The film “Simón de la Montaña” was the big winner of the current Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival
The film “Simón de la Montaña” was the big winner of the Critics’ Week of the Cannes Film Festival, where Argentine directors criticize the cuts to culture made by President Javier Milei.
The opera directed by Federico Luis is one of the seven Argentine productions of this edition of the Festival, being considered the largest Latin American contingent participating in the event, which takes place in a turbulent scenario of the country.
“This is the crucial moment in which you have to raise your head and fight with double the hope, because when you have a great enemy in front of you, the desire to fight becomes very great,” said the actor Lorenzo Ferro, who played Simon.
Argentina is currently facing a serious economic crisis under Milei’s ultra-liberal government, which aims to reduce state spending with several cuts, including support programs for the country’s cinema, such as the INCAA institute, which has laid off more than a quarter of its employees and stopped receiving new audiovisual projects for 90 days.
“The government has embarked on a crusade against culture, science and education”, said Argentine cinema professionals in a demonstration held in Cannes last Sunday (19/5), displaying a banner with the slogan “Cine Argentino Unidos “.
“The film industry is not just an economic issue. Given the small importance of the proposed cuts to public finances, we can only think that these actions are an ideological attack,” they add, mentioning the strong impact on future Argentine film production.
Support for Cannes
The organizers of the Cannes Film Festival have supported the criticism of Argentine professionals since the beginning of Milei’s cuts. The Directors’ Fortnight also criticized the country’s situation, “even though it is full of unique and exciting directors”.
According to the event’s general delegate, Thierry Frémaux, national cinema is like a “patriotic weapon” capable of transforming the culture of a country. Furthermore, he compared the “difficult situation” of the Argentine film industry with the good performance of the Brazilian area.
Director Hernán Rosselli, however, defends the functioning of the Argentine law on cinema, even if he recognizes that the measures affected the first part of this year. “We are proud of how film law works and how promotion works in Argentina, which is very unique in Latin America,” he told AFP.
“Both public education and the functioning of the law on cinema allow Argentina to have a very heterogeneous cinema, a bourgeois and working-class cinema,” Rosselli said, adding that in Chile, Brazil and Mexico “access to cinema is generally more elitist.”
“Films will continue to be made with great difficulty, because filmmakers will not stop shooting, but the film industry, work in cinema, will suffer a lot”, reiterated Rosselli.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
