Social representations of ecuadorian migration in fictional cinema between 2001 and 2011

Abstract

In 1999 Ecuador faced one of the worst economic crises in its history which triggered an unprecedented wave of migration. It has been estimated that during this period more than one million Ecuadorians left the country seeking better luck in destinations such as Spain, Italy and the United States. Along with this social phenomenon, Ecuadorian cinematography was experiencing a true revolution, thanks to the development of new technologies, among other factors. This new Ecuadorian cinema of the twenty-first century could not remain oblivious to a phenomenon as shocking as migration and included it naturally in its narratives as if it were social testimony. The main objective of this article is to evidence these representations of the migratory phenomenon, a product of the 1999 economic crisis, present in the fictional feature films of the subsequent decade.