In the lead-up to Cannes, Spanish movie gross sales proceed to indicate resilience regardless of shifting market tendencies and international challenges. The market indicators recommend an everlasting desire for style motion pictures and high-concept movies, whereas the sale of arthouse fare stays robust.
Antonio Saura, director common of Latido Films, tells Variety, “The trends we are seeing confirm the trends we identified last year — movies with a strong concept, genre in general, generate interest, [whereas] drama and ‘art house’ is more complicated and requires a different type of attention and positioning.”
While there are indicators of curiosity for motion pictures with high expertise hooked up, smaller movies and not using a important competition presence face an uphill battle.
This pattern is underscored by the Spanish movies chosen for Cannes, which vary from Benito Zambrano’s “Jumping the Fence” and Roya Sadat’s “Sima’s Song,” to Pau Calpe’s “Werewolf.” These movies, a part of the Spanish Screenings Goes to Cannes part, exemplify the variety and flexibility of Spanish cinema.
This market gravitation in direction of movies that may entertain displays the financial uncertainties and shifting tastes nonetheless influenced by gradual rebound by the field workplace after the peak of the worldwide pandemic.
The success of streaming plat- types throughout COVID lockdowns has indelibly marked viewers preferences, making it harder for area of interest titles to search out traction. Saura articulates the persevering with problem gross sales brokers face: “Great, beautiful fantastically crafted arthouse dramas are having difficulties in the market, that is a fact. Nowadays you need a certain ‘extra’ to convince buyers: the ‘I love your movie, but I don’t see how I could convince my audience to watch it,’ happens more often than before.”
“Distributors are very interested in commercial propositions — action, horror — where they have an idea of what they could make at the box office. There’s also an interest in the new generation of filmmakers in Spain, often women, and art films of pedigree, thanks to festival selection or prizes,” says Filmax head of worldwide Iván Díaz. “Titles in between, whose genre isn’t clear, are very difficult to sell.”
Vicente Canales of Film Factory Entertainment stays optimistic but in addition notes discernment out there.
“Buyers have returned to the markets and show great interest in the titles we present. However, they remain highly selective.”
This selectiveness might favor smaller boutique companies who themselves need to be very selective. Luis Renart of Tenerife-based Bendita Films heads to Cannes with two titles, “Samsara,” from Lois Patiño, which gained Berlin’s Encounters Special Jury Prize; and Itsaso Arana’s directorial debut, “The Girls Are Alright.”
“Since we work with a small amount of titles, and every single title is different from the other our approach has to be highly tailored,” Renart says. “At the end of the day, we’re talking about single standalone films. Each of them with their unique possibilities.”
The bigger gamers know all too effectively the significance of positioning. “A movie now requires even more marketing and wisdom than before,” says Saura. “As the market evolves, sales agents must become more strategic and innovative in their approach.”
Any exterior push is welcomed. “The effort the Spanish government is making this edition, the Marché’s Spain Country of Honor celebrations, are going to be very positive,” Renart says.
Some famous a wariness amongst distributors to shut offers, including to the anticipation and wish for a powerful Cannes exhibiting. “Cannes is the most important market of the year. It was before, but now even more so,” Canales says, additionally wishing for extra gross sales alternatives. “We miss having a strong market in the fall.”