I'd say your budget is ample, but you will obviously need to do alot of reading to make sure you get the gear that is going to suit what you want to do. The film from Uraguay you are talking about was done on a Canon 5d, I think, and looks impressive. That said, it is a DSLR, a photography camera, it will have its advantages and disadvantages. Even with a big lump of glass on the end they are lighweight. It has a huge sensor and is essentially a light bucket meaning it will be great for low light conditions, hence the reason they are seeing more use for filmaking. On the other side of things you could easily get something like a canon xl2 (think its an xl2 or something similar) which is the camera used on 28 Days later. There's a bunch of nice lower budget cameras out there too which offer great value.
Remember to consider all the other things your going to be spending money on too, don't blow your budget on a camera. You might even want to rent gear. A camera is a good place to start so you actually have something you can film with. Just do as much reading as you can and you'll soon work out what you need.
To be honest though, most of what I have just said is irrelevant. Just get yourself whatever camera you can afford and have a bash. Lots of people out there could probably scrape together a budget for filmaking, but its about applying yourself more than throwing cash at it. I've seen some great stuff done with cheap kit and some shocking stuff done with expensive gear. You can take all that with a pinch of salt though, I only watch films, I don't make 'em.
If you want to see what a canon 5d can do, check the short film Reverie, linked below. Before you get too excited though, check the list of lenses used though, that is some serious money just on lenses.
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/control...articleID=2326
Good luck.