Presentation of the Hubert Bals Fund and conference Present and Future of the Audiovisual Industry at CIIF Market 2024
Canary Islands International Film Market has held various panels with the collaboration of Tenerife Film Commission, such as the presentation of the Rotterdam Festival’s Hubert Bals Fund by its director and the session on Challenges and Opportunities in the audiovisual sector, with the participation of renowned industry professionals, executives from television channels, studios, producers and distributors, who addressed current trends and shared their editorial strategies.
During the 20th edition of CIIF Market, Jeske van der Silke, director of the Hubert Bals Fund, the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s film project support fund and one of the most prestigious in the world, presented her presentation. The Fund aims to encourage European producers to participate as co-producers in high-quality film projects by filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East or Eastern Europe.
In addition to financial support, the Hubert Bals Foundation plays a crucial role in promoting selected films at international film festivals, thereby helping to increase the visibility and recognition of emerging filmmakers and innovative cinematographic works.
The Hubert Bals Fund is recognized for its significant contribution to independent and arthouse cinema, providing essential resources and a platform for exhibition for filmmakers exploring new perspectives and narratives in the art of cinema.
“We have supported more than 1,300 projects since the creation of the Fund, many of which have had their premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where some have even won important prizes such as the Tiger Award,” Jeske van der Silke stressed.
The panel was moderated by Luis Romero, a Panamanian director, producer and screenwriter. Through his production company Bolero Films, he has produced works that study society from the perspective of human rights, the rescue of nationality and Panamanian culture.
CIIF Market also held the conference Present and Future of the Audiovisual Industry – Challenges and Opportunities, with the participation of Milagros Mayi, Director of Acquisitions at RTVE; Rosa Pérez, Executive Producer at Atresmedia; Manuel Monzón, Executive Producer at A Contracorriente Films; Roberto Serrano, Deputy Director of Development at Secuoya Studios; and Andrés Longares, Director of Local Production, Warner Bros. Discovery , hosted by Sara Gonzalo, founder and producer of Accidental Films.
A session that focused on analyzing the latest developments in the sector and gaining a deeper understanding of the type of projects producers are looking for and where platforms and channels are heading, as well as consumer demand.
Rosa Perez said that “Although we always have to look for economic profitability as a private channel, we look for films that excite us, that make people turn off their phones, not look at the time and focus on the screen. The creative has to transmit that passion to us in order to go hand in hand and facilitate the project’s success. We are travelling companions.” On the other hand, he argued that “This communion between spectators and the big screen should not be lost. For example, the comedy series “Padre no hay más que uno” has made people go to see the films as a family and they have worked like a charm at the box office.”
Andrés Longares pointed out that “at Warner we make about six films a year. One or two are acquisitions, which we only distribute, but in the rest we get involved in development and production. We don’t want to be an obstacle, but rather a springboard for projects to take off with the financing tools we have to try to create unique projects. Our model makes us focus on producing films that we believe will do well in theaters.”
“Where we are limited is in the type of content we make, it is what differentiates us from television, we are focused on commercial films aimed at movie theaters. So we are focused on comedy, family comedy, the so-called event project, based on a saga or novel that has sold a lot, the horror genre, which works very well in cinemas, although not so well in the other windows because it has a very niche audience and it is more difficult to program on television, so its financing is more complicated. But the audience that goes to see horror films is very loyal, they go to see practically all the films of this genre. In horror there are usually no remakes, this audience likes to see the original film, they have already seen it before thinking about the remake”, he concluded.
Mila Mayi clarified that “We don’t need to get the economic benefit that other channels need. There is no commercial bias at RTVE, which allows us to reach projects that are not available on private television channels because they don’t have that commercial bias, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t want commercial films like “Campeones” was, which was a huge success. TVE is committed to culture, it supports the audiovisual industry, not only cinema, but also series, documentaries. We participate in animation, in non-fiction, and then we have a high budget for the purchase of external products, where we acquire all kinds of genres for all channels.”
For his part, Manuel Monzón said: “A Contracorriente Films can be a production partner, but we are primarily a distributor. What we are basically looking for are varied projects that work in theaters. And we have to be clear about who the audience for that product is. We have the Verdi cinemas in Madrid and Barcelona and they are shown in their original version. And over the years we know that if you involve the neighborhood, you give them more or less the product they want, it is a guarantee and it will work. Many people tell us that they go to our theaters without knowing what they are going to see, but with the idea that they will find something that they will like. If it is successful in theaters, it gives visibility to the film, and it is very possible that it will work equally well in other windows, so we have to work together with television channels and platforms, we are not enemies.”
Roberto Serrano stated: “At Secuoya Studios we develop and produce premium series. Our general line is to make them commercial, but we don’t give up on the quality or personality of the product, we try to get the best stories possible. We look for thrillers, detectives, melodrama, drama, dramedy, comedy, and the mix of all these genres, which we see is also working. We are in a market situation where television networks and platforms, which are our main clients, want us to provide them with quality products that keep the audience engaged the week of the premiere or for a month, because the focus is still on series, but in the end the public is the one that decides and what we are seeing is that the demand in Spanish and English will continue to be there.”
