Twist in Homo Argentum tale – Milei’s new fave film did get state funding

The release of Homo Argentum, a new film starring Guillermo Francella that has been championed by President Javier Milei, has become a flashpoint in Argentina’s ongoing “cultural war.”

Marketed by its cheerleaders as a success free from state dependency, one local outlet is now reporting the hit movie benefitted from public financing – despite repeated claims to the contrary by Milei and his allies.

The controversy cuts to the heart of a wider debate in Argentina over state support for the arts. It comes after Milei’s government slashed the budget of the INCAA national film institute and began telling artists that their creations should be self-sufficient.

Homo Argentum was the fourth most-watched film on its opening day in the history of Argentine cinema, while more than 500,000 people viewed it nationwide in its opening five days, according to the ticket-tracking website Ultracine.

After its hit opening, Milei heralded it as proof that Argentine movies could triumph without taxpayer money. He even showed it to government officials and allies at private screenings.

“It almost goes without saying how much it hurts them to see a film succeed without state financing because it exposes so many in the industry as total failures,” wrote the President in a post on social media, dismissing critics of the film. 

Seeking to capitalise on the debate this week, Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni this week boasted that INCAA had gone from a 15.2-billion peso deficit in 2023 to a surplus of 7.2 billion pesos in 2024, thanks to Milei’s steep cuts.

“The racket is over,” he posted on X, underscoring the administration’s hostility to the institute.

Veteran actor Luis Brandoni echoed the sentiment, insisting in a television appearance last week that the production “did not turn to the state for money” and praising its artistic merit.

A new report, however, questions that claim. According to reporting by the Página/12 newspaper, Homo Argentum was supported by the Buenos Aires City government’s “BA Producción Internacional” programme in 2024. 

The scheme reimburses producers for some of their costs, provided projects are filmed in the capital. Official data indicates the Francella vehicle received around 150 million pesos under the initiative, which was overseen at the time by City Economic Development Minister Roberto García Moritán. The scheme stipulates a 25 percent return on the project’s investment.

At an August 2024 event announcing winners of the scheme — which also supported productions such as the second series of Netflix hit División Palermo and horror flick Vieja Loca — City Mayor Jorge Macri defended public backing for local filmmaking. “Culture is never an expense, it is an investment,” he argued. 

He returned to that theme in a post on social media this week: “It is proof that when the public and private sectors work together, a virtuous circle of development, employment and real investment is generated,” he wrote in a post on social media. 

"The case of Homo Argentum confirms this: more than 1,000 jobs, 1.2 billion pesos in private investment and a figure that speaks for itself: for every public peso invested, eight private pesos were generated," he claimed.

The revelation keeps the box-office in the headlines. Seeking to capitalise on the debate this week, Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni this week boasted that INCAA had gone from a 15.2-billion peso deficit in 2023 to a surplus of 7.2 billion pesos in 2024, thanks to Milei’s steep cuts.

“The racket is over,” he posted on X, underscoring the administration’s hostility to the institute.

Filmmakers however, warn that the dramatic reduction in INCAA funding has paralysed shoots and jeopardised jobs. For many, the case of Homo Argentum is symbolic: a production celebrated by Milei as the poster child of independence which in fact drew on public funds, even if from municipal coffers rather than the national institute.

The film itself has divided audiences. Francella, one of Argentina’s most recognisable actors, used its launch to criticise state-backed “art cinema” that “turns its back on the public” and draws only a handful of viewers. 

“There is a cinema that wins prizes but does not identify with anyone. That’s not the kind of cinema I like,” he declared in an interview this week. 

His remarks triggered a rebuttal from fellow-actor Pablo Echarri, who said Francella’s words “hurt” and dismissed the notion that non-commercial films lack value.

The debate over Homo Argentum looks set to roll on, standing as a cipher for Milei’s vision of a lean state and market-driven arts against the longstanding tradition of state-supported filmmaking. 

For Argentina’s embattled film industry, this latest revelation is further evidence of the contradictions of government policy: austerity and the judgement of the market is preached, but even the President’s favourite movie cannot escape state support.

– TIMES/PERFIL