The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has announced Cinelandia: Celebrating Mexican American Cinema, an ambitious new exhibition exploring the lasting impact of Mexican American, Chicano and Mexican filmmakers on American cinema.
Opening on 25 September 2027, the exhibition will occupy the museum’s Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery until 23 July 2028, bringing together hundreds of original costumes, props, photographs, posters and archival materials celebrating more than 100 years of filmmaking.
The exhibition will examine how Mexican American artists have shaped Hollywood while exploring broader themes of identity, belonging and cultural expression. Cinelandia will also look to explore the close relationship between cinema and other artistic traditions including literature, theatre, poetry, painting and music.
What Is Cinelandia?
Organised across five themed galleries, Cinelandia charts the evolution of Mexican American filmmaking across multiple generations.
Visitors will explore:
- Hollywood’s relationship with Mexico during the silent and Golden Age eras
- Independent filmmaking during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s
- The emergence of influential Chicano films throughout the 1980s and 1990s
- The rise of New Mexican Cinema during the 1990s and early 2000s
- Present-day animation, fantasy and science fiction films that draw from Mexican culture to reimagine identity and history
The exhibition also explores how audiences embraced genre cinema while filmmakers continued to redefine Mexican American identity on screen.
Iconic Films Featured In The Exhibition
Cinelandia will feature hundreds of original artefacts and rarely-seen costumes alongside posters, photography, costumes and production materials.
Key works include:
- Babel (2006)
- The Book of Life (2014)
- Coco (2017)
- Cronos (1992)
- Dracula (Spanish-language version, 1931)
- El Norte (1982)
- Enamorada (1946)
- From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
- La Bamba (1987)
- Mexican Spitfire (1940)
- My Family/Mi Familia (1995)
- Salt of the Earth (1954)
- Santa (1932)
- Selena (1997)
- Sleep Dealer (2008)
- Yo Soy Joaquín (1969)
- Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
- Zoot Suit (1981)
Continuing The Academy Museum’s Landmark Exhibition Programme
Cinelandia becomes the Academy Museum‘s seventh major exhibition in the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery, following acclaimed exhibitions dedicated to Hayao Miyazaki, Black cinema, filmmaker John Waters, cinematic colour, Jaws and horror cinema.
The exhibition has also been developed with guidance from a distinguished advisory panel featuring filmmakers, scholars, artists and historians including Gregory Nava, Jorge Gutiérrez, Carlos López Estrada, Lalo Alcaraz and Chon Noriega.
Running for almost ten months, Cinelandia: Celebrating Mexican American Cinema promises to become one of the definitive museum exhibitions exploring Mexican American cinema and its enduring influence on filmmaking around the world.
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