Argentina: Renacer Audiovisual is launched, a program to reactivate the industry

In the midst of a deep crisis in the Argentine audiovisual sector, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Media and Public Communication announced the launch of Renacer Audiovisual , a program aimed at reactivating the local industry, with a projected investment in more of 2,400,000,000 Argentine pesos.

 

With the intention of generating new jobs in all regions of the country, the Renacer Audiovisual call opened its call at the beginning of September and will remain in force until October 18.

 

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the audiovisual industry worldwide has been widely affected.

 

In Argentina, in addition to the strictly labor aspect, the crisis once again put on the table the need to review the Film Law dating from 1994 - beyond its partial updates-, amplified the demand for the administration of the National Institute of Cinematography and Artes Audiovisuales INCAA and also highlighted the precarious employment or practically null activity of the sector in the interior of the country, except in a few provinces that have had their own audiovisual law for some time.

 

It also deepened the demand for greater female participation in the sector, and accessibility to works for people with disabilities.

 

In addition, as in other parts of the world, the request was revived to apply taxes to digital platforms for the dissemination of audiovisual content on demand and that this money be translated into support for local production.

 

The announcement of Renacer Audiovisual - albeit in a pre-election time - put some cold cloth on the bitter claims and gave hope to the professional milieu.

Who is it for?

Producers, producers, directors and directors from all over the country will be able to present projects in five categories: Unitary Documentary, Documentary series, Fiction series, Historical Fiction series and Animation series.

In total, 82 original productions will be selected for funding, according to plural and federal criteria. Both natural and legal persons may participate.

Culture Minister Tristán Bauer (who is also a filmmaker) celebrated the launch of the call and highlighted the role of the audiovisual industry in the production of meaning that "defines and represents us."

 

"Culture has a fundamental and key role," said Bauer, adding: "We are at a pivotal moment, we are going to leave behind the assistance programs to move towards the development of production and work. We have hope in the time of reconstruction that is coming and, from the culture point of view, we will be the protagonists of this new time ”.

In this sense, while the claims to INCAA continue, since this institute as an autarkic entity has its own funds and power to promote the development of the sector, those who appear with a rescue plan are those responsible for other sectors of the official culture.

"It is a decision to bet on the national audiovisual industry," said, in this regard, the Secretary of Media and Public Communication, Francisco "Pancho" Meritello, who in turn stressed the importance of the sector in job creation and mobilization of items associated with the audiovisual production chain.

Meritello also highlighted the diversity of the call, which covers different genres, and its federal distribution. "We know that we have extraordinary generators of high quality content and we want them to have the opportunity to reactivate this industry," he said.

Some general considerations of the call

In all cases, the theme is free and wide. Without prejudice to this, it is recommended to carry out content related to culture, society, history, local development, science, communication, production, technology, research, education and health, among other topics. that allow to disseminate and show in an unpublished and original way the different and valuable expressions of each region of the country.

The selection of the projects for Renacer Audiovisual will be in charge of juries specially formed for each of the categories.

Each jury will be made up of five prominent people from the field of culture and the local audiovisual sector.

 

Drafting : Miguel Monforte, SIGNIS Argentina