Mexican Film’s Dreary Reality: Workers Announce Work Stoppages, Decry Informality

ByFábrica de Periodismo

This article originally appeared in the February 25, 2026 edition of Fábrica de Periodismo.

This Wednesday, workers from the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE) issued a statement
announcing a work stoppage starting March 1st, due to a lack of contracts and unpaid wages.

Last Monday, the workers – who work under a fee-based scheme – denounced extreme conditions of job insecurity, including working without pay since January 1, without contract renewals and being forced to sign several documents a year in order not to generate seniority.

This complaint adds to others in the public sector of film promotion, such as those of workers at the National Film Archive, who are also hired through a scheme known as chapter 3000. The workers at the Cineteca have protested over unpaid wages, excessive workloads, and a lack of contracts that provide job security.

“As of today, February 25, although we have already begun the contracting process to guarantee payments for the period from January to December, these have not yet been formalized. Meanwhile, we are being asked to continue our work, which is causing us deep concern regarding our job security and the timely receipt of our wages,” reads the statement released by IMCINE workers on Instagram.

The demands of the workers’ group include:

  • Urgent and retroactive payment to all workers.
  • Permanent and immediate employment, recognizing the work and specialization of each individual.
  • Recognition of seniority in employment.
  • Salaries proportional to the activities they perform.
  • Spaces and resources needed to carry out daily activities.

Although this month President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a Comprehensive Plan to Support National Cinema, the proposal to promote the film industry is considered by workers to have ignored the workload in public entities.

Within the framework of this measure and a new Federal Film Law initiative, the complaints in public spaces, supported by chapter 3000 workers, resonate among the community that consumes cinema in Mexico.

In addition to the employees of the National Film Archive and IMCINE, a group of teachers from the Center for Cinematographic Training (CCC) also made public complaints about poor working conditions.

“The teachers at the CCC are not hired under the Federal Labour Law, even though they perform subordinate work, with set schedules, academic programs, and clear institutional guidelines. Instead, they are hired under Chapter 3000, as ‘professional service providers,’ a status that denies the formal existence of an employment relationship and does not generate any type of employment benefits,” they denounced.

The teachers requested recognition of the employment relationship, indefinite-term employment in accordance with the Federal Labor Law, access to benefits and other measures for labour regularization.

“We cannot speak of a comprehensive strengthening of national cinema while the educational base that sustains it remains precarious. In the words of Guillermo del Toro, ‘there is no tree without roots’ ,” the teachers pointed out.