The Canarian audiovisual industry returned this year to the San Sebastián International Film Festival to raise the profile of the islands’ film and audiovisual sector. With the support of Canary Islands Film, the festival’s Industry section welcomed around 50 professionals from the archipelago.
More than 100 film industry professionals from different parts of the world gathered on September 22th for Canarias en foco (The Canary Islands in Focus), an event organised by Canary Islands Film at every edition of the festival. Conceived as a meeting point for organisations and representatives of the international industry, the event featured a round-table discussion followed by a networking reception with the Canarian delegation.
The round-table discussion focused on the creative potential and strength of the sector across the islands, showcasing local markets and laboratories, as well as funding opportunities and institutional support schemes.
The event was opened by Migdalia Machín, Regional Minister for Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture. The expert panel featured David Baute, director and producer at Tinglado Film (Mariposas negras, Benigno); Genoveva Ayala, Managing Director of the Canary Islands Audiovisual Cluster; and Mercedes Afonso, director and producer at Lunática Producciones (El mapa para tocarte). The session was moderated by Lorena Martín, Cultural Management Officer at Canary Islands Film.
Alongside its participation in industry events, the programme also featured several productions bearing the Canarian label. At Zinemaldia, the feature film Los justos, directed by Jorge A. Lara y Fer Pérez, co-produced by Canarian company Naif Film, was included in the Made in Spain section. The same section also screened Rodrigo Sorogoyen´s El ser querido, a Spain-France co-production with predominantly Canarian involvement, and Amarga Navidad by Pedro Almodóvar, filmed in the Canary Islands.
Also at Zinemaldia, the Spanish-Chilean-Argentinian co-production Winnipeg, el barco de la esperanza was presented. The film was co-directed by Elio Quiroga, written by Laura Martel, and features a soundtrack by composer Diego Navarro, all of them Canarian.
In the New Directors section, El mal hijo was screened. The film was partially shot in Gran Canaria and involved Canarian production companies AF Films and EMedia Canary.
The festival also provided a showcase for major productions filmed in the Canary Islands. These included the series Trazos ocultos, by Buendía Estudios, and the film Pioneras.
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