Afternoon of “El Satario”: Expanding on the Finding of an Unidentified Print

Found in the collection of The ArQuives, Toronto’s queer archives, the early pornographic film El satario is believed to have been produced in Argentina between 1907 and 1912, primarily based on the Kinsey Institute’s estimate. This dating is very rarely contested, and the film is widely considered the oldest extant pornographic film, even though its date, as well as its place, of production have never been confirmed. This thesis will investigate what can be expanded from the initial analysis of a found print and the path followed by the researcher in his attempt to understand the social, cultural, and technical context behind the film’s production, circulation, and reception. Each chapter will deal with a broad theme that contributes to contextualizing and unraveling the mysteries of El satario, as well as providing both the reader and the researcher with a broader understanding not only of the film itself but of what revolves around it.