The Film Archipelago

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How do the islands and archipelagos of the New World figure in Latin American cinema? This volume, comprising sixteen essays and a critical introduction, addresses this question by exploring intersections between insular spaces and filmmaking in Latin America. It brings together international scholars and filmmakers to analyze a diverse range of films about, set on, produced in, and that interrogate islands. The essays cover works from Chilean documentaries by Patricio Guzmán to films concerning the Malvinas/Falkland Islands, as well as contributions from Argentine directors Gustavo Fontán and Lucrecia Martel. Specific chapters focus on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), the Mexican Islas Marías, and the Caribbean of Panama, while also addressing ecocritical, environmental, and historical aspects of Brazilian and Argentine river islands. Contexts from Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Guadeloupe are examined, alongside the complex positioning of the San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina archipelago within Colombian media archives. The collection argues that these islands and archipelagos offer a compelling lens to explore themes of marginality, remoteness, and dependency in Latin American cinema, demonstrating how this insular perspective can reframe ongoing discussions about the region's cinematic spaces.