A heartfelt farewell to Manuel Antin

It is with the deepest regret that we share the sad news of the passing of Manuel Antin, the first president of INCAA upon Argentina’s return to democracy in 1983, when the institution was called simply the National Film Institute. Antin was not only a renowned director who dedicated his life to the creation and promotion of Argentine cinema, but also a key figure in the education and training of new talents through his work as founder and rector of the Universidad del Cine, an institution he presided over until his death at the age of 98.

As a director, he competed twice at the Cannes Film Festival: in 1963 with Los venerables todos, which starred Lautaro Murúa, Fernanda Mistral and Walter Vidarte, and was based on his own novel, and again in 1970 with Don Segundo Sombra. He also competed at the 1964 Berlin Film Festival with Circe, starring Graciela Borges. In Argentina, he participated in the international competition of the 1966 edition of the Mar del Plata Festival with Castigo al traidor, with a cast headed by Sergio Renán, and earlier, in 1963, he won the Silver Condor at the Festival for Best Director of La cifa impar, in which Renán shared the bill with Murúa and María Rosa Gallo.

Antin was named a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the government of France in 1987, and the following year he won the Konex award in Argentina. For his contributions to the field of cinema, the City of Buenos Aires declared him an outstanding figure of arts and culture, and he also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires, among many other awards and recognitions.

Without a doubt his greatest achievements are linked to his work as a leader and educator. He breathed new life into Argentine cinema as the head of the National Film Institute during the years of the administration of President Raúl Alfonsín (1983-89), and, notably, his first decree as head of the institute ended the censorship imposed by the last military dictatorship. In 1991, he founded the Universidad del Cine, an institution that – over the last 40 years - has trained many great filmmakers who have left their mark on Argentine cinema over.

His legacy lives on in every story told and in every image projected on our screens. We stand with his family and friends in this difficult time.

Thank you, Manuel, for your tireless work and for your love of cinema.