The plan, which was included in a larger draft law on decentralization of various economic sectors  would have transfered responsibility for the state owned cinemas to local councils. The cinemas are presently administered by RADEF România Film and under the proposed changes the Romanian Film Fund would have been forced to spend 50% of its budget for the renovation of old cinema theatres and the construction of new ones. RADEF presently is responsible for 32 screens in 21 towns which are threatened with closure unless they are digitalised. 

But after protests from Romanian filmmakers the draft law was amended to exclude the transfer of the cinemas.

Romanian filmmakers including directors Lucian Pintilie, Cristi Puiu, Călin Netzer, Corneliu Porumboiu, Radu Muntean, Radu Jude, and producers Ada Solomon and Tudor Giurgiu protested against the proposed new law in an opened letter to the Prime Minister Victor Ponta and to the Minister of Development Liviu Dragnea. 

The budget of the Film Fund, which finances film production, decreased from 9m EUR/40m RON in 2007 to 5.6m EUR/ 25m RON in 2012. The Film Fund is administrated by the National Centre for Cinema, and is not supported by the state budget, but from a variety of commercial sources including advertising revenues and film sales.