It’s official. After months of rumors and talks, Ventana Sur organizers confirmed Wednesday that the 16th edition will take place in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, over Dec. 2-6, 2024.
The agreement, struck by Cannes Marché du Film, the Cannes Festival and Argentine and Uruguayan state film-TV agencies Cannes Marché du Film, the Cannes Festival, Argentina’s INCAA and ACAU, breaks with the first 15 years of Ventana Sur, located in Buenos Aires where it launched in 2009.
In a press statement, Ventana Sur organizers said that Uruguay will host this year’s edition, “providing a unique opportunity for the country to welcome key players from the international audiovisual industry.”
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“This move also underscores Uruguay’s growing influence as an audiovisual hub in Latin America, fueled by robust policies for sector development, international recognition of its artistic and technical talent, and extensive experience in producing national and international works,” the statement added.
Organized by the Marché du Film, Cannes Festival and Argentina’s ICAA and channelling the huge caché, contacts and expertise of Cannes, the first Ventana Sur caught a Latin America industry already galvanised by soaring public-sector incentives looking for international sales and production partners.
The event has not stopped growing since targeting international movie growth axes, launching a genre forum Blood Window and Animation! Showcase, co-production meet Proyecta and a SoloSeries TV division.
An Argentina-based event is bedevilled, however, by rampant inflation, withering INCAA funding even in the course of a calendar year, and the determination of Javier Milei’s government to slash INCAA budgets.
The fact that the INCAA remains one of the Ventana Sur’s organizers open the door for at least some part of Ventana Sur to still take place in Buenos Aires.
“This exciting new chapter for Ventana Sur not only highlights Rio de la Plata’s role in the global audiovisual landscape but also promises to strengthen the ties between Latin American and international film industries, paving the way for innovative collaborations and groundbreaking projects,” Ventana Sur organizers announced Wednesday.
Details of the last currently remain under wraps. The potential for linking Argentine talent to Uruguay’s economic stability and Brazil’s now soaring state financing schemes remains large.
