Algeria eyes cinema revival

A bill aimed at rescuing Algeria's struggling film industry is stirring mixed reactions from MPs.

By Mouna Sadek for Magharebia in Algiers – 25/11/10

Dilapidated cinema halls, a low level of filmmaking activity and a massive exodus of movie-goers; the Algerian Ministry of Culture hopes to confront it all with a new bill introduced to the National Assembly on Monday (November 22nd).

The proposed law calls for the renovation of 300 cinemas, with a tax of 1% on advertising revenues. The money will be allocated to the Fund to Support Film Production (FDATIC) and grant tax breaks to Algerian and foreign investors seeking to get involved in film projects.

The collapse of the Algerian film industry has hit movie theaters the hardest. There were 473 theaters when the country achieved independence, but a 1967 law transferred their ownership to local authorities. Now most are closed or have been turned into restaurants or village halls.

In addition to restoring theaters, the law adopts the principle of state aid for local production, distribution, screening and broadcasting companies. The government will also help fund training in cinema-related professions and offer incentives to trainees, Culture Minister Khalida Toumi said.

The announcement of the reforms has boosted the hopes of Algerian directors and producers. Director Lamine Merbah believes that the goal of the bill is not only to regulate movie-making activity, but to promote cinema as a vehicle for Algerian identity, culture and history.

"Films inform people and also educate them, which is why the state has a duty to take responsibility," he commented, insisting that the government open the door to investors by granting incentives such as tax breaks on imported film-making resources.

It may take more than a new law to revive the Algerian film industry, cautioned Boualem Ziani of Sora Productions.

"It's a sector on the verge of death. The level of film-making is very low in proportion to the country's size and potential," Ziani contended.

According to producer and director Bachir Derrais, it is high time for the authorities to support a sector that has been neglected for more than twenty years.

"The lack of a cinema industry and television channels, the gradual disappearance of cinemas and DVD piracy all make a law essential for this mess to be resolved," he told Magharebia.

Not everyone shares his optimism. Some MPs launched a heated debate over what they see as a hidden agenda behind the bill. Athmane Mazouz, a deputy representing the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), said during a speech to parliament that the main aim of the law is to strengthen the grip of the culture ministry on the sector rather than to facilitate a true renaissance of Algerian filmmaking.

"When the bill was presented, there was no evidence of any real desire to foster the emergence of a dynamic and competitive national movie industry," he said.

Meanwhile, only 10-15 films are made in Algeria each year, according to the Ministry of Culture. Film production is still reliant on state aid for special occasions. During the 2007 event "Algiers, Arab Cultural Capital", no fewer than 84 films were shot. The Ministry is planning to launch 60 new films in preparation for another event, "Tlemcen, Capital of Islamic Culture".

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/11/25/feature-03.