Susana de la Sierra steps down as head of the ICAA
- After two and a half years in the role, the already ex-CEO of the institute has resigned
Yesterday (Thursday 17 July), Susana de la Sierra resigned as CEO of the Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute (ICAA). According to Spanish newspaper El País, which originally broke the news, her decision is due to her “frustration at the Ministry of Finance’s continuous obstacles to alleviating the critical condition of the film industry”.
Since her arrival at Spain’s main public-funding body in January 2012, De la Sierra has experienced what has been possibly one of the most tumultuous periods for Spanish cinema, whilst in a particularly difficult position herself. Her job put her between a rock and a hard place, or rather between a government that was not very receptive to the needs of the sector, and the industry professionals, who were witnessing how they were gradually losing everything that had been built up over the preceding years.
Despite having been appointed by the current government, De la Sierra has had the sector’s seal of approval for a long time, as it noticed how its requests were being listened to. However, as can seemingly be deduced from her resignation, her ability to make the government listen to her was more limited than it appeared. The last straw was its refusal to create a tax relief system in line with other European countries (read more).
(Translated from Spanish)
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