Claudia Triana, producer of Proimágenes and technical secretary of the National Film Council, talks about the challenges that exist for Colombia to consolidate as an industry.
Is state support for national cinema enough?
We have a very strong network of incentives for the audiovisual sector that has been built in Colombia in the last 25 years. And I think there are two tools that have been fundamental: the first is the Fund for Cinematographic Development, which came out of the 2003 Film Law, which is seed capital for Colombian auteur projects. And the second is the call to private companies that want to invest or donate in film projects and in exchange can obtain a tax deduction of 165 percent of that value. In other words, a part of the risk of an investor in the film project is assumed by the Government, around 50 percent. So, it is this type of stimulus that has made us go from having a movie in 1997 to having 57 in 2022. Other challenges are coming, but at least there are movies.
(You can read: Laura Mora: my film starts from Colombia, but it speaks to the world).
And what are those other challenges?
I think the biggest challenge is connecting with audiences. It is necessary to ensure that the public finds in Colombian cinema not only a source of entertainment, but also a connection with the country. But that is not only a Colombian question, but it is also a challenge for all the funds that are supporting national cinema. These films are necessary because they represent us, because they make the country know its identity, its citizenship, its cultural expression, so how do we ensure that the public that likes auteur cinema has the necessary spaces to see it?
What can be done to promote the consumption of national cinema?
Above all, access must be facilitated, but not only to the films, but to the work behind it. That people know the motivations of the producers to make these types of stories, and for that there are cinematheques or film festivals, which promote that visibility. At some point when we started this whole system of incentives, someone said that why make movies in Colombia if the best were made by Hollywood. But, definitely, a country is represented by its images and, therefore, it is necessary to carry out these types of initiatives that are part of the nation’s cultural heritage.
(Also: the balance of 2022: A massive return to theaters and the brilliance of Colombian cinema).
The productions normally come from the capitals of the country. How to extend the border?
It is a process, because not all regions of Colombia have audiovisual training. That has been changing little by little, among other things because there is a political decision by the National Film Council and the different governments to support the voices of the regions. Not only in the previous government, but from before. Last year there were at least eight regional feature film projects being developed and also, in recent years there have been at least 50 short films made in the regions with the different modalities of the Fund for Cinematographic Development. Therefore, I believe that next year and thereafter we will have much more content that moves away from the country’s capitals.
Santiago Gomez Cubillos
School of Multimedia Journalism
TIME.
2023-06-12 00:55:48
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