You’d think that after the great year he’s had, Alfonso Cuarón would be basking in the glow. Not so, or at least not completely so, see clip below.
Cuarón: Mexican film industry can’t bask in his success
— reported by the Houston Chronicle
At the recent Oscar show, Hollywood embraced global diversity, including nominations for films by three Mexican directors: Alejandro González Iñárritu for Babel, Guillermo del Toro for Pan’s Labyrinth and Alfonso Cuarón for Children of Men.
Yet the last, new on DVD today, basked in Oscar glow despite Hollywood, not because of it. A downbeat sci-fi saga about civilization in collapse, it had scant studio support until rave reviews and solid box office nudged it toward three Oscar nods: for cinematography, editing and adapted screenplay. (Cuarón shared credit on the last two.)
Even so, Cuarón was “very happy with what we got. I do think diversity is creeping into the mainstream, and I don’t think it’s a token thing.”
But the international picture isn’t that rosy.
“There’s a false perception because of Alejandro, Guillermo and me that the Mexican film business is healthy,” said Cuarón, who lives in London with his wife. “It’s actually in very bad shape.
“But what’s really exciting is the new generation of (Mexican) filmmakers. They don’t even need to go to film schools. They grew up with DVD behind-the-scenes features, with video cameras, with home editing machines. It’s amazing. We’ll be seeing a lot from them.”
[snip]
