New lines of funding and support for the internationalisation of 'Spain Audiovisual Hub' presented at the Malaga Film Festival

Today at MAFIZ, the industry area of the Malaga Film Festival, the new lines of funding and support for innovation and internationalisation of different companies and public organisations were presented within the framework of the"Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe" Plan.

The event was closed by Arturo Azcorra, Director General of Telecommunications and Organisation of Audiovisual Communication Services, who announced the forthcoming publication of a 30 million euro call for proposals to fund innovative projects such as special effects prototypes, animation, and the application of artificial intelligence technologies to audiovisual production and video games.

The "Spain Audiovisual Hub" Plan to promote Spain as an audiovisual hub in Europe was presented a year ago by the Prime Minister of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and aims to boost national audiovisual production in the digital era and attract international investment and talent. It has a planned investment of 1,603 million euros until 2025. This envelope includes aid to the sector, as well as the reinforcement of the financial instruments available to the General State Administration through institutions like the Official Credit Institute (ICO) and the National Innovation Company (ENISA).

The Plan broadens the base of projects eligible for financing from the ICO or ENISA, as well as guarantees from the Sociedad de Garantía Recíproca "Audiovisual Finanzas SGR" and coverage from the Compañía Española de Seguros de Crédito a la Exportación (CESCE) for investment projects.

The presentation, organised by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, was attended by representatives of these institutions, who presented their funding lines. For its part, ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones explained its latest promotional measures, including the launch of the Spain Audiovisual Hub Bureau, with information for international companies interested in undertaking audiovisual production projects in Spain.

Since the launch of the scheme a year ago, the number of projects from the audiovisual sector that have been eligible for funding from these institutions has increased.

• In 2020 and 2021, the Official Credit Institute, with its financing programmes and COVID Guarantee Lines, channelled 675 million euros to the sector in 4,000 operations.
• ENISA promoted 24 projects with funding of 3.5 million euros in 2021, 8.4% more than the previous year.
• CREA SGR carried out 342 operations for companies in the audiovisual sector worth €123,628,687 in 2021, 64% more than in 2020.

New website of the Spain Audiovisual Hub

The event also saw the presentation of the new web portal, which incorporates information aimed at both Spanish industry and foreign companies wishing to produce in Spain.

The content of the website is organised in several sections:

• Industry Overview. It showcases outstanding productions in different formats: feature film, short film, animation, video game. It also includes a specific section on productions created, directed or with a significant presence of women and a section on sectoral reports. The aim is to show the quality and dimension of Spanish productions.
• Filming in Spain. The 'Shooting in Spain' section shows the variety of spaces, properties and natural environments available in Spain for filming. For the first time, the offer of institutions such as Paradores, Patrimonio Nacional, Adif, AENA and buildings and museums belonging to the Ministry of Science, among others, will be shown in a single place. This section also provides practical information on working and producing in Spain with visa guides, regulations and procedures.
• Financing. It compiles all the information on aid, credits, guarantee systems, etc. For the first time you can access information from different sources in one place.
• Training. It brings together the largest directory of degrees, post-graduate courses, vocational training and training programmes aimed at the audiovisual sector.
• Industry Directory. Organised by activity, the website includes a comprehensive directory of links to the various associations, institutions and business organisations linked to the industry.

Non official translation