quantity allocated to Glover's project was "excessive". The Culture Minister defended the move since the funding did not come from Villa del Cine's standard funds but from what he called an "additional credit". He added that the funding will not be leaving the country, but will create jobs and provide valuable experience to the relatively youthful studios. One of the most well-known projects produced by Villa del Cine is the film La Clase ("The [Social] Class"). Directed by José Antonio Varela in 2007, it is a romantic drama which contrasts the lifestyles of the upper and working classes. Varela became the President of Villa del Cine in March 2010, three years after the release of La Clase. Visits by Hollywood filmmakers and actors Several politically progressive Hollywood filmmakers and actors have visited Villa del Cine. They include actor and director Tim Robbins and the actors Kevin Spacey, Danny Glover and Sean Penn. Robbins praised Villa del Cine for its support of film directors and is considering a film project in Venezuela. Analysis The BBC describes Villa del Cine as "a state-of-the-art production house that is changing the face of Venezuelan cinema". Supporters of the project believe that it provides "many people" who could not work in film making before with "an opportunity to work in the industry ..." However, it has also been criticized as a "propaganda factory", according to Nichols and Morse and some independent filmmakers. Chávez said that Villa del Cine would help break the "dictatorship of Hollywood". The studios have been controversial with some Venezuelan filmmakers who fear it may harm independent media. Concern about the new National Law of Cinematography (2005) governing Villa was also expressed by the Motion Picture Association of America. Studio administrators say they are not politically motivated in which films they produce, with executive director Marco Mondarain saying: "We are looking to make good films, no matter what the script. We really want writers and directors to come to us with their ideas. If they're good, we'll support them." According to an article published by Jump Cut: Villa del Cine offers support to veteran filmmakers like Román Chalbaud and Luis Alberto Lamata while it enables young filmmakers like Efterpi Charalambidis or Hernán Jabes to make their first projects. The sharp increase in the number of features produced by Villa del Cine over the last years is unquestionable proof that this form of