Canary Islands continue to consolidate their role as one of the country’s leading filming destinations, with a growing number of productions reinforcing the international profile of the archipelago’s audiovisual sector. During 2025, the islands have hosted large-scale national and international projects, consolidating their appeal as a strategic location for filming and co-production.
Lionsgate’s Day Drinker, directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man), shot part of its production last April in Tenerife, using the Auditorium as its main location, recreating the aesthetics of Zurich. The project, which will be distributed by Diamond Films Spain, marks the return of Johnny Depp to a major international production, accompanied in the cast by Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline.
The End of It, the debut by London-based Spanish director María Martínez Bayona, began in April 2025 across locations in the Canary Islands as a science fiction feature co-produced by The Mediapro Studio US & Canada and BBC Film, with participation from Fasten Films and Elation Pictures. The ensemble was led by BAFTA winner Rebecca Hall and Golden Globe winner Gael García Bernal, joined by Noomi Rapace and Beanie Feldstein, developed with support from BBC Film and iFeatures.
Trinidad, a large-scale action adventure from ISII Group and Inefable Productions, written and directed by Laura Alvea and José Ortuño, shot across Gran Canaria and Tenerife, with the south of Gran Canaria as its primary backdrop. With a budget above €14 million, the late-nineteenth-century story is led by Karla Sofía Gascón, Paz Vega and Gabriela Andrada, with Gascón joining the project following her first Oscar nomination for Emilia Pérez; the production also refreshed the western backlot at Sioux City, whose updated look has hosted titles such as Zorro (2024).
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s El ser querido ran for seven weeks in Fuerteventura across Pájara and La Oliva, including Punta de Jandía, combining coastal exteriors and generated more than €4 million in local spend and involved around 300 local extras, with Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo leading the cast. Centred on an acclaimed director and his estranged daughter who finally work together, the title was a Movistar Plus+ original produced with Caballo Films and El Ser Querido AIE, co-produced with Le Pacte and in association with Canal+ in France, backed by ICAA and Creative Europe Media.
Amarga Navidad, by Pedro Almodóvar included key scenes filmed in Lanzarote alongside locations in Madrid, using the island’s volcanic landscapes as a defining backdrop. Produced by El Deseo and set for a 2026 theatrical release via Warner Bros. Pictures Spain before windows on Movistar Plus+ and RTVE, the project brought together a lead ensemble of Bárbara Lennie, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Victoria Luengo, Patrick Criado, Milena Smit and Quim Gutiérrez, with Rossy de Palma, Carmen Machi and Gloria Muñoz in collaboration roles.
Maspalomas, by José María Goenaga and Aitor Arregi. Produced by Irusoin, Moriarti, Maspalomas pelikula AIE, and Bowfinger, the film competed for the Golden Shell at San Sebastián 2025, with distribution in Spain by Bteam and international sales by Film Factory.
It used Maspalomas, the place that gives the project its name, to bring an important part of the story to life, using the dunes, crowds, and nightlife as a striking counterpoint to the Basque settings of the story.
Alongside these highlights, many other shoots took place across the islands, from international series and features to documentaries, commercials and animation, adding steady volume to the slate. Together they showed the breadth of the Canary Islands’ screen offer, balancing large international projects with distinctive local voices; productions worked across contrasting landscapes and purpose-built stages, drew on experienced suppliers and crews, and left tangible economic impact.
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