In 2012, the San Sebastian Festival launched the I Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum. Its priority objectives are to foster the development of audiovisual projects, encourage collaboration between professionals and promote an opening out towards new international markets.

Intended for developing works, the Co-Production Forum is open to film projects from Europe and Latin America.

Those responsible for projects will have the opportunity to present their works to industry members at pitching sessions and they will receive a personal agenda of appointments with professionals interested in participating in their projects.

The Festival will present the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum Award 2016 to the Best Project, carrying EUR10,000 for the producer of one of the selected projects. In 2016 the EFADs-CACI Europe-Latin America Co-Production Grant carrying EUR 20,000 for the majority producer of one of the selected films, will be awarded for the first time. Moreover, ARTE France Cinema will present the ARTE International Prize carrying EUR 5,000 for the majority producer of one of the selected projects at the V Europe-Latin America Co-Production Foro.

The Forum also includes initiatives to prompt informal meetings between participants and activities to encourage the exchange of experiences and knowledge of key matters related to the audiovisual industry past and present.

It is also a gathering place for all industry professionals present at San Sebastian with its own matchmakers crew to facilitate contacts.

As an extension to the San Sebastian Forum, and as a result of the "Forging Alliances" collaboration agreement signed with the Producers Network of the Marché du Film-Festival de Cannes and Argentina’s INCAA (Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales), a number of these projects will be able to continue their international trajectory thanks to participation in the Ventana Sur market and in the coming edition of the Cannes Producers Network. This initiative will lend a decisive boost to their international promotion.

This year the San Sebastian Festival is promoting Focus on Nordic Glocal in the framework of the V Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum. A delegation of producers from Denmark, Iceland and Norway will come to San Sebastian to discover the Festival first hand, make professional contacts and participate in the Co-Production Forum and in the other activities of The Industry Club.

This professional meeting, launched in collaboration with the Glocal Cinemas Network and the Basque Government Department of Education, Language Policy and Culture, will be the starting point for the creation of a new Industry activity in 2017. Glocal in Progress will consist of the exhibition of European films in non-hegemonic languages at the post-production stage to an audience of producers, distributors, sales agents and programmers who can contribute to their completion and international circulation.

In 2014, the San Sebastian Film Festival began the activity Focus on, in collaboration with Telefilm Canada. A delegation of 12 Canadian producers was invited to participate in the Festival. In 2015, to consolidate the activity and taking account of the country’s production capacity, Canada once again occupied the centre stage of Focus on, this time also including professionals from the field of distribution.

Peter Hyldahl

BEOFILM

Mikkel Jersin

SNOWGLOBE

Katrin Pors

SNOWGLOBE

Fridrik Thor Fridriksson

HORIZON / ICELANDIC FILM CORPORATION

Hjálmtýr Heiddal

SEYLAN FILM PRODUCTION

Agnes Johansen

RVK STUDIOS

Grimar Jonsson

NETOPFILMS

Elisa Fernanda Pirir Ruiz

MERFILM