Founded in 1974, as Mexico’s National Film Archive, the Cineteca Nacional is the governmental agency entrusted with rescuing, classifying, preserving, restoring, and exhibiting the most important cinematographic works from both Mexico and the world.

The current Cinematography Law, in its Article 41, makes the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), through the National Council for Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA), responsible for the direction and administration of the Cineteca. At an international level, the Cineteca is a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), the oldest and most important film archive association in the world, and of the International Confederation of Art Cinemas (CICAE).

 As part of its administrative structure Cineteca Nacional has two main Offices that offer service to the public: the Office of the Archives and the Office of Programming and Publicity. The Office of the Archives offers the services of cinematographic documentation both for the public in general and for specialized researchers, and is in charge of preserving its varied collections that have been constituted by means of legal deposit and the acquisition of objects and equipment, as well as through donations and deposits in safekeeping that are constantly being received and that contribute to the enrichment of Mexico’s cinematographic memory.

On the other hand, the Office of Programming and Publicity is responsible for exhibiting and promoting films of great quality to all types of audiences. It also organizes diverse public activities related to the cinema, such as exhibitions, conferences, book presentations and meetings with creators; this Office gives impetus to an extensive national network for the exhibition of quality films.

In order to fulfill its ample tasks, the Cineteca has ten screening rooms, all endowed with modern equipment thus guaranteeing the spectators a high quality film experience; it also has a library known as the Documentation and Information Center specialized in cinema and related fields which offers both a reading room open to the public in general and a space for specialized research.