Public Policies, Diversity and National Cinemas in the Spanish context: Catalonia, Basque Country and Galicia

Abstract

The 2005 Unesco Diversity Convention was an inflexion point regarding protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. In the current global context, developing cultural policies and measures to nurture such creativity becomes key issue. Moreover, in the case of small communities in a minority situation where the cultural and language situation cannot produce the means to sustain autonomously, it is crucial to drive national supporting mechanisms to reduce the brutal imbalance in flows and transnational culture exchanges, and guarantee its survival. As part of the cultural production, the audiovisual sector is of double importance; besides its positive impact on the economic sphere it plays a core role in the social construction. In fact, they are both mutually reinforcing aspects. Cinema in particular, it should not be well considered only for a local giving; it is also beneficial in terms of brining commonly held values, particular circumstances and knowledge all over the world. Films do contribute to reflect the global cultural diversity. This paper aims to explain how public cultural bodies currently interpret and translate national cultural policy into film schemes in the Spanish context. Particularly, it will look into how Catalan, Basque and Galician institutions set out to plan, develop, implement and evaluate their film policies in order to establish a national film industry with their cultural and identity specificities (nation and language).