Spain to be the "Country in Focus" at the 2025 European Film Market
- With rich cinematic traditions and cutting-edge digital advances, the country will position itself as a key player in global cinema at the upcoming Berlinale
The European Film Market (EFM), running from 13-19 February 2025 alongside the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, will spotlight Spain as its "Country in Focus", underscoring the nation's dynamic role in European cinema. The initiative, which annually highlights a key film-producing country, will showcase Spain's flourishing industry, renowned for its creative diversity, international appeal and long-standing presence at the Berlinale and the EFM.
Spain's inclusion as the EFM focus country will offer numerous opportunities for interaction between producers, distributors, investors and industry professionals. The programme aims to foster dialogue and promote international collaboration across a wide range of genres, from animated films to dramas and TV series. Previous editions have featured Mexico, Canada, Norway, Chile, the Baltic states and Italy.
Festival director Tricia Tuttle emphasised: “Spanish filmmaking has enriched the Berlinale programme for decades. Many hundreds of Spanish productions, created by outstanding and acclaimed talents, have dazzled audiences and juries alike, with nine films having won the festival’s highest accolade, the Golden Bear for Best Film – Carla Simón’s beautiful Alcarràs [+see also:
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film profile] in 2022 being the most recent of these. Pedro Almodóvar also has an important place in Berlinale history, since his Law of Desire [+see also:
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film profile] won the very first Teddy Award after it world-premiered in Panorama in 1987. Through the years, the Berlinale has welcomed countless distinguished Spanish filmmakers as jury members, festival guests and emerging talents. We are so looking forward to celebrating the Spanish film industry at the upcoming European Film Market.”
Spain is firmly committed to the expansion of sustainable film production and the forward-looking digitalisation of the film sector, and its vibrant film scene extends beyond its major hubs of Madrid and Barcelona. Regions such as the Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, the Canary Islands and Andalusia each contribute unique regional perspectives.
Tanja Meissner, Berlinale Pro* director, noted: “The Spanish film and media industry has solidified its reputation and global acclaim to become a European powerhouse thanks to creative excellence, targeted investments and technological innovations, enjoying a strong international presence with high-quality content and originality. The country offers competitive tax incentives, co-production agreements and a strong industry infrastructure.”
Spain’s Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, stated: “The European Film Market is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful platforms for European cinematography, and Spain being a ‘Country in Focus’ will allow us to make the enormous talent of the Spanish industry more visible across all of its areas: creation, production, distribution and the global positioning of our cinema. That is the task and the privilege of this Ministry of Culture: to support our film industry and our creators, to make them better known, and to allow Spanish cinema to continue growing, as it already is, in the global market and among viewers around the world.”
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