Amid compliments and reproaches from the Moreno party and the opposition, and accompanied by her closest collaborators, the federal councilor for culture, Alejandra Frausto Guerrero, presented herself yesterday before the deputies of the United Commissions for Culture and Cinematography and for Radio and Television, where he praised the results of the program for the creation of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, directed by the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (Imcine), a stimulus dedicated to the creation of fiction and documentary short films (program in force since 2019) . You also announced the launch of a new public channel, MX Nuestro Cine, which will be broadcast on Channel 22.2.
In the midst of criticism from the Mexican Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMACC) for the lack of resources for the production of national cinema, Frausto Guerrero argued that 259 Mexican feature films were made in 2021 and said that the support is awarded annually to production for at least 900 million pesos. He also highlighted the importance of Stimulus for the creation of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, a program which, to date, has resulted in the making of 50 films on different themes.
In the appearance, the official highlighted her work in the decentralization of culture in the country, “through transparent tenders, direct disbursement of resources, with regular budget programs and with clear operational guidelines that favor decentralization and the participation of more people” .
Similarly, he highlighted the success of the 2022 edition of Original, an event designed to recognize the work of artisans from across the country, as well as celebrate the Chapultepec Nature and Culture Project as a catalyst for art in the capital. He also said that at the end of his administration, the 3,219 properties damaged in 11 states by the 17 earthquakes will be restored and that efforts to recover cultural assets will continue with the My Estate Is Not For Sale campaign.
After delivering the report to the Commissions, the various parliamentary groups took the floor, to which MP Paulina Aguado Romero, from the National Action Party (PAN), described the Federal Ministry of Culture as another “victim of the shadow of totalitarianism that monopolizes their resources and decisions”, and affirmed that the resources granted by the federal government for science and culture will remain in the hands of the government of Mexico City.
“By 2023 they intend to spend 94% of the money corresponding to the investment in cultural infrastructure destined for the entire country, 3 thousand 600 million pesos, in Mexico City alone, so that its owner, Claudia Sheinbaum, can carry them out elections in his clear and open campaign for the presidency of Mexico”, expressed the deputy of the PAN with reference to the resources assigned annually to the Chapultepec Project.
For its part, the college of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), represented by the deputy Johana Hernández Pérez, expressed that the cultural policies led by Frausto are hidden behind the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “This government doesn’t care about culture, it is a status that must be maintained because it wants an obscurantist society that does not encourage artistic and cultural skills (…); In the PRI we regret that there is no solid cultural policy in the 4T government,” said the PRI.
Other opposition MPs asked Frausto to postpone the Ariel ceremony due to lack of resources, as reported by the AMACC.
After the participation of the various groups, Alejandra Frausto took the floor again and examined the theme of cinema and the extinction of trust funds for cinematographic creation.
“No one is going to pit us against Guillermo Del Toro, he and I are in the creative industry. The fact that a trust has been terminated does not mean there will be no support for cinema; Now the resource is managed by Imcine, which is the institution in charge of promoting cinema: conservation, exhibition, distribution and script creation are supported,” he said, and promised that the Ariel awards will be held with the support of the Secretariat of Culture.
During the exchange of views, Morena’s deputies praised the results of the administration chaired by Frausto, underlining the scope of the results of the Community Culture and Creative Arables program, as well as the “success” of the international conference chaired by UNESCO, Mondiacult , which was held in Mexico last September, to discuss the axis of cultural policies to be followed up to 2030.
However, during the exchange of arguments, which also touched on the question of bringing to the march led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Sunday, Morena’s deputies disqualified the positions of the parliamentary groups of PAN, PRI and Movimiento Citizen , and expressed that due to past governments, the country has entered into poverty, crisis and war for drug trafficking.
At the end of the session, a minute of applause for the late actor Héctor Bonilla, to whom homage was paid yesterday at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Also asked about the withdrawal of federal support for the Guadalajara International Book Fair, Frausto said the fair failed to respond to Profest’s call for funding and that as a “large company” it may no longer need government-provided support. .
Opposition deputies have asked Frausto to organize a visit to the site where the sculpture of the Columbus monument is kept, but no response has been received to the request.
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