Third Cinema: Three Manifestos

Abstract

In the 60s, Latin American cinema distances itself from its previous tradition, modeled around Hollywood’s industry, and emerges into the landscape of World Cinema. New filmmakers propose a political cinema that addresses the urgent social problems of the time and radically breaks with the passivity of the spectator. The activity of these filmmakers was both practical and theoretical, the latter expressed in manifestos which rethink the whole filmmaking process, from production to exhibition. This essay analyzes three of the most influential manifestos, exploring their possibilities, limits and contradictions.