Peruvian Filmmakers' Perceptions of the Implications of the Tudela Law for Auteur Film Productions

Multiple studies have shown that cinema has historically been a site of political and cultural contestation, marked by censorship and state control that have constrained creative freedom in countries such as Chile, Cuba, South Korea, and Turkey. Within this context, this study analyzes Peruvian filmmakers' perceptions of the implications of the Tudela Law (Ley Tudela) for auteur filmmaking. Using a qualitative design and semistructured interviews with experienced filmmakers, it examines tensions between cultural policy, public funding, and freedom of expression. The findings indicate that filmmakers perceive the law as a threat to creative autonomy and to cinema's cultural diversity, curtailing its social role as a space for cultural and political reflection due to restrictions on public support and rollbacks in promotion policies. The study concludes that, in the academic debate on the relationship between cultural policies and audiovisual production in Peru, filmmakers' voices emerge as central actors defending a plural, autonomous, and critical national cinema.