Paper short abstract:

This paper seeks to explore what it is that the Uruguayan film 25 Watts (Rebella and Stoll, 2001) is evoking or referring to when citing aesthetic choices made by international Independent filmmakers. It also aims at exploring in greater depth the current landscape of Uruguayan cinema.

Paper long abstract:

In 2001, the Uruguayan film 25 Watts (Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll) received the Tiger Award at Rotterdam's International Film Festival. While it was aesthetically innovative in Uruguay, many of its aesthetic choices were already present in films produced elsewhere. Several film critics and scholars have pointed out that 25 Watts was influenced by the works of some Argentine and American Independent directors. However, while there were mainstream productions with certain patterns and filmmaking styles from which to deviate both in Argentina and in the United States, this does not seem to have been the case in Uruguay. This analysis seeks to explore what it is that this Uruguayan film is evoking or referring to when citing these foreign directors. This paper focuses on some specific sequences in 25 Watts which make us reflect upon the dialogue the film establishes with the international circulation of independent films and with the creation of a marginal space within local audiovisual media.

The national and international success of 25 Watts was the beginning of ControlZ Films, the most prolific Uruguayan production company. Many others have also contributed to the undeniable increase in the number of Uruguayan films made during the first decade of this millennium. The development of specific local policies and the creation of funding bodies, together with international factors, have developed a new context. Consequently, this presentation also aims at exploring in greater depth the current landscape of Uruguayan cinema.