Cinema Tucsón (formerly Tucson Cine Mexico)

Overview

Cinema Tucsón is a monthly Mexican cinema screening series at the historic Fox Tucson Theatre in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Presented by Cinema Tropical and the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona, the series launched in 2021 as the successor to the annual Tucson Cine Mexico film festival, which ran for 17 years from 2009 to 2020. Screenings take place one Wednesday evening per month from September through May (excluding December), with each screening featuring a new or notable Mexican film, often accompanied by Q&A sessions with the film's director or producer. Admission is free.

For Mexican filmmakers, Cinema Tucsón provides a direct channel to US borderlands audiences. The series has programmed films that later received distribution in major US hubs like New York and Los Angeles, and in some cases screened Mexican films before their theatrical release in Mexico itself. The 2025 to 2026 season screened 8 films from September 2025 through April 2026, including The Devil Smokes (Ernesto Martinez Bucio), Las Marthas (Cristina Ibarra), Sleep Dealer, Take It Away (Adrian Alejandro Arredondo and Myrna Perez), We Shall Not Be Moved (Pierre Saint Martin), Vanilla (Mayra Hermosillo), OCA (Karla Badillo), and Asco: Without Permission (Travis Gutierrez Senger). The series resumes in September 2026 after a summer break.

If you are a Mexican filmmaker or a US-based Chicano/Latino filmmaker with a completed feature, Cinema Tucsón is programmed curatively rather than through open submissions. Co-programmers Carlos A. Gutierrez and Vicky Westover select films in consultation with a 12-person community committee. For inquiries, contact Cinema Tucsón through the Cinema Tucsón website or Cinema Tropical. Use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator for broader festival circuit planning.

Key Sections

• Monthly Screenings - one Mexican film per month (September through May, excluding December) at the Fox Tucson Theatre, typically at 7:00 PM on a Wednesday. Each screening is approximately 90 to 120 minutes including Q&A.
• New Mexican Cinema - the primary programming focus, featuring recent Mexican films across fiction, documentary, and experimental genres. Most screenings are new productions from the current or previous year.
• Classic Films and B Movies - occasional screenings of older Mexican films and genre cinema, providing historical context alongside contemporary work.
• Filmmaker Q&A Sessions - many screenings include post-film discussions with the director, producer, or other key creatives, giving Tucson audiences direct access to Mexican filmmaking talent.
• Special Screenings - occasional non-Wednesday or extended screenings, including festival-style events and partnerships with community organizations.

Programming and Venue Details

Venue: All screenings (except as noted) take place at the Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St., Tucson, AZ 85701. The Fox Tucson Theatre is a historic Art Deco venue that opened in 1930 and operated as a movie palace until 1974. It reopened in 2005 after restoration and now functions as a performing arts center and cinema. The theatre seats approximately 1,200, meaning screenings rarely sell out, and walk-up attendance is generally possible.

Schedule: The 2025 to 2026 season ran from September 2025 through April 2026, with screenings on the following dates:

All films screen in Spanish or Spanish and English with English subtitles. The season resumes in September 2026.

Admission: Screenings are free, supported by a combination of cultural organizations, academic institutions, government agencies, and local businesses.

Partners and sponsors: Cinema Tucsón is presented by Cinema Tropical and the UA Center for Latin American Studies, in partnership with the Fox Tucson Theatre and the Mexican Consulate in Tucson. Additional sponsors include Rio Nuevo, La Estrella Bakery, Film Tucson, Visit Tucson, and several University of Arizona departments. Media sponsors include 92.5FM Urbana, La Poderosa 105.3FM, and KXCI 91.3FM.

Submission Tips Specific to This Festival

1. No open submissions. Cinema Tucsón is programmed curatively by co-programmers Carlos A. Gutierrez (co-director of Cinema Tropical) and Vicky Westover, with a 12-person community committee. Reach out directly through the Cinema Tucsón website or Cinema Tropical to inquire about screening opportunities.

1. Build a relationship with Cinema Tropical. Because the series is curatively programmed, building a relationship with the programming team is the most effective approach. Cinema Tropical is a New York-based organization dedicated to promoting Latin American cinema in the US.

1. No submission fee. Because Cinema Tucsón is curatively programmed rather than submission-based, there is no submission fee. However, filmmakers cannot simply submit a film and expect consideration.

1. Target the borderlands audience. Tucson's location on the US-Mexico border gives Cinema Tucsón a unique audience. The series draws Mexican-American community members, university students and faculty, film enthusiasts, and Spanish-speaking residents. Screenings frequently include Q&A sessions in Spanish and English.

1. Films screen before US or Mexican theatrical release. Films screened at Cinema Tucsón have sometimes appeared in Tucson before their theatrical release in Mexico. The series has also programmed films that premiered at major festivals including Morelia, Tribeca, Cannes, Berlin, and Sundance before their US theatrical runs.

Festival History

Tucson Cine Mexico was founded in 2009 by Vicky Westover and Carlos A. Gutierrez as an annual film festival dedicated to Mexican cinema in the US borderlands. The festival ran every March for 17 years, becoming the longest-running Mexican film festival in the United States. After the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Westover and Gutierrez transitioned to monthly screenings throughout most of the year, launching the new format as Cinema Tucsón in 2021. The Fox Tucson Theatre, the series' home venue, opened in 1930 as an Art Deco movie palace and reopened in 2005 after restoration. Over five years of monthly programming, Cinema Tucsón has screened dozens of Mexican films and hosted Q&A sessions with directors and producers. In 2025, the series reported its highest attendance figures to date.

Industry Reputation Notes

Cinema Tucsón is not a competitive festival and does not have FIAPF accreditation. No jury prizes or audience awards are given in the current format. The value for filmmakers is in audience exposure, community engagement, and the Q&A format that allows direct interaction with Tucson's borderlands audience.

The predecessor Tucson Cine Mexico festival (2009 to 2020) was a competitive festival with jury prizes for Best Mexican Film, Best Chicano Film, and an Audience Award. These awards were discontinued when the format changed to a monthly screening series in 2021.

The series is the longest-running Mexican film festival in the United States, with 17 years as an annual festival and five years as a monthly series. The 2025 to 2026 season included The Reserve (La Reserva) by Pablo Perez Lombardini, which won Best Mexican Film and Best Lead Actress at the Morelia Film Festival. Huesera, screened in a previous season, won awards at the Tribeca Festival. The programming consistently includes award-winning films from the Mexican and international festival circuits.

In 2025, the series reported its highest attendance figures to date, reflecting growing audience engagement with Mexican cinema in Tucson.

Past Winners

Cinema Tucsón is a screening series, not a competitive festival. No jury prizes or audience awards are given in the current format.

The predecessor Tucson Cine Mexico festival (2009 to 2020) was a competitive festival with jury prizes for Best Mexican Film, Best Chicano Film, and an Audience Award. These awards were discontinued when the format changed to a monthly screening series in 2021.

Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up

The Devil Smokes (2025 to 2026 season opener): Ernesto Martinez Bucio's feature debut world premiered in the Berlin Film Festival's Perspectives section in February 2025. The film, set in 1990s Mexico City, portrays five siblings abandoned by their parents who blur the line between reality and the supernatural.

OCA (February 2026): Karla Badillo's directorial debut world premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival's Discovery section. Starring Natalia Solian (Huesera) and Cecilia Suarez, the film follows a young nun on a pilgrimage through the deserts of Central Mexico.

Asco: Without Permission (April 2026 closer): Travis Gutierrez Senger's documentary about the 1970s Chicano art group ASCO premiered at SXSW 2025. Executive produced by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, it received a limited theatrical release in May 2026.

Huesera (September 2022): Michelle Garza Cervera's horror debut won Best New Narrative Director and the Nora Ephron Award at Tribeca 2022. It was distributed by XYZ Films in US theaters in February 2023 and streamed on Shudder. Cervera went on to direct the Hulu remake of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025).

Sujo (previous season): Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez's film won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at Sundance 2024. Mexico submitted it for the Best International Feature Oscar. It was distributed by The Forge in US theaters in December 2024.

Sleep Dealer (October 2025): Alex Rivera's 2008 sci-fi film won the Alfred P. Sloan Award and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance 2008. It screened at Berlin and MoMA and had commercial releases in the US, France, and Japan.

Watch

See Also

For Mexican cinema and international film markets, see International Film Markets. For Chicano and borderlands filmmaking, see Independent Filmmaking. For festival circuit planning and submission strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate festival submission fees across multiple festivals, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator.