Has Spain's Focus on Commercial Appeal Diminished the Country's Festival Footprint?

Spanish cinema has seen significant changes since the pandemic, as observed by its sales agents. Despite recent successes, such as top prizes at the Berlinale in 2022 ('Alcarràs') and 2023 ('20,000 Species of Bees'), the limited selection of Spanish films at this year's event has raised questions about the long-term forecast for the Spanish industry.
Commercially, Spanish films sell well abroad, and animation and genre titles are hot commodities. A key factor in Spain's industry growth has been an influx of productions backed by monied TV companies and local streamers. That can be a double-edged sword.
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'The arrival of streamers has had an impact on the consumption habits of viewers, both in cinema and on TV, and also on the production of content,' says Javier Esteban at The Mediapro Studio.
MoreThan Films' Queralt Pons suggests those changing habits have 'shifted focus toward series rather than feature films and have also led to a homogenization of the audiovisual language. Streamers seek formulas that guarantee global success, prioritizing formats and narratives that are easily exportable.'
According to Yennifer Fasciani at Feel Sales, this has created one of the most significant challenges for Spanish sales agents focused on independent titles: 'Navigating a market that increasingly favors safe bets. Buyers today often lean towards films with guaranteed box office appeal. This creates an uphill battle for independent films.'
While current Spanish offerings may succeed at the local box office and charm international distributors, many wonder if the current formula is sustainable without appearances at events like the Berlinale.
Vicente Canales at Film Factory isn't sure. 'We should be very, very worried [about dwindling festival appearances],' he argues. 'Under the leadership of [former Berlin director Dieter Kosslick], there was always a strong Spanish presence at the Berlinale, but since 2019, Film Factory, for example, hasn't had a film in the program.'
Filmax's Iván Diaz says the fault must be shared. '[The Spanish industry] is also to blame in a way. I think the bar has been raised regarding our movies and the next generation of directors. The Spanish product is better than it was years ago, commercially speaking, but we're not doing well at festivals. It's alarming seeing much smaller countries that don't do as well in sales being much more successful at festivals.'
For many boutique companies, even when Spanish films do find festival success, they're hard to sell because, unlike other European countries, Spain doesn't offer aid for international distribution.
'In a global market like ours, Spanish agencies compete under unequal conditions to those of companies from other European countries,' says Luis Renart of Bendita Film Sales.
'This is a major issue that we have addressed at VICA, the association of sales agencies, and presented analysis and potential solutions,' adds Antonio Saura of Latido Films. 'The institutions have listened but have not addressed this extremely grave issue as a priority. Any country supporting their moves, and therefore their culture, has an advantage which Spain does not.'
Begin Again Films' Gloria Bretones agrees, 'It is impossible to be competitive with the financing subsidies and acquisition incentives available in other countries. Two equally good films, selected at the same festival, in the same section: a French film and a Spanish film. If you buy the French film, they finance part of the P&A. If you buy the Spanish film, they don't. Which one do you buy?' she asks rhetorically.
For now, Spanish sales agents will have to rely on selling what works today and hold out hope that public backing and festival recognition will return sooner rather than later.
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