Independent cinema accuses the Government of bowing to the interests and threats of private television

• New law Filmmakers protest: "The Audiovisual Law addresses linguistic quotas but not gender quotas"

• Signatures against the Almodóvar Law, Resines and Paco León sign against the Audiovisual Law of the PSOE

• Protest The independent cinema, against the Audiovisual Law: "The Government can leave us touched to death"

Scenes for paradox.

While the independent Spanish production walked the red carpet at Cannes on May 26, hand in hand with the Minister of Culture, Miquel Iceta, and the director of the Film Institute (ICAA), Beatriz Navas, the Parliament with the socialist votes and the abstention of the PP and United We Can carry out the

that in the opinion of the independent producers themselves means "the marginalization" ("death", some of those affected came to say) of precisely independent cinema.

That is to say, at the same time and on the same day (until the same hour) that films such as

, by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, or

by Albert Serra, were chosen in the largest cinema forum worldwide, the possibility that the same thing could happen again in the future with other tapes was condemned, according to its producers.

Well, on Thursday afternoon the producers returned to concentrate before the headquarters of the Ministry of Economic Affairs to insist on the protest and, hurrying, on the embarrassment.

It is a strategic blunder since the possibility of growing is left in the hands of large conglomerates with foreign capital," he comments at the foot of the banner

as spokesman for all this in general and for MAPA (Territorial Board of Audiovisual Producers) in particular.

According to the dissatisfied, the Government has not only not attended to any or very few of their requests, but, and here the conflict, changed at the last moment the most embarrassing point of all: the definition of independent production.

Which, far from being a semantic issue, is economic and principled.

Keep in mind that what is being elucidated is who is in a position to receive

that, according to European regulations, must invest in protecting cultural diversity by supporting independent production.

And how much is that percentage?

They are all estimated calculations, but on the table and in the different meetings held with the sector, there was talk of

If by independent production is meant what the current Film Law understands and prescribes, private television stations and their associated production companies are left out.

If an independent production company is any production company that provides a service to a larger one, then there we could find, for example, Atresmedia or Telecinco Cinema.

Another 'keep in mind': these groups are the ones obliged by the Cinema Law of before and by Europe to invest 3% of their income in Spanish cinema.

Now, and according to the new norm, they would go from giving to receiving.

says the spokesman.

"As I was saying," continues Hergueta, "we are saddened by the Government's lack of vision, but what annoys us is not only its lack of words [the text was changed at the last moment and without notice to the astonishment of the partners of United We Can ] but and above all that there

.

And who is this invisible hand?

And here the producer Gerardo Herrero takes the floor as a spokesman for himself and his production company Tornasol, which has just released

a film directed by the former socialist Minister of Culture

"You just need to connect the dots," he says.

And he continues: "It seems clear that the PSOE does not want to go to the next elections with the televisions against it. It is that simple. In a year and a half there will be a new call and the last thing would be to be receiving even more than what they already receive from the Newscasts from Antena 3 and Telecinco. Not to mention the radio and print media that, in one way or another, control.

And of embarrassment even.

And one more reflection from Herrero: "We do not realize that what we are talking about is

Can anyone imagine a commercial television making a critical product beyond the white comedies that they currently produce? Facilitating independent production is facilitate diversity and criticism. Just as it happens in France and in the rest of Europe".

For now, the only reaction from the Ministry of Culture (Thursday's protest is before Nadia Calviño's office) has been to accuse the independents who represent 100% of the sector of being "exaggerated".

Hergueta maintains that in the multiple meetings held, the only thing that has been promised to them is "a kind of compensation" in the Film Law that is pending and pending review.

And besides, everything would be pending from the Cinematography Fund and the classic system of subsidies that who knows if it grows or not."

At the moment, it is around 70 million euros.

That is to say, very far from the 100 established in its first draft, but above the barely 30 of the years of the crisis.

In any case, the most common complaint of Spanish independent production, increasingly focused on co-production with European countries, is that with the current regulations it hardly has the option to compete (Spanish films are not seen at international festivals) condemned as they are to work precariously.

And the General Audiovisual Law pending processing in the Senate after passing through Congress does not seem, in the opinion of those affected, that it will change anything.

concludes Hergueta.

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