Buenos Aires — Delivering a masterclass in Buenos Aires just days after the election victory of far-right libertarian Javier Milei on Nov. 18, Cannes Film Festival head Thierry Frémaux voiced his support for Argentina’s Incaa public sector film-tv agency, which Milei has promised to destroy.

Frémaux’s one and brief direct reference to the Incaa – which oversees Argentina’s crucial federal film funding, without which much of Argentine filmmaking would wither – came towards the end of a 90-minute masterclass entitled Cinema (of) Tomorrow.

“Cinema is not about to die, it’s about to live again,” Frémaux argued. “Cinema is in extraordinary good health. This year’s Cannes is said to have been one of the greatest in history and that’s due to the quality of the work of the artists, professionals and of reviewers,” he enthused.

Equally, he argued, the “new era of cinema” will see the “equal importance of...