The former head of the San Sebastian International FilmFestival, Manual Perez Estremera, is set to head up Spain's major state filmbody, ICAA.

Left-wingnewspaper El Pais has leaked the news that Perez Estremera, a formerfilm critic responsible for relaunching San Sebastian in 1993, will beconfirmed as head of the Instuito de las Ciencias y las Artes Audiovisuales(ICAA) in the next two weeks.

ICAA, which also co-ordinates and manages statesubsidies, was previously managed by Jose Maria Otero under the formerright-wing government.

PerezEstremera will be one of the last of new Culture Minister Carmen Calvo'sappointments in the post-March 11 Socialist-led regime, and he'll have a clearmandate to change the creaky state subsidy mechanism.

Calvopromised parliament this week that the central production subsidy Fondo deProteccion will be overhauled - powerful producers' lobby FAPAE has demandedthat it be doubled to Euros 60m, with guaranteed annual increments.

PerezEstremera started his career as a film critic in the 1960s and moved to TVnetwork TVE as an editor and later as a director before he was poached torelaunch San Sebastian, staying on for two years before moving to take chargeof film acquisitions for Canal Plus, which is now pay-TV giant Sogecable. He isalso a professor at EICTV film school in Cuba.

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