CIIF Market 2025 Report: The Canary Islands consolidates its leadership as an international platform for audiovisual co-production
- The market closes its 21st edition with more than 500 professional meetings, pitching sessions, panels, presentations, screenings with more than 500 spectators and networking activities that have brought together European and Latin American producers, distributors, sales agents and investors in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The Canary Islands International Film Market (CIIF Market) concluded its twenty-first edition this Friday with a highly positive outcome, following an intense week of professional activity that has once again confirmed the role of the Canary Islands as one of the main centers of attraction and audiovisual development in Europe and Latin America.
The closing ceremony, held at the Espacio Price in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, was attended by José Manuel Bermúdez, Mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife; José Carlos Acha, Island Councillor for Culture, Museums and Sports of the Tenerife Island Council; and Pablo Martín Carbajal, CEO of PROEXCA.
During the event, the director of CIIF Market, Guillermo Ríos, highlighted the growth of the meeting and the high level of the projects presented in this edition, in which more than 500 professional meetings were held between producers, investors, distributors and sales agents.
“Each year, the projects arrive more solid, better developed, and with a clearer vision of their international trajectory,” Ríos noted. “The quality has been so high that, according to the evaluators and project recipients, many deserve awards. The interest shown by the recipient companies demonstrates the maturity and potential of the talent that has gathered in the Canary Islands.”
The director emphasized that the CIIF Market “has established itself as a space for meeting, growth and projection for creators”, and thanked “the involvement of all participants, institutions and collaborators who make it possible for this market to continue being a reference with its own identity in the industry calendar”.
The mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, congratulated the organization for “having turned the city into a benchmark meeting point for the international audiovisual industry.”
“Santa Cruz is consolidating its position as a filming capital, open to talent and economic development linked to culture and creativity,” he stated. “Our commitment is to continue supporting a sector that generates employment, boosts the local economy, and projects our city’s image to the world through film and television.”
For his part, José Carlos Acha, island councilor for the Area of Culture, Museums and Sports of the Tenerife Island Council, highlighted the role of audiovisual media as an engine of economic and cultural growth for the island.
“The Island Council maintains a firm commitment to the audiovisual industry, not only as a generator of economic activity and skilled employment, but also as an instrument for international projection and cultural cohesion,” Acha emphasized. “The CIIF Market is an excellent example of collaboration between institutions and professionals, and a model of how Tenerife can lead international production and co-production from the Canary Islands.”
Likewise, Pablo Martín Carbajal, CEO of PROEXCA, highlighted the importance of this type of event for the internationalization strategy of the Canary Islands.
“The audiovisual sector is key to the economic diversification of the Canary Islands,” he stated. “At PROEXCA, we work to ensure that international productions find a competitive, sustainable, and safe environment in the Canary Islands to invest and create. The CIIF Market is an essential platform for connecting producers from Europe and Latin America, and for showcasing the technical and creative capabilities of Canarian talent.”
During the closing ceremony, the CIIF Market 2025 Awards were presented, recognizing projects with the greatest potential for co-production, international reach, commitment to sustainability, and technical and musical creativity.
The CIIF Market Santa Cruz de Tenerife Award for Project with the Greatest International Potential went to Huayo, by Audiovisual Films (Peru), while the Cabildo de Tenerife Award for Canary Islands Project with the Greatest Potential was awarded to Mansa, by Digital 104.
The awards were granted by public institutions and collaborating entities, reinforcing the market’s objective of promoting the development, professionalization and internationalization of audiovisual talent from the Canary Islands.
In his closing remarks, Guillermo Ríos noted that “reaching the 21st edition reaffirms that CIIF Market is not just a professional meeting point, but a space that continues to grow and contribute real value to the development of the audiovisual sector.” The director also highlighted the added value of screening films that emerged from projects incubated in previous editions, such as “Me dicen el Panzer” (They Call Me the Panzer), which was presented during the market, and other feature films shot in the islands, such as “Bajo un volcán” (Under a Volcano), which drew over 500 viewers to its two screenings.
“Seeing these stories come to life is the best reward,” he said. “That’s the true goal of the CIIF Market: to turn projects into films, productions, jobs, and culture.”
The 21st edition of the Canary Islands International Film Market was held from October 28 to 31 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, bringing together producers, distributors, financial agents, investors and institutional representatives from Europe and Latin America.
The event was promoted by Festeam, Communication and Events, and was sponsored by the Tenerife Island Council (Area of Culture, Museums and Sports), the Government of the Canary Islands (through the Canary Institute of Cultural Development, Canary Islands Film and PROEXCA), and the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council (through the Development Society and Macaronesia Films), with the collaboration of Turismo de Tenerife (through the Tenerife Film Commission) and the Canary Islands Audiovisual Cluster, among other entities.
