Getting top billing: Altavista Films and the parting of the waters for Mexican cinema.

On January 28 of this year, "Voces Inocentes" opened in Mexico with more than 300 copies made available to cinemas. The dramatic film traveled on to almost every nation in Latin America, as well as attracting crowds in Australia, Japan and several European countries. It even garnered a prize from the Berlin Film Fest along the way.

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Set to open in the U.S. market, this film illustrates a parting of the waters in the Mexican film industry. One of the key figures in this sea change of the Mexican movie industry is Monica Lozano Serrano, director of Altavista Films, in Mexico City. Moviemaking in Mexico is a rapidly evolving industry--one that has its origins in private capital and later on became the dominion of the state.

Lozano says the film business has changed dramatically since the 1990s. She attributes this shift to a small group of investors, "among them Grupo CIE, Alejandro Soberon, Carlos Slim, Grupo Carso, Epigmenio Ibarra, Carlos Payan and others that had worked closely with the state or had ties to the foreign market," decided to put the industry back on track.

That meant creating the conditions to ensure that all worthwhile projects were well distributed and received the marketing and attention they deserved.

But more importantly, behind this impetus was the knowledge that Mexico had the talent and the technical acuity to create quality films and compete in international markets.

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Multi-Layered Interaction

Within this context Altavista Films was created in 1999.

"It's not enough to make the picture," Lozano says, "you have to sell it."

And in doing so, Altavista has forged strategic alliances, co-production partnerships, and most notably began to create the conditions in the national market in which other production companies and distributors will inevitably follow.

The process is a multi-layered mix of artistic, financial and technical networking.

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With "Voces Inocentes," the mix involved director Luis Mandoki inviting Altavista to read the script--the true story of a boy caught up in the El Salvador Civil War.

After realizing its potential, Lozano and Altavista reviewed the options in terms of resources and put a package together, detailing all of the elements necessary from manufacture to marketing.

The second step was to approach distributors, representatives, co-producers and investors.

Twentieth Century Fox took on part of the distribution, and Lion's Gate, which had been involved with Altavista's earlier success, "Amores Perros," came aboard. Also, Lawrence Bender, who produces for Quentin Tarantino ("Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction", "Kill Bill"), agreed to co-produce. The advantages of foreign co-production, relied upon frequently in the industry today, guarantees that the film will open in at least two markets.

All this, mind you, before the camera starts to roll. The procedure, as explained by Lozano, seems logical and straightforward enough. But when she pulls out the physical "package" and thumps it down on the desk, detailing everything from film synopsis, number of crew members and staff, how many and which costumes, locations, etc., are needed, the brimming catalog with its interminable lists and figures gives one an idea of the quantity of loose ends that need to be tied up into a comprehensible "package" before approaching and putting together an effective and strategic team.

Lozano likens the taking on of a project and the ensuing procedure to that of adopting a child.

"Our criteria though," she states, "is objective. We're interested in good stories and solid projects that reach the public."

Focus On National Market

Heartened by the audience's response to increased and targeted publicity for quality film in specific markets--a move that came in conjunction with improvements in projection, sound, and cinemas themselves--Altavista first looked to solidify the national market, as well as search out mutually beneficial partnerships abroad.

The film "Todo el poder" and its success with Mexican audiences was an important first step, because as Lozano likes to point out, "in countries like Argentina or France, each year they count among their nation's most successful and popular films, a good number of domestic movies. We needed to demonstrate that the same thing could be done here--the creation of a quality and competitive product."

With Altavista's release of the internationally acclaimed "Amores Perros" in 2001--which was nominated for an Academy Award--the Mexican film industry established firmer footing within the international arena.

What's more, this film, along with a few others, called attention to the talent produced by Mexico. As directors such as Luis Mandoki, Alfonso Arau and Alfonso Cuaron, as well as a number of Mexican actors and cinematographers make film on both sides of the border, the question begs to be asked: Why hasn't there been a Mexico-U.S. co-production in more than 10 years?

As rumblings of the growing importance of the Hispanic market in the United States abound, (a population that if counted as a separate entity would rank as the eighth-largest economy in the world), Lozano admits, "of course it's a market we are interested in, but so far aside from talk there haven't been any firm decisions made ... but the time is coming."

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Despite the promise of the market to the north, Lozano knows that in order for a production company to survive, one of its most important functions is creating optimum conditions in the domestic market.

In Mexico and throughout much of Latin America, many of the vehicles for distribution and representation have broken down, and one of Altavista's main goals is revitalizing the infrastructure.

In a market where in the past, under the state-run system, 20 copies would be released for distribution, and never more than 50 or 60 for those that drew crowds at the box office, it became apparent that the apparatus, even for the most successful domestic film, didn't cut it.

Believing In The Project

With solid investment and a wealth of national talent, part of Lozano's job is to connect the dots while simultaneously laying the groundwork for both present and future projects.

Although Altavista--like other major film production companies--seeks pre-sales for its projects, one of its main thrusts is to form strategic partnerships so that the product exhibits in Europe, the United States and Canada, as well as in Latin America.

In order to do that, Lozano arms herself with a firm belief in the projects she touts and an understanding of where the film is headed and how to market it.

These days, and for obvious reason, when one hears the term "producer" it often conjures images of someone in front of a spreadsheet with a cell phone hung on either ear, though nothing is further from the truth ... for the time being at least.

While it goes without saying, the financial and technical aspects along with logistics account for much of putting the film and its package together.

The germination of the idea begins in fantasy--a creative visualization often between director, cinematographer and producer and a meeting in which ideas begin to take shape. How do we want the film to look? What is the light like? What actors do we want? Who is the intended or preferred audience?

In buying a ticket and sitting down to watch a film like "Voces Inocentes"--the project Mandoki proposed to Altavista--what we are witnessing is something more than a singular artistic achievement.

The film in some ways echoes a clarion call for the coming of age of new Mexican cinema and its place upon the world stage.

The film being linked to a foreign co-producer, the ample distribution and favorable marketing agreements, and its stellar showing at an important internationally acclaimed festival are the product of more than 18 months of planning and hard work. And it's also the reason you will get to see this film in your hometown.

As Altavista continues to "package" quality films, chances are you'll be watching more of this Mexican product as it circles the globe. So sit back and enjoy the show.

Albert Sgambati is a freelance journalist based in Mexico City.