A delegation of leading U.S. studios and platforms participated in a reverse training visit to Spain that took them to Madrid, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands from May 8 to 14.

The program combined technical sessions, institutional meetings, site visits, and meetings with companies, business owners, technicians, and talent from the Spanish sector.

“The aspects most valued by the U.S. delegation were the institutional commitment, the public-private collaboration, the legal security of our tax incentives, the confidence offered by our professionals, and the national business network,” explained Carlos Rosado, President of the Spain Film Commission.

“They have taken note of all this, and the message that left the greatest impact is that Spain, as of now, is the most competitive and attractive country in Europe for shooting. In my opinion, it was key that they were able to see first-hand that the audiovisual industry is a strategic commitment of the country that involves the entire Spanish audiovisual ecosystem. We work together hand in hand, and that makes us stronger.”

For Rosado, “these have been days of intense work, with a full schedule at the institutional level, including meetings with the Queen of Spain, President Pedro Sánchez, and the regional presidents of Andalusia and the Canary Islands. The delegation also participated in meetings and technical briefings on tax incentives, visa processing, sustainable filming, locations, and more. In this sense, we can conclude that the visit has been a success and that there will be new meetings in the future.”

Spain, the right choice

“Relations are stable and positive. In fact, they always have been. The U.S. industry has known us for decades and knows that Spain is a preferred destination for its productions. We have always been on its radar, and, after this visit, stakeholders are fully aware that Spain is the right choice for the best outcome for their projects,” said Rosado.

The visit is part of the Spain Film Commission's ongoing strategy which kicked off with a trip to Los Angeles by a delegation of Spanish producers in November 2019. After the trip, the Commission intensified its institutional commitment with the launch of the Spain Audiovisual Hub plan and a visit to Los Angeles by President Pedro Sánchez in the summer of 2021, before this trip by producers to Spain in May.
 
Presentation of regulatory updates

During the session on Monday, May 9, presided over by Queen Letizia in Madrid, the U.S. delegation was briefed on regulatory updates regarding tax incentives and visa management, as well as the main projects of the Spanish Administration to boost the audiovisual industry. The Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure, Roberto Sánchez, highlighted the value of the Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe Plan launched a year ago and the measures implemented to consolidate the sector and turn Spain into a pole of attraction for filming and investment.

For her part, María Peña, CEO of ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, outlined the strategic lines of Spain Audiovisual Bureau, a centralized information point that handles all queries related to the internationalization of the industry, both to attract investment and filming to Spain and to help Spanish companies and productions to develop their projects abroad.

The following day, Profilm’s member companies participated in a panel dedicated to presenting the Spanish service industry to the U.S. delegation, explaining the technical training and experience accumulated by the Spanish industry since the 1950s. 

Participants made it clear that, since the introduction of the tax incentive for attracting filmmaking in 2015, the industry has been professionalized and is currently consolidated as a source of wealth and attraction of talent for our country.

President of Profilm, Fernando Victoria de Lecea, highlighted the high quality of the Spanish film industry, its production companies, its technical and artistic teams, etc., which provide the best possible conditions for international productions coming to Spain.

“A good example of this is the industry’s participation in major festivals around the world and the great reception of Spanish-made television series,” he stressed.

Andalusia's leadership in filming activity

Already in Seville, the mission was received by the President of the Regional Government of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, who recalled that last year Andalusia once again led filming activity in Spain, with 1,329 film shoots that had an economic impact of 118 million euros and created 19,000 jobs.

The visit culminated on Friday, May 13, with a trip to the Canary Islands, where the delegation held working meetings and toured several locations in Gran Canaria and Tenerife. 

The day began with a meeting in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with the President of the Regional Government, Ángel Víctor Torres, and the head of the Island Council, Antonio Morales, as well as a large representation from the Canary Islands Audiovisual Cluster.


Record number of film shootings in the Canary Islands in 2021

The Canary Islands have gradually consolidated their position as a preferred territory for filming for production companies from many countries around the world. Data collected in recent years backs this up, with the islands even breaking their own record in 2021: at least 155 domestic and international productions, which left in the islands with an investment of 98 million euros. This amount also doubled the number of professional hires in the sector.

“The time is now”

“Our intention, as the Spain Film Commission, is to continue strengthening the connection with the United States, but, at the same time, to open up to other options such as Latin America, Asia, and Europe,” said Rosado.

“There will be new missions with the U.S. market in mind, and we will promote exchanges with other priority markets. The time is now. We are well-established, and we respond effectively to the demands of the industry; our artistic and human teams are among the best in the world; the Spanish public and private ecosystem work together and remain loyal to each other; we have the best resources to do our job; and, let's not forget the territorial network of the Spain Film Commission, which is responsible for attending from the outset each shooting that takes place in our country, whether domestic or international. It is a consolidated, professional network that provides 24/7 service throughout the country.”

The president of the Spain Film Commission insisted that there will be new meetings and exchanges with production companies “because we believe in the value of attracting international film shootings; we are talking about economic activity, quality employment, business, qualified training, technology, innovation, film tourism, and also culture. We must be able to develop local talent, assert our identity, tell our own stories with a universal vision, and, at the same time, be a reference for international production.”