The Brazilian president said the National Film Agency in Brazil will have to make changes or otherwise could be closed or fall into private hands.
A few months after a decision of the Court of Accounts of the Union (TCU) paralyzed the activity of the National Film Agency (Ancine), the agency dedicated to finance and boost the Brazilian audiovisual industry is once again in the spotlight of the controversy in Brazil.
This time, following comments from President Jair Bolsonaro, who spoke during the balance of his first 200 days of government that Ancine should be subjected to a filter and should exercise greater cultural control.
Otherwise, he warned, Ancine could disappear.
“It will have a filter because it is a federal body, if it can not have a filter, we will extinguish Ancine, privatize it, pass it to other hands or shut it down,” said the president, who criticized the agency supporting films that “promote activism”.
As an example, Bolsonaro quoted the 2011 film Bruna Surfistinha, supported at the time by Ancine. It is based on the memories of a Brazilian prostitute, who also inspired the FOX series, Llámame Bruna.
“It is unacceptable that they make films with public funding like Bruna Surfistinha,” explained Bolsonaro.
His comments are already being branded as censorship by various media, politicians and producers in Brazil.
Ancine allocates some 300 million dollars a year to the audiovisual industry in Brazil, both to the cinema and TV. Based in Rio de Janeiro, it depends on the Ministry of Citizenship.
But as part of his plan to exercise greater control over the agency, Bolsonaro revealed that he will mandate the transfer of its offices to Brasilia.
In addition to Ancine, the president has decided by decree to reduce by half the number of participants in the film industry and civil society in the Higher Film Council, which will now be made up of seven ministers and five members of the sector of civil society. In fact, the Government will have majority and control.
In addition, he moved the Superior Council of Cinema from the scope of the Ministry of Citizenship to the Civil House, which depends on the Presidency.
