Have passed 100 years since the premiere of the first Ecuadorian film‘The Treasure of Atahualpa’, directed and produced by the young man from Guayaquil Augusto San Miguel. Since then August 7, 1924Ecuadorian filmmakers have created a large number of iconic films.
Movies like ‘Rats, mice, thieves‘ by Sebastian Cordero, ‘How far‘ by Tania Hermida and ‘The Tiger‘ by Camilo Luzuriaga have left a indelible mark in national cinematography.
The story of the premiere of ‘The Treasure of Atahualpa’
In 1924, at the age of 19, Augusto San Miguel founded the Ecuador Film Co. with the vision of establishing a film industry in the country.The Treasure of Atahualpa‘, premiered on August 7, 1924 at the Edén and Colón theaters in Guayaquil.
Augusto San Miguel, director of ‘El Tesoro de Atahualpa’, the first Ecuadorian film released on August 7, 1924.National Cinematheque of Ecuador
She was greeted with cheers and applause by the public, marking the beginning of the history of national cinema.
The Ecuador Film Co. produced three fiction films and three documentaries between 1924 and 1925, including titles such as ‘A bus is needed‘ y ‘An abyss and two souls‘.
Despite initial success, the San Miguel company’s films are considered missingwith only some preserved frames in press publications of the time.
The importance of the premiere of ‘El Tesoro de Atahualpa’ is such that on May 25, 2006, Raúl Vallejo, the then Minister of Education, declared the August 7th As the Ecuadorian Cinema Day.
Notable Ecuadorian films in history
- ‘With my heart in Yambo’ (2011) by María Fernanda Restrepo
It is about the disappearance of his brothers Santiago and Andrés Restrepo in 1988, under the government of León Febres-Cordero. He won the Augusto San Miguel Cultural Award in 2009the Film de Femmes of France, the Havanna Film Festival, the Dirk Vandersypen Prize of Belgium and the FIDOCS of Chile.
It is available on Cholo+.
- ‘Rats, Mice and Thieves’ (1999) by Sebastián Cordero
It took up more than 135,000 viewers during the six months it was on Ecuadorian billboards. It was presented at the Venice Film Festivalhe Toronto International Film Festival and in the San Sebastian Film Festival.
He received an Honorable Mention for the Director at the 2000 Bogotá Film Festival and won the Best Film Award. Best Editing at the Havana Film Festival in 1999. It can be enjoyed in Cholo+ and in Vimeo.
- ‘Prometheus Deported’ (2010) by Fernando Mieles
He obtained the Augusto San Miguel Award in 2007that same year was awarded for Production by the National Council of Cinematography of Ecuador in 2007, ‘Best Foreign Film’ at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival and ‘Best Screenplay’ at the Jíbara Film Festival, among others.
- ‘How Far’ (2006) by Tania Hermida
Con More than 200,000 spectators and remained in theaters for more than 24 weeks. It won the Silver Zenith for First Films of the Montreal World Film Festival, the Coral Prize for First Films of the Latin American Film Festival of Havana, as Best Film of the Latin American Film Festival of São Paulo, among others.
Is available in Cholo+.
- ‘The Tigra’ (1990) by Camilo Luzuriaga
It is based on the homonymous story by José de la Cuadra and won Best First Film of the XXX Cartagena International Film Festival, Best Photography at the VII Bogotá International Film Festival and Best Music at the VII Bogotá International Film Festival.
You can enjoy it on the platform Cholo+.
- ‘Two for the Road’ (1981) by Jaime Cuesta and Alfonso Naranjo
It is considered the first ecuadorian comedy brought to the big screen and one of the first productions made entirely by national talent.
It can be seen in YouTubeby the National Cinematheque.
- ‘Dedicated to my ex’ (2019) by Jorge Ulloa
It is the Ecuadorian film highest grossing film in history and, furthermore, the first to be published in Netflix. This features well-known YouTube personalities such as Wetevertumorro, Luisito Communicates, Kika Nieto y Fernanfloo. In addition to the iconic comedy actor Eugenio Derbez.
To commemorate 100 years of Ecuadorian cinemathe National Cinematheque of Ecuador y Ochoymedio will be screening national films and short films. Find out about their programming in this week’s cultural agenda.
