# Ariel Award for Best Picture

The Ariel Award for Best Picture (Ariel de Mejor Película in Spanish) is the highest award given in Mexico to a single film and is part of the Mexican Academy of Film's Ariel Award program.

## Award results
### 1940s

| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1945 (2nd) |
| 1945 (2nd) | The Shack | La barraca | Roberto Gavaldón |
| 1945 (2nd) | The Abandoned | Las abandonadas | Emilio Fernández |
| 1945 (2nd) | Twilight | Crepúsculo | Julio Bracho |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1946 (3rd) |
| 1946 (3rd) | Enamorada | Enamorada | Emilio Fernández |
| 1946 (3rd) | Champion Without a Crown | Campeón sin corona | Alejandro Galindo |
| 1946 (3rd) | La otra | La otra | Roberto Gavaldón |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1947 (4th) |
| 1947 (4th) | The Pearl | La perla | Emilio Fernández |
| 1947 (4th) | El buen mozo | El buen mozo | Antonio Momplet |
| 1947 (4th) | Five Faces of Woman | Cinco rostros de mujer | Gilberto Martínez Solares |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1948 (5th) |
| 1948 (5th) | Río Escondido | Río Escondido | Emilio Fernández |
| 1948 (5th) | Que Dios me perdone | Que Dios me perdone | Tito Davison |
| 1948 (5th) | Rosenda | Rosenda | Julio Bracho |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1949 (6th) |
| 1949 (6th) | A Family Like Many Others | Una familia de tantas | Alejandro Galindo |
| 1949 (6th) | El dolor de los hijos | El dolor de los hijos | Miguel Zacarías |
| 1949 (6th) | Pueblerina | Pueblerina | Emilio Fernández |

### 1950s

| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1950 (7th) |
| 1950 (7th) | In the Palm of Your Hand | En la palma de tu mano | Roberto Gavaldón |
| 1950 (7th) | Desired | Deseada | Roberto Gavaldón |
| 1950 (7th) | Doña Perfecta | Doña Perfecta | Alejandro Galindo |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1951 (8th) |
| El jurado se declaró desierto |||
| 1951 (8th) | El rebozo de Soledad | Roberto Gavaldón |
| 1951 (8th) | Mi esposa y la otra | Alfredo B. Crevenna |
| 1951 (8th) | Subida al cielo | Luis Buñuel |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1952 (9th) |
| 1952 (9th) | El niño y la niebla | Roberto Gavaldón |
| 1952 (9th) | Las tres perfectas casadas | Roberto Gavaldón |
| 1952 (9th) | Un divorcio | Emilio Gómez Muriel |
    1953 — Not awarded
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1954 (10th) |
| 1954 (10th) | Los Fernández de Peralvillo | Alejandro Galindo |
| 1954 (10th) | Orquídeas para mi esposa | Alfredo B. Crevenna |
| 1954 (10th) | Sombra verde | Roberto Gabaldón |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1955 (11th) |
| 1955 (11th) | Robinson Crusoe | Luis Buñuel |
| 1955 (11th) | Ensayo de un crimen | Luis Buñuel |
| 1955 (11th) | Una mujer en la calle | Alfredo B. Crevenna |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1956 (12th) |
| 1956 (12th) | El camino de la vida | Alfonso Corona Blake |
| 1956 (12th) | La escondida | Roberto Gavaldón |
| 1956 (12th) | Talpa | Alfredo B. Crevenna |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1957 (13th) |
| 1957 (13th) | Tizoc | Ismael Rodríguez |
| 1957 (13th) | Feliz año, amor mío | Tulio Demicheli |
| 1957 (13th) | La culta dama | Rogelio A. González |
    1959 to 1971 — Awards suspended

### 1970s

| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1972 (14th) |
| 1972 (14th) | El castillo de la pureza | Arturo Ripstein |
| 1972 (14th) | Mecánica nacional | Luis Alcoriza |
| 1972 (14th) | Reed, México insurgente | Paul Leduc |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1973 (15th) |
| 1973 (15th) | El principio | Gonzalo Martínez Ortega |
| 1973 (15th) | El cambio | Alfredo Joskowicz |
| 1973 (15th) | Fe, esperanza y caridad | Luis Alcoriza, Alberto Bojórquez and Jorge Fons |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1974 (16th) |
| 1974 (16th) | La Choca | Emilio "Indio" Fernández |
| 1974 (16th) | La otra virginidad | Juan Manuel Torres |
| 1974 (16th) | Presagio | Luis Alcoriza |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1975 (17th) |
| 1975 (17th) | Actas de Marusia | Miguel Littín |
| 1975 (17th) | Canoa | Felipe Cazals |
| 1975 (17th) | De todos modos Juan te llamas | Marcela Fernández Violante |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1976 (18th) |
| 1976 (18th) | La pasión según Berenice | Jaime Humberto Hermosillo |
| 1976 (18th) | Cuartelazo | Alberto Isaac |
| 1976 (18th) | Longitud de guerra | Gonzalo Martínez Ortega |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1977 (19th) |
| 1977 (19th) | El lugar sin límites | Arturo Ripstein |
| 1977 (19th) | Naufragio | Jaime Humberto Hermosillo |
| 1977 (19th) | Los pequeños privilegios | Julián Pastor |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1978 (20th) |
| 1978 (20th) | Cadena perpetua | Arturo Ripstein |
| 1978 (20th) | Anacrusa | Ariel Zúñiga |
| 1978 (20th) | El recurso del método | Miguel Littín |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1979 (21st) |
| 1979 (21st) | El año de la peste | Felipe Cazals |
| 1979 (21st) | El infierno de todos tan temido | Sergio Olhovich |
| 1979 (21st) | Fuego en el mar | Raúl Araiza |

### 1980s

| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1980 (22nd) |
| 1980 (22nd) | Las grandes aguas | Servando González |
| 1980 (22nd) | Misterio | Marcela Fernández Violante |
| 1980 (22nd) | Morir de Madrugada | Julián Pastor |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1981 (23rd) |
| 1981 (23rd) | Ora sí ¡tenemos que ganar! | Raúl Kamffer |
| 1981 (23rd) | Llámenme Mike | Alfredo Gurrola |
| 1981 (23rd) | Noche de Carnaval | Mario Hernández |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1982 (24th) |
| 1982 (24th) | La pachanga | José Estrada |
| 1982 (24th) | Días de combate | Alfredo Gurrola |
| 1982 (24th) | Tiempo de lobos | Alberto Isaac |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1983 (25th) |
| 1983 (25th) | Bajo la metralla | Felipe Cazals |
| 1983 (25th) | La viuda negra | Arturo Ripstein |
| 1983 (25th) | Nocaut | José Luis García Agraz |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1984 (26th) |
| 1984 (26th) | Frida, naturaleza viva | Paul Leduc |
| 1984 (26th) | De veras me atrapaste | Gerardo Pardo |
| 1984 (26th) | Vidas errantes | Juan Antonio de la Riva |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1985 (27th) |
| 1985 (27th) | Veneno para las hadas | Carlos Enrique Taboada |
| 1985 (27th) | Los motivos de Luz | Felipe Cazals |
| 1985 (27th) | Redondo | Raúl Busteros |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1986 (28th) |
| 1986 (28th) | El imperio de la fortuna | Arturo Ripstein |
| 1986 (28th) | Amor a la vuelta de la esquina | Alberto Cortés |
| 1986 (28th) | Crónica de familia | Diego López Rivera |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1987 (29th) |
| 1987 (29th) | Mariana, Mariana | Alberto Isaac |
| 1987 (29th) | Lo que importa es vivir | Luis Alcoriza |
| 1987 (29th) | Días difíciles | Alejandro Pelayo |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1988 (30th) |
| 1988 (30th) | Esperanza [es] | Sergio Olhovich |
| 1988 (30th) | ¿Nos traicionará el presidente? | Juan Fernando Pérez Gavilán |
| 1988 (30th) | El secreto de Romelia | Busi Cortés |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1989 (31st) |
| 1989 (31st) | Goitia, un dios para sí mismo | Diego López Rivera |
| 1989 (31st) | El homicida | Alfonso Rosas Priego |
| 1989 (31st) | Morir en el golfo | Alejandro Pelayo |

### 1990s

| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1990 (32nd) |
| 1990 (32nd) | Rojo amanecer | Jorge Fons |
| 1990 (32nd) | Pueblo de madera | Juan Antonio de la Riva |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1991 (33rd) |
| 1991 (33rd) | Como agua para chocolate | Alfonso Arau |
| 1991 (33rd) | Danzón | María Novaro |
| 1991 (33rd) | La mujer de Benjamín | Carlos Carrera |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1992 (34th) |
| 1992 (34th) | Cronos | La invención de Cronos | Guillermo del Toro |
| 1992 (34th) | | Ángel de fuego | Dana Rotberg |
| 1992 (34th) | | Tequila | Rúben Gámez |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1993 (35th) |
| 1993 (35th) | Principio y fin | Arturo Ripstein |
| 1993 (35th) | Desiertos mares | José Luis García Agraz |
| 1993 (35th) | Lolo | Francisco Athié |
| 1993 (35th) | La vida conyugal | Carlos Carrera |
| 1993 (35th) | Novia que te vea | Guita Schyfter |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1994 (36th) |
| 1994 (36th) | El callejón de los milagros | Jorge Fons |
| 1994 (36th) | Bienvenido-Welcome | Gabriel Retes |
| 1994 (36th) | Dos crímenes | Roberto Sneider |
| 1994 (36th) | El jardín del edén | María Novaro |
| 1994 (36th) | Hasta morir | Fernando Sariñana |
| Year | Original title | Director |
| 1995 (37th) |
| 1995 (37th) | Sin Remitente | Carlos Carrera |
| 1995 (37th) | Dulces compañías | Oscar Blancarte |
| 1995 (37th) | Entre Pancho Villa y una mujer desnuda | Sabina Berman, Isabelle Tardán |
| 1995 (37th) | Mujeres insumisas | Alberto Isaac |
| 1995 (37th) | La reina de la noche | Arturo Ripstein |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1996 (38th) |
| 1996 (38th) | Sender Unknown | Sin remitente | Carlos Carrera |
| 1996 (38th) | The Queen of the Night | La reina de la noche | Arturo Ripstein |
| 1996 (38th) | | Entre Pancho Villa y una mujer desnuda | Sabina Berman, Isabelle Tardán |
| 1996 (38th) | | Dulces compañías | Óscar Blancarte |
| 1996 (38th) | | Mujeres insumisas | Alberto Isaac |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1997 (39th) |
| 1997 (39th) | Cilantro and Parsley | Cilantro y Perejil | Rafael Montero |
| 1997 (39th) | Deep Crimson | Profundo carmesí | Arturo Ripstein |
| 1997 (39th) | Santo Luzbel | Santo Luzbel | Miguel Sabido |
| 1997 (39th) | | Reclusorio | Ismael Rodríguez |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1998 (40th) |
| 1998 (40th) | | Por si no te vuelvo a ver | Juan Pablo Villaseñor |
| 1998 (40th) | Esmeralda Comes by Night | De noche vienes, Esmeralda | Jaime Humberto Hermosillo |
| 1998 (40th) | Elisa Before the End of the World | Elisa antes del fin del mundo | Juan Antonio de la Riva |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 1999 (41st) |
| 1999 (41st) | Bajo California: El límite del tiempo | Bajo California: El límite del tiempo | Carlos Bolado |
| 1999 (41st) | Divine | El evangelio de las maravillas | Óscar Urrutia Lazo |
| 1999 (41st) | Un embrujo | Un embrujo | Carlos Carrera |

### 2000s

| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2000 (42nd) |
| 2000 (42nd) | Herod's Law | La ley de Herodes | Luis Estrada |
| 2000 (42nd) | Terminal Rite | Rito terminal | Óscar Urrutia Lazo |
| 2000 (42nd) | Juan, I Forgot I Don't Remember | Del olvido al no me acuerdo | Juan Carlos Rulfo |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2001 (43rd) |
| 2001 (43rd) | Amores perros | Amores perros | Alejandro G. Iñárritu |
| 2001 (43rd) | Violet Perfume: No One Is Listening | Nadie te oye: Perfume de violetas | Marisa Sistach |
| 2001 (43rd) | His Most Serene Highness | Su alteza serenísima | Felipe Cazals |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2002 (44th) |
| 2002 (44th) | Bedtime Fairy Tales for Crocodiles | Cuentos de hadas para dormir cocodrilos | Ignacio Ortiz |
| 2002 (44th) | The Mountain Hawk | Ciudades oscuras | Juan Antonio de la Riva |
| 2002 (44th) | Streeters | De la calle | Gerardo Tort |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2003 (45th) |
| 2003 (45th) | The Crime of Padre Amaro | El crimen del Padre Amaro | Carlos Carrera |
| 2003 (45th) | Dark City | Ciudades oscuras | Fernando Sariñana |
| 2003 (45th) | Aro Tolbukhin in the Mind of a Killer | Aro Tolbukhin - En la mente del asesino | Isaac-Pierre Racine, Agustí Villaronga, Lydia Zimmermann |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2004 (46th) |
| 2004 (46th) | El misterio del Trinidad | El misterio del Trinidad | José Luis García Agraz |
| 2004 (46th) | A Thousand Clouds of Peace | Mil nubes de paz cercan el cielo, amor, jamás acabarás de ser amor | Julián Hernández |
| 2004 (46th) | Japón | Japón | Carlos Reygadas |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2005 (47th) |
| 2005 (47th) | Duck Season | Temporada de patos | Fernando Eimbcke |
| 2005 (47th) | Innocent Voices | Voces inocentes | Luis Mandoki |
| 2005 (47th) | Manos libres | Manos libres | José Buil |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2006 (48th) |
| 2006 (48th) | Mezcal | Mezcal | Ignacio Ortiz |
| 2006 (48th) | News from Afar | Noticias lejanas | Ricardo Benet |
| 2006 (48th) | Las vueltas del citrillo | Las vueltas del citrillo | Felipe Cazals |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2007 (49th) |
| 2007 (49th) | Pan's Labyrinth | El laberinto del fauno | Guillermo del Toro |
| 2007 (49th) | Cronicas | Crónicas | Sebastián Cordero |
| 2007 (49th) | The Violin | El violín | Francisco Vargas |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2008 (50th) |
| 2008 (50th) | Silent Light | Stellet Licht | Carlos Reygadas |
| 2008 (50th) | El cobrador: In God We Trust | Cobrador: In God We Trust | Paul Leduc |
| 2008 (50th) | Old Thieves: The Legend of Artegio | Los ladrones viejos. Las leyendas del artegio | Everardo González |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2009 (51st) |
| 2009 (51st) | Lake Tahoe | Lake Tahoe | Fernando Eimbcke |
| 2009 (51st) | I'm Gonna Explode | Voy a explotar | Gerardo Naranjo |
| 2009 (51st) | Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's Intimacies | Intimidades de Shakespeare y Víctor Hugo | Yulene Olaizola |
| 2009 (51st) | Los herederos | Los herederos | Jorge Hernández Aldana |

### 2010s

| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2010 (52nd) |
| 2010 (52nd) | Nora's Will | Cinco días sin Nora | Mariana Chenillo |
| 2010 (52nd) | Corazón del Tiempo | Corazón del Tiempo | Alberto Cortés |
| 2010 (52nd) | Northless | Norteado | Rigoberto Pérezcano |
| 2011 (53rd) |
| 2011 (53rd) | Hell | El infierno | Luis Estrada |
| 2011 (53rd) | Abel | Abel | Diego Luna |
| 2011 (53rd) | Chico Grande | Chico Grande | Felipe Cazals |
| 2012 (54th) |
| 2012 (54th) | Pastorela | Pastorela | Emilio Portes |
| 2012 (54th) | Miss Bala | Miss Bala | Gerardo Naranjo |
| 2012 (54th) | Días de gracia | Días de gracia | Everardo Gout |
| 2013 (55th) |
| 2013 (55th) | The Prize | El premio | Paula Markovitch |
| 2013 (55th) | The Delay | La demora | Rodrigo Plá |
| 2013 (55th) | The Last Christeros | Los Últimos Cristeros | Matías Meyer |
| 2014 (56th) |
| 2014 (56th) | The Golden Dream | La jaula de oro | Diego Quemada-Díez |
| 2014 (56th) | Club Sandwich | Club Sándwich | Fernando Eimbcke |
| 2014 (56th) | Heli | Heli | Amat Escalante |
| 2014 (56th) | The Amazing Catfish | Los insólitos peces gato | Claudia Sainte-Luce |
| 2014 (56th) | She Doesn't Want to Sleep Alone | No quiero dormir sola | Natalia Beristáin |
| 2015 (57th) |
| 2015 (57th) | Güeros | Güeros | Alonso Ruizpalacios |
| 2015 (57th) | Carmin Tropical | Carmin Tropical | Rigoberto Pérezcano |
| 2015 (57th) | The Perfect Dictatorship | La dictadura perfecta | Luis Estrada |
| 2015 (57th) | Guten Tag, Ramón | Guten Tag, Ramón | Jorge Ramírez-Suárez |
| 2015 (57th) | The Obscure Spring | Las oscuras primaveras | Ernesto Contreras |
| 2016 (58th) |
| 2016 (58th) | The Chosen Ones | Las elegidas | David Pablos |
| 2016 (58th) | 600 Miles | 600 Millas | Gabriel Ripstein |
| 2016 (58th) | Gloria | Gloria | Christian Keller |
| 2016 (58th) | The Thin Yellow Line | La delgada línea amarilla | Celso R. García |
| 2016 (58th) | A Monster with a Thousand Heads | Un Monstruo de Mil Cabezas | Rodrigo Plá |
| 2017 (59th) |
| 2017 (59th) | The 4th Company | La 4ª Compañía | Mitzi Vanessa Arreola and Amir Galván Cervera |
| 2017 (59th) | Beauties of the Night | Bellas de noche | Maria Jose Cuevas |
| 2017 (59th) | From Afar | Desde allá | Lorenzo Vigas |
| 2017 (59th) | Desierto | Desierto | Jonás Cuarón |
| 2017 (59th) | Mara'akame's Dream | El Sueño del Mara'akame | Federico Cecchetti |
| 2017 (59th) | You're Killing Me Susana | Me estás matando, Susana | Roberto Sneider |
| 2017 (59th) | Tempestad | Tempestad | Tatiana Huezo |
| 2018 (60th) |
| 2018 (60th) | I Dream in Another Language | Sueño en otro idioma | Ernesto Contreras |
| 2018 (60th) | Intimate Battles | Batallas íntimas | Lucía Gajá |
| 2018 (60th) | Devil's Freedom | La libertad del diablo | Everardo González |
| 2018 (60th) | The Untamed | La región salvaje | Amat Escalante |
| 2018 (60th) | Time Share | Tiempo compartido | Sebastián Hofmann |
| 2019 (61st) |
| 2019 (61st) | Roma | Roma | Alfonso Cuarón |
| 2019 (61st) | The Chambermaid | La camarista | Lila Avilés |
| 2019 (61st) | The Good Girls | Las niñas bien | Alejandra Márquez Abella |
| 2019 (61st) | Our Time | Nuestro tiempo | Carlos Reygadas |
| 2019 (61st) | Museum | Museo | Alonso Ruizpalacios |

### 2020s

| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
| 2020 (62nd) |
| 2020 (62nd) | I'm No Longer Here | Ya no estoy aquí | Fernando Frías de la Parra |
| 2020 (62nd) | This Is Not Berlin | Esto no es Berlín | Hari Sama |
| 2020 (62nd) | Suffocation | Asfixia | Kenya Marquez |
| 2020 (62nd) | Buy Me a Gun | Cómprame un revólver | Julio Hernández Cordón |
| 2020 (62nd) | Powder | Polvo | José María Yazpik |
| 2021 (63rd) |
| 2021 (63rd) | Identifying Features | Sin señas particulares | Fernanda Valadez |
| 2021 (63rd) | Dance of the 41 | El baile de los 41 | David Pablos |
| 2021 (63rd) | The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo | Las tres muertes de Marisela Escobedo | Carlos Pérez Osorio |
| 2021 (63rd) | Los lobos | Los lobos | Samuel Kishi |
| 2021 (63rd) | Tragic Jungle | Selva trágica | Yulene Olaizola |
| 2022 (64th) |
| 2022 (64th) | Prayers for the Stolen | Noche de fuego | Tatiana Huezo |
| 2022 (64th) | Impossible Things | Cosas imposibles | Ernesto Contreras |
| 2022 (64th) | Nudo Mixteco | Nudo Mixteco | Angeles Cruz |
| 2022 (64th) | The Other Tom | The Other Tom | Rodrigo Pla, Laura Santullo |
| 2022 (64th) | A Cop Movie | Una película de policías | Alonso Ruizpalacios |
| 2023 (65th) |
| 2023 (65th) | Northern Skies Over Empty Space | El norte sobre el vacío | Alejandra Márquez Abella |
| 2023 (65th) | Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths | Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades | Alejandro G. Iñárritu |
| 2023 (65th) | La civil | La civil | Teodora Mihai |
| 2023 (65th) | Dive | La caída | Lucía Puenzo |
| 2023 (65th) | Huesera: The Bone Woman | Huesera | Michelle Garza Cervera |
| 2024 (66th) |
| 2024 (66th) | Tótem | Tótem | Lila Avilés |
| 2024 (66th) | All the Silence | Todo el silencio | Diego del Río |
| 2024 (66th) | The Echo | El eco | Tatiana Huezo |
| 2024 (66th) | Heroic | Heroico | David Zonana |
| 2024 (66th) | Hurricane Season | Temporada de huracanes | Elisa Miller |