Contratiempo Cine
Contratiempo Cine is a Mexican independent film production company founded in 2016 that produces documentary and fiction shorts and features on memory, identity, and LGBTQ+ themes, distributed through international film festivals and co-produced with partners across Cuba, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersGuadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Contratiempo Cine does
Contratiempo Cine is a Mexican independent film production company founded in 2016 and based in Mexico, operating with a small core team of approximately eight people. The company produces documentary and fiction short and feature films — eight titles released between 2016 and 2025 — centered on themes of memory, identity, migration, and social confrontation, with recurring emphasis on Mexican social narratives and LGBTQ+ subjects. Its slate is director-driven, anchored by a stable collective of filmmakers including Manuel Acuña A., Humberto Flores Jáuregui, Héctor I. Jiménez, and Mareike Görnemann, and includes titles such as "El Lugar de las Flores" (2016), "Expiatorio" (2020), "Cinco de Junio" (2021), the 2024 trio "Hilitos de Sangre," "David (Por Ahora)," and "El Silencio de Mis Manos," and "Una Torreta en Llamas" (2025). Three additional features — "El Palomito," "Manuel (o El Vacío)," and "En algún lugar llamado Florencia" — are in development.
The company's go-to-market is event-driven: films are produced to premiere on the international festival circuit, with selections and awards spanning Tribeca, FICM (Morelia), GIFF (Guanajuato), FICG (Guadalajara), True/False, BFI Flare, DocsMX, and 25+ other festivals, plus nominations at the Ariel Awards and the 41st IDA Documentary Awards. Revenue mechanics are project-based, generated through one-time licensing arrangements tied to festival sales, co-production budgets, institutional development grants (notably IMCINE Desarrollo and Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein), and prize money. International sales are channeled through Bogoshorts Film Agency. Distribution is otherwise limited to festival screenings and the company's own website (contratiempo.mx); there is no software product, SaaS offering, or app. Geographic reach is global through co-production partners in Cuba, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, and the USA, despite the Mexico-based operating footprint.
Contratiempo Cine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Contratiempo Cine
- Legal name
- Contratiempo Cine
- Website
- https://contratiempo.mx
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Contratiempo Cine is a Mexican independent film production company founded in 2016 that produces documentary and fiction shorts and features on memory, identity, and LGBTQ+ themes, distributed through international film festivals and co-produced with partners across Cuba, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Contratiempo Cine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Film Production
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Investigative & Journalism Documentaries (MPADADAD)
Keywords
Where Contratiempo Cine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Guadalajara, Jalisco
- HQ country
- Mexico
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Contratiempo Cine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Film Production Services: Producing documentary and fiction films for festival distribution, with co-production arrangements with international partners.
- Festival Distribution: Revenue generated through film festival screenings, prize money, and awards. Films have won multiple festival awards including Best Documentary Short and Best Sound Design.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Contratiempo Cine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Contratiempo Cine is an independent film production company that produces documentary and fiction short and feature films, primarily for the international festival circuit. It develops and co-produces socially engaged Mexican cinema through partnerships with filmmakers, international co-producers (Mexico, Cuba, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, USA), and institutional supporters (e.g., IMCINE Desarrollo, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein), releasing titles via film festivals and selective distribution agents such as Bogoshorts Film Agency.
Product overview
Contratiempo Cine is an independent Mexican film production house that creates documentary and fiction short and feature films. Their portfolio includes award-winning titles such as "El Silencio de Mis Manos" (2024, feature documentary), "Una Torreta en Llamas" (2025, short fiction), "David (Por Ahora)" (2024, short fiction), "Hilitos de Sangre" (2024, collective documentary), "Cinco de Junio" (2021, short fiction), "Expiatorio" (2020, short documentary), "Existimos en el Silencio" (2018, short fiction), and "El Lugar de las Flores" (2016, feature fiction). Upcoming projects include "El Palomito", "Manuel (o El Vacío)", and "En algún lugar llamado Florencia". The company operates as a traditional independent cinema production house rather than a technology platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- El Lugar de las Flores 78-minute feature film directed by Héctor I. Jiménez about a father struggling to connect with his children while the eldest faces the choice of abandoning mask-making tradition to migrate to the United States. Aimed at international film festival programming.
- Existimos en el Silencio 15-minute short film directed by Héctor I. Jiménez about Karla, an obsessed sound recordist, and Oscar, a blind boy ending their relationship, spending a day in the countryside with a strange discovery in the mountains.
- Expiatorio 11-minute short documentary directed by Manuel Acuña A. set in a city about to disappear, with temperatures at twenty degrees below zero, following Mauricio Romero and his cat. Mexico-Cuba co-production with EICTV.
- Cinco de Junio 14:45-minute short fiction film directed by Humberto Flores Jáuregui about a group of young people deprived of their freedom on the way to a demonstration, guided back to light through memories. Mexico-Switzerland co-production with Neón Films, Pez Nocturno, and Lido Pictures.
- Hilitos de Sangre 53-minute collective documentary directed by Mareike Görnemann featuring 13 female filmmakers from around the world discussing menstruation through video letters and film essays, questioning taboos. Mexico-Germany co-production.
- David (Por Ahora) 15-minute short fiction film directed by Humberto Flores Jáuregui following children in the Mayan village of San José Oriente dedicated to motorcycles and football, while one of them, David, has other plans. Mexico-Spain co-production with Playlab Films, Tax1379, and Pirosonos.
- El Silencio de mis Manos 80-minute feature documentary directed by Manuel Acuña A. following Rosa, the first deaf lawyer in Jalisco, and Sai during their gender transition, testing their relationship through a sensory journey told in Mexican Sign Language.
- Una Torreta en Llamas 22-minute short fiction film directed by Humberto Flores Jáuregui about a violent confrontation leading to a wounded soldier being rescued by Yolanda, a peasant woman living in the mountains, while her granddaughter Alejandra attempts to confirm her suspicions. Co-produced with Pura Fiera and Terco Films; international sales by Bogoshorts Film Agency.
- El Palomito Upcoming documentary feature following Jackie, a young filmmaker on a road trip questioning the physical and emotional absence left by her father Jaime 'El Palomito', a trucker with over 40 years on the roads of Mexico and the United States. Developed with IMCINE Desarrollo support and selected for DOCS MX Labs 2023, Doklab Navarra 2024, GIFF Incubator 2025, and Walden Residenicas 2025.
- Manuel (o El Vacío) Upcoming fiction feature drama/thriller where a young man travels to the city to meet his father only to discover he has committed suicide, then encounters the family left behind. Selected for Cine Qua Non Lab's Taller de Líneas Argumentales 2025.
- En algún lugar llamado Florencia Upcoming documentary feature exploring LGBTQ+ themes through the story of Dani, a twelve-year-old discovering desire and identity between rituals, inherited wounds, and family secrets.
Quantifiable outcome
- 41st IDA Documentary Awards nomination for Best Sound Design
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Contratiempo Cine
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Contratiempo Cine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Contratiempo Cine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Neón FilmscoreCo-production partner for Cinco de Junio (2021) alongside Contratiempo Cine, Neón Films, Pez Nocturno, and Lido Pictures. Recurring collaboration with producer Mónica Velasco.
- Pez NocturnocoreCo-production partner for Cinco de Junio (2021).
- Lido PicturescoreCo-production partner for Cinco de Junio (2021).
- Hochschule für bildende Künste HamburgminorHamburg University of Fine Arts involved in Hilitos de Sangre (2024) co-production.
- Playlab FilmscorePrimary co-production partner for David (Por Ahora) (2024) alongside Contratiempo Cine, Tax1379, and Pirosonos.
- Tax1379minorCo-production partner for David (Por Ahora) (2024).
- PirosonosminorSound design partner for David (Por Ahora) (2024) - M Sonido / Pirosonos Estudios de sonido.
- EICTV - Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión de San Antonio de los BañosminorCuban international film school - co-producer of Expiatorio (2020) with Contratiempo Cine.
- Pura FieracoreCo-production partner for Una Torreta en Llamas (2025).
- Terco FilmscoreCo-production partner for Una Torreta en Llamas (2025).
- Bogoshorts Film AgencycoreInternational distribution partner handling international sales for Una Torreta en Llamas (2025). Also part of Cannes SFC Rendez-vous Industry Latin American Talents collection.
- DOCS MXminorPlatform for documentary films - selected El Palomito for Labs program 2023.
- Doklab NavarraminorDocumentary lab in Navarra, Spain - selected El Palomito for 2024 program.
- GIFF IncubatorminorGuanajuato International Film Festival incubator - selected El Palomito for 2025 program.
- Walden ResidenicasminorArtist residency program - selected El Palomito for 2025.
- Cine Qua Non LabminorFilm development lab - selected Manuel (o El Vacío) for Taller de Líneas Argumentales 2025.
- Creator's Lab YucatánminorFilmmaker development program where David (Por Ahora) was created in 2023 in Yucatán, Mexico.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Contratiempo Cine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Axolote Cine: Emerging Mexican producer with a similar boutique model focused on socially-engaged cinema and festival distribution.
- Burning Films (Mexico): Mexican independent production entity producing short and feature-length documentaries with international co-productions, comparable in scope and audience targeting.
Others
- Bogoshorts Film Agency: Colombian international sales agent that handles Latin American short film distribution, including Contratiempo's work; functions as a channel partner and ecosystem enabler for festival-circuit producers.
Direct peers
- Sin Sentido Films: Small Mexican independent producer working on socially-engaged fiction and documentary shorts targeting the international festival circuit, mirroring Contratiempo's GTM and scale.
- Cuadrángulo Cine: Mexican indie production house producing documentaries and short fiction with social themes; similar size, distribution model, and festival focus.
- Zanfo Cine: Independent Mexican production company focused on documentary and fiction short films with festival-circuit ambitions, directly comparable in scale and thematic positioning.
Regional players
- Cinesurja: Latin American-focused independent film collective producing socially-engaged content with European co-productions, sharing the festival-driven distribution approach.
Broad incumbents
- Mantarraya Producciones: Veteran Mexican independent film producer with international festival pedigree and European co-productions, operating at larger scale but in same creative and distribution space.
- Pimienta Films: Established Mexican production company producing independent and art-house films with international co-productions; broader catalog and commercial footprint but same core activity.
- Detour Film Festival Filmmakers (comparable peers): Larger Mexican film studios (e.g., Pimienta Films, Mantarraya Producciones) operate in the same independent cinema space with broader catalogs and wider commercial reach.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Contratiempo Cine social profiles
Digital presenceContratiempo Cine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Contratiempo Cine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Contratiempo Cine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Contratiempo Cine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Contratiempo Cine
What does Contratiempo Cine do?
Contratiempo Cine is an independent film production company that produces documentary and fiction short and feature films, primarily for the international festival circuit. It develops and co-produces socially engaged Mexican cinema through partnerships with filmmakers, international co-producers (Mexico, Cuba, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, USA), and institutional supporters (e.g., IMCINE Desarrollo, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein), releasing titles via film festivals and selective distribution agents such as Bogoshorts Film Agency.
Is Contratiempo Cine a public or private company?
Contratiempo Cine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Contratiempo Cine founded?
Contratiempo Cine was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Contratiempo Cine based?
Contratiempo Cine is headquartered in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, in the Latin America region.
How does Contratiempo Cine make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Film Production Services are the primary driver. The others are festival Distribution.
Who are Contratiempo Cine's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Axolote Cine and Burning Films (Mexico). Bogoshorts Film Agency is listed as an others. Direct peers are Sin Sentido Films, Cuadrángulo Cine and Zanfo Cine. Cinesurja is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Mantarraya Producciones, Pimienta Films and Detour Film Festival Filmmakers (comparable peers).
Does Contratiempo Cine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Contratiempo Cine.
What industry is Contratiempo Cine in?
Contratiempo Cine's product category is Independent Film Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADADAD, Investigative & Journalism Documentaries. Its NAICS code is 512110 and its SIC code is 7812.