Ecuadorian cinema for the 21st century: Dr Fernanda Miño Book launch and screening of Ratas, Ratones, Rateros (Sebastian Cordero, 1999)

Associate Lecturer in Film Studies, Dr Fernanda Miño, will be introducing her upcoming book Ecuadorian Cinema for the 21st Century. The first major English publication on Ecuadorian cinema, the book makes a convincing and well-evidenced case for the contradictory nature of film policy and national cinemas in Latin America. It offers an invaluable resource for students and scholars of Ecuadorian cinema of the 21st century and beyond.

Ecuadorian cinema has been largely overlooked in film scholarship, usually being limited to brief descriptions in Latin American compendiums. The book provides a thorough account of film activities during the new millennium, while also referring to the country's film history. Specifically, this book discusses the so-called ‘mini-boom' in Ecuadorian cinema and its relation to industry structures, film policy, and the context of socialism for the 21st century, hence the chosen terminology. What makes this project distinctive, aside from the originality of its content, is its transdisciplinary methodology. As a means to frame the textual analysis of selected films, this book discusses theories on national cinemas, memory, political ideology, and production practices in an interdisciplinary approach that can be emulated in later projects.

The book launch will be followed by the screening of Ratas, Ratones, Rateros (Sebastian Cordero, 1999). The world of Salvador, a young and naive petty thief, is changed by the arrival of his cousin Angel, an ex-convict in search of easy money, and with a hideout. Salvador gets wrapped up in Angel's twisted dealings in an attempt to escape from his suffocating family, dragging along his family and friends in his criminal path. Where will this all lead?

The film represents a key turning point in recent Ecuadorian film history, achieving international recognition and a significant box office performance. The success of Ratas paved the way for what Fernanda theorises as ‘Ecuadorian cinema for the 21st century' in the book.

More information about the film, including the trailer, is available on the IMDB website.