Francisco del Villar y Sagitario Films. Episodios para una historia del documental institucional mexicano, 1950-1970

The Mexican filmmaker Francisco del Villar (1920‐78) was hired by different government institutions such as the Ministry of Health and Assistance (SSA), National Railways (FNM), Petróleos Mexicanos (PM) and the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) to make documentaries on their work for propaganda and educational purposes. Between 1957 and 1972 del Villar filmed at least thirteen documentaries that represent the development of these institutions and their achievements, but also, the work of the Mexican state more broadly. This article rescues this documentary production from anonymity and analyses the political and social contexts of the period in which they were filmed, as well as the institutions’ various agendas. This article also seeks to contribute to the historiography of Mexican documentary in the second half of the twentieth century by analysing its representation of medical-sanitary issues and of technological modernity in 1960s Mexico.