Diversifying Public Film Funding Policies in Latin America

Abstract

State funding is arguably the most essential component in fostering a regional film industry in Latin America. In an age characterized by a shift from the study of national cinemas to that of transnational and global formations, we might recall British film scholar John Hill’s words when he argues that the concept of national cinema is of vital importance when analyzing state policy, particularly as a means of promoting cultural diversity and attending to national specificity (Hill, 1996,as quoted in Higson, 2000, p. 105). Ultimately, the present-day justification for funding state film institutes, state film legislation and other forms of government support (e.g. annual contributions to Ibero-American finance pools such as Programa Ibermedia) is to promote and sustain film industries in the face of the specific challenge posed by the prevailing hegemony of US Hollywood studios within the global film market.