Film competition seeks to leave the memories of the pandemic

“Stories from quarantine!” is a call from the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Creation (ICCA) for the allocation of non-reimbursable resources for the production of short film projects , whether fictional or documentary, related to the pandemic.

Film competition seeks to leave the memories of the pandemic

As part of its contingency plan due to the covid -19 pandemic , this contest aims to reactivate the country’s audiovisual and film sector, paralyzed by the health crisis.

For Jan Vandierendonck, executive director of the ICCA, since the social isolation caused by the covid-19 began, the audiovisual and film sector has suffered serious economic damage because the production, the exhibition of films and film festivals have been canceled or postponed.

“It is one of several initiatives that have emerged as a result of the pandemic. We have created new lines for online activities, such as film festivals , so that directors and producers can present their proposals virtually, ”said Vandierendonck.

In addition, the director determined that it is difficult to pinpoint the losses generated, since the productions that pass through the ICCA do not represent the entire national production, which are independent or financed by the private sector .

This sector includes movie theaters , whether commercial or not, who have lost a lot of money because they have decided to continue paying their employees ‘ salaries and maintaining their spaces and equipment as well, but they have not been able to generate income and They have had to postpone the screening of several films that were to be released this year.

The most affected

One of the objectives of the contest is to leave a record or a memory of what is happening in the pandemic , in a short film of between 10 and 20 minutes in the form of fiction or documentary.

Another reason is to support technical and performance personnel , who have not been able to work in these months of the pandemic.

“At the ICCA we have collected data and information to find out where there are greatest losses and needs in the sector.”

Vandierendonck added that “it was evident that the technical staff and the cast are the ones who suffer the most , since they depend on the initiatives of the producers, who are in charge of hiring them .”

For this reason, one of the considerations that the call has is that at least 75% of the use of the incentive must be destined to payment of technicians and cast.

Since the contest is organized online, the budget ($ 100,000) has been saved to allocate it to the prizes of the contest winners, which are seven, and can receive between $ 13,500 and $ 15,000. Furthermore, the winners are free to seek financing from other institutions.

“The ICCA reserves the non- commercial right to organize premieres with the winning short films of the competition, ” says Vandierendonck.

The contest will be virtual and participants must submit their proposals through video call platforms .

The ICCA is working on protocols for film and audiovisual production , which has already been submitted to the Ministry of Culture and the National COE. ( I )

https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/cultura/10/concurso-cine-busca-memorias-pandemia