Spain’s muscular presence at this year’s Berlinale and European Film Market was bolstered on Saturday with an inaugural presentation and networking event organized by the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster in collaboration with the Madrid Film Office and Film Madrid Region.
The Madrid delegation has a packed schedule of activities in Berlin under the “Madrid Make it Possible” banner, integrating the joint efforts of the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster, Film Madrid Region and Madrid Film Office to consolidate the sector’s international reach, strengthen strategic alliances in the European market and bolster the region’s international positioning as a strategic hub for film and TV production.
The delegation also has its own EFM space within the Spanish stand at the Martin-Gropius-Bau.
The noon-time event, held at the Wandelbar in the Marriott Hotel, inspired by Spain’s traditional vermouth hour, brought together producers, distributors, buyers and other international industry professionals from Germany, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Spain, the U.S., Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, the Netherlands, the U.K. and Uruguay.
Welcoming guests and introducing the organizations from both Spain’s capital city and the surrounding autonomous community of Madrid were Teresa Azcona, managing director of the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster; Luis Lloret and Xiomara García of Film Madrid Region; and María Prada and Víctor Aertsen from the Madrid Film Office, who explained the support they provide to the audiovisual sector and their work in promoting the industry in the region and the city of Madrid.
Several members of the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster provided further insights into organization’s activities, including Rafael Alberola, head of ECAM Industria, who highlighted the ECAM Forum, an international co-production event designed to foster emerging talent and promoted by the Madrid Film and Audiovisual School.
Also on hand was Samuel Castro, co-director of Iberseries & Platino Industria and member of the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster’s board of directors. A leading international event for the Ibero-American audiovisual sector, the Iberseries & Platino Industria’s sixth edition will be held from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 in Madrid, where key professionals involved in the creation, production and marketing of film and TV content in Spanish and Portuguese will once again gather.
Established as the largest international business event for the Spanish and Portuguese-language film and TV industry, Iberseries & Platino Industria has become a strategic meeting point for producers, distributors, buyers and platforms from Ibero-America and Europe.
In Berlin, Iberseries & Platino Industria has co-launched Series Match, a new initiative at the Berlinale Series Market that connects Ibero-American and German companies with series projects in early development.
Backed by the Madrid City Council and the Community of Madrid, the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster aims to strengthen the audiovisual industry in the region by supporting companies and encouraging new projects, creating an integrated ecosystem that promotes business opportunities, innovation and employment while boost international events in the capital.