This engaging book explores Latin America cinema since 2000, an extraordinary period of international recognition. Leading specialists consider the reasons for the unprecedented commercial and critical successes of movies such as City of God, The Motorcycle Diaries, Y tu mamá también, and Nine Queens, as well as equally important films that failed to break out on the international circuit. The chapters not only offer textual analysis, but also assess the films' social context and production conditions. Their well-rounded analyses offer a rich picture of the state of contemporary filmmaking in a range of Latin American countries. Nuanced and thought-provoking, the readings in this book will provide invaluable interpretations for students and scholars of Latin American film.