Developing cinematic culture: a South American case study

Ross, Miriam (2010) Developing cinematic culture: a South American case study. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The thesis examines the way that different agents, organisations and institutions intervene in the cinema practice of South America. Using Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru as case studies, the thesis outlines the way state and institutional organisations, commercial bodies, international interests and alternative practices have converged, even with individual discrepancies, to develop a national and regional cinematic culture at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Practices from funding and production through to distribution and exhibition are investigated in order to provide an overview of the most significant factors shaping the way cinematic culture currently operates in the region.

I argue that on the one hand, state-run initiatives (heritage drives, film councils, cinematecas, anti-piracy enforcement) attempt to reterritorialize cinema practice and create a national context for films. On the other hand, commercial bodies, international organisations and alternative practices frequently complicate or deterritorialize cinematic culture. Their various actions have an effect on the types of films that are circulated and disseminated amongst publics on the continent and in the global sphere. The complex relations between these intervening interests mean that cinematic culture is determined by various conflicting ownership claims. Furthermore, the way in which which some organisations and practices gain strength over others determines the type of access that local publics have to films and that which filmmakers have to audiences.

The findings in this thesis are drawn from extensive field-work in the region and are supported by theoretical frameworks and paradigms that are relevant to the study of cinematic culture. I have made use of published literature from text books, press articles, and official websites documenting various aspects of cinematic culture in South America to literature documenting a global film context that has relevance to my field of study. Participant-observation techniques and interviews with practitioners in the region have provided me with grounded, primary-research material, while trade reports citing statistical evidence such as production figures, box office data and investments in funding have strengthened my findings.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: South America, cinema, distribution, exhibition, cultural policy, film,
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Geraghty, Professor Christine and Eleftheriotis, Dr. Dimitris
• Date of Award: 2010
• Embargo Date: 20 March 2013
• Depositing User: Dr Miriam Ross
• Unique ID: glathesis:2010-1669
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 22 Mar 2010
• Last Modified: 11 Apr 2013 13:50
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/1669