The Minister of Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue, and Administrative Simplification, Antonio Sanz, and the Minister of Culture and Sports, Patricia del Pozo, have chaired the meeting of the Audiovisual and Digital Content Cluster of Andalusia (LAND) at the framework of the Malaga Film Festival, where the increase in incentives from the Andalusian government to the film sector up to six million euros was announced, the largest amount allocated to audiovisual creation, promotion, and production since the inception of these grants in 2002. These grants are complemented by support for the video game sector, in which Andalusia is a benchmark, with 600,000 euros in incentives for microenterprises, startups, and self-employed individuals working in this industry in collaboration with the Digital Content Hub of Malaga.
Antonio Sanz announced that the Andalusian Digital Agency (ADA) is working on defining and implementing «a single window for audiovisual and digital services in Andalusia expected to open by the end of 2025, providing the sector with a unified platform for all procedures related to filming permits, grants, or information.»
On the other hand, Patricia del Pozo emphasized that «the budgetary effort, resulting from dialogue with the sector and as announced by President Juanma Moreno, will not only expand the number of projects benefiting but also ensure funding for their implementation.» «We want Andalusian productions to move forward, and do so under optimal conditions, with the necessary resources to enhance their quality and national and international projection,» explained the Minister of Culture.
With this commitment, the Andalusian government strengthens support for new filmmakers, the industrial fabric, documentaries, short films, and audiovisual project development, while also working on actions specifically targeted at screenwriters and another at exhibition venues, conceived as essential spaces for the dissemination of Andalusian audiovisual content, ensuring its sustainability and facilitating public access to diverse and quality programming.
In addition, the Minister of Culture highlighted that, alongside the investment, significant improvements have been introduced in the management of grants, advancing the schedule of calls and ensuring their final resolution by March 31. «We position Andalusia as the only autonomous community in Spain that will resolve its grants in the first quarter of the year, allowing the Andalusian audiovisual sector to position itself with advantage in accessing other sources of state funding,» stated Del Pozo.
The effort to strengthen the Andalusian audiovisual industry has also focused on its international projection, with strategic actions in the main international markets and festivals, where around thirty Andalusian production companies and enterprises participated in the ‘Guadalajara Film Market’ of the Guadalajara Film Festival, the ‘Industry Club’ of the San Sebastian Festival, the European Film Festival of Seville, and the ‘European Film Market’ of the Berlinale. This program is supported by an 85% community contribution through the FEDER 2021-2027 Program.
In this context, the I Forum for the Internationalization of Andalusian Audiovisuals (FIAA) kicks off at MAFIZ, the industry area of the Malaga Film Festival, aimed at positioning professionals and companies in the international markets and establishing direct connections between Andalusian audiovisual players and key figures in distribution, programming, co-production, and exhibition sectors. A program has been designed with various showcases of Andalusian companies, meetings with industry professionals, and networking sessions.
The Andalusian government, through the Ministry of Culture and Sports, will also have a promotional stand serving as a meeting point for Andalusian companies and has organized an event for fifty professionals to foster professional exchange. Along the same lines, forty Andalusian companies have been accredited to participate in various dissemination and promotion activities in Ibero-American countries.
52 companies in the LAND Cluster
Antonio Sanz emphasized that 17 companies joined LAND in 2024, and during this year, 13 more entities, «all of them true national and international references in the sector, joining forces based on the belief that public-private collaboration and generating synergies between public institutions, companies, and knowledge centers are essential for sector growth.»
In just over a year, a total of 52 companies have joined the LAND audiovisual cluster. «Companies witnessing how the Andalusian government continues to work to address the main sector demands in terms of administrative simplification and bureaucracy elimination,» highlighted the Minister.
In this regard, thanks to the Simplify Andalusia Plan (AS Plan), the procedure for authorizing work in series and films for minors under 16 years has been standardized and streamlined through a unique and specific application form. Similarly, efforts continue with relevant departments to expedite to the maximum filming authorizations in coastal areas and to standardize and simplify the filming request in buildings classified as Historic Heritage.
Reflecting on the work carried out from LAND the previous year, the Minister of Presidency highlighted the incorporation of the Andalusian cluster into the Spanish Network of Audiovisual Clusters (REDCAU), which already included clusters from Madrid, Valencia, Galicia, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarre, the Canary Islands, and Aragon.
Likewise, he recalled the synergy established among various LAND partners to produce the ‘Estela’ short film, a 100% Andalusian project that won the Carmen Award from the Andalusian Film Academy for Best Animated Short Film at its 2025 awards.
In terms of training, Antonio Sanz emphasized the Andalusian government’s focus on exploring new options and possibilities, such as the SINGER project in Seville, the largest investment in the history of the Andalusian government in the audiovisual sector (four million euros), or the digital entrepreneurship center focused on video games and digital content ‘El Banco’ in Jaen, integrated into the ‘Mission’ program, which received nearly 1.8 million euros, in addition to the technological node in collaboration with the Industrial Organization School (EOI) focused on video games and digital content, also in the Jaen capital.
Simultaneously, LAND and Andalusia Film Commission have reached an agreement to work in a coordinated manner to serve promoters of audiovisual and digital projects in Andalusia, which will also help identify high-impact projects in terms of investment and job creation, which would be assigned to the Project Acceleration Unit (UAP).
To this end, last January, the Junta modified the UAP’s competencies to incorporate the audiovisual sector and thus boost this industry by facilitating project management and giving it the necessary speed to move forward.
Regarding the projects initiated this year, Sanz highlighted that LAND «will continue to organize sector forums and promote agreements and collaboration with key institutions,» citing an example of the agreement reached with the Ministry of Education to promote dual vocational training in collaboration with sector companies.
LAND also aims to become the Innovation Cluster of Andalusia by 2025, to benefit from the advantages and opportunities it brings for accessing public funding and financing collaborative projects focused on the cluster’s innovation with its partners.
Additionally, regulatory frameworks are being prepared for the creation of the LAND Awards to promote Andalusian audiovisual production and encourage creativity and innovation. Thus, the process of creating a seal (LAND) has begun to certify that companies providing audiovisual and digital content services meet the excellence requirements of the Andalusian government.
The Minister of Presidency concluded by emphasizing that «we continue to work for the audiovisual and digital content sector to generate future opportunities reflected in the GDP of our region and in employment.»