MEXICO CITY -- The comedy "Nicotina" (Nicotine) fired up the 46th Ariel Awards ceremony, garnering six of Mexico's top film prizes, while drama "El Misterio del Trinidad" (The Mystery of the Trinity) grabbed best picture and best director.

The winners, announced Tuesday night at Mexico City's Palace of Fine Arts, were culled from a field of 15 features. Altavista's "Nicotina" won best actor (Rafael Inclan), actress (Rosa Maria Bianchi) and supporting actor (Daniel Gimenez Cacho).

"Nicotina" tells the story of a hacker, played by Diego Luna, who becomes mixed up with jewel thieves. The picture has grossed $45 million pesos ($4.1 million) in Mexico.

Helmer Jose Luis Garcia Agraz's "El Misterio" stars the late Eduardo Palomo, who died in Los Angeles of a heart attack in November. Palomo, nominated for best actor, plays a doctor discovering the secrets of his past. The Garcia Agraz/Imcine production grossed just 1.7 million pesos ($153,000) on a six-week run with about 45 copies. "El Misterio" nabbed a total of three Ariels from its 10 nominations.

On a cold, rainy evening here in the nation's capital, several of the award recipients did not attend the ceremony. No-shows included director Carlos Reygadas, who won best directorial debut for "Japon" (Japan) and editor Gloria Schoemann Vargas, who was honored with a lifetime achievement award for her work on more than 160 films.

In her opening speech, Diana Bracho, president of the Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences, criticized a failed federal budget proposal that sought to do away with three state-run film entities. Bracho called the controversial initiative, which proposed the sale or closure of film financing body Imcine, film school CCC and studio Churubusco Azteca, an attack against an industry that depends on state resources.

Other films getting multiple nods were Altavista adventure movie "Zurdo," with four awards, and gay-themed indie picture "Mil Nubes de Paz Cercan el Cielo, Amor, Jamas Acabaras de Ser Amor (A Thousand Clouds of Peace to Heaven, My Love, You'll Never Stop Being Love), which walked away with three statuettes.

"Mil Nubes," shot entirely in black and white, does not have a distributor in Mexico. It does, however, have a U.S. distributor in Los Angeles-based Strand Releasing, which picked up the movie after it screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

"Try to figure that one out," producer Roberto Fiesco said in a telephone interview.

"Volveras" took an Ariel for adapted screenplay, while "Nicotina" and "Japon" shared the victory for original screenplay.

The original screenplay, sound and original score categories resulted in ties. At one point, 13 technicians swarmed the stage to claim prizes for sound design, a three-way tie in a category with four nominees.

Best Iberoamerican picture went to Spain's "Los Lunes al Sol."

The Mexican film academy comprises 88 voting members.

2004 Ariel Award winners

Best Picture
"El Misterio del Trinidad"

Director
Jose Luis Garcia Argaz ("El Misterio del Trinidad")

Actress
Rosa Maria Bianchi ("Nicotina")

Actor
Rafael Inclan ("Nicotina")

Supporting Actress
Clarisa Rendon ("Mil Nubes de Paz Cercan el Cielo, Amor, Jamas Acabaras de Ser Amor")

Supporting Actor
Daniel Gimenez Cacho ("Nicotina")

Original Screenplay
"Japon"
"Nicotina"

Adapted Screenplay
"Volveras"

Cinematography
Japon
Nicotina
"Volveras"

Editing
"Nicotina"
"Zurdo"

Original Score
"Vera"
"Mil Nubes de Paz Cercan el Ciel, Amor, Jamas Acabaras de Ser Amor"

Sound
"Mil Nubes de Paz Cercan el Cielo, Amor, Jamas Acabaras de Ser Amor"
"Nicotina"
"Zurdo"

Art Design
"Zurdo"

Costume Design
"Zurdo"

Makeup
"Zurdo"

Special Effects
"Vera"

Directorial Debut
"Japon" (Carlos Reygadas)

Full-length Documentary
"La Cancion del Pulque"

Short Fiction
"Los no Invitados"

Short Documentary
"Lo que Quedo de Pancho"

Iberoamerican Picture
"Los Lunes al Sol" (Spain)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Editor Gloria Schoemann Vargas