Founded in 1989 in New York City, Videoteca del Sur is an organization dedicated to the distribution, promotion and dissemination of Latin American film and video. Videoteca del Sur is a unique organization in the United States in that it exclusively maintains regular Latin American film and video programming, workshops, seminars and lectures.
With its weekly programming, Videoteca del Sur often brings internationally renowned directors in to lecture, teach and present. The list includes such internationally recognized figures as: Fernando Birri, Eliseo Subiela from Argentina; Román Chalbaud from Venezuela; Humberto Solás, Fernando Pérez, Enrique Pineda Barnet from Cuba; Silvio Caiozzi, Patricio Guzmán, actor Nelson Villagra, all from Chile; Gabriel Retes, Fabián Hofman from Mexico; North Americans, Barbara Trent and Estela Bravo; and an many of young an new Latino directors from the United States.
In 2001, Videoteca del Sur inaugurated a branch in the city of Havana, Cuba, as the first Latin American film library on the island. This initiative was carried out thanks to the join work with ICAIC and the National Federation of Cine Clubs, both of Cuba. In March 2005, Videoteca del Sur, open a new branch in San José, Costa Rica, with the support of the Centro de Cine.