At VLAFF, we are very proud to present, during our upcoming 24th edition, nine films that have recently received a combined 40 nominations for the Ariel Awards, presented by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences. The 68th edition of the Ariel Awards will take place on October 3.
VAINILLA
VAINILLA (dir. Mayra Hermosillo), our Closing Night Film, received six Ariel nominations, including Best Film and Best First Feature. Additional nominations include Best Makeup (Alejandra Velarde), Best Production Design (Salvador Parra), Breakthrough Performance (Aurora Dávila), and Best Costume Design (Gilda Navarro). The film portrays a multigenerational household of women in northern Mexico during the 1980s. VAINILLA screens on Sunday, September 20. Tickets here.
THE DEVIL SMOKES
Directed by Ernesto Martínez Bucio,THE DEVIL SMOKES (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) is part of the New Directors Competition. One of the most-nominated films at this year’s Ariel Awards, it received eight nominations, including Best Film and Best First Feature. The film was also nominated for Best Director (Ernesto Martínez Bucio), Best Original Screenplay (Ernesto Martínez Bucio and Karen Plata), Best Supporting Actor (Bernardo Gamboa), Breakthrough Performance (Donovan Said and Laura Uribe Rojas), and Best Editing (Ernesto Martínez Bucio, Karen Plata, and Odei Zabaleta).
THE DEVIL SMOKES screens on September 11. Tickets here.
THE RESERVE
Also part of the New Directors Competition, THE RESERVE (dir. Pablo Pérez Lombardini) received six Ariel nominations. Pablo Pérez Lombardini was nominated for Best First Feature, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Additional nominations include Best Original Score (YOM), Best Cinematography (Moritz Tessendorf), and Breakthrough Performance (Carolina Guzmán).
Shot entirely in black and white, THE RESERVE screens on September 15. Tickets here.
BEST FICTION SHORT FILM
TECHIQ (dir. Missael Sánchez Arce) received an Ariel nomination for Best Fiction Short Film.
In this 30-minute short, a peasant couple waits for the bird known as Techiq to announce their son’s return while confronting illness and the appearance of a strange creature in the forest. Told in Spanish and Náhuatl, the film reflects Sánchez Arce’s commitment to Indigenous storytelling and safeguarding the Náhuatl language.
TECHIQ screens on September 12 as part of FOLLOWING THE VOICES OF OUR ANCESTORS TO THE FUTURE. Reserve a free ticket here.
THE ROLE OF CO-PRODUCTIONS
IT WOULD BE NIGHT IN CARACAS and THE BLUE TRAIL are examples of the important role that Latin American co-productions play in contemporary cinema. Both films are directed by filmmakers from Venezuela and Brazil, respectively, and tell stories deeply rooted in their own countries and communities. Their Ariel nominations also highlight the cross-border collaborations that allow ambitious Latin American stories to be created and shared with wider audiences.
IT WOULD BE NIGHT IN CARACAS, directed by renowned Venezuelan filmmakers Marité Ugás and Mariana Rondón, is based on the novel La hija de la española. The film received nine Ariel nominations, including Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay. It will screen on September 14. Tickets here.
THE BLUE TRAIL, the latest film by visionary Brazilian filmmaker Gabriel Mascaro, received seven Ariel nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. The film screens on September 13 and 16. Tickets here.
BEST IBERO-AMERICAN FILM
The Ariel Awards also celebrate outstanding films from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal—the region known as Ibero-America. Three exceptional films nominated in this category are also part of VLAFF’s upcoming edition:
- THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO (Chile, dir. Diego Céspedes), screening September 11 and September 15. Tickets here.
- BELÉN (Argentina, dir. Dolores Fonzi), screening September 12 and September 14. Tickets here.
- A POET (Colombia, dir. Simón Mesa Soto), screening September 17. Tickets here.
Experience these nine acclaimed films at the 24th Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, taking place September 10 – 20, 2026.
Explore the full program and get your festival pass here.