Members of SIGNIS Argentina participate in audiovisual forum

During the second semester of 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, a call was made to people linked to the audiovisual sector in the province of Buenos Aires, in Argentina, to try to draft a provincial law with the greatest possible consensus. Responding to this call, Ana Mansilla Quevedo, Valeria González, Adrián Baccaro and Miguel Monforte, members of SIGNIS Argentina, joined this space, which in a few months made important progress.

“Since April I have been a professional and also representing SIGNIS the Conurbano Filmography articulation table, a collective whose objective is to make a catalog with films of more than 50 minutes made in the Buenos Aires suburbs between 1995 and 2020. In this group I made communication and dissemination tasks, but I also took on topics such as patronage and the conception of policies for cultural industries. The theme was opened to the possibility of audiovisual law when Florencia Calcagno, film director and advisor in the Provincial Chamber of Deputies, summoned us. It was very good because in the group we had already been maturing some ideas " , Adrián Baccaro comments on his involvement, while Ana Mansilla, a member of SIGNIS Argentina Joven, expressed in this regard " In October of last year, I received the call to participate in the Audiovisual Forum of the province of Buenos Aires - a space for dialogue to debate a Buenos Aires audiovisual law - led by Adrián Baccaro, member of the SIGNIS Argentina board of directors. The possibility of making a contribution in the construction of a legal framework that makes visible, structures, encourages and disseminates such a valuable activity, which in itself is very rich and varied in content and formal and community contexts, was a very generous and welcome invitation. "

As a starting point, specific interviews were conducted with groups and people close to the sector. A first report was immediately prepared considering the different views and characterizations. "Strategies for the analysis of public policies related to the audiovisual industry of the province of Buenos Aires" was the name of this first letter, which made clear the need to work urgently to be able to federalize and add alternatives to a situation that, Beyond the pandemic, historically it has shown a huge imbalance between the capital city and the rest of the country.

Faced with this situation, the almost unanimous approval of the preparation of a comprehensive audiovisual law and a Provincial Audiovisual Institute arose. For a second call, a WhatsApp group was opened that brought together more than 200 participants with a very marked heterogeneity that gave rise to the Audiovisual Forum of the Province of Buenos Aires. Meetings were established through the Zoom platform and Commissions were soon consolidated to work in defined areas. “The Forum, as a collective, has been built and organized in the debate. That is an experience that entails a lot of learning to the extent that experiences and knowledge are constantly shared and generated. Today, I am part of the Audiovisual Accessibility working group, addressing a diversity and inclusion perspective that contemplates not only the communicability of productions but also their reach to the greatest heterogeneity of people possible. This is a commitment that emerged from the heat of the dialogue in this space, with which the call continues to be extended so that the representation is equitable and egalitarian, ” said Ana Mansilla with enthusiasm.

For his part, Adrián Baccaro acts as secretary in the Literacy Commission, made up of some 15 professionals from the field of university and technical education from all educational levels and from different regions of the extensive province of Buenos Aires. People related to cultural management also make up the commission. “I disseminated materials that we have been working with for years with SIGNIS and also in our Cine Mundo Chico cycle: manuals, digital books, educational cards. I also brought the experience of our participation in another area of public policy, the Advisory Council for Audiovisual Communication and Children, CONACAI. This allowed these people to recognize the work of SIGNIS Argentina in the field of Educommunication, and very soon important contributions were made on this basis " , said Baccaro, and then continued " Issues are raised that range from professional training, training audiences and literacy at all levels of education. We talk more about audiovisual in its multiple aspects than about cinema. Other considerations refer to articulations with universities, the General Directorate of Culture and Education, and cultural centers, as means of supporting education and training, whether in production or analysis and critical reception. But we also deal with issues related to training in marketing, new technologies, project incubators, development and business, etc. We believe that this is essential to open up the field more and not limit ourselves to promotion " .

To conclude, Ana Mansilla gave her opinion on the work to be carried out in the new year “The challenges that are coming in this 2021 will be faced once again with the conviction of walking towards a common good, strengthening the links and work networks necessary to empower and outline the identity of the audiovisual sector of the province. "

Drafting: Miguel Monforte, SIGNIS Argentina