Spain landed at the Shanghai International Film & TV Market in a big way this week, driven by the Audiovisual From Spain initiative’s push to share with the world the “diversity, creativity and global ambitions” of the country’s creatives.
The June 21 appearance at the Shanghai festival market by the country’s Where Talent Ignites presentation from ICEX — the Spanish trade and investment body — followed earlier stops in Cannes, Mexico City and Madrid. The Asian presentation took place as Spanish producers look to do more international co-productions to widen the impact of their homegrown content, while Spain also expands as a production hub for global studios and streamers making their own originals locally. Each short film explores different sides of contemporary and traditional Spanish creativity through cinema, performance, fashion, animation and design.
The Where Talent Ignites presentation is underpinned by three original short films that debuted in Cannes: Flamenco, directed by Carla Simón and exploring the classic Spanish dance; the animated La Llama, directed by Pau López and Gerard del Hierro and exploring Spanish design; and La Tarara, a Canadian-produced short directed by Nicolás Méndez that combines fashion and cinema.
