After the approval of a reform to the Law Creating the National Cinemathequewhich empowers it to supervise the audiovisual and cinematographic productions that take place in Nicaragua, the former ambassador of Daniel Ortega to the Organization of American States (OAS), Arturo McFields, assured that now in the country a «Movie Police as in North Korea”.
The reform approved last Thursday, October 13, by the steamroller of Sandinista deputies, converts the state-owned National Cinematheque, previously attached to the Nicaraguan Institute of Culture (INC), into an autonomous entity under the stewardship of the Presidency of the Republic, controlled by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
«In Nicaragua we already have cinematographic police like in North Korea, espionage like in Cuba and very soon Morale Police like in Iran. Paranoid dictatorship is afraid of the people and wants to control everything. Nicaragua will be a Republic again,” wrote the former Nicaraguan diplomat.
Related news: Ortega dictatorship reforms law to control film productions
The Ortega and Murillo regime modified the law to promote the development and production of audiovisual productions “that contribute to a culture of peace, values and respect,” and encourage “the projection of the country’s image to the world.”
Now, the National Cinematheque will be in charge of authorizing the pre-production, production, realization or filming, exhibition and distribution of audiovisual projects. In addition, natural and legal persons, national or foreign, dedicated to cinematographic and audiovisual activity, must be registered in the recently created “Audiovisual Cinematographic Activity Registry”.
The reform extends the powers of the Cinematheque to prohibit the development, public exhibition, commercialization of cinematographic and audiovisual products, as well as their confiscation, in case they do not comply with this law.
A group of Nicaraguan filmmakers considered that this law “attacks the freedom of independent creation”, because the National Cinematheque “is assuming the role of supervisor and now has a legal framework to boycott any production.”
With information from EFE.
