Cinema in progress: New Uruguayan Cinema

Abstract

First paragraph: In the 2000s, New Uruguayan Cinema – a film movement that had been gathering momentum for nearly two decades – emerged in the international arena. European film festival awards recognized 25 Watts (Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, 2001; Rotterdam), En la puta vida (Beatriz Flores Silva, 2001; Huelva), El viaje hacia el mar (Guillermo Casanova, 2003; Huelva), Whisky (Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll, 2004; Cannes, Huelva, Thessaloniki), Alma mater (Alvaro Buela, 2004; San Sebastian), El baño del Papa (Enrique Fernández, 2007; San Sebastian) and La Perrera (Manolo Nieto, 2006; Rotterdam). This report focuses on two of these films, Casanova’s El viaje hacia el mar and Rebella and Stoll’s Whisky, bringing to light the developing production context from which they emerged, and their status as representative works of two different filmmaking generations whose films are increasingly well received both nationally and internationally.