The Spanish co-production market now offers more opportunities for African filmmakers
than ever before, says Carlos Dominguez, coordinator of Spain’s Africa Produce film
forum.
This year the third annual Africa Produce will take place during the African Film Festival of
Tarifa (FCAT) on Spain’s southern coastline. The forum brings together African
filmmakers and Spanish producers, television commissioning editors and co-production
managers, with the aim of introducing African cinema projects to the Spanish co-
production market.
Dominguez believes that as Spain produces an average of 170 feature films a year and
about 40 international co-productions, there has never been a better window of
opportunity for African filmmakers.
“It’s not the biggest market in the world, but the quality and quantity of its films makes
Spain an interesting co-production partner. We cannot forget that Latin America is an
important untapped market of 350 million people. Not only do central and South
Americans speak Spanish, it is also the second language in the US. There are more that
80 million Afro-descendants in Latin America alone. So the potential is huge,’ says
Dominguez.
Despite the lack of film co-production or any signed co-production treaties between
Spain and Africa, the main goal of Africa Produce is to introduce African cinema to
Spanish film production companies.
Dominguez is convinced that there are good opportunities and stories coming from the
African continent. “We met 23 top Spanish producers in 2010 and about the same
number in 2009. Our follow-ups have resulted in signed development agreements with
Spanish companies.’
He also reveals that through FCAT, the parent company for Africa Produce, they have
created an African film festival network (including eight festivals in Africa, Europe and the
US) to establish a circuit for African film projects so that they can be presented in
diverse territories.
“We have entered into an agreement with the Africa Press Organisation (www.apo-
opa.org) to get better media coverage in Africa. The National Film and Video Foundation
in South Africa also helps us disseminate information, as do Spanish embassies and
cultural centres on the continent.’
In some instances Africa Produce offers financial assistance to African filmmakers. In
2009 and 2010 an incentive fund was introduced where Spanish producers that entered
into co-productions received EU5 000 (R49 650) to develop a project. No funding has
been secured this year as yet.
The language barrier was overcome by script translations and the provision of immediate
simultaneous translation at meetings and pitching sessions.
One of Africa Produce’s major highlights is the development of two films from Senegal
and Mali, by Spanish producers that were presented in previous editions.
African countries that have supported Africa Produce include: in the feature films
(fiction) category: Nigeria (four), Cameroon (four), Senegal (three), Namibia, Burkina
Faso, South Africa-Uganda (one co-production between these two countries), Mali,
Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, RD Congo and Ghana.
In the documentary category filmmakers came from Burkina Faso (three), Cameroon
(two), RD Congo (two), Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Mozambique, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
