Abstract

LAGUNA-TAPIA, Andrés. BOLIVIAN CINEMA SURVIVING COVID-19: FILMMAKERS PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC. Inv. y Des. [online]. 2020, vol.20, n.2, pp.185-199. ISSN 2518-4431.

This article seeks to describe the effect that the pandemic had on the Bolivian audiovisual sector, in the first half of 2020, a period aggravated by multiple factors, including the political and institutional crisis unleashed in October-November 2019, a low digital culture, a significant digital divide and a complex socio-economic reality. This is a work of an exploratory and qualitative nature, which mainly collected the information through primary sources. That is, through the testimonies of filmmakers and producers from different parts of Bolivia. The fundamental tool for data collection was the semi-structured interview, probably the most widely used methodology in qualitative research. It is concluded that, from the perspective of the filmmakers, the effects of the pandemic on Bolivian audiovisuals were aggravated by the political crisis and by poor management of the transitional government. On the other hand, the transformation processes of the modes of production, distribution and marketing, accelerated by the pandemic, must be assumed, rethought and assimilated from the Bolivian context, as for example, the use of VOD platforms. Finally, a trend was found in national filmmakers, they believe that Bolivian cinema must be committed to social reality and should dialogue with the other.

Keywords : Bolivian Cinema; Covid-19; Bolivian Filmmakers; Perception; Streaming; VOD.