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About the Project
Superochistas: Collective, Amateur and Independent Uruguayan Cinema
Project Grant
El proyecto tuvo como objetivo principal la identificación, inspección, inventario, rescate y digitalización de materiales fílmicos en formato Super 8 mm, pertenecientes a colectivos de realizadores y cineastas uruguayos, así como a archivos personales, reunidos en un total de cinco colecciones. En un contexto nacional con escasa infraestructura para la preservación audiovisual, el proyecto buscó proteger materiales en riesgo y generar copias digitales de alta calidad que permitieran su preservación a largo plazo y facilitarán futuras instancias de acceso, investigación y difusión.
Como resultado, se digitalizaron 76 títulos nacionales, correspondientes a aproximadamente 16 horas de material fílmico, generando archivos digitales de preservación en alta resolución, copias de acceso y metadata asociada. El proyecto no solo permitió salvaguardar un conjunto diverso y poco representado de imágenes históricas, sino que también estableció flujos de trabajo, capacidades técnicas y precedentes institucionales para futuras iniciativas de preservación del patrimonio audiovisual en Uruguay.
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During the Uruguayan dictatorship (1973-1985), several cultural activities were curtailed including cinema-going and filmmaking. Since there was no film industry, film production was reduced to two possible directions. On the one hand, films commissioned or supported by the state (mostly propaganda newsreels and documentaries); and on the other, cinema made by independent (usually amateur) filmmakers. Although there was some production in 16mm, there was an impressive number of filmmakers using Super-8 cameras to make animations, documentaries and short fictions. The goal of this project is to recover and digitize an important sample of the materials produced on Super 8 film during the period.
Project Lead
- Felipe Bellocq, Cine Casero (Uruguay)
- Carolina Curti, Cine Casero (Uruguay)
- Macarena Fernandez, Cine Casero (Uruguay)
- Julieta Keldjian, Cine Casero - Universidad Católica del Uruguay
- Jazmín Dominguez, Cine Casero - Universidad Católica del Uruguay
Host Institution
- Universidad Católica del Uruguay
- Cine Casero (Uruguay)
More Information
Collection Highlights
The Superochistas project brought to light a highly diverse and underrepresented body of images, corresponding to historical periods for which there is a notable absence of moving-image records at the national level. By preserving and organizing these materials, the project contributes not only to safeguarding fragile media, but also to expanding and diversifying Uruguay’s visual memory, offering new sources for historical, cultural, and scholarly inquiry.
The collection reveals what often remains outside official or finalized narratives. These materials preserve traces of everyday life, social inequalities, political violence, and global transformations, while also reflecting the power of audiovisual media to document, question, and bear witness. Together, these materials invite users to reflect on memory, absence, and the ethical role of archives in preserving not only what was shown, but also what was left unseen.
Los ojos en la nuca
The project documented Interviews with people who were victims, or relatives of victims, of forced disappearance during the Uruguayan dictatorship. These images were not included in the final version of the Los ojos en la nuca documentary, which makes them even more significant. They preserve testimonies and faces that remained outside the public narrative, yet are essential to understanding the human and historical impact of that period.
Engranajes
Beyond its strong visual quality, the documentary Engranajes offers a powerful portrayal of the 1960s and 1970s in several cities around the world, highlighting the contrast between wealth and poverty. We consider it a visually compelling and socially meaningful audiovisual document within the collection.