Andalucía Film Commission hosted the professional cocktail reception Andalucía, Destino de Cine during the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival. The gathering aimed to showcase the region’s strengths as a filming destination and foster exchange among professionals, production companies and institutions from the Andalusian audiovisual sector.
Andalucía Film Commission president Carlos Rosado and director Piluca Querol welcomed guests alongside Agus Jiménez, director of the Asociación Andaluza de Productoras de Cine de Ficción, Documental, Animación y Seriado (ANCINE); Marta Velasco, president of the Academia de Cine de Andalucía; and Victoria Fernández Andrino, director of the Audiovisual Unit of the Junta de Andalucía’s Andalusian Agency for Cultural Institutions.
The speakers highlighted the growth and diversity of Andalusia’s audiovisual industry, the capabilities of its companies and professionals, and the wide range of locations that make the region stand out as a filming destination within Spain.
Andalucía Film Commission also underscored the work it has carried out since its inception with the Regional Ministry of Tourism, Justice, Deregulation and Administration to promote Andalusia as a destination for shoots and screen tourism through Andalucía, Destino de Cine and the strategy La Gran Ruta de Cine por Andalucía, which invites visitors to discover the region through its settings, heritage and the stories filmed there, via screen-tourism websites, routes, maps and apps.
The event also emphasized the importance of the festivals held in the region and the involvement of the organizations and institutions working to strengthen the sector and consolidate Andalusia’s presence at leading national and international industry events. It further served as an opportunity to share information on the activity of the Andalusian audiovisual sector and to strengthen ties with professionals attending the Festival.
As part of its professional agenda in San Sebastián, Andalucía Film Commission also attended the presentation of the II Estudio del impacto económico, social y territorial de la producción audiovisual en España, commissioned by Spain Film Commission from Olsberg·SPI, which is working in collaboration with the Spain Film Commission Chair in the Film Production Industry at Pablo de Olavide University, as well as specialists from universities, companies and organizations representing the audiovisual sector. Funded by the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (SEDIA), the study will cover the 2023–2025 period and significantly expand the scope of the first report.
This year, Andalusia’s presence in San Sebastián was further strengthened by the participation of an Andalusian delegation in Meet Them!, an initiative of the San Sebastián Festival’s Industry Club designed to connect emerging producers with national and international industry professionals. The delegation’s participation is backed by the Andalusian Agency for Cultural Institutions through its Audiovisual Unit.
The delegation comprises ten Andalusian production companies: Radioactividad Creatividad Audiovisual S.L.; Costas Films, represented by Paola García Costas; La Sobremesa Films; Rakia Films S.L.; ENTREFRONTERAS / AliquinDOC; Las Afueras Films S.L.; Nana Films; EGOA Producciones S.L.; Producciones La Cochera; and DANIDOGFILMS S.L. Taking part in Meet Them! gives them access to the Industry Club’s professional activities and to the Festival’s main industry programming, offering these emerging companies an opportunity to expand their professional networks, connect with the national and international industry, and explore new avenues for collaboration, co-production and financing.
Andalusian productions also feature prominently in this year’s lineup. The Official Selection’s special screenings include Sacamantecas, directed by David Pérez Sañudo and produced by La Claqueta PC, and Bajañí, directed by Fernando Trueba, produced by Womack Studios with the participation of Canal Sur.
They are joined by other Canal Sur-backed productions in the Made in Spain section, including Iván & Hadoum, by Ian de la Rosa, produced by Pecado Films; El abrazo de los peces (15 años después), directed by Chema Rodríguez and produced by Kuántika Films; and 200 vidas, Paco Rabal, directed by Seville-born filmmaker Vanesa Benítez and produced by Málaga’s José Antonio Hergueta. Meanwhile, the documentary Caja de resistencia, directed by Alejandro Alvarado Jódar and Concha Barquero Artés, screens in the Jóvenes, cine, memoria y democracia section.
This presence reflects the creative diversity of Andalusia’s audiovisual sector, with projects that demonstrate the capabilities of its production companies and the talent of its professionals in developing work that travels to major festivals.
Granada’s locations also reached San Sebastián’s screens with La bola negra, a film partly shot in the Andalusian city that is closely tied to the legacy of Federico García Lorca. Directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, winners of the Best Director award at Cannes, the film recently won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and has been selected by Spain’s Film Academy to represent the country in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
Its participation in the San Sebastián Festival allows Andalucía Film Commission to continue promoting the Andalusian audiovisual industry, supporting the visibility of its companies, professionals and diverse locations, and reinforcing Andalusia’s position as a filming destination — activities carried out in collaboration with the Junta de Andalucía’s Regional Ministry of Tourism, Justice, Deregulation and Local Administration and with Radio y Televisión de Andalucía (RTVA).
Read more: Cinema & Video International Issue #209
