Cinema on Yunnan ethnic groups is considered to be one of the most important parts of the development of Chinese cinema, and its development has attracted the attention of the entire Chinese film industry. Since there are many ethnic groups living in Yunnan province, where there are unique aesthetic characteristics and cultural meanings, Yunnan ethnic groups have become a national symbol of unparalleled value and significance in the development of Chinese cinema. These works are not only of great significance to the protection and dissemination of the cultures of ethnic minorities in China, but their distinctive cultural and political attributes also play a crucial national ideological role in maintaining national stability and unity. However, under the background of the development of Chinese film at present, the development of Yunnan minority theme film is still slower. In the fierce competition in China’s film market, it has become a very important task to explore the value and charm of Yunnan’s ethnic culture and integrate it with the current film business model. Therefore, by sorting out the development form of Yunnan minority films since the reform and opening up, this paper analyzes the existing problems in the current development process of Yunnan minority films, and explores the future development direction and strategy of Yunnan minority films.