Between the National and the Transnational: Commercial and Industrial Links Between Chile and Argentina’s Leading Film Companies (1940s - 1950s)

Center-periphery perspectives have been challenged recently by transnational studies that provided more nuanced perspectives beyond Hollywood’s predominance in the international market. Shifting the focus to the transnational interactions within other regions opens up a multipolar and decentralized story of Latin American cinema, a region that was distant from the WWII scenario, with its internal dynamics and exchanges, and where the Cold War’s impact was delayed. This article looks into one of these cases by examining the commercial and industrial ties between Argentina and Chile in the 1940s and 1950s, focusing on the relations between their leading studios, Argentina Sono Film and Chile Films. It examines the commercial and industrial links between Chilean and Argentine cinemas, not just economically but as a space where modernization and nationalism ideologies conditioned the emergence and sustainability of their film industries. The article shows how film production in Latin America’s Southern Cone generated its center-periphery dynamics, beyond Hollywood’s undisputed dominance, challenging standardized periodizations and calling for a multiperspective that acknowledges global asynchronicities.