Malaga, San Sebastian Festivals Launch Spanish Screenings XXL

variety.com:

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentSpain’s Malaga and San Sebastian Film Festivals are launching a new and vastly fortified version of the Spanish Screenings, the Malaga Festival’s traditional showcase of recent Spanish movies screened to international buyers.Recast as the Spanish Screenings XXL, the event will run March 21-24 at Spain’s Malaga Festival, then segue to September’s San Sebastian event.

Over 2022 and 2023, a Spanish Screenings on Tour event will take place at a destination outside Spain, targeting Eastern Europe and Asia.The Spanish Screenings’ total budget for 2022 and 2023 combined will be €4.20 million ($4.74 million), Miquel Iceta, Spain’s Minister for Culture and Sport, said Wednesday at a presentation of the Screenings in Madrid.

Beatriz Navas, head of the ICAA Spanish film agency, used the presentation to announce that Spain’s Ministry of Culture and Sport will plow €3 million ($3.39 million) a year in 2022 and again in 2023 into the international distribution of Spanish productions.The Spanish government will dedicate a total €20 million ($28.96 million) to the promotion and strengthening of Spanish film and TV sector, Iceta added.Budgets form part of a much larger initiative, a Spain, European Audiovisual Hub plan, which was announced last March and is endowed with a €1.6 billion ($18.08 million) budget.

Most of this is aimed at attracting more investment in Spain’s film and TV industry and shoot services sector.Dubbed Spanish Screenings: Content, Malaga’s first leg of the Screenings will add more international buyers, reaching a total of around 200, as well as newly represented entities including streaming services execs, regional fund reps and film office and commission personnel,.