Uruguay’s vibrant film industry to be at the American Film Market.

Uruguay is ready to show its full potential as a film marketplace at the American Film Market, a strategic event in the global audiovisual industry attended by more than 7,000 professionals from 70 countries. The Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Agency (ACAU), together with the investment and export promotion agency Uruguay XXI, will lead the country’s presence on this platform with a Uruguay Audiovisual booth located in the Location EXPO area.

In addition, Uruguayan filmmakers Virginia Hinze of U Films, Federico Cetta of El Cielo Cine, Clara Charlo of To Je To, and Cecilia Mato of Salado Media will participate in the LATC Global Film & TV Program. This immersive training program will also allow them to connect with filmmakers, actors, producers, and writers in the industry. Macarena Mieres and Alfonsina Maldonado from MaK Mieres Producciones will also accompany the Uruguayan delegation.

At Uruguay’s booth, visitors will learn why filming in Uruguay is an intelligent decision. Few destinations in the world are so versatile and offer as many options in a maximum distance of 600 kilometers that can be traveled from one end to the other in seven hours, always through agile and clear routes.

Places as different as Old Havana, Paris, London, Germany, the Caribbean, Italy, or Ireland have been recreated in Uruguayan landscapes, as its beaches, prairies, rural areas, modern cities, and Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings offer a wide range of locations to meet the most demanding filming requirements. Also, in the case of sustainability-related productions, in recent years, Uruguay has wholly transformed its energy matrix. It has become a leading country in renewable energies, which also positions it as a “green” film location, advancing in its interest to produce with an environmental conscience.

The diversity in the features of its population, with strong European ancestry and a recipient of migrations from all over the world, make Uruguay a cosmopolitan country that offers solutions to the most specific and varied castings.

More benefits of filming and co-producing in Uruguay

Shooting time in Uruguay is the most convenient in the region. Its Cash Rebate program is agile and effective, reimbursing up to 25% of eligible expenses incurred by productions in the country, and, as an appreciated differential, it offers that the money goes directly to the foreign producer without intermediaries. Another significant benefit is the exemption from VAT, which in Uruguay is 22%. This tax exemption applies to production expenses for projects made abroad and filmed in Uruguay. It covers various items such as equipment rental, locations, furniture and props, hiring of technicians, insurance, transportation, catering, hotel costs, and scenery construction, among others.

Uruguay is globally renowned for its reputation of reliable and attractive business environment, featuring benefits like a free exchange market and the absence of constraints on repatriating profits, among other advantages. Within this context, the audiovisual sector enjoys a host of additional benefits.

Furthermore, Uruguay’s unique geographic location provides a distinct advantage to audiovisual productions. With its opposite seasons to the northern hemisphere, filmmakers can work during the northern winter while enjoying summer conditions in Uruguay. Additionally, the country boasts the fastest mobile internet connection speed in Latin America, ensuring extensive coverage across the entire nation.

The recognized professional level of Uruguayan technicians and the important film infrastructure are real advantages for filming in Uruguay, which in recent years has been chosen by companies such as Disney, Amazon Studios, HBO, and Netflix, among others, to shoot their productions.

In 2022, Uruguay made 48 co-productions of feature films and documentaries, of which 56% came from Argentina, 14% from Brazil, 13% from other origins in Latin America such as Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Panama, and Mexico, 3% from the United States and 14% from Europe with countries such as Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Portugal.