The Cinema in Uruguay

It is often said that Uruguay (mostly) lacks a national cinema, but it has a vibrant, discerning film culture. Extending back generations, Uruguayans have regularly enjoyed imported movies from throughout the world that have shaped how critics, cinephiles, and everyday people understand the cinema. Foreign fare has also impacted domestic consumption and reception of the (sporadic until recently) work of Uruguayan filmmakers. To approach what this all means in Montevideo and beyond, we will study the reception of a wide range of international movies including, but not limited to Hollywood blockbusters, European art house classics, Latin American (mostly Argentine, but also Mexican) melodramas and comedies, and Hong Kong action cinema, as well as Uruguayan films that reached and moved local audiences. (Any 2 SPAN courses at the 0300-level.)