Country Focus: Spain
by Cineuropa
01/07/2010 - Articles, interviews, news, analysis on the Spanish audiovisual sector.
Country profile: Spain
International Film Guide 2012: Spain
A survey of the film culture and output in Spain published by the International Film Guide.
Spanish cinema worldwide: Spanish producers and artists
Spanish films continue to enjoy success on international market
Spanish films continue to attract large audiences abroad, where they grossed €140.66m in 2009. This is even more than on the domestic market, where box office takings for the same period were €140.37m. Pedro Pérez, president of the Federation of Spanish Audiovisual Producers Associations (FAPAE), called the figures “surprising” when they were presented to the press at the fifth edition of Madrid de Cine - Spanish Film Screenings. One of the most interesting outcomes, since it could be used...
2009: a year of ups and downs
Local productions once again showed their enormous talent and international appeal. However, internal divisions sprang up at times, especially over the reforms to the state funding system and the compulsory investment in film production by television companies.
PROA stokes dispute over TV investment in film
The producers’ association PROA has added fire to the debate over the substantial reduction in TV companies’ obligation to invest in cinema, laid out in the draft bill of the General Law of Audiovisual Communication, which is in its final phase of approval, by stating that the new text “violates the rights of independent producers as well as European regulations”. Up to now, this obligation, which has caused conflict between private TV networks and producers since its introduction in 1999,...
Spanish cinema hits back with comedy (2)
Spring is synonymous with Spanish comedies (see news). In 2009, this genre saw significant growth, thanks to titles such as Brain Drain and Spanish Movie (see news), backed, not coincidentally, by Antena 3 and Telecinco respectively. Television networks recognised the rich potential of comedy (see news) and decided to exploit it, by using their most well-known faces and unrivalled promotional power. Television has been gradually gaining ground in the film sector, and currently occupies an...
Spanish cinema hits back with comedy (1)
After Spanish cinema suffered an inauspicious start to 2010 (with the successive flop of The Consul of Sodom, Hierro, The Valdemar Inheritance and Born to Suffer), producers and distributors are kicking off spring with their best asset for this season: comedy. Two years ago Chef’s Special was a surprise hit with just under 1 million admissions and last year, it was the turn of Brain Drain (1.15m) and Road to Santiago (just under 0.5m viewers). The next two months of this year will see a real...
A Contracorriente Films, new ally for European cinema
The complicated Spanish independent distribution scene acquired a new member last week, A Contracorriente Films, whose specialist area, according to its founder and managing director Adolfo Blanco, will be quality European independent films. The Barcelona-based company plans to distribute between six and eight films per year with the number of prints varying between 60 and 80. The first titles set for release give a good cross-section of the company’s line-up. The first to be launched, in...
ICAA announces film funding for 2010
The film funding crisis is well and truly behind us, as ICAA director general Ignasi Guardans confirmed to Cineuropa a few days ago. He added that now we must “all set to work and put this system into practice”. As there is no better example than to start with oneself, on February 4 the ICAA announced in the BOE (Official Spanish Gazette) 11 funding areas amounting to a total of €83.85m. As every year, the largest subsidy is for the amortisation of features, for which €52.4m has been...
2009 closes with record audience figures
Although the Ministry of Culture’s official figures will not be published until the beginning of March, provisional data from Nielsen EDI reveal that 2009 was a record year, with box office takings of over €675m from 110 million admissions. This is the highest figure in the history of Spanish cinema. According to the company, the keys to this success were the commercial appeal of the films released, the introduction of 3D and the high results for Spanish films. Box office takings for the...
Storm hangs over Spanish cinema
The river running through the Bethlehem of Spanish cinema is plagued by stormy waters at the end of this year because of a confrontation that could paralyse the Spanish film industry for months. The cause of disagreement is the controversial ministerial order published in October in the BOE (Official Spanish Gazette) by the ICAA, which has earned its director Ignasi Guardans as many supporters as it has bitter opponents. Guardans has made clear his intention to reform the organisation since...
Spanish and European films to get increased airtime on La 2
In 2010, Spain’s second public TV channel, La 2, will increase airtime for domestic and European films, according to TVE director Javier Pons. The evening prime time slot will thus be dedicated to film, which goes against the trend seen at private networks. Pons commented: "Now more than ever, we will defend the values of our creators". Every week, four features, including narrative works and documentaries, plus one independent, will be broadcast. This means an increase of 250 hours per year...
Zentropa’s Viking invasion hits Spain
Producer David Matamoros will head Barcelona-based Zentropa International Spain, the Spanish arm of Danish production company Zentropa. This is according to an announcement made on Monday at the San Sebastian Film Festival by Matamoros and Peter Aalbæk Jensen, who co-founded the company with director Lars von Trier. This move shows Zentropa’s interest in the new crop of Spanish directors. It is no surprise that Matamoros has been chosen to run this well-financed venture (whose budget will be...
ICAA allocates €92.5m for amortisation and distribution of features
The Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute (ICAA), headed by Ignasi Guardans, has announced the recipients of the 2009 subsidies for the amortisation and distribution of features, which amount to €48.1m and €4.4m, respectively. A total of 98 films will receive amortisation funding, which is the largest subsidy (representing approximately 75%) and is calculated according to box office takings, although this may change in the future (see news). Three productions, Café Solo o Con Ellas (“Coffee...
Audience figures up 3.7m in first half of 2009
During the first half of 2009, audience figures in Spanish theatres rose by 7.9% over the same period last year, according to statistics published by the FECE (Federation of Spanish Cinemas). The total number of viewers stood at 48.8m, 3.7m more than in 2008. Box office takings shot up by 13%, from €261 to €296m. According to the FECE, the key to these good results is “the success of 3D films, the release of a high number of major productions and the enthusiastic reception given to Spanish...
Private TV networks to be allowed to invest in series as part of 5% Law
Since the government announced a few months ago its intention to remove advertising from state television, people have started to wonder how this will affect the current precarious balance between film and television. By law, the latter must invest 5% of its revenue in film. Last Friday, the Council of Ministers therefore approved the draft bill of the much-awaited General Audiovisual Law, which, among other things, allows television networks to invest part of this 5% in television series....
Domestic film admissions down 1.4m in 2008
The Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute (ICAA) yesterday published the official 2008 Spanish box office results. No miracle has taken place since last December (see news) and the final figures are even lower than expected, with a slight drop in the market share (13.3% in 2008 compared to 13.5% in 2007) and a rather more significant decline in the number of admissions (down from 15.7m to 14.3m). This is accompanied by an 8.44% decrease in overall cinema attendance. Álex de la Iglesia’s The...
ICAA allocated €67.8m in film funding in 2008
The Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute (ICAA) allocated almost €67.8m in film funding during 2008, according to its annual report, which details the total amount of each subsidy, as well as the films and 319 companies financed. This is a €6.6m increase over 2007, when €61.2m were granted (see news). As usual, the total available budget – €76.3m in 2008 – was not completely spent. This was also the case in 2007 and just before the end of the year, when an extraordinary funding competition...
Spain - Analysis of the 2007 Spanish cinema balance published by the ICAA
During 2007 the Spanish Film production has increased with a variety of genres and films. 2007 also saw an intensification of the co-production system, as a way to release national film outside the country. Interesting projects were realized in co-production with Argentina, Great Britain, France, and growing collaborations were carried out with Italy, Mexico and Portugal. This report published by the ICAA, describes the situation of Spain's movie industry and the increasing creativity...
Spain - Analysis of the Spanish cinema balance published by the ICAA (March 2007)
Spain 2005 - The Basque Country, Valencia
In the Basque audiovisual policy is oriented to strengthen production companies gradually seeking to consolidate a structure that will permit to reorient part of the selective support to projects, to automatic subsidies based on objective criteria. However the promotion of creativity is not overlooked. The total amount foreseen for support in the year 2005 was made public last March and fixed in 1.276.000 euros practically repeating the figures of 2004. This amount will be destined to...
Spain - Interview with Manuel Soria Managing Director, Madrid Film Commission (March 2005)
Interview with Manuel Soria Managing Director, Madrid Film Commission Madrid is a great cinema studio, of feature films, advertising, video clips, TV series and TV programmes. With slightly more than a year of life Madrid Film tries to promote this reality beyond the Spanish borders . An Interview with Manuel Soria Managing Director of the the Madrid Film Commission. Cineuropa:What assessment do you make of this first year of activity? Manuel Soria: Highly positive. The city and the...
Spain 2005 - Galicia, Developing an animation industry
Galicia was the first Spanish autonomous region to design and approve an Audiovisual Law as the basic framework to promote audiovisual production in the region. Since the creation of the Fund, Galicia has multiplied in more than 8.5 times the endowment up to more than 4 millions euros for 2005. The Call for projects are published yearly in the month of January through two different administrative regulations: the one destined to the support of project development and the production of...
Spain 2005 - Catalonia a significant and structured support
Catalonia is the leader of regional audiovisual support in Spain with 10.4 millions of euros allocated by the Institut Catala des Industries Culturals (ICIC) for 2005. This amount represents an increase of 30% in relation to the amount allocated in 2004. Of this quantity 9.5 millions will be distributed among various lines of subsidy and 0.9 million will be destined to the brand new CDA, Audiovisual Development centre where free consulting services will be provided for the writing and...
Spain: the Spanish policy for the production of films (March 2005)
In Spain audiovisual funding comes essentially from the annual state budget managed by the "Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales" (ICAA). The aids established by the Spanish Film Fund cover the principal stages of project production, distribution, and commercial exhibition. The Spanish audiovisual Fund has steadily been growing during the past years, up to the 63.13 millions of 2005. Almost 90% is devoted to film production. An average number of 90 feature films per...
