ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the range of common strategies through which, since at least the 1930s, producers and filmmakers have been encouraged, guided, or incentivized by the agencies that act on behalf of various nation-states to develop modern forms of national cinema. It argues that the essential role of state support for the ongoing production of films within national spaces, and recognizes its various manifestations, including direct and indirect funding mechanisms, screen quotas, and government-sponsored distribution networks and exhibition venues. In Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil, films capitalized on the existing reputations of local performers such as Carmen Miranda in Brazil, Libertad Lamarque in Argentina, and Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete in Mexico, many of whom were well known to radio listeners. In contrast to the "big three" national cinemas, Cuba and Venezuela illustrate the ways in which state intervention shapes film industries with small and medium-sized domestic markets.
