A unanimous vote that changes the rules of the game
After 34 long years, national cinema finally has a new law. This afternoon, in an almost theatrical event due to its unanimity, the Chamber of Deputies approved the Federal Film and Audiovisual Law. With 466 votes in favor, zero against and zero abstentions, the rule that had been in force since 1992 is repealed.
All parties raised their hands. In politics, that is already a fictional script. But today it was real.
What does it mean for the theaters?
The new law establishes two golden rules. First: every national title must have a minimum of 14 days of publicity before its premiere and remain in theaters for at least two weeks. Second, and this is historic: Mexican cinema will have a minimum of 10% of the time on screen.
Translation: for every 100 performances at any complex in the country, 10 will necessarily be for local productions. It is a quota that seeks to balance the battle against large foreign studios.
“This is not just an industry, but a human right,”
said Alma Lidia de la Vega Sánchez (Morena), president of the Culture Commission.
Consensus was total during the establishment of positions. José Alejandro Aguilar López (PT) nailed it:
“Without support for national cinema, memory, identity and voice are lost… A country that does not tell its own stories is a country that lives the stories of others.”
The shadow of the past and a new figure
Deputies from the PRI and PAN recognized that this law covers a hole. They refer to the previous six-year period, when Foprocine and Fidecine were dismantled, funds that supported nearly 500 films in two decades.
“The State moved away from supporting national cinema. This law corrects those inertias,”
highlighted Juan Antonio Melénez Ortega (PRI).
The initiative already names the Promotion of Mexican Cinema (Focine) program as Imcine’s new mechanism to support the sector. The crucial thing: budget allocations must be increased progressively each year.
“There must be more budget every year for cinema, whatever the party,”
emphasized Omar Antonio Borboa (PAN).
Now the ball goes to the Senate for ratification. Then, the Executive will have 180 days to issue the regulations. The curtain opens for a new act in the industry. The public waits in the seats.
