The tightening of U.S. immigration policies towards Mexico, as well as the cancellation and denial of visas, is affecting not only the music industry, but also the Mexican independent film industry; so said actress Greta Marti, who was denied a U.S. visa to present the film ‘Quince’ at the South by Southwest 2026 festival in Austin (Texas).
“We have tried to go by all means, we started doing the papers they asked us several weeks ago, but we have not found a new answer,” explains the 23-year-old interpreter in an interview with EFE.
Martí and Aminta Ireta, who was also denied a visa, are part of the cast of the film directed by brothers Yossy Zagha and Jack Zagha, which was selected for the official section of the U.S. festival, one of the most important independent film showcases.
The production team submitted documentation requested by the immigration authorities, including the official invitation to the festival – where only two Mexican films will participate – and letters of support from the production company.
However, the visa was rejected on the grounds that there is no certainty that the interpreters would return to Mexico after the trip.
Recently, artists such as the music band Grupo Firme or singers Natanael Cano and Peso Pluma have had problems with their paperwork to be able to tour the U.S., but in these cases the problem was, according to the U.S. government, a threat to national security or apology for organized crime.
Despite the refusals, the film’s co-director, Yossy Zagha, is hopeful that he can still find a solution with institutional support.
“Imcine (Mexican Institute of Cinematography) has asked Buzzy to try to mediate in the case, I am very grateful for their work, I hope it can be solved soon,” he develops.
The visa for the cast of ‘Quince’ was denied and this situation has happened before.
This situation has already happened to other major productions such as ‘Roma’ (2017) directed by Alfonso Cuarón, whose actor Jorge Antonio Guerrero was initially denied his visa to attend the 2019 Oscar gala although, after four attempts and diplomatic mediations, he attended the ceremony.
For Zagha, although the political context between the two countries influences these decisions, the main casualty is usually the culture.
“I understand that right now the United States is at war and its leader has other priorities, but for them culture is always the last thing. (Martí and Ireta) deserve to be at the festival and for them to see their talent and work in this film,” he argues.
In ‘Quince’, Ligia (Marti) and Mayte (Macarena Oz) are about to celebrate their “quinceañera” party, but after a bad sexual experience for the former, she discovers that she is not only expecting a baby, but that her son is more of a terrifying creature than a human baby in yet another fusion of Mexican family cinema with the horror genre.
The genre in Mexico has experienced great growth in recent years following the release of films such as ‘No me sigas’ (2025), the first Spanish-language film produced by the ‘Blumhouse’ label, or productions such as ‘Párvulos’ (2025) or ‘Huesera’ (2022).
The film has already traveled internationally to events such as the Blood Window Showcase, the fantastic and horror film section of the Marché du Film, the market of the Cannes Film Festival, the main bastion of genre productions.
The film will have its first screening at South by Southwest on March 15, reported Agencia EFE, at an event to which important industry figures such as filmmaker Steven Spielberg and actress Jamie Lee Curtis have been invited.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
