Uruguay showed the best of its audiovisual production at Ventana Sur

Uruguay showed again its outstanding audiovisual production in the last edition of Ventana Sur, the main audiovisual content market in the region. The Uruguayan delegation had the task of promoting fifty national films and series, in addition to positioning the country as a destination for international filming. 

The event, which took place between November 30 and December 4, 2020, was organized by the Marché du film of the Cannes Film Festival and the National Institute of Film and Audiovisual Arts of Argentina (INCAA). This edition was held in a hybrid format, between online and face-to-face, with screenings for buyers in cinemas in Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Bogotá, Santiago de Chile, Madrid and Paris.

Fifty producers, directors, screenwriters and representatives of institutions and festivals were part of the Uruguayan delegation, whose main point of reference was the Uruguay Audiovisual virtual pavilion, run by Uruguay XXI and the National Film and Audiovisual Institute (ICAU).

As a result of its technical and creative maturity, and of an explosive growth in the number of productions during 2020, the Uruguayan audiovisual industry has conquered the eyes of the world and repeated - hand in hand with renowned national references - its participation in Ventana Sur, one of the most important events of the sector in Latin America. 

The presentation of Uruguay included projects and films in development, production and release stages to be shown in the different sections of the market. The Uruguayan-Bolivian co-production El visitante, by Martín Boulocq, was presented in the Industry in Progress section, while Olivia y los misterios, directed by Juan Cave (Chucho TV), was shown in the Animation! Pitching and won the segment, so it will be part of the official selection in the Animation! section of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2021 (MIFA).

The Uruguayan films projected on the market screenings were Al morir la matinée, by Maximiliano Contenti, Bosco, by Alicia Cano, Carmen Vidal, mujer detective, by Eva Dans, Chico ventana también quiere tener un submarino, by Alex Piperno, Directamente para video, by Emilio Silva, La noche mágica, by Gastón Portal, and Mirador, by Antón Terni. 

The Uruguayan-Argentinean co-production El hijo deseado, by Ariel Rotter, was part of Proyecta, the space to promote new projects co-organized by the San Sebastian Film Festival, and was selected to participate in the Producers Network 2021 of the Marché du Film - Cannes Film Festival. 

In addition, a selection of 7 Uruguayan projects was exhibited in the new section The beginning of the film, the Latin American market for unreleased scripts, which is a valuable opportunity to offer, find and produce quality scripts. 

The documentary series Luthiers, directed by Leandro Barneche, and the fiction series Vivo o Muerto, by Marco Bentancor and Nicolás Botana, also had their video-pitching. 

The conference program Creativity in Action included the participation of Uruguayan producers Fernando Epstein, Mariana Secco and Agustina Chiarino, as well as the director of ICAU Roberto Blatt and the founder and director of the specialized portal Latam Cinema Gerardo Michelin.  

A special mention deserves the segment In dialogue with Federico Álvarez, where the renowned Uruguayan director spoke with producer José García Cucucovich.

Uruguay: a country to shoot in

Uruguay's participation in Ventana Sur coincides with the launch of the new Uruguay Audiovisual Program (PUA), which seeks to position Uruguayan cinema on the global stage and promote the country as a regional hub for audiovisual production. 

This initiative offers a variety of incentives for shootings in Uruguay, such as the cash rebate, a powerful instrument that includes cash returns of up to 25% of a number of eligible expenses, with return caps of up to $1 million.

The country thus aims to double exports of audiovisual services by 2021, exceeding $40 million. The program is administered by the National Development Agency (ANDE) and sponsored by Uruguay XXI, ICAU and the National Directorate of Telecommunications and Audiovisual Communication Services (DINATEL) of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM), institutions that make up the technical selection committee.

Although the audiovisual sector has been one of the hardest hit globally by the COVID-19 pandemic, Uruguay was the first country to return to the film set and in 2020 has registered a record number of advertising and film productions. Also, the Uruguay Audiovisual website was presented, an initiative that seeks to disseminate the country's attractions for filming and its outstanding film offerings. 

Industry giants such as Amazon, Netflix, HBO and Disney have confirmed filming in Uruguay this year, which will continue through 2021. Thanks to the innovative response of the local audiovisual industry - which has turned adversity into an opportunity to make itself known - the country is now positioned as one of the preferred destinations for filming and content production. Hand in hand with the talent of its professionals and technicians, Uruguay is showing the world one of its best-kept secrets: its passion for storytelling.

For more information on incentives and opportunities to film in Uruguay: uruguayaudiovisual.com/en/