Argentina leaves the great cinema center it once was

For many years it was considered Argentina, a major center for audiovisual productionmultifaceted and diverse, a pioneer in regional cinema, known worldwide for its small and large films, not only for its talent and locations but perhaps for its support and promotion the industry. But, from now on, he falls into limbo.

It must be remembered that the “free” countries and the first world that the current Government wants to be like, like France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Sweden, among others, have strict plans to promote culture and cinema. As with the state media, they are strong producers of State-sponsored content.

The audio-visual community spoke against decree 662/2024 which eliminates the screen quota for Argentine cinema, the continuity average and the promotion of national production.

The screen sharing It is the lowest exhibition floor for national films in commercial theaters and multiplexes. The centers dedicated to the art of cinema disappeared a long time ago and “hugs” not only from cinemaphiles but from the community wanted these temples of cinemaphilia, for example General Paz and long before Lorange , the Tita Merello or the INCAA places like the Gaumont. The only thing left is the Lorca on Corrientes Avenue with personal and independent films.

Javier Miley they issued this order which also brings back the average continuity, a rule that allowed national films to continue in theaters if they reached the minimum number of viewers. National actors often asked the public that if they chose to see a particular national film, they would do so in the first week to allow it to stay on the bill with the support of the public. By eliminating the continuity average, the decision is entirely up to the exhibitors, theaters and multiplexes. The order published in the Official Gazette sparked controversy in the film sector.

The rule goes against the funds provided for making films, one of the pillars of the Movie law, as a minimum percentage of the money from tickets goes to INCAA and from there to encourage more national film production. he is The order also proposes a restructuring of the INCAAincluding a reduction in costs and a review of the subsidy system, that is, money that helps but in no way pays for an entire film .

The order suggests that film promotion should give priority to quality productions with box office success without imposing screening obligations on theatres. This new direction is for large productions and could limit the space for medium and small films, which are essential for the diversity and cultural identity of Argentine cinema. Going deeper, the Filmmakers Collective ensures that the elimination of this type of film aims to eliminate critical thinking, record the events of those times and erase the nation’s memory.

In their statement the Filmmakers’ Group said: “As an audiovisual community we maintain our democratic commitment and express our deep concern for the present and the future of INCAA, for maintaining the audiovisual industry that generate real work and for all the stories that are in danger of disappearing.”

In Brazil the opposite is happening, and the exact opposite decision was made: They announced that they will invest a million dollars for the local audiovisual sector and specified that the screen quota area should have a floor of 7% and 16%, depending on the number of screens in each building. The government of Lula meet with production, distribution and exhibition companies to expand supply opportunities. Each theater must register a minimum number of sessions with Brazilian films, among the options available, replacing the requirement for screening days that was involved in the previous model.

according to Audiovisual market, in June Lula announced an investment of 1.6 billion reais for the production of Brazilian films and series, which includes 200 million reais (36 million dollars) allocated to the international co-production fund, which received the call 476 projects from 47 countries, 52 from Argentina.