Venezuela isn't known for having a steady filmmaking tradition, but the country has been pushing to create socially-relevant movies despite the rise of censorship.

Fox News Latino reported from The Associated Press that Venezuelan directors are exercising their creativity to make films that explore and criticize society even though the government controls TV and other forms of mass media. These filmmakers accomplish this through the help of state grants.

The National Center for Cinematography gives seed money for projects and sends directors abroad to study filmmaking, Fox News Latino noted. The organization is also behind a new film school run by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's 24-year-old son.

The country's state-funded films don't blatantly tackle political topics, but socially-relevant issues are coming through now, such as increasing poverty and high crime rates. The movies produced in Venezuela "has quadrupled since 2005 to about 20 a year, still far short of the average of 50 produced in Argentina," the news outlet further reported.

Venezuelan filmmakers are also using sexual drama to emphasize political issues. The most recent project to come out of this method is "From Afar," a debut feature from Venezuelan first-time director Lorenzo Vigas. The film won the Golden Lion Award at the 72nd Venice Film Festival, Variety reported.

"I want to dedicate this prize to my amazing country, Venezuela. We've been having some problems, but we're very positive. We're an amazing nation and we're going to start talking to each other more," Vigas said upon receiving the honor, as quoted by Variety.

"From Afar" centers on an affair "between a wealthy middle-aged man and a teenage thug set against a background of poverty and violence," Fox News Latino reported. The film was made thanks to government grants, also the same case for "Bad Hair" and "My Straight Son," both of which are movies grappling with sexual identities.

Vigas finished filming "From Afar" in Caracas' streets in 2014, a week before violent protests erupted in Venezuela. According to the director, "that tension colors the feel of the film," adding that he wasn't slapped with censorship for the movie despite Maduro's anti-gay slurs, Fox News Latino noted.

Venezuelan officials have tolerated the international acclaim of these gay-themed films, but independence is not always welcome in the county. Mariana Rondón's 2013 flick "Bad Hair," which is about a young boy who wishes to tame his curly hair, condemns the society's "with us or against us" mentality, the news outlet added. Officials said Rondón's career took off because of the same revolutionary attitude she criticizes.

"Bad Hair" won the Golden Shell honor, the highest award at the 2013 San Sebastian Film Festival, according to a separate report from Variety.