Historical Dictionary of South American Cinema

Peter H. Rist is professor of film studies in the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University. He has served as chair of the school (formerly Department of Cinema) for eight years, and for most of the remaining time he has been administrating in some capacity. He co-edited South American Cinema: A Critical Filmography with Timothy Barnard and edited Canadian Cinema(s).

This title fills a gap in the reference literature on South American cinema. Its scope is wider than Timothy Barnard and Peter Rist’s edited South American Cinema: A Critical Filmography, 1915-1994 (1996) or Luis Trelles Plazaola’s older but unrevised South American Cinema: Dictionary of Film Makers (1989), which focus on films and film directors, respectively. On the other hand, it is more narrowly focused than Scott Baugh’s Latino American Cinema: An Encyclopedia of Movies, Stars, Concepts, and Trends, which spans Latino cinema in the US and in South America. Rist covers South America only, but comprehensively, with material not only on films and directors, but also on performers, producers, film festivals, genres, and organizations. Included is an impressive chronology, arranged by year and then by country. Also featured is a valuable overview of South American cinema in the introduction and in the literature review preceding the thorough bibliography. The bibliography, geographically arranged after a 'General' section, covers books, articles, online articles, and websites, mainly in English, but also in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. A title index facilitates research on individual films. These enhancements, in addition to the wealth of information provided in the dictionary entries, should make this the go-to ready-reference title for its topic. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above.