Colombia. The Bogotá Audiovisual Market, BAM, reaches its ninth edition as the most important specialized market in the audiovisual industry in Colombia and one of the most outstanding in Latin America. This year it will take place from July 9 to 13, 2018, and will have Spain as guest of honor.
The Spanish delegation, which will travel to Colombia thanks to the collaboration of the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), through the Foco Cultura España Colombia, and the Embassy of Spain in Colombia, will be made up of ten producers with extensive experience in co-productions in Latin America and thirteen industry professionals who will be part of the different activities of the market. In addition, there will be a select group of experts who will participate in the Co-production Forum of the General Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE).
Among the guests is the presence of the director, screenwriter and producer Arantxa Echeverría, the first Spanish director to be in the Directors' Fortnight of Cannes 2018; Sergio Frade, co-founder of the production company Frida Films, with which he has produced films that have been selected to compete in top international festivals such as "San Sebastian International Festival", "Miami Film Festival", "BAFICI" and the Sitges and Malaga festivals, among others; and Manuel Cristóbal, an audiovisual producer who has won four Goya awards in the category of best animation and who was selected as one of the 60 personalities of the Cannes Film Festival by Variety.
The good moment of Spanish cinema
Both the Colombian and Spanish audiovisual industries have registered sustained growth in recent years and, currently, there are more and more opportunities to generate business between them. Between 2006 and 2017, 20 co-productions were made between Spain and Colombia. On the other hand, in the same period, 10 Colombian films were released in Spain. Among them are "The Embrace of the Snake", "Paradise Travel" and "Dreaming costs nothing".
In fact, the BAM's invitation to Spain comes at a time of significant growth in that country's audiovisual sector. According to information from the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts of Spain (ICAA), "during 2017 241 Spanish feature films were produced (120 feature films are documentaries and 4 animation), of which 42 were in co-production with other countries. Of these, Pedro Aguilera's "Demonios tus Ojos" was performed with Colombia. In addition, during the year the shooting of 196 feature films has begun, and 153 feature films have been released in commercial cinemas".
Spain has innovative and avant-garde companies, tax benefits to attract foreigners interested in filming in the country, and attractive locations that have captivated directors, producers and actors such as Clint Eastwood, George Lucas, Matt Damon, Sean Connery and Robert de Niro.
Apart from the economic benefits, Spain offers players in the international audiovisual sector the possibility of accessing a market of productions that are increasingly seen in circuits other than showrooms, such as streaming platforms, which becomes an opportunity for the Colombian audiovisual industry.
This platform of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá and Proimágenes Colombia, with the support of the Fund for Cinematographic Development (FDC), brings together the actors of the Colombian audiovisual sector with buyers from different countries who bet on local talent.
