Uruguay is a small country with solid production infrastructure and a thriving commercials industry.
The country’s climate and lower costs make it particularly popular as a stand-in for Italy, South Africa and Chile. Recent commercials have included a spot for camera brand Leica, which won a Grand Prix in Film at Cannes Lions. Television series El Hipnotizador also filmed locally.
Foreign productions are exempt from Uruguay's 22% VAT. Since its inception in 2010, this exemption has attracted over 450 productions that have spent more than USD46 million in the country.
HBO's Spanish-language programme, The Hypnotiser was recently shot on location in Montevideo.
There is an eclectic range of architectural styles including colonial, Art Déco and futurist with Carrasco’s new international airport and the Torre de las Comunicaciones being two very good examples.
Uruguay has co-production treaties with Argentina, Canada and Italy and produces regionally through the Latin American Film Coproduction Agreement.
We had a very short time to do it but all the local crew were friendly and co-operative. They are a little bit weak on costumes. If I should do another similar project in the country I will take more time to prepare it to understand what they have and what they haven’t before going to Montevideo.
Nick Glendinning, Producer
Uruguay has a temperate climate, with mild winters and hot summers. Winter temperatures don’t tend to fall below 10C – with the coldest conditions coming in June – while summer temperatures can climb above 30C in the coastal regions in January.
Rainfall tends to fall mainly during the autumn, but is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, with summer thunderstorms a frequent occurrence. Uruguay’s landscapes are reasonably flat and so weather conditions can change quite quickly.
