Uruguay Disappears: Small Cinemas, Control Z Films, and the Aesthetics and Politics of Auto-Erasure

Global markets like the festival circuit affect the ways in which small cinemas represent the nation. In the 2000s, new Uruguayan cinema has produced several films which background their “Uruguayanness” to broaden international appeal. In contrast to existing debates surrounding auto-ethnography, this is a process of auto-erasure through which Uruguay “disappears.” This aesthetic strategy reflects the complex politics surrounding production and reception, which must be negotiated by filmmakers in small nations who are reaching out to global markets.