UPDATE: The highly anticipated Ventana Sur 2025 is set to return to Buenos Aires, with officials projecting a significant 30% increase in attendance. The event, running from December 1 to December 5, expects 3,000 accredited participants, including 500 buyers and sales agents. This marks a leap from last year’s 2,300 attendees when the festival was hosted in Montevideo, Uruguay.
In a press statement, Ralph Haiek, executive director and former president of INCAA, emphasized the critical role Ventana Sur plays amid the evolving film industry landscape. “The film industry is undergoing a profound global shift that is straining its profitability,” Haiek warned, citing challenges from declining audiences, rising costs post-pandemic, and stiff competition from global streaming platforms.
The INCAA considers this year’s festival as a vital platform for enhancing financing and international distribution, aiming to foster growth in Argentina’s audiovisual sector. Haiek stated, “In this context, Ventana Sur is strategically essential to boost our regional industry.”
Originally founded in 2009, Ventana Sur has solidified its status as Latin America’s premier film market. After being temporarily relocated due to Argentina’s economic crisis last year, the event garnered acclaim in Uruguay, leading to its return to Buenos Aires in 2025.
New initiatives this year include VS Tech, which expands upon the previous video-game section, now featuring 10 innovative projects focused on technological advancements in film production and distribution. Additionally, the WBD + Mundoloco CGI | Launchpad Series aims to accelerate development for regional animated series, while Anfibia Pro introduces a platform for literary adaptations, featuring workshops and a script lab for collaboration among creatives.
The festival will also showcase the VS Animation! Pitching Sessions, presenting a slate of seven feature films and seven series projects, alongside a selection of works-in-progress in collaboration with the Annecy festival.
The VS Fantastic section, previously known as Blood Window, will feature 13 genre projects, including notable entries like Paul Urkijo’s latest film and Francisco Pavanetto’s award-winning project.
Executive director of Marché du Film, Guillaume Esmiol, highlighted the market’s increasing international presence and its role as a critical space for deal-making and project discovery. “Today it is widely seen as the go-to market for closing deals and discovering new voices shaping the future of Latin American storytelling,” Esmiol stated.
With the 2026 edition already confirmed for Uruguay, the focus is on maintaining a strategic alternation between host cities to strengthen the regional audiovisual landscape.
As excitement builds for Ventana Sur 2025, industry professionals are eager to witness the innovations and collaborations that will emerge from this pivotal event. Stay tuned for updates as the festival approaches, heralding a new chapter for Latin America’s film industry.
