The Córdoba government has moved into the operating stage of the IECA programme, designed to widen circulation of films produced in the province. Martín Llaryora gathered representatives of commercial, independent and community cinemas at the Civic Centre to agree how the benefits will work and turn fiscal support into actual screening space.
The central mechanism is an exemption from the gross-receipts tax on ticket sales. Cinemas that include Córdoba audiovisual content in their schedules may receive it. The incentive is neither a direct subsidy to a film nor a general tax cut for every complex: the benefit is tied to the effective decision to reserve screens for productions made in the province.
The administration describes IECA as unprecedented in Argentina. Córdoba Culture Agency president Marcelo Rodio said exhibitors could open more than 150 screens to local films. The measure targets a bottleneck in the audiovisual chain: a completed work can struggle to reach audiences beyond festivals or specialist circuits without programming agreements.
The meeting brought together operators with different territorial reach: Cinemark-Hoyts, Cinemacenter, Cine Atlas, Cinerama, Unquillo's municipal cinema, Cines Dino, Las Tipas Cinema and Grupo Becerra. Their venues cover the provincial capital, Río Cuarto, La Calera, Salsipuedes, Alta Gracia, Morteros, San Francisco and Río Segundo.
Rodio attended with agency member Raúl Sansica and cultural-industries deputy director Silvina Nano. Marcelo Gazzano of Gran Rex cinemas said growth would depend on coordinated action. The meeting was therefore aimed not only at presenting the programme but at defining responsibilities between the state and those who control scheduling.
The next step is for cinemas to programme Córdoba titles and process the exemption on the relevant tickets. Results will be measured by participating venues, actual screenings and new audiences. The fiscal policy will meet its objective only if the more than 150 potential screens become regular exhibitions rather than unused announced capacity.
