Funding for television content in Argentina has always been a challenge: the few private broadcasters that commission do so mainly in house or with associated production companies.  This has kept independent producers out of the market, and limited the quantity of hours produced. A new initiative has been created by the INCAA (Argentine Film Board, responsible for financing most films made in Argentina) that will encourage the growth of independent film and documentaries by finding them homes on public and private television.

The INCAA will fund hundreds of hours of new television series, allowing smaller production companies, who have previously focused on films, to enter the market.

The initiative will offer coverage and exposure for independent film makers to develop and encourage new talent across Argentina, as well as creating much more television content, ranging from “telenovelas” with social themes to dramas, comedies and factual series.

To quote Charles Newberry from The Variety he explains how “The initiative came from a state initiative to finance indie programs to fill the slates of Pubcasters –and eventually a state DTT network – spawning the production of 220 series in 2011; an estimated 300 are in the pipeline for this year”. With exciting statistics the prospect of film here in Argentina looks hopeful.

Telenovela writer Jorge Maestro wholly supports the idea says “This is the road we need to take to develop talent.” Gonzalo Ferrari Nicolay is an example of some exciting new talent discovered by the program. To quote Charles Newberry “After a change of career, he got his big break as a producer when he won a DTT commission for historical documentary “The Broken Wing: The Life of Jorge Newbery” a famous Argentine aviator (and namesake of the BsAs domestic airport). The project had been pitched to various big wigs but no-one took an interest. With state financing, the documentary was aired this year.

Television viewers have also enjoyed a boom in new series: whereas many broadcasters have offered mainly magazine and news content (with a lot of gossip and pretty girls mixed in) this year these same broadcasters are now showing original factual and fiction programming. “Canal 9″, which offered no original fiction programming for almost five years, now offers fictional series of high quality that were funded by the INCAA.  The goal is that this content and/or the formats can be exported overseas (Argentina has traditionally exported children´s and telenovela formats).

Foreign producers should note that there are also opportunities for funding of international co-productions. At San Telmo Productions, we are working on developing narrative content to present in the upcoming calls for projects.

Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118048625?refcatid=14

Additional details:

Following a similar initiative last year, the Argentine Government has announced the second edition of a national competition to produce content to be shown on the country’s digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform.

Called Prime Time 2012, the competition will select eight original fictional TV series of up to 13 episodes of 48 minutes each. They will have to be produced in Full HD, with eligible participants restricted to national free-to-air channels and TV production companies partnering with a free-to-air channel.

The competition is being jointly run by the Advising Council for SATVD-T (Argentinean System for Digital Terrestrial Television) and the National Interuniversity Council (CIN).

Those interested in participating will need get on writing their scripts, though, as applications will only be received between the 24th of January and the 3rd of February, 2012. Terms and conditions are available on www.cin.edu.ar and www.tda.gob.ar.

by Amy Ramirez, contributing blogger

Originally a documentary about a group of girls in Villa 31 shantytown, Goals for Girls has evolved to incorporate the point of view of women from all walks of life that play soccer either for fun or professionally.

Interviews with journalists, scientists, and people in the world of women’s soccer have led to a fuller understanding on the limitations, restrictions, and cultural norms surrounding women playing soccer in Argentina. One of the interesting things we learned is that since the beginning of our making the documentary in 2008, there has been an increase of women playing soccer for fun. Unfortunately since then, more and more funding has been taken away from professional women teams. No women soccer team has played in the Boca stadium in over 10 years!

Interviews include: the national Boca Juniors women’s team, the indoor soccer team “Ondas del Amor,” the women’s team “Fuerte Apache” (located in town Carlos Tevez’s hometown), and the “Futbol a lo Feminino” team who insist on staying pretty in pink shirts while playing.

Also interviews with: Notable journalist Victor Hugo, sport’s journalist Gaston Recondo, and Canal 13’s Guillermo Bocci.

One of the things we make sure to ask people during the course of the interview is why they think women are prevented from playing soccer, and the first to be blamed is “machismo” and men. But when we ask who exactly prevents them from playing, the girls tend to say that their mothers, aunts, sisters either prohibit them from playing or make comments. Many women prefer to see their daughters, nieces, and sisters working on house chores and taking care of their younger siblings than wasting their time running around like a boy and getting hurt in the process. Victor Hugo confirmed this tendency summing it all up: “women are the true enforcers of machismo.” This is not to say that all girls say their fathers were supportive: some were (especially fathers who lacked sons) and others saw it as “cute” or “funny” that they played soccer, but also a lot of girls reported that no one in their family would watch them play.

These past couple of months has taught us a lot and we look forward to wrapping up the filming process in December to have the 70-minute HD film ready by spring 2012!

For more info please visit the Goals for Girls website http://goalsforgirlsthemovie.org/

Maybe it is just a Sony EX cam, or a red, or a light kit–you already own it, so why not bring it? But then you find out that Argentina is not a Carnet country. . .

If you are planning on bringing in equipment (even small amounts!) these are the procedures to follow:

1) Have your local production company in Argentina (or fixer) send a letter to get a temporary work visa for every crew member, or at the very least those who are bringing in equipment. The production company or fixer must be registered with the RENURE (registry of companies that work with foreigners). These letters have a minimal cost and you will then use them to get a temporary work visa in your country of origin.

2) You will need to work with a customs broker to obtain temporary import insurance. This insurance ensures that if you don’t leave the countrywith your equipment (the government is scared that you will sell it in Argentina) the insurance company will pay all fines. This cost of this insurance is based on the declared cost of your equipment. It is not refundable if you do leave with all of your equipment.

3) Work with your local production company in Argentina to determine if it is more cost effecient to rent in Argentina or pay the temporary import insurance.

IF IMPORTING CONTAINERS OF EQUIPMENT, THE PROCESS IS A BIT DIFFERENT. . .

At San Telmo Productions, we can help you obtain letters for work visas as we are registered with RENURE and walk you through the import process.  We want to make your experience in Argentina as pleasant as possible and get you in and out of customs as quickly as possible.

by Lauren Pringle, contributing blogger

La Mala Verdad, directed by Miguel Angel Rocca is a stylized piece of classic Argentine Cinema. Featuring a star studded cast and boasting great reviews from worldwide film festivals, follows the journey of a pubescent girl Barbara and her difficulty to come to terms with the hidden struggles of her private family life. With the help of a social worker who is played powerfully by Malena Solda, the investigation into Barbara’s life at home becomes clear and the strange relationship with her seemingly loving grandfather is piece by piece chipped away to reveal a dark and devilish truth. Speckled with light elements of fantasy, Barbara finds escapism with her best friend and the fantasy novel Kon Tiki. Norman Brinski adds a fantastic touch of light humour in the midst of such darkness and portrays the loving uncle of Barbara.

An aesthetically beautiful and delicate film peppered with long pauses, melancholic classical music, the use of location and lighting offers a quaint yet dark edge to the film. The acting throughout is nothing short of brilliant and the costume and set design is idyllic and authentic.  A simple yet evocative story, Rocca certainly knows how to create suspense and tension. The sinister role of an abusive grandfather is executed flawlessly by Alberto de Mendoza who tragically died before the film premiered. His chilling performance is striking taking the spectator on a journey to discover the dark cynicism of his cold blooded character.

A tense and perhaps difficult one to watch, La Mala Verdad is a fine example of Argentine Cinema. Definitely recommendable for those who want to indulge in some quality acting and pay homage to the incredible talent that was Alberto de Mendoza.

by Amy Ramirez, contributing blogger

Willem Dafoe, 600 events, 230 movies, oh my! The Mar del Plata International Film Festival began its 26^th edition on the 5^th of this month and will continue until the 13^th.

Subsidized by INCAA (National Institute of Film and Audiovisual Arts), this year’s festival will feature a number of special guests such as Willem Dafoe (Antichrist, Off Limits, The Last Temptation of Christ), Joe Dante (creator of the Gremlins), and the British director, Alex Cox (Repo Man). They will all be participating in the film’s scheduled lectures. Mar de Plata is the only A-list film

Mar del Plata--yes, those tiny dots are people, and yes, it gets crowded in January!

festival (Cannes, Berlin) in South America, meaning that all showings have to be world premieres.

The line-up of movies competing for the international contest might be worth checking out. Included in these are: native Milagros Mumenthaler’s “Abrir Puertas y Ventanas” about the bereavement which circles around the relationship between 3 women, Alexander Sokurov’s rendition of the German expressionism classic “Faust,” and the documentary “Vivan las antípodas!” by Víctor Kossakovsky that contrasts the antipodes of Entre Rios in Argentina with Shanghai.

Mar del Plata, the most popular resort town for Argentines will provide an interesting week and it’s best to go now in November before the summer crowd sets it. It is about four hours by car or bus south of Buenos Aires.

For more information you can visit their website at http://www.mardelplatafilmfest.com/26/en/

Or follow it on twitter! https://twitter.com/#!/26MDQFEST

Happy US Crew (HGTV) and San Telmo's Gabriel Balanovsky, local production fixer

by Ginger Gentile and Amy Ramirez (contributing blogger)

You’ve gotten the green light from the executive producer or the funding needed to start shooting in Argentina. But you’ve never been, speak very basic Spanish and have a tight schedule and an even a tighter budget.

So finding a local production fixer (aka local production coordinator) who works fast and can get stuff done is important.

How do you find the right one?

Here are the questions I would ask:

1)       Does the fixer have a combination of local know-how and international experience?
A lot of expats are offering themselves as production fixers but some of them have very little  experience filming in Argentina and their accents might mean that they will be offered higher prices than locals.

2)       Does everything seem too cheap or too expensive?

When you ask for a budget, most of the time you are on the look-out for being overcharged. Argentina isn’t as cheap as it was a few years ago, but it should be less expensive than shooting in the US or Europe. But also beware of budgets that seem too good to be true. Plan to spend between $200 to $400 USD per day for a fixer who is reputable (more money for short shoots and complicated shoots), not including transport and costs. Hiring a film student for much less is possible, but then you might not get all the material you need.

       3) Does your local fixer say “no” to some of your requests?

Beware the fixer who says yes to everything. In Argentina it is culturally acceptable to say that things are possible when they are not. Some locations and interviews are impossible or cost a lot of money. Better to have a plan B or change the schedule BEFORE you get down to Argentina.

       4) Does your fixer offer you ways to save money?

Argentina is not the US or Europe, and sometimes you can save money by spending more upfront.

A good example: it’s actually cheaper to hire a chauffeur than to have a frazzled PA driving  a rented van–the van will have to be rented (few people in Buenos Aires have cars, and most are very small), parked, and driven through crazy traffic. For about the same price as renting a van, get one with a driver and don’t worry about parking and traffic.

Remember, a good local fixer is more than just someone who gets film permits and translates. They can help get what you need and negotiate between different cultures. In Argentina, people are very reluctant to sign appearance releases, but a good fixer will know how to get them to sign, and turn a “no” into a “yes” and suggest ideas, locations and know where to get equipment at midnight.

At San Telmo Productions, we have acted as local fixer (field production coordinator) for crews from the US, Australia, Canada, UK and Europe who come to Argentina to shoot TV shows and documentaries. We love showing the world that Argentina is not only a beautiful country, but a great place to film.

by Amy Ramirez, Contributing Blogger

What can be creepier than an abandoned haunted house? You got it, an abandoned city. About four hours west of Buenos Aires lays an entire city submerged in water due to a major flood in 1985. The tops of light posts, roofs, emerge like industrial ghosts from a sleepy lake. Before the flood, Villa Epecuén salty lake was a tourist attraction. Now its spooky setting is the perfect location for your next horror film or dream sequence.

Remnants of the disaster have caused the natural and man-made landscapes to mold together and transform Villa Epecuén into a place like none other in the world. Whether it be a post-apocalyptic world, a sci-fi thriller, or a city in the shambles of war, Villa Epecuén can be the location for a variety of eerie places.  Three Argentine films have used this location, who will be the first foreign production to do so?

abandoned slaughter house

If you are interested in this or any other location we feature, contact San Telmo Productions to get a quote for your next film or TV production in Argentina.

Over the past couple of years, Argentina has been seeing the horror film industry rise. From Daniel de la Vega’s Jennifer’s Shadow to Demián Rugna’s The Last Getaway, young directors are starting to make bigger productions with more international weight.  The most successful of this homegrown horror industry has been Sudor Frio (Cold Sweat) which was released in the US, and the film involves it involves crazy terrorists, bare breasts and a generous slathering of nitro-glycerine.

Happy Halloween! (And if you’re wondering, it is not celebrated in Argentina, nor do they do day of dead stuff).

Stairway to nowhere

by Amy Ramirez, contributing blogger

Who would have thought that a town lost in the suburbs of Buenos Aires could be used as a location double for everything from middle age castles to pirate ports? Quilmes, the staple of Argentine beer, used the town to re-create a pirate port and a Transylvanian castle for the most recent commercial titled, “Historia de la Amistad” which celebrates friendship throughout the ages.

About 30 miles from the center of Buenos Aires lies this quaint medieval replica made entirely from recycled materials. Campanopolis, named after its creator Antonio Campana, contains hundreds of buildings complete with narrow streets, fountains, lakes, footbridges, and even a Dutch windmill!

A mixture between Tim Burton and Disney World, Campanopolis is the perfect location for those looking for a dark and enchanting place that captures the nostalgic allure of childhood fairy tales.

If you want to film in Campanopolis, you will need to contract a local production company to obtain the location permits and legally required insurance coverage. San Telmo Productions is used to helping filmmakers and TV producers from all over the world have great shoots in Argentina.

by Amy Ramirez, contributting blogger

The gaucho-centered western Aballay, El Hombre sin Miedo (The Man without Fear), directed by Fernando Spiner was recently announced as Argentina’s selection for the Oscar nomination in the best foreign-language film category.  We must ask, will empanada-westerns be the new spaghetti western?

The movie is a deeply reflective yet gritty tale about a young man who wants to avenge his father’s death at the hands of an aging gaucho that turns away from evil-doing and seeks to amend his criminal past (for a more thorough review of the film on Filming in Argentina click here).

With 22 out of the 69 votes cast, Aballay beat out both Sebastian Borensztein’s Un Cuento Chino, and Santiago Mitre’s critically acclaimed El Estudiante. The film recently won “best film” in the International Western Film Festival held in Spain.  

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 is when the Academy will announce which films will be nominated for best foreign-language film.

You can read more about the film and listen to it’s great theme music (based on a patriotic hymn) at http://www.aballaypelicula.com.ar/

The Student is Roque Espinosa (played by Esteban Lamothe), a young guy from the countryside that comes to Buenos Aires to pursue university studies for the third time. It is not long until he realises that nothing interests him. He shows no vocation and wanders the crowded university halls to make friends and meet girls. One of them, Paula, an associate professor, introduces him to the hotbed of University politics.

The turning point is when he meets Alberto Acevedo, an old retired politician. Next to him, Roque learns politics codes and works with and behind students’ leaders. He feels he’s finally found his calling but not everything is what it seems.

Santiago Mitre, a young promising director, only 30, wrote and directed El Estudiante. It is not his ‘opera prima’ but his name is known for being one of the four directors of El Amor (2004) and one of the co-screenwriters behind Trapero’s movies such as Leonera and Carancho (2010).

The film gives the viewer a facinating look at University politics, which while very insular, has captivated audiences all over the world, including the Special Jury Prize at BAFICI, ADF Prize for Best Photography, FEISAL (Argentine film critics) prize and it is not over yet, as it appeared in the 2011 Locarno International Film Festival and Toronto.

Mitre asked for INCAA (the Argentine Film Board) for funding and was denied hence he had to modify the strategy of shooting unable to afford the costs of reproducing the overcrowded university’s environments. The irony turns up: while the film is entirely fictional and a convincing cast of young actors follow the script, the movie was filmed in the halls of the Faculty of Social Sciences with real students and the Students Centre’s help.