On day nine since DANA devastated some towns in Valencia, the Ministry of Culture has a first approximation of the damage that the cultural fabric has suffered: seven bookstores that have been completely destroyed, two movie theaters that have also been left unusable , publishing houses that have lost a good part of their stock, a dozen libraries with serious damage… To promote the recovery of those affected, Ernest Urtasun He announced this Thursday that his department is working on a first aid plan “in the short, medium and long term”, although without estimating how much the total amount of the different subsidies will be. The first diagnosis, after a couple of days of meetings between the minister and entities in the sector, is still “very preliminary.”
The aid that the ministry is most clear about is that destined for cinema and books. In the case of cinemathe ministry intends to establish direct aid to film exhibition halls located in the affected areas, so that they can reopen soon and ensure their viability. There have been a total of 32 movie theaters affected, of which two have been completely destroyed. In the ongoing aid from the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), an extension of deadlines will be regulated to communicate the start of filming and to request the qualification and nationality certificate of the projects benefiting from production aid. of feature films and short films in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
As for the book sectoran additional priority criterion will be incorporated for being an area affected by DANA in aid for book publishing and reading promotion. In addition, a section will exceptionally be included to allow the reprinting of editorial content from those affected publishers. Andana, one of the affected stamps, has lost some 110,000 copies of its stock due to the floods, damage valued at just over 400,000 euros. In next year’s calls for the modernization of bookstores and libraries, an additional priority criterion will be added by area affected by DANA. According to a preliminary diagnosis, there are eleven bookstores affected; seven of them completely destroyed. There are twelve other libraries seriously affected, a number that could rise to 89.
The Ministry of Culture has not yet reported damage to historical heritagealthough it has activated the National Emergency and Risk Management Plan for Cultural Heritage that will help the affected administrations in the evacuation or in situ protection of assets, as well as in the triage and assessment of damage to the affected assets for their disposal. subsequent recovery. The department headed by Urtasun also plans to make some requirements more flexible in Inaem aid for the performing arts and will incorporate in the next call an additional criterion for being an affected area.
Likewise, Culture will offer direct aid to associations and entities in the sector to hire personnel and advice that will allow them to diagnose the damage and access calls for subsidies. The ministry will also open a mailbox for communications from public cultural institutions, to map impacts and needs and, with it, design an aid plan for affected libraries, auditoriums or theaters, which will complement the general aid included in the royal decree law. approved this week.
“Culture is because culture is industry,” Urtasun said this Thursday in a communication sent by the ministry. “Culture is jobs, culture is economic activity and culture is, above all, an inalienable right that all citizens of our country have.” “In the coming weeks we will continue working side by side with local and regional administrations, with companies, entities and associations to quantify personal and material damage to the culture sector that will allow us to adopt new measures,” he added. “We accompany you today, but we will also do so in the coming months, so that you have no doubt, and for as long as it takes until the culture can recover.”
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