Buenos Aires, Argentina - Netflix, in alliance with the Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences, announced the creation of the “COVID-19 Film and Audiovisual Industry Relief Fund,” to provide financial aid to support more than 1,000 workers in the sector.

The donation of 40 million pesos will be administered by the Academy to be distributed among the staff most affected by the suspension of audiovisual productions of movies, series and documentaries in Argentina. The initiative will reach workers such as assistants, coordinators, technicians and operators from various production departments: camera, sound, art, make-up, wardrobe, locations and more, who are mostly paid hourly and live project to project.

“In moments as difficult and uncertain as the one we are living, solidarity initiatives such as this one, aimed at helping the workers most affected by the pandemic, deserve everyone's recognition; and not only of those who, in one way or another, are part of the Argentine cinema and audiovisual industry. From the Academy we appreciate the trust provided by Netflix when choosing us to be the institution in charge of channeling these grants to the affected workers, a task that we assume with all the responsibility that the situation demands," said Bernardo Zupnik, president of the Argentine Film Academy.

"This initiative funded by Netflix, which provides great support for one of the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, is very important to us. All efforts, whether public or private, are welcome and necessary to help industry workers at this particular time. Now is the time to work together across all sectors to think and develop strategies to face this situation. We also want to thank the Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences which is in charge of channeling this help to workers. We have the great challenge of supporting now more than ever this industry that generates thousands of jobs, and for that we need everyone’s commitment. The culture of solidarity will allow us to emerge stronger from these difficult moments so that, sooner than later, we can meet again and be proud of the choice we have made, which is to take care of life,” declared Tristán Bauer, Minister of Culture of Argentina.

"We welcome Netflix’s support to workers in the audiovisual industry and the complex task of the Argentina Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences to execute it. The National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts support this initiative and stand in solidarity with the workers", declared Luis Puenzo, President of INCAA.

Francisco Ramos, VP of Original Content for Latin America at Netflix, said: “The alliance with the Argentina Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences allows us to help the workers in the industry that make productions in Argentina possible and are affected by the current situation. We believe it is fundamental to be present right now and demonstrate once again our commitment with the audiovisual industry in Argentina. We thank the Academy for their commitment and collaboration in this initiative.”

To apply for the fund, those interested must complete an application form at https://academiadecine.org.ar/fondoayuda. An evaluation committee, composed of members from the Academy and INCAA, will review the applications and determine the beneficiaries within a period not exceeding 7 days after the application is submitted. Applications will open on May 25 and will extend for two months or until all the resources of the fund have been allocated.

Netflix recently announced the creation of a $100 million USD fund for creatives whose jobs have been affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has since been increased to $150M. Most of those funds will go towards support for the hardest hit workers on Netflix’s own productions around the world. Netflix’s donation to the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Argentina, as well as to other organizations around the world (US, Canada, UK, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, India, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia), is part of the $30 million of the hardship fund that will be dedicated to providing emergency relief to out-of-work crew across the broader film and television industry in the countries.

Details and selection criteria for this fund will be available on https://academiadecine.org.ar/fondoayuda.