Mexican Directors Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Inarritu and Guillermo del Toro Develop Latin American Presence in International Film Industry

The landscape of Latin American cinema is a state of fluctuation, but its slow ascension would likely never have happened if not for the efforts of three Mexican filmmakers often referred to as "The Three Amigos." Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Iñarritu could not be more different as filmmakers but their emergence has given hope to Latin filmmakers about their ability to succeed in the industry.

Cuaron has had a rather unique development as a filmmaker. He came on the scene with his 2001 feature "Y Tu Mama Tambien." The film got an Oscar nomination and Cuaron rose to fame. Shortly after, he was hired by Warner Bros. to direct the third installment in the hit "Harry Potter" franchise; his film "Prisoner of Azkaban" is often referred to as the best of the eight-part franchise. After "Harry Potter," Cuaron settled on a futuristic portrayal of the apocalypse known as "Children of Men." The film was a massive critical success and garnered Cuaron another Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. Then came the big directorial hiatus for the auteur. He produced several films between the 2006 release of "Children of Men," and his next directorial effort "Gravity" is slated to come out in just a few weeks. The film is already garnering tremendous awards buzz and has been referred to as revolutionary by such industry giants as James Cameron.

Del Toro's films focus on monsters and their metaphorical connotations. While he directed such films as "Blade Two" and "Hell-Boy," his international recognition came with the beloved "Pan's Labyrinth;" to this day, the Spanish-language film remains Del Toro's box office hit. After the Oscar victories of "Pan's Labyrinth," Del Toro directed a "Hell-Boy" sequel and took off for a few years. He saw a couple of projects, including "The Hobbit" and "Mountains of Madness" fall-through, but eventually settled on "Pacific Rim." That film came out earlier in the summer of 2013 and had moderate success internationally. He is slated to direct a few more projects, including the upcoming "Crimson Peak."

Iñarritu has four films to his name and currently working on his fifth. He hit the international scene with his hit "Amore Perros" before guiding Benicio del Toro and Naomi Watts to Oscar nominations in "21 Grams." Then came his biggest hit "Babel" which landed an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and Best Director. Iñarritu's fourth feature "Biutiful" received an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Language Film. The director is currently working on "Birdman" starring Michael Keaton and Emma Stone. That film is slated for a 2014 release.