Turning Land into Capital: Historical Conjectures of the (Re-)Production of Wealth in Latin America
As part of the international research project Turning Land into Capital. Historical Conjectures of the (Re-)Production of Wealth in Latin America, a documentary film award will be presented in 2026 to outstanding films that critically engage with the reproduction of wealth through land in Latin America.
The research project examines key historical conjunctures of land concentration by wealthy elites and how these dynamics continue to shape today’s profoundly unequal patterns of wealth production in the region.
Thematic Focus
In an era of intensifying social inequality and hyper-wealth, land ownership remains a decisive yet often underexplored factor in the (re-)production of wealth. This is particularly evident in Latin America, the region with the most unequal land distribution worldwide. The concentration of land in the hands of a small number of families has long structured power relations, fueled social conflict, and tied local inequalities to global economic dynamics.
Through documentary filmmaking, participants are invited to critically explore these processes and to show how land continues to function as a key site where wealth accumulation, inequality, and social struggle intersect.
Filmmakers are especially encouraged to adopt a longer historical perspective, focusing on the period from the 1860s to the 1929 World Economic Crisis, and the era from the 1980s to the present. Both periods laid crucial foundations for today’s unequal patterns of wealth (re-)production.
Award Overview
Total prize fund: CHF 2,000 per winning film
Eligible production years: 2020–2025
Submission deadline: 31 March 2026
Categories
Awards will be granted in the following categories:
Feature-length documentary: up to 90 minutes
Short documentary: up to 30 minutes
As part of the award, one representative per selected film (director, protagonist, or another key contributor) will be invited to attend the screening and award ceremony in Cinematte, Bern.
Spanish, Portuguese, English, German, Italian, and French productions will be considered.
Submission
Please submit your film to:
Email: sebastian.stoeckli@unibe.ch
Platform: EthnoKino via FilmFreeway
www.ethnokino.com
Call for entries (Spanish, Portuguese, English): https://uni-bielefeld.sciebo.de/s/EzDg5RDBk4ZwASd