• Submitted by: admin
• Arts and Culture
• Cinema
• Destinations
• 10 / 24 / 2008

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´The Audiovisual World´ was the main focus of the meeting in Mexico. Participants agreed that films are essential tools to strengthen the peoples´ national identities and cultural diversities in the face of the prevailing commercial films in today´s world.

Pablo Pacheco, Deputy President of the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC), commented that among the proposals to be submitted to the participating heads of state or government is one to design policies that encourage Ibero-American film productions and their screening in regional movie theatres.

"Most movie theatres in Ibero-America are private and over 70 percent of the films screened are purely commercial US films, lacking in any cultural or social values," he said. The congress also issued a call for state-run TV channels to promote audiovisual materials produced in the Ibero-American region.

Participants pointed to the training of professionals in the sector on the basis of their country´s traditional culture, thus responding to their people´s needs while at the same time promoting the use and development of the new technologies.

The Cuban delegation at the event underscored the need to preserve the nearly 1500 documentaries by late Cuban great filmmaker Santiago Álvarez, entitled ´Noticiero ICAIC Latinoamericano´, which have been nominated to be inscribed on UNESCO´s Memory of the World Register.

The initiative to hold a congress on culture emerged from the previous Ibero-American Summit, held in Chile. The 2nd Ibero-American Congress on Culture will be held in Brazil.


(Cubarte)