The Ariel Award for Best Director (, officially known as the Ariel Award for Best Directing) is an award presented by the

Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas The Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences ( es, Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas, AMACC) is a professional honorary organization founded on July 3, 1946, in Mexico City to promote the dissemination, research, ...

(AMACC) in Mexico. It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibited outstanding directing while working in the Mexican

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, p ...

. In 1947, the 1st and 2nd Ariel Awards were held, with

Roberto Gavaldón Roberto Gavaldón (June 7, 1909 in Jiménez, Chihuahua – September 4, 1986 in Mexico City) was a Mexican film director. Eight of Gavaldón's films were featured on the list 100 Best Movies of the Cinema of Mexico. His 1958 film ''Ash Wed ...

and Emilio "El Indio" Fernández winning for the films ''

La Barraca LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' and '' Enamorada'', respectively. With the exception of the years 1959 to 1971, when the Ariel Awards were suspended, the award has been given annually. Nominees and winners are determined by a committee formed every year consisting of academy members (active and honorary), previous winners and individuals with at least two Ariel nominations; the committee members submit their votes through the official AMACC website. In 1953, filmmakers

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

Alfredo B. Crevenna Alfredo B. Crevenna (22 April 1914 – 30 August 1996) was a Mexican film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 150 films between 1945 and 1995. Selected filmography * '' Neither Blood Nor Sand'' (1941, screenwriter only) * '' ...

and Gavaldón were nominated, but no winner was declared. Carlos Carrera and Fernández hold the record for most wins in the category, with four each. Carerra's ''

El Crimen del Padre Amaro ''The Crime of Padre Amaro'' ( es, El crimen del padre Amaro, known by its literal translation ''The Crime of Father Amaro'' in Australia) is a 2002 Mexican-Spanish film directed by Carlos Carrera. It is very loosely based on the novel ''O Crim ...

'' was nominated for the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

in 2003. Since 1976,

Felipe Cazals Felipe Cazals (28 July 1937 – 16 October 2021) was a Mexican film director, screenwriter, and producer. His wife was Rosa Eugenia Báez de Cazals. Together with Arturo Ripstein, Cazals was considered in Mexico one of the most representative ...

has been nominated at least once every decade, winning three times for '' El Año de la Peste'' (1980), ''

Bajo la metralla ''Bajo la metralla'' (English: Under the shrapnel) is a 1983 Mexican thriller film directed by Felipe Cazals. It tells the story of a guerilla group that hides in a safe house with a hostage after a failed attack on a government official. The film ...

'' (1984), and ''Las Vueltas del Citrillo'' (2006). Buñuel and

Amat Escalante Amat Escalante (born 28 February 1979) is a Mexican film director, producer and screenwriter. He is most well known for directing the controversial Mexican crime thriller ''Heli'' for which he was awarded the best director prize award at the 201 ...

won the Ariel for Best Director and the same award at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

for ''

Los Olvidados ''Los olvidados'' (, Spanish: ''The Forgotten Ones''; known in the United States as ''The Young and the Damned'') is a 1950 Mexican teen crime film directed by Luis Buñuel. It was filmed at Tepeyac Studios and on location in Mexico City. Prod ...

'' and ''

Heli Heli, also ''heli'', ''heli-'' may refer to: People *Heli, King of Britain (mythical) *Heli (Bible), listed as an ancestor of Jesus *Heli (name) Places * Heli, Tangyuan County (鹤立镇), town in Tangyuan County, Heilongjiang, China * Heli, Funi ...

'', respectively. Alfonso Cuarón won the Ariel and the Academy Award for Best Direction, Cuarón is the first one to win both accolades for the same film. Since its inception, the award has been given to 40 directors. As of the 2022 ceremony,

Alonso Ruizpalacios Alonso Ruizpalacios (born 1978) is a Mexican film director. Biography Ruizpalacios was born and raised in Mexico City. He studied stage directing in Mexico City, before moving to London where he trained as an actor at RADA. Ruizpalacios writes a ...

is the most recent winner in this category for her work on '' Una Película de Policías''.