Ventana Sur returns to Montevideo with its 2026 edition, confirming that the Rio de la Plata format is the new working structure for Latin America’s main audiovisual market.
Marché du Film, Uruguay’s ACAU and Argentina’s INCAA announced on Monday the dates for the second Montevideo edition of the market. Ventana Sur will run from November 30th to December. 4, 2026, capital of Uruguay.
The five-day event will take place in several of Montevideo’s landmark cultural institutions. These include the National Cultural Center Sodre, the Cinemateca Uruguaya, which hosts market screenings, and the historic Teatro Solis.
This announcement marks another step in Ventana Sur’s regional expansion since its founding in Buenos Aires in 2009. After 15 editions in the Argentine capital, the market will move to Montevideo in 2024, return to Buenos Aires in 2025, and now return to Uruguay under the Rio de la Plata format, designed to strengthen continuity between the two cities.
Ventana Sur has become the primary international gateway for Latin American films, series, animation, documentaries and genre projects seeking financing, co-production partners, festival exposure, sales agents and distribution. Organizers say the market attracts more than 3,000 international professionals each year.
Montevideo’s return also strengthens the market’s role as a confluence for the wider Southern Cone. Brazil is expected to have a significant presence at the event, bringing one of Latin America’s largest production sectors to a format aimed at connecting Argentine talent, Uruguay’s growing audiovisual infrastructure, and regional partners such as Chile with international buyers and financiers.
“Ventana Sur has established itself as an important destination where the excellence of the Marché du Film meets the austral summer. As Uruguay prepares to host this market for the second time, we are proud to acknowledge the complexities of today’s global situation. We face new challenges in delivering a reflective edition. In these times, fostering meaningful encounters and collaboration is essential to asserting the values of our industry,” said ACAU President Gisela Previtali. He is also co-director of Ventana Sur.
Guillaume Esmiol, executive director of Marché du Film and co-director of Ventana Sur, framed the Rio de la Plata format as a way to maintain the momentum between Latin America and the international industry.
“Ventana Sur currently plays an important role in strengthening Latin America’s connections with international industry. The Rio de la Plata format will allow us to maintain this momentum over the long term, while increasing the visibility of the region’s talent and content,” Esmiol said.
The 2026 announcement also comes as Ventana Sur ramps up its efforts in the lead-up to Cannes. During the 2026 Marché du Film, the market hosted selected programs such as “Ventana Sur Goes to Cannes”. The showcase showcased Latin American works in progress to sales agents, distributors, and festival programmers.
The Cannes program also included panel discussions with key representatives from ACAU and INCAA, case study sessions and networking cocktails, bringing together Latin American and international film professionals.
Ralph Huyck, executive director of Ventana Sur Argentina 2025, said last year’s Buenos Aires edition showed that the market is “not just a market, but a laboratory for the future of content in Latin America.”
“VS Tech is at the heart of that, bringing together the creative and technical talent that transforms stories into assets that can travel on any screen and across all borders. Building IP that truly reaches audiences is no longer a challenge unique to Hollywood. It’s our challenge, and we’re responding to it,” Hayek said.
The 2026 edition includes Ventana Sur’s core programs: Primer Corte, Copia Final, Proyecta, VS Docs, VS Shortfilms, VS Guiones, VS Tech, VS Fantastic, and VS Animation. Also featured will be producer network activities and all market activities specializing in international sales.
