Started in 2005, today the Monterrey International Film Festival is among the top five film festivals in Mexico and certainly the most important in the northern part of the country. The Monterrey International Film Festival is supported by important institutions and sponsors like the Nuevo León Council for Culture and the Arts, the MMCinemas theater chain, the City of Monterrey Cultural Affairs Office, the Nuevo León Filmmakers Association, the National Council for the Arts, the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, TVNL State Television, and Mundo DeaDeveras theme park. The generosity of these and other sponsors have transformed the festival into an annual event of cultural importance for México and Monterrey.