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Who
We Are

Supporting Creators From Script to Screen

We are the leading advocate of the film, television, and streaming industry around the world.

In Latin America and around the globe, the film, television, and streaming industry drives the creative economy. Our members include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Netflix Studios, LLC, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Universal City Studios LLC, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Mexico

The Motion Picture Association – Mexico (MPA-Mexico) serves as the voice and advocate of the major international producers and distributors of movies, home entertainment and television programming in Mexico and is an affiliate of the Motion Picture Association, Inc. (MPA).

For more than a century –  with roots dating back to 1898 when Salvador Toscano Barragán made “Don Juan Tenorio” –  Mexico’s motion picture and TV industry has been creating incredible stories and characters for audiences to enjoy on screens around the globe.  Early artists like Tin-Tan, Mario Moreno, and Ricardo Montalbán played an important role developing Mexico’s creative community. And more recent filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, Selma Hayek, and Gael Garcia Bernal have allowed Mexico’s film industry to flourish, becoming international symbols of and ambassadors for Mexico along with its people, history, creativity and values.

Each year, more than 100 thousand hours of Mexican television programming is translated into 30 languages and exported to audiences in 100 different countries.

In 2016, the film industry paid 1 677 million pesos to wage earners, 9% of the total GDP it generated. In 2016, there was an increase in the average remuneration in the film industry, which  came to 58 976 pesos, while in 2015, it was 56 986 pesos.

This power and creativity from Mexico’s filmmaking community is also on full display at international film festivals and awards ceremonies. For more than ten years now, the Morelia International Film Festival has continued to increase in size and significance, emerging as one of the world’s premier film gatherings.  Just last year, more than 750 films registered at the festival – a 30% increase from the year before. The influence of Mexico’s film industry was also recently demonstrated at the 87th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, as Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” took home four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Besides, González Inárritu obtained a honorary Oscar statuette for his extraordinary virtual reality installation “Carne y Arena” for his visionary and powerful experience. Guillermo del Toro is indubitably one of the most creative and influential Mexican filmmakers of our era. He became the third Mexican to receive the award after Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu. The Shape of Water won two of the seven awards the films was nominated at the 2018 at the Golden Globes Awards. This film is also winner of the Golden Lion for best picture at the Venice Film Fest and catapulted him to Oscar where he also won as best director and the award of best picture. The Shape of water also accounts a BAFTA and Critics’ Choice award best direction awards. After the deserved wave of success, Fox Searchlight Pictures has signed an overall deal with Guillermo del Toro that covers live-action feature films to be written, produced, and/or directed by the filmmaker.

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Brazil

The Motion Picture Association Latin America has been in Brazil (MPA- Brazil) since the 1940’s and its members include: Walt Disney; Paramount; Sony Pictures; Universal; Warner Bros; and Netflix Studios, LLC. It is MPA-Brazil’s mission to promote and to stimulate creation and innovation in the audiovisual industry, prioritizing the appreciation and encouragement of the creative process, as a vector that enables quality audiovisual content and entertainment to be delivered to all audiences. The MPA-Brazil, in addition to representing the interests of associated studios, monitors the political and economic scenario in relation to the audiovisual industry. The purpose of the MPA-Brazil is to stimulate and consolidate partnerships with the players in the Brazilian audiovisual industry, both in the public and private sectors, as well as to promote the exchange of expertise and the overall appreciation of the audiovisual industry. The MPA-Brazil a partner and maintains a permanent dialogue with the players in the industry.

While Brazil creates films that entertain the world, the men and women working behind the scenes also have a very important story to tell, with a rich history, about creativity and economic growth. Brazil’s origins in filmmaking date back near 120 years, beginning with the early days of Affonso Segreto in the late 19th Century, the uniquely Brazilian genre called “chanchadas,” and comedians Oscarito to Grande Otello Glauber Rocha.

Today, the industry continues to thrive, producing important works such as “City of God” and “Tropa de Elite.” In fact, data from the Motion Picture Association shows that Brazil is a driving source behind growth for the entire South America region, with estimates by the Brazilian National Film Agency (ANCINE) indicating that Brazil will be the fourth largest market for cinema by 2020.

Partner Sites

Our
People

Charles H. Rivkin, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Charles H. Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), the leading advocate of the global film, television, and streaming industry. The MPA’s members currently include Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Drawing on 30 years of experience as a media executive and a leading U.S. diplomat, Rivkin advocates

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Chairman-CEO-Charles-H.-Rivkin

Our
History

In 1922, motion picture studios formed the organization now known as the Motion Picture Association to protect and support the nascent film industry. Since that time, the MPA has served as the voice and advocate of the film and television industry around the world, advancing the business and art of storytelling, protecting the creative and artistic freedoms of storytellers, and bringing entertainment and inspiration to audiences worldwide.

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1922

The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) is founded and led by William Hays. A regulatory system, known as the Hays code, is developed to ensure the absence of “offensive material” and prevent government interference in filmmaking.

1945

The organization changes its name to The Motion Picture Association, reflecting increased popularity of American films overseas.

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1968

Alongside the progress of the civil rights, women’s rights, and labor movements, the film industry sought artistic freedoms and the removal of Hays Code’s strict limits on certain content. In response, then-MPA president Jack Valenti creates the film rating system we use today.

1975

The MPA establishes the Film Security Office to work closely with law enforcement officials and stem the growing threat of film piracy, which was estimated to cost the industry more than $100 million a year at the time.

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2008

Facing increasing challenges from online content theft, the MPA, under CEO Dan Glickman, bolsters its global content protection team and successfully advocates for the Pro-IP Act, the first U.S. anti-piracy law enacted in the 21st Century.

2012

The MPA, under CEO Chris Dodd, works closely with the U.S. Government to reach an agreement with China to settle a long-running WTO dispute, opening up China’s film marketplace and dramatically boosting revenue sharing, an action that helped fuel a major expansion in global box office revenue.

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2017

The MPA joins dozens of entertainment companies to launch the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a global coalition dedicated to protecting the dynamic legal market and reducing online piracy.

2018

Under CEO Charles Rivkin, the MPA is championing the growing diversity of filmmakers, safeguarding intellectual property rights, advancing technological innovation, and supporting trade policies that can further expand the global film and TV marketplace.

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International
Reach

The MPA works globally to advance public policies that support creators, protect content, and foster a thriving creative economy. Our operations include:

What
We Do

Humans tell stories—it’s what we do.

Today, the stories that define our lives and shape our world are brought to life by the global creative community, including the creators and artists working in American film and television. The MPA fosters this economic and cultural enterprise by advocating for policies that recognize the power of our stories, reward creators, and allow us to produce, distribute, and protect the creative content audiences love.

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