Uruguayan Cinema Expands Its Presence Across Canada with Programming Reaching Several Provinces
Uruguayan cinema continues to reach new audiences across Canada. Building on the activities held in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal throughout 2026, a series of new initiatives is planned for the coming months and for 2027, further consolidating an increasingly broad and decentralized presence for Uruguay’s audiovisual sector.
More than 570 admissions to the Saint Paul University film series
In Ottawa, the Embassy of Uruguay and Saint Paul University organized four screenings during July, August and September, showcasing different genres of Uruguayan cinema.
The programme began with a series devoted to animation and family films, featuring ANINA on July 11 and BECHO on July 18, which recorded 112 and 194 admissions, respectively.
The series subsequently turned to the horror genre. On August 29, NICO, written and directed by Salomón Reyes, was screened with 152 admissions, while VIRUS:32, by Gustavo Hernández, was presented on September 5, with 114 admissions.
Together, the four screenings recorded 572 admissions, demonstrating the interest of Canadian audiences in a programme offering an introduction to different expressions and genres of Uruguayan filmmaking.
These activities complemented Uruguay’s participation in the 29th Latin American Film Festival (LAFF) 2026, also held in Ottawa.
The film programme promoted by the Embassy in the Canadian capital will continue during FILibro Canada 2026, with a screening of the documentary Ida Vitale (Uruguay, 2023), directed by María Arrillaga and devoted to the life and work of the renowned Uruguayan poet.
The Embassy is also working with the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) on plans for a new Uruguayan film series during the 2026–2027 period.
Toronto and Montreal
The promotion of Uruguayan audiovisual productions is also being advanced through Uruguay’s Consulates General in Canada.
In Toronto, the Consulate General continues to support and organize, together with the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics at York University, the Uruguayan Film Series at York University. As part of the series, Julio, felices por siempre, directed by Juan Manuel Solé, was screened on June 25, continuing the collaboration between the Consulate and the academic institution.
In Montreal, on May 29, the Consulate General supported the Consejo Consultivo Uruguay de la Gran Región de Montreal in presenting the première of Cuando sea pequeña, an autobiographical documentary directed by Jonathan Cortés and featuring Noelia Castagnin, a Uruguayan living in Montreal. The film follows a personal journey from Canada to Brazil, via Uruguay, to meet her father for the first time.
Uruguayan cinema comes to Nova Scotia
The next event will take place in Halifax, where La teoría de los vidrios rotos, by Diego Fernández Pujol, will be screened on October 1 as part of the Latin American and Spanish Film Festival 2026, organized by SEDICE.
The screening will take place at 8:15 p.m. at Carbon Arc Cinema, with free admission and English subtitles. The event is being held with the participation of the Consulate General of Uruguay in Montreal and the Embassy of Uruguay in Canada.
The presence of Uruguayan cinema in Nova Scotia is also expected to extend beyond this screening. A Uruguayan independent film series for 2026–2027 is currently being coordinated with the Department of Modern Languages at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish.
New initiatives in British Columbia, Quebec and Alberta
In Vancouver, the Embassy, the Consulate General in Toronto and academics from the University of British Columbia (UBC) are working on two Uruguayan film screenings. The initiative aims to combine the screenings with an academic component that will introduce Canadian audiences to the history and evolution of Uruguayan cinema.
In Quebec City, the Embassy and the Consulate General in Montreal are also working on a film series dedicated to the work of Uruguayan filmmaker Guy Dessent, further expanding Uruguay’s cultural presence in the province of Quebec.
In Alberta, submissions are currently open for Uruguayan productions wishing to participate in the next edition of the Calgary Latin American Film Festival, which will take place from April 22 to 25, 2027. The festival accepts feature films, short films and documentaries, with a submission deadline of October 31, 2026.
An increasingly broad audiovisual presence
The activities already held and the initiatives currently in preparation seek to build a sustained, diverse and geographically decentralized presence for Uruguayan cinema in Canada.
Through the joint efforts of the Embassy and the Consulates General, together with cooperation from universities, festivals, cultural institutions and local communities, the programme is bringing an increasingly diverse selection of Uruguayan productions to Canadian audiences, ranging from animation and family films to horror, comedy, documentaries and independent cinema.
Throughout 2026–2027, this strategy will continue in Ontario and Quebec and expand to Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Alberta, strengthening cultural ties between Uruguay and Canada through cinema.
