Industry

Shooting in Spain, the initiative by ICEX-Invest in Spain designed to attract foreign filming and investment to the Spanish media sector, is preparing for an intensive final quarter of 2024. The brand will participate in numerous international festivals and markets as part of its effort to promote Spain as a key hub for audiovisual productions and attract new investors.

Following recent successful engagements at the Toronto and San Sebastian International Film Festivals, Shooting in Spain is set to participate next in Iberseries & Platino Industria, taking place in Madrid from October 1st to 4th. During this event, the new Foreign Project Management Director of ICEX-Invest in Spain, Vanesa Álvarez, will take part in a specialized panel on tax incentives organized by the Ibero-American Federation of Film and Audiovisual Producers (FIPCA). The event will also feature the Financing Breakfast, an opportunity to foster networking between Spanish representatives and U.S. financial funds, highlighting the increasing interest in cross-border collaboration.

Later in October, Shooting in Spain will attend MIPCOM in Cannes (October 21st to 24th), the world’s largest marketplace for television content. Spain, this year’s Country of Honour, will take center stage in a wide-ranging programme of activities aimed at promoting the country’s audiovisual sector. ICEX will host three daily sessions for international producers and commissioners, providing them with vital information about the Spain Audiovisual Bureau, a one-stop resource for foreign companies interested in filming or setting up operations in Spain.

Among the main highlights at MIPCOM is a special panel co-organized with Audiovisual from Spain, titled “Spain: Igniting Global Hits – The Ultimate Audiovisual Hub.” Scheduled for October 22nd, this panel will focus on financing and tax incentives for international productions, showcasing two prominent case studies. The first, "Weiss & Morales," is a Spanish-German co-production featuring contributions from Nina Hernández of Portocabo and a representative from ZDF Studios. The second case study highlights the French series "Zorro," co-produced by France Télévisions and Paramount+, which recently premiered in several European countries. Producers Marc Dujardin (Le Collectif 64) and Mike Villanueva (Castilla-La Mancha Film Commission) will discuss the logistics of international filming in Spain, with the session moderated by Nekesa Mumbi Moody, co-editor-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter.

ICEX’s executive director, Elisa García Grande, will also be actively involved at MIPCOM, participating in a panel discussion on financing and co-productions organized by the British media platform TellyCast. Additionally, she will join various small-group meetings with international media outlets to further promote Spain's appeal as a production hub.

This strategic outreach by ICEX-Invest in Spain extends beyond Europe. With the recent establishment of support offices in Los Angeles and Singapore, ICEX is broadening its influence in the United States and Asia, which are considered priority markets for the internationalization of Spain’s audiovisual industry. The Los Angeles antenna will host an exclusive networking event, "Spain in Hollywood," in November, bringing together senior executives from major American studios and Spanish producers. Meanwhile, the Singapore office will lead Shooting in Spain’s participation in the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, a first-time engagement aimed at building partnerships with Korean producers, and Gamescom Asia in Singapore.

In December, ICEX will cap off the year with a major presence at Focus in London (December 10th to 11th), a premier event for the international production services community. The event will feature the release of the new edition of the “Who is Who Shooting in Spain” guide for 2025-2026, an important resource for international companies seeking to collaborate with Spanish production services.

Throughout these events, Shooting in Spain will continue to reinforce its overarching campaign theme, “Making it easy for you,” emphasizing the country’s commitment to simplifying the process of international filming and production.