The San Sebastian Festival will host its fourth-annual Creative Investors’ Conference on September 23 and 24 within the scope of ‘Spanish Screenings: Financing & Tech’. The gathering will include a series of panels and discussions (open to festival industry badgeholders) and private networking activities; conference attendees will also have the opportunity to attend the Zinemaldia & Technology event on 25 September.

Again organised in collaboration with CAA Media Finance, the conference will welcome top global executives and experts (listed in alphabetical order by surname): David Arroyo of Suma Capital; David Atlan-Jackson of Vuelta Group; Javiera Balmaceda of Amazon Studios; Rodolphe Buet of Studio TF1; Akunna Cook of Next Narrative Africa Fund; Élisabeth d'Arvieu of Mediawan Pictures; Frédéric Fiore of Logical Pictures; Mike Goodridge of Good Chaos; Robin Kerremans of Caviar; Sam Kozhaya of Legendary Entertainment; Axel Kuschevatzky of Infinity Hill; Juan de Dios Larraín of Fabula; Alexandra Lebret of AXIO Capital/Together Fund; Vincent Maraval of Goodfellas; Teresa Moneo, independent producer; Matías Mosteirín of K&S Films; Skye Optican of Annapurna Pictures; Sébastien Raybaud of Anton; Laura Rossi of MUV Capital; Andrea Scarso of IPR.VC ; Karl Spoerri of Zurich Avenue; Lars Sylvest of Thank You Pictures; David Taghioff of Library Pictures International; Alexandra Tynion of Tricky Knot; Christine Vachon of Killer Films; Christian Vesper of Fremantle; Patrick Wachsberger of 193; Robert Walak of Iconoclast and Michael Weber of The Match Factory.

Several of the companies are attending the conference for the first time, including 193, Amazon Studios, Annapurna Pictures, AXIO Capital/Together Fund, Fabula, Fremantle, IPR.VC, Legendary Entertainment, Mediawan, MUV Capital, Next Narrative Africa Fund, Studio TF1, Thank You Pictures, Tricky Knot and Vuelta Group. 

Topics of discussion will include the new European studio model; what private investors are looking for in 2025; how producers are staying nimble working across series and cinema as well as across country borders; the global growth of Latin American content; exploring new funding models launching around the globe; and forward-thinking predictions about how the industry will continue to reinvent itself.

Roeg Sutherland, Sarah Schweitzman and Peter Dakich from CAA Media Finance will participate in the Conference and also moderate some of the talks, as will Wendy Mitchell, delegate and advisor of the San Sebastian Festival.

The panels, talks and discussions will be held from 10 am to 2 pm on September 23 and September 24 at Tabakalera. The detailed talks schedule will be available on the Festival’s website in coming days.

Jose Luis Rebordinos, director of the San Sebastian International Film Festival, says, “We are delighted to see the Creative Investors’ Conference grow in importance and influence in its first three years and are thrilled with the impressive group of executives and experts that will join us for this fourth edition. We are grateful to count on the support of the Spanish government for this conference, and of course our continuing fruitful collaboration with CAA Media Finance. We know this year’s conference will include thought-provoking discussions on stage, as well as important private networking sessions and interactions between the global experts and the Spanish film industry.”

About Spanish Screenings: Financing & Tech

Spanish Screenings: Financing & Tech is promoted by the Ministry of Culture through the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), the Ministry for Digital Transformation and of Civil Service, ICEX, the Malaga Film Festival and the San Sebastian Festival.

The San Sebastian Festival also hosts, as part of ‘Spanish Screenings: Financing & Tech’, Zinemaldia Startup Challenge, to be held on September 25.