23/09/2014 - During his usual appearance at the San Sebastian competition, the president of FAPAE assures that, in spite of the crisis, people are still going to the cinema in Spain

Ramón Colom, president of FAPAE (the Spanish Confederation of Audiovisual Producers), was accompanied this morning by Joxé Portela (vice-president of FAPAE and president of IBAIA), Carlos Juárez (president of EPE-APV) and Raimon Masllorens (president of PROA) during his usual appearance before the media at the San Sebastian Film Festival. He began by announcing the online publication by FAPAE of its 2013 annual report and by underlining the presence of Spanish cinema in San Sebastian: 40% of the films present.

In relation to 2014, on 21 September the market share for Spanish cinema was 23.6%, the highest in history, and it is believed that it could reach over 25% by the end of the year, thanks to debuts like Marshland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alberto Rodríguez
film profile], REC4 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaume Balagueró
film profile] and Torrente 5. That said, budgets have dropped by €3 million on average in 2009, to €1.3 million.

Colom assured that “we’ve managed to make commercial cinema, although I prefer to call it popular cinema, and it doesn’t have to be bad cinema”, giving the example of El niño [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniel Monzón
film profile]. “We’ve ensured that the audience sees what’s being produced: these are no longer films that give a clichéd, stereotypical image of Spain. What’s more, we’re witnessing the search for new audiences, like for example Long Distance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlos Marques-Marcet
film profile]. We’re happy with how cinema is doing: it’s doing well,” he pointed out.

In relation to the celebration of the cinema congress which will be announced this Saturday by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, Colom wonders: “To talk about what? If those of us in Spanish cinema don’t usually speak to each other, there’s no ongoing relationship…”, whereas he’s delighted about the upcoming payment of subsidies for 2012, although 6 of the 39 million owed by the Ministry of Culture is still due.

Criticising the usual lack of attendance by TVE at this conference, Colom lamented the deplorable state of public television: “We’re going to have a campaign on behalf of public television: it’s the citizen’s heritage. And from there we need to promote cinema like private institutions do.” Finally, in relation to AMA leaving in July, he concluded: “We’re open to them returning to FAPAE: nothing would make us happier.”

(Translated from Spanish)