Several professional film associations have announced that they will not participate in the upcoming Mar del Plata International Film Festival as an act of protest against the Argentine government’s policies and management of the National Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute (INCAA). The decision means this year’s festival will not have juries traditionally responsible for presenting awards in a range of categories.

“This decision is, primarily, a response to the lack of guarantees necessary for the juries of our associations to be able to carry out their work in a manner that is respectful of the participating films, our institutions, and the festival itself,” read a statement issued by the Federation of Associations of Argentine Audiovisual Industry Professionals, a consortium of film editors, cinematographers, and art directors, among others.  

The Federation consists of ASA (Argentine Association of Audiovisual Sound Engineers), ADF (Argentine Cinematographic Photography Authors), AADA (Argentine Association of Audiovisual Art Directors), EDA (Argentine Association of Audiovisual Editors) and SAE (Argentine Society of Audiovisual Editors).

In their statement, the group criticized the newly appointed management of the festival, which it accused of interrupting communications and demonstrating a disinterest in reaching common agreements that would “respect the tradition of our awards.”

The decision comes on the heels of the Milei administration implementing a series of austerity policies that have targeted the state-funded Argentine film industry.

Earlier this year, the government officially suspended INCAA’s operational funding and laid off scores within the institution. Then, in September, it slashed INCAA’s film production funds, establishing that it would only cover 50% of the total cost of film production while placing a cap on the total amount of money each project can receive.

“We are deeply concerned about the critical situation national cinema is facing, affected by the absence of promotion policies that meet the real needs of our industry,” the statement continued. “Our productions and our sources of work are no longer in danger — they are under attack.”