Long pending guidelines to Mexico's 1992 Film Law have been published, including new regulations that call for a 10% screen quota for national films and the setting up of a trust fund, Fidecine, of $10m (100 million pesos) per annum, using taxpayers' contributions.

While local production has tripled over recent years, it is still uncertain whether there will be enough films to fulfill that quota on a regular and sustained basis. 'Ideally, we should earn our market share by the competitiveness of our product,' said Ernesto Rimoch, film director and president of the Mexican Independent Producers Association (AMPI).

The screen quota will have no impact on already dominant US product as they are protected by the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US and Mexico, according to Rimoch.