‘Roma’ producer pushes craft, artistry amid Mexico’s creative boom

Nicolás Celis. Image courtesy of Pimienta Films.

by Ambika Subra.

Mexico’s film industry has long been a wellspring of creativity, producing visionary filmmakers while remaining just outside the global spotlight. But some sense the center may be shifting. In February, Netflix announced a $1 billion commitment to Mexican productions over the next five years, raising the stakes and highlighting Mexico as a key figure in the future of global cinema. At Pimienta Films - the Oscar-winning production company behind Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma and Tatiana Huezo’s Noche de Fuego - that future isn’t simply about making more movies. It’s about making better ones, and building the artistic ecosystems that can carry Mexican cinema into its next era.

Few are better positioned to lead this shift than Nicolás Celis, Pimienta’s founder. Celis has helped define the shape of contemporary Mexican cinema. For him, the current moment is as urgent as it is expansive.

"Mexico is in a very vibrant position right now," Celis tells me. Production is at an all-time high, fueled by fiscal incentives and the influx of streamers setting up bases across Mexico City. "It’s the gateway between this new streaming economy and the rest of Latin America." Major studios are investing heavily - not just in infrastructure, but in securing a foothold in a market that’s growing rapidly in both content consumption and creative output.

But while production services for international films, TV shows, and advertisements are booming, Celis sees a deeper challenge for homegrown cinema. "Ten years ago, there was a huge appetite for Mexican films everywhere," he reflects. "Now, that hunger has shifted to other geographies." The result is a feeling of stasis, a repetition of familiar subjects and forms without a true update that captures the complexity and vibrancy of contemporary Mexico. “Audiences are eager for freshness,” he insists. “An evolution.”

Netflix’s $1 billion investment, Celis believes, won't automatically deliver that. “The money isn’t new," he says. "What’s new is the recognition of just how crucial the Mexican market is.” But quantity alone isn’t the answer. For a company like Pimienta, there’s a different mandate. "It’s not about making more. It’s about raising the level at which we create."

At a time when the industry could easily chase volume, Pimienta is setting a different course: one rooted in craftsmanship, depth, and long-term vision. In a streaming era that favors speed, Celis is holding fast to something rarer. "Films are cultural products, not consumer products," he says. "If you don’t connect with an audience, what’s the point?"

It’s a philosophy that runs deeper than any single project, aiming to rebuild the foundations that sustain great filmmaking. “We have amazing stories and grateful makers,” Celis says, “but we also need to connect the expertise of distributors, exhibitors, and producers. We have to expand the dialogue.” Mexico’s creative industries must grow not just outward but inward - fortifying the artistic community that makes lasting cinema possible.

One of Pimienta’s upcoming projects, Insectario, embodies this vision. Directed by renowned stop-motion artist Sofía Carrillo - who worked on Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio - and co-written with screenwriter Mónica Revilla, Insectario isn’t just a film. It’s a showcase of Mexican artistry at every level: animators, writers, designers, and technicians. A stop-motion feature made in Mexico, by Mexican artists, for a global audience. "It’s not enough to make a beautiful movie," Celis says. "We want to build careers, build industries, show what Mexican craft can do."

This is part of a broader shift in Pimienta’s approach, forged in the aftermath of Roma. "After Roma, I understood it’s not only about making a movie," Celis reflects. "It’s about how you position that movie so it can survive the passing of time."

For Pimienta, the future of Mexican cinema doesn’t lie in chasing trends or maximizing output. It lies in doubling down on excellence - making work that connects, challenges, and endures. “Mexico is setting examples for Latin America,” Celis says. “And the only way to guarantee stability is by continuing to make great films, great stories.”

In a moment when all eyes are on Mexico, Pimienta isn’t content to simply ride the wave. They’re shaping the horizon: building an industry where artistry, craft, and connection aren’t afterthoughts, but the foundation.

After Netflix’s billion, the real work begins. And as Pimienta’s vision takes hold, the future of Mexican cinema could be even more extraordinary than its past.