Contemporary Latin American Cinema ― Resisting Neoliberalism?

Contemporary Latin American Cinema investigates the ways in which neoliberal measures of privatization, de-regularization and austerity introduced in Latin America during the 1990s have impacted film production and film narratives. The collection examines the relationship between economic policies and the films that depict recent transformations in many Latin American countries, demonstrating how contemporary Latin American film has not only criticized and resisted, but also benefitted from neoliberal advancements. Based on films produced in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru since 2010, the fourteen case studies illustrate neoliberalism’s effects, from big industries to small national cinemas. It also shows the new types of producers that have emerged, and the novel patterns of distribution, exhibition and consumption that shape and influence the Latin American filmscape. Through industry studies, reception analyses and close readings, this book establishes an informative and accessible text for scholars and students alike.

Claudia Sandberg is a filmmaker and Senior Research and Teaching Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her research is concerned with relations between European and Latin American cinemas. Sandberg co-directed Peliculas Escondidas (2016), a documentary about Chilean emigre artists in East Germany, and is co-editor of The German Cinema Book 2 (2018).

Carolina Rocha is Professor of Spanish at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, USA. She specializes in contemporary Latin American cinema. She is author of Argentine Cinema and National Identity (1966-1976) (2017) and Masculinities in Contemporary Argentine Popular Cinema (2012), and editor of Modern Argentine Masculinities (2013) and several other volumes about Latin American film.