Exceeding twenty films, Jose Celestino Campusano He imposed his own label in various national and international festivals. With his legendary producer Gross Cinema, the filmmaker born in Quilmes became, in his more than 20 years of career, a reference in Argentine independent cinema.
For this reason, it is not surprising that his latest production, the vega clan”, compete in the national section of the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival (BAFICI) and it is one of the most anticipated films from the director of “Vikingo”, “Fango” and “Hombres de piel dura”. In this regard, Campusano’s stylistic stamp refers to a clearly cooperative and independent production model.
With the obtaining of funds and project development contests, the filmmaker imposed an alternative production standard on the local film industry over the years. In fact, he was the founder of one of the first audiovisual clusters in the country and, currently, this cooperative way of making films, in which technical and human resources are shared, is being used in various regions of the world, from Bolivia even in India.
“The Vegan Clan” is not outside of this methodology, Campusano, along with the production companies Raw Film and Chroma Studio, I carry out a film production in the Santa Fe municipality of San Jorge. In the town, the filmmaker summoned local actors to be the protagonists and the cast of the film. A story, like much of his filmography, inspired by real events.
In dialogue with NOTICIAS, José Campusano recalls his film experience, his vision of film festivals, and reflects on the difficulties of filming in Argentina.
News Magazine: Like much of your filmography, “El clan Vega” is based on true events. How did you come up with the script, the structure of the story and the conformation of the cast?
Jose Campusano: This story happened 15 years ago in Berazategui and the story came from a person who suffered the violence of this family nucleus, made up of father, mother and children. Thanks to this generous contribution, we got to the essence of this film. It is a hallmark of the production company to work with committed and talented people, but who are not legitimized within the tiny television spectrum or traditional Argentine cinema. But they have dedicated their whole lives to art. In this sense, we always make a local call, which a lot of people show up, and we try to get the vast majority to stay. Here, among the extras, secondary and leading roles, they are entirely from Santa Fe. With this, you have the opportunity to do a service in society, to open doors and to empower the community. For anyone who regularly dedicates himself to acting within a national or international arena, it is one more film, for a person who does not have that opportunity, it is the film of his life.
News: You have been participating in national and international festivals for years. How do you consider festivals? Is it a preview to the massive exhibition or is it an alternative and independent display to the industry?
campusano: Festivals are one of the few places that we are left with. For those of us who don’t film for OTTs or don’t have huge budgets, these are the few spaces left. There are also other spaces that are cycled, we at Conti started one in July of last year. We come from Mexico to premiere “La reina desnuda” at the Cineteca, there are few places that are left and festivals are one of them. Unfortunately, in certain programming spaces, people have arrived with a supremacist tendency from the ideological point of view with censorious attitudes. In the festivals that I have been to in other countries lately, they have presented very lethargic films, the world explodes with content and vitality, but it is not in the cinema. It is a very complicit cinema, which does not address the issues that interest most of us.
News: From your point of view as a director, what difficulties does the national film industry present?
campusano: Difficulties are multiple, from financing with 120 percent annual inflation to parities are frequent, but the INCAA budget update is not. There is a huge subjugation with the platforms, until a while ago there was no percentage of collection resulting from the consumption of streaming. Also, alternative exhibition spaces are very few.
News: Is international film co-production a way to solve this impediment?
campusano: Not only is it a path, but I believe it is the only one. We have co-produced with Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico and the United States, we have one at the door with Russia and Holland, We are on the right track, but it is inevitable that you will resort to international co-production. The problem has a lot to do with the structural forms of the country, for example, Disney content is made with very little money. But that content is replicated in 80 countries. We are suppliers of qualified and cheap labor, there is a very good technical level. The level of Argentina is very high, I have filmed in New York and I have had to resort to local technicians. The commitment and suitability of the Argentine technicians is enormous.
News: What was the challenge of “The Vega Clan” compared to your previous films?
campusano: The challenge was to film with the support of the San Jorge mayor’s office, with the support of the community, but at the level of stage display, staging, and dramatic rhythm, have an equivalence to an INCAA film. We wanted to demonstrate making a very powerful film, outside of the competitive funds. It is up to the public to determine if we have reached it or not.
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