Book Review: 'The Film Edge: Contemporary Filmmaking in Latin America'

By Amber Shields

Sometimes it’s best not to start with the very beginning. Starting at the end, or thematically, at the present, the last section of The Film Edge: Contemporary Filmmaking in Latin America finally offers the most in-depth look at the subject outlined by its title.  By raising questions of “Genres, Formats, Projects”, authors in this section bring forth some of the most pressing questions of the present as Latin American film struggles to redefine itself in a new age.  Outlining the challenges short films face and the creativity it thus inspires in her essay “The Audiovisual Arts in Argentina: Possible Horizons”, Mariela Cantú writes a metaphor for Latin American film production in general, one that can be engaged in understanding all of the examples in this book, whether talking about the past, present, or future.  Latin American cinema has always and is always confronted by challenges, but these are what inspire some of its most enduring art. [Read more]