With one week to go, the event took part in “Algo se cuece en Madrid” at the San Sebastián Film Festival, where the latest additions to its programme were announced. From September 29 to October 2, the programme will bring together creators, production companies, streaming platforms, broadcasters, financiers, buyers, distributors, institutional representatives and audiovisual industry professionals from Europe, Latin America and other international markets at Matadero Madrid.
The programme features sessions with executives from Mediawan, Amazon MGM Studios, Google EMEA, IMAGINA, Wild Sheep Content, Beta Film, Movistar Plus, Imagina, Secuoya Studios, Grupo Izen and RTVE. It also explores some of the audiovisual industry’s most pressing challenges and opportunities, from the impact of artificial intelligence and evolving production models to financing, international coproduction, the global expansion of companies, and the search for new voices and talent.
The sessions will also address training and emerging audiovisual talent with “Netflix and FIPCA: Training to Transform,” which will introduce FORMA, a training initiative led by FIPCA with the support of Netflix.
Iberseries & Platino Industria took part in “Algo se cuece en Madrid,” an event held during the San Sebastián Film Festival and organised by Madrid Film Office and Film Madrid Region in collaboration with the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster.
Just days before it begins, Iberseries & Platino Industria has unveiled the must-attend events of its upcoming edition, which will take place from September 29 to October 2 at Matadero Madrid.
The presentation unveiled an extensive programme that will bring together leading audiovisual professionals and institutional representatives from Europe and the Americas to promote knowledge sharing, partnerships and business opportunities across the industry.
The event was attended by Raúl Torquemada, Director of Madrid Film Office; Xiomara García, Coordinator of Film Madrid Region; Raúl Berdonés, President of Secuoya Content Group, accompanied by Pablo Jimeno, Managing Director; Samuel Castro, Co-Director of Iberseries & Platino Industria; Jesús Prieto, CFO of Iberseries & Platino Industria; Rafael Sánchez, Director of Institutional Relations and Communications at EGEDA; and Teresa Azcona, Managing Director of the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster.
The programme will combine panel discussions, keynotes, spotlights, exclusive previews, financing sessions, industry meetings, pitches and workshops, with a particular focus on international coproduction, new forms of storytelling and business opportunities.
Over four packed days, the programme will explore the industry’s key challenges, from creating stories with international appeal and developing global intellectual property to streaming platform and broadcaster strategies, coproduction and financing models, artificial intelligence, and new ways of consuming content.
New international voices and a strong focus on AI, coproduction and talent
Among the newly announced additions to the conference programme is “K-DRAMA Spotlight: From Korea to the World: Hong Jong-chan and the Global Success of Korean Content”, a session exploring the international appeal of Korean content and how stories rooted in a distinct cultural identity can reach audiences worldwide. The session will feature executives from South Korea’s Cloud Films and Korean Association for Broadcasting & Telecommunication, as well as KOCCA Spain, which returns to Iberseries & Platino Industria following Korea’s participation as Country in Focus at the previous edition.
The connection between local storytelling and international audiences will also be at the heart of “Creators Without Borders: Stories with a Global Passport”, featuring Amaya Muruzabal, CEO & Head of Content at M Content (Spain); Isabel Peña, creator and screenwriter (Spain); and Eduard Sola, screenwriter (Spain). The session will explore how creators can bring stories with a distinct identity to new contexts and which storytelling approaches help them connect with emerging audiences.
Artificial intelligence: a central theme
AI will feature prominently in the programme. The workshop “Innovation in the Audiovisual Industry: New Business Models, AI and Other Emerging Technologies”, organised in partnership with the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster, will use practical case studies to show how new technologies are transforming business models and production processes.
The session will feature Raúl Izquierdo, a board member of the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster and Managing Director of TBS. It will bring together leading professionals from Telefónica Broadcast Services, Paramotion Films, Secuoya Content Group, Hark Media, Story Pitcher, Scout&Film and Grupo Izen, alongside experts in strategy and business development. It will be moderated by Henar León, a specialist in digital transformation and innovation in the creative and cultural industries.
The regulatory implications of this transformation will be explored in “AI and Audiovisual Creation: Regulatory Challenges and New Narratives”, featuring Carmen Páez Soria, Undersecretary for Culture at Spain’s Ministry of Culture; Clara Ruipérez de Azcárate, Director of Intellectual Property and Secretary General at Movistar Plus (Spain); and Ignacio Vela Navarro-Rubio, Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager at Google (Spain). The session will examine the ethical and regulatory challenges posed by AI, including intellectual property and the protection of creative talent.
AI will return to the forefront in “AI in Action: New Production Models”, featuring Erik Barmack, Founder & CEO of Wild Sheep Content (USA), and Johann Choron, Partnerships & Gen AI Lead for Film & TV at Google EMEA (France). They will discuss the impact of generative AI on creative processes, workflows, and production and business strategies.
Investment, Madrid and international coproduction
Financing and the growth of Spain’s audiovisual industry will take centre stage in “Investing for Growth: SETT and the Spanish Audiovisual Industry”, a discussion of SETT’s investment activity and the impact of its deals on the sector, featuring some of the companies in which it holds a stake.
The evolution of Madrid’s audiovisual industry will also be explored in “The Madrid Effect: Creativity, Industry and Global Financing”, featuring Jaume Banacolocha, CEO of Diagonal TV (Spain); Manuel Gómez Pereira, director and screenwriter (Spain); and Merche Herranz, Managing Director of LaZona (Spain). Raúl Torquemada, Director of Madrid Film Office, will moderate the session.
The international dimension will take centre stage in “Breaking Rules: Mapping Coproduction”, bringing together Alfredo Bermúdez de Castro Berbel, Chief Operating Officer at Secuoya Studios (Spain); Iris Bucher, CEO & Producer at Quad Drama (France); Peter Lohner, SVP Hispanic Acquisitions & Co-productions at Beta Film (Germany); José Pastor, Director of Film and Fiction at RTVE (Spain); Nathalie Perus, General Manager at Atlantique Productions (France); and Femke Wolting, Co-Founder of Submarine (the Netherlands).
Mediawan and Spain’s leading production companies
Mediawan’s international expansion strategy will be the focus of a dedicated session, “Spotlight Mediawan: Creative Independence, Global Expansion, and European Identity”, featuring Elisabeth d’Arvieu, Global Content Officer at Mediawan and CEO of Mediawan Pictures (France), and Matthieu Thollin, Chief Operating Officer at Mediawan (France). The session will be moderated by Roy Ashton, Partner at Gersh (USA).
The programme also includes “Spotlight IMAGINA: The DNA of Content Production”, an IMAGINA session (the company was known as Grup Mediapro until 31 December) that will bring together the heads of five of the audiovisual industry’s longest established and most influential production companies. They will discuss the keys to their success, their latest projects and the challenges that will shape the industry’s future.
Participants will include María José Rodríguez, Managing Director of Globomedia (Spain); Agustí Esteve, Managing Director of El Terrat (Spain); Alejandro Flórez, Managing Director of 100 Balas (Spain); Carmen González, Managing Director of Big Bang Media (Spain); and Santiago López, CEO and Founding Partner of Cimarrón Cine (Latin America).
The session will also feature creative talents Diego San José and Andrés Gelós, who will share their experience and offer insights into the creation, development and production of content that connects with audiences at home and abroad.
Amazon MGM Studios backs new voices
Emerging Ibero-American talent will also take centre stage in “New Voices, Great Stories: Amazon MGM Studios’ Commitment to Emerging Talent”. The panel will bring together Alberto Félez, producer of “Enemigos” (Spain); Daniela Goggi, director of “Barreda” (Argentina); and Sebastián Sariñana, showrunner of “Prefiero la muerte” (Mexico).
The discussion will be moderated by María Contreras, Head of Spanish Original Movies & Scripted TV at Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios (Spain), and Camila Misas, Head of Local Originals Mexico at Amazon MGM Studios (Mexico).
Meanwhile, “Only Producers in the Building: Challenges as a Catalyst for Change” will bring together José María Caro, CCO of Secuoya Studios (Spain); Axel Kuschevatzky, CEO of Infinity Hill (USA); and Mónica Lozano, CEO of Alebrije Cine y Video (Mexico). They will discuss new financing challenges, public funding, international markets, and the strategies of independent producers and companies backed by major groups.
Spotlight: Filmin Original Auteur Productions that take creative risks
Filmin will present the key elements of its original production strategy, based on its commitment to auteurs, narrative freedom and creative risk-taking.
Drawing on its two latest original series, Millennial Mal and Segunda Temporada, the platform will analyse with their producers how it approaches project development and how it seeks to create content with cultural relevance and the ability to connect with audiences.
Participants will include Mariela Besuievsky, producer at Tornasol Media (Spain); Lorena Iglesias, director, creator and actress (Spain); Bernat Manzano, producer at Boogaloo Films (Spain); and Jaume Ripoll, Co-Founder & COO of Filmin (Spain).
The programme concludes with “Netflix and FIPCA: Training to Transform. Talent and the New Demands of the Ibero-American Audiovisual Industry”, which will focus on training and the sector’s new professional needs, as well as presenting the experience of FORMA, a training initiative promoted by FIPCA with the support of Netflix.
Participants will include Elkin Zair Manco, Executive Director of the Colombian Film Academy (Colombia); and Juan José Méndez, Global Affairs, Spanish-speaking South America, Netflix (Argentina), moderated by Ignacio Rey, President of FIPCA (Argentina).
More information: https://iberseriesplatinoindustria.com/conferencias/