Microbudget surge yields big profits: Money crunch brings out creativity

By keeping costs low, genre-oriented shingles Pampa Films and Paura Flics were able to earn back their investment on chiller 'Cold Sweat.'

Though Argentina has an enviable system for state film-financing, now copied around Latin America, money remains tight, and the doling out of credits and subsidies can take years. Most of the country’s annual 100-feature output begins out-of-pocket, financed by sideline businesses in commercial and TV production or the proceeds of prior releases until a finished film can start fetching coin from festival screening fees and exhibition.
Even then, a profit is not guaranteed, despite the fact that Argentina is the busiest production market in Latin America. Production is brisk largely because of a “no matter what” attitude gleaned from years of economic crises.
“We are used to working in a crisis, and this is a source of creativity,” says