores Perros and was nominated again in 2017 for Me Estás Matando Susana (You’re Killing Me Susana).
Concepción Márquez stars in Cría puercos (Esmeralda's Twilight) about a widow who comes back to loving life when she cares for a pig named "Queenie"
Best Actress
- Concepción Márquez – Cría puercos
- Gabriela Cartol – The Chambermaid
- ★ Ilse Salas –The Good Girls
- Sophie Alexander-Katz – Los días más oscuros de nosotras
- Yalitza Aparicio – Roma
Best Supporting Actor
- Ernesto Gómez Cruz – De la infancia
- Flavio Medina – The Good Girls
- Hoze Meléndez – Mente revólver
- ★ Leonardo Ortizgris – Museo
- Jorge Antonio Guerrero – Roma
It’s really good to see Jorge Antonio Guerrero recognized as his work for playing Fermín, Cleo’s asshole boyfriend in Roma. Every small performance really got a chance to be properly acknowledged in this ceremony.
Best Supporting Actress
- Cassandra Ciangherotti – El club de los insomnes
- Teresa Sánchez – The Chambermaid
- Cassandra Ciangherotti – The Good Girls
- Paulina Gaitán – The Good Girls
- ★ Marina de Tavira – Roma
Best Documentary
- Ayotzinapa, el paso de la tortuga – Dir. Enrique García Meza
- ★ Hasta los dientes – Dir. Alberto Arnaut
- Rita, el documental – Dir. Arturo Díaz Santana
- Rush Hour – Dir. Luciana Kaplan
- Witkin y Witkin – Dir. Trisha Ziff
Nancy García and Yaritza Aparicio in Roma
Breakthrough Performance
- Agustina Quinci –The Chambermaid
- Alan Uribe – The Chambermaid
- ★ Benny Emmanuel – De la infancia
- Bernardo Velasco – Museo
- Nancy García – Roma
Just as with Jorge Antonio Guerrero, it’s good to see Nancy García in this particularly category, as opposed to Yalitza Aparicio (since she's nominated for lead). Adela is such a nuanced, but vital part of Cleo’s routine and it’s good to see her get her due.
El Angel
Best Iberoamerican Film
- Champions (Spain) – Dir. Javier Fesser
- El Ángel (Argentina) – Dir. Luis Ortega
- A 12 Year Night (Uruguay) – Dir. Álvaro Brechner
- The Heiresses (Paraguay) – Dir. Marcelo Martinessi
- ★ Birds of Passage (Colombia) – Dir. Cristina Gallego y Ciro Guerra
All five of these were Oscar submissions for their countries this past season.
Best Cinematography
- Carlos F. Rossini – The Chambermaid
- Dariela Ludlow – The Good Girls
- Damián García – Museo
- Diego García – Nuestro tiempo
- ★ Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
La Camarista (The Chambermaid) - up for Best First Feature AND Best Feature
Best First Feature
- Ayotzinapa, el paso de la tortuga – Dir. Enrique García Meza
- Cría puercos – Dir. Ehécatl Garage
- Hasta los dientes – Dir. Alberto Arnaut
- ★ The Chambermaid – Dir. Lila Avilés
- Los días más oscuros de nosotras – Dir. Astrid Rondero Martínez
Best Animated Short Film
- ¡Justicia! – Brandon Axel López
- 32-Rbit – Víctor Orozco Ramírez
- Gina – David Alejandro Heras
- Primos – Federico Gutiérrez Obeso
- ★ Viva el rey – Luis Téllez
The director of Viva el Rey has a stop-motion animated feature in production, reportedly a first for Mexico.
Best Documentary Short
- 19 de septiembre – Santiago Arau Pontones, Diego Rabasa
- Autora – Laura García
- Las visitadoras – Sergio Blanco
- M – Eva Villaseñor
- ★ Sinfonía de un mar triste – Carlos Morales
Best Live Action Short
- ★ Arcángel – Ángeles Cruz
- B-167-980-098 – Santiago Arriaga, Mariana Arriaga
- El aire delgado – Pablo Giles
- El último romántico – Natalia García Agraz
- Velvet – Paula Hopf
- Videotape – Sandra Reynoso Estrada
On location with one of Roma's most memorable scenes
Best Editing
- Pedro G. García – Hasta los dientes
- Omar Guzmán –The Chambermaid
- Miguel Schverdfinger – The Good Girls
- Yibrán Asuad – Museo
- ★ Alfonso Cuarón, Adam Gough – Roma
Best Special Effects
- Yoshiro Hernández – Cygnus
- Ricardo Arvizu – El día de la unión
- Luis Eduardo Ambriz – El habitante
- Roberto Flores – La gran promesa
- ★ Alejandro Vázquez – Roma
Best Visual Effects
- Raúl Prado – Bayoneta
- Charlie Iturriaga, Cynthia Navarro – De la infancia
- Marco Rodríguez – El día de la unión
- Adriana Benítez – Museo
- ★ Sheldon Stopsack, David Griffiths – Roma
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Daniel Emil, Flavio González Mello – Ana y Bruno
- ★ Silvia Pasternac, Carlos Carrera, Fernando Javier León Rodríguez – De la infancia
Best Original Screenplay
- Lila Avilés, Juan Márquez – The Chambermaid
- Alejandra Márquez Abella – The Good Girl
- Alonso Ruizpalacios, Manuel Alcalá – Museo
- Carlos Reygadas – Nuestro tiempo
- ★ Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
Las niñas bien (The Good Girls)
Best Costume Design
- Anna Terrazas – Bayoneta
- Mariestela Fernández – De la infancia
- ★ María Annai Ramos Maza – The Good Girls
- Malena de la Riva – Museo
- Anna Terrazas – Roma
Best Production Design
- Salvador Parra – De la infancia
- Claudio Ramírez Castelli – The Good Girls
- Sandra Cabriada – Museo
- Alisarine Ducolomb – Restos de viento
- ★ Eugenio Caballero, Bárbara Enríquez, Oscar Tello, Gabriel Cortés – Roma
Ana Y Bruno
Best Animated Feature
- Ahí viene Cascarrabias – Andrés Couturier
- ★ Ana y Bruno – Carlos Carrera
- El ángel en el reloj – Miguel Ángel Uriegas
- La leyenda del Charro Negro – Alberto “Chino” Rodríguez
Best Makeup
- Adam Zoller – Bayoneta
- Roberto Ortiz – El día de la unión
- ★ Pedro Guijarro Hidalgo – The Good Girls
- Itzel Peña García – Museo
- Anton Garfias – Roma
Best Original Score
- Víctor Hernández Stumpfhauser – Ana y Bruno
- Topias Tiheasalo – Bayoneta
- ★ Tomás Barreiro – The Good Girls
- Tomás Barreiro – Museo
- Jacobo Lieberman – Witkin y Witkin
Bayonet, streaming on Netflix, is about a retired boxer
Best Sound
- Alejandro de Icaza – Bayoneta
- Alejandro de Icaza, Anuar Yahya – The Good Girls
- Javier Umpierrez, Isabel Muñoz Cota, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc – Museo
- Raúl Locatelli, Carlos Cortés, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc – Nuestro tiempo
- ★ José Antonio García, Sergio Díaz, Skip Lievsay, Craig Henigham – Roma
The 61st Arieles will take place on June 24th at the Cineteca Nacional in Mexico City.