Abstract
This article describes and analyzes the relations between the State and film producers in Argentina and Brazil from 1930 to 1945, also seeking to compare them both. In Brazil, the state adopted a protectionist stance in relation to cinema well before Argentina; however, this was not enough to make the production of feature films advance in the market. In Argentina, protectionism had a late start , but it acquired a greater dimension than in Brazil. It also appears that, in both cases, protectionism was a way, among others, of the state trying to control production ideologically.
Key Words State; Film Production; Argentina; Brazil; Film History