The intimate character and cultural richness of Uruguayan cinema were protagonists in international short film exhibition

The Montevideo-Buenos Aires-Paris 2024 Short Film Festival landed in Uruguay for the first time to celebrate its ten years of existence, promoting a cultural exchange between three countries with deep cinematic roots. The opening took place on September 6 at the Auditorium of the Alliance Française in Montevideo, where nine outstanding short films from Uruguay, Argentina and France were presented.

The director of Argentine distributor Amashort and organizer of the showcase, Claudia Bertolino, celebrated this step. “I added Montevideo as a way to celebrate these ten years. I'm starting to work with Uruguayan films, I thought it added value and it was also a way to give a different twist to the festival,” she said.

Bertolino highlighted the potential of the Uruguayan film industry and underscored the support received to make this first edition in Montevideo a reality, especially from Uruguay XXI and other actors in the sector such as Detour, Cinemateca, Montevideo Audiovisual and the Uruguayan Film School (ECU).

A cultural exchange in three venues

The Montevideo-Buenos Aires-Paris Short Film Festival screened in the Uruguayan capital three works from each country that have been recognized at international festivals. Uruguay contributed productions such as Yakuza, by Augusto Tejada, which participated in the official competition of the José Ignacio International Film Festival (JIIFF); El visitante, by Lucía Nieto Salazar, presented at the Short Film Corner in Cannes and the Festival de Cine Nuevo - DETOUR; and Umbral, by Helena Cantera, chosen Best Uruguayan Short Film at the ECU International Film Schools Festival.

This year, the exhibition also brought to the screen stories of great thematic and stylistic diversity, and among the most anticipated screenings was Pachyderme (Pachyderm), by French director Stéphanie Clement. This short film, nominated for an Oscar in the 2024 edition, was screened for the first time in Montevideo.

From France, Uruguayan audiences also enjoyed L'âge acrobatique (The Acrobatic Age) by Mathieu Barbet, which was part of the national competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Festival; and La Valise (The Valise) by Chloé Mazlo, which was screened at the prestigious Quinzaine des Cinéastes in Cannes.

In addition, the showcase featured three Argentine short films: En el mismísimo momento, directed by Rita Pauls and Federico Luis Tachella, awarded Best Short Film at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA); Nada de todo esto, by Patricio Martínez and Francisco Cantón, which competed at the Cannes Festival and stars renowned actress Erica Rivas; and Estudio 5, a collective work that shone at the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival (BAFICI).

At the Montevideo screening Bertolino highlighted the particular perspective of Uruguayan cinema. “That intimate look of Uruguayan cinema is what catches my attention. The stories are always very intimate, very personal, there is a lot of potential in Uruguayan films,” she said.

The Argentinean positively valued the technical level of Uruguayan cinema and exemplified it with Yakusa: “This short film shows the perfect conditions of the country. It is true that everything that is made independently costs a lot of money, but here we overcome any technical inconvenience, there are many resources and they are used very well,” she said.

Bertolino also recalled the incentives offered by Uruguay for filming, such as cash rebates and tax exemptions, and praised the country for offering “all kinds of locations” despite its small size. “In addition to its wealth of landscapes, it has a unique cultural mix,” he said.

After Montevideo, the exhibition will continue on October 4 in Buenos Aires, as part of Viví Francia Week, and will close on October 18 at the Alliance Française in Paris.

Organized by the distribution company Amashort, the Montevideo - Buenos Aires - Paris 2024 Short Film Festival is sponsored by the French Embassies in Uruguay and Argentina, the Argentine Embassy in France, the French Alliances of the three cities, Montevideo Audiovisual, and the support of Uruguay XXI, with the collaboration of Le Monde diplomatique.

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