What this section covers. Cinema in Mexico City, from the national film archive to the festivals and the open-air screenings.
Where to watch. The Cineteca Nacional, in Xoco, is the reference: several screens, a weekly-changing programme of retrospectives and festivals, free screenings in its plaza, and cheap tickets. The UNAM's Filmoteca and the Cine Tonalá in the Roma cover the same ground on a smaller scale. For commercial releases, Cinépolis and Cinemex are everywhere.
The festivals. FICUNAM, the UNAM international festival, runs in the first months of the year; Ambulante, the travelling documentary festival, passes through in spring; Mix México and Macabro occupy their own niches.
Practical notes. Foreign films screen in the original language with Spanish subtitles; Mexican films have no subtitles at all. Tickets are cheap by any international standard, and Wednesday is the discount day at most commercial chains. Check programmes on the day: they change weekly.
