14/12/2023 - The Malaga Festival forum, which will take place from 4 to 8 March, will enable Latin American and European feature film producers to come together

Actress Nerea Barros, whose project The Coast has been selected (© Casa de América)

A few days ago, during the celebration of the Argentinian market Ventana Sur, the 27th Malaga Film Festival announced the titles selected for MAFF (Malaga Festival Fund & Co Production Event). The market will form part of the MAFIZ (Malaga Festival Industry Zone) and will be held from 4 to 8 March 2024. The announcement was made by MAFIZ coordinator Annabelle Aramburu, accompanied by the ICAA's Deputy Director General for Promotion and International Relations, Camilo Vázquez Bello.

MAFF promotes dialogue between Latin American and European feature film producers, in a co-production and market meeting. It encourages the artistic growth of projects, international co-production, networking and financing possibilities. In addition to the titles announced (listed at the end), there are two projects from the MAFF Women Screen Industry section, another two from Latin American Focus and two from Territorios, which will soon be announced.

MAFF, which celebrates its seventh edition in 2024, aims to select, guide and provide creative, economic and financial advice to produce viable and quality audiovisual projects that facilitate their insertion in the global market. It also aims to contribute to their internationalisation and to provide training and personalised coaching to producers and directors, so that they can acquire tools to be used at business meetings in Malaga. As well as promoting innovation in business and production models with potential for international co-production, for subsequent distribution and commercialisation in markets, it intends to be the leading communication and networking platform, where industry professionals can meet and learn about the projects under development. This is in addition to creating spaces for reflection, debate and discussion on the current issues in the global audiovisual ecosystem and including new players in the Ibero-American audiovisual industry and making content in dialogue with audiences.

The projects selected for MAFF 2024 are eligible for the following awards: Bolivia Lab Industria, to participate in the production laboratory to be held in July 2024 in Santa Cruz (Bolivia); two Cántico Producciones prizes: ten minutes of original music for a fiction or documentary project, preferably from Central America or the Caribbean, valued at 6,400 euros, and original music and audio post-production for a trailer or teaser of up to two minutes in length; Impulso ECAM to receive personalised advice with the aim of strengthening the project and providing it with tools for its development; Acorde/Music Library: three prizes of 300 euros, as well as a flat rate for a production valued at 295 euros; SANFIC (Santiago International Film Festival) to participate in its production laboratory in August 2024; and Sideral will award 5,000 euros as a guaranteed minimum on its international distribution.

MAFF is organised by Malaga City Council and the Malaga Festival in collaboration with ICAA (Spanish Institute of Cinematography and Visual Arts), CAACI (Conference of Ibero-American Audiovisual and Cinematographic Authorities), Ibermedia, FIPCA (Ibero-American Federation of Film and Audiovisual Producers) and EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs).

The selected projects:

MAFF (Malaga Festival Fund & Co Production Event)

La lengua del agua (The Language of Water) - Jeissy Trompez
Production: Gregorio Rodríguez (Venezuela/Dominican Republic)

Allq’u - Teo Belton
Production: Macarena Coello (Peru)

Los pasajeros del último viaje (Passengers for the Last Trip) - Marta María Borrás
Production: Dany Celeiro Rodríguez (Cuba/Colombia)

Habitación 205 (Box 205) - Pablo Díaz
Production: Gabriela Sandoval (Storyboard Media) (Chile/Argentina)

Un amputado (An Amputee) - Ignacio Pávez
Production: Ivo Malinarich (Chile)

La costa (The Coast) - Nerea Barros
Production: Sofía P. Jordán, Jairo González (Spain)

El milagro del Surubi (For God’s Sake) - Lorenzo Tocco
Production: Francisco “Pancho” Magnou Arnabal (Uruguay)

La vida simple (The Simple Life) - Abner Benaim
Production: Malu Zayon (Apertura Films) (Panama)

Resistencia (Cuando cae la lluvia) - Yannilys Pérez
Production: Siddhartha Mata (YPR Films) (Dominican Republic)

El niño y el tiburón (Ever and the Sharks) - Lucía Florez
Production: Chémi Pérez (Peru/Spain)

Projects selected by agreement

Bolivia Lab
La carne dócil - Pedro Gusmão
Production: Mariana Mêmis Müller (Spain)

Cinemundi
Infantaria - Lais Santos Araújo
Production: Pedro Krull (Brazil)

Directorate of Audiovisual, Phonography and New Media of the Ministry of Culture of Peru (DAFO)
Suiza - María Fernanda Gonzales Vargas
Production: Norma Velásquez (Peru/Argentina)

Sanfic (Santiago International Film Festival) 
Las locas de la Praviana - Brenda Vanegas
Production: Encantada por la Vida S.A de C.V, Salon Indien Films S.L (El Salvador/Spain)

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)