Madrid Pitches Itself as a Global Production Hub as It Looks Ahead to Hosting the Upcoming 6th Iberseries & Platino Industria

Under the banner, ‘Something is Cooking in Madrid,’ Madrid Film Office head Raúl Torquemada led its presentation at the San Sebastian Festival where he stressed that the capital is stepping up efforts to position itself as a leading European audiovisual production hub, combining a diverse range of filming locations with public funding, industry networking and support for international co-productions.

He highlighted the Spanish capital’s breadth of locations, from its historic center and iconic Gran Vía to neighborhoods including Lavapiés, Malasaña, Carabanchel, Vallecas and Tetuán.

“Madrid is a city for telling great stories,” he declared.

“The city offers a mix of historic architecture, contemporary urban environments, residential districts and green spaces, while the wider Madrid region adds rural, natural and heritage locations,” he added.

Production in the city remains strong. According to Madrid Film Office figures, more than 1,025 medium- and large-scale projects were filmed in the city in 2025 with permits for occupation of public space. The city was also home to at least 71 feature films, 52 series and more than 410 advertising productions. Madrid City Council processed 11,001 filming applications during the year, while Madrid Film Office provided 4,115 specific support services to productions, almost 7% more than in 2024.

Behind the production numbers is an extensive municipal support network involving the Municipal Police, mobility services, culture, parks and gardens, the city’s 21 districts, EMT and other public bodies. Madrid Film Office assists productions with location scouting, permits and coordination between the different authorities involved in a shoot.

Funding is another key element of the city’s strategy, Torquemada pointed out. Since 2021, Madrid’s audiovisual support programs have allocated more than €15 million ($17.4 million) to the sector, including €10 million ($11,6 million) for production and €5 million for promotion and distribution. The city has also introduced support for the development of series, complementing funding available from the Community of Madrid.

Madrid is using those initiatives to encourage co-production and international business. Madrid Film Office supports industry events including the Platino Awards and Iberseries & Platino Industria, while also organizing meetings with international delegations and networking events designed to connect producers and creators with potential partners.

The economic case is also becoming clearer. A study developed with support from the Autonomous University of Madrid found that films and series shot in the city between 2021 and 2024 generated more than €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) in economic output and approximately 10,100 jobs, Torquemada pointed out.

The city is also investing in the next generation of projects and talent through initiatives including the Film Academy’s Residency Programme, SeriesLab Torino and ECAM Forum. The city’s message to producers is straightforward: Madrid wants to be not only a place to shoot, but a place where audiovisual projects can be developed, financed, connected to international markets—and ultimately brought to the screen.

Torquemada was followed by Iberseries co-director Samuel Castro, who said: “In just six years, I believe we have become a reference point—not only nationally, but also as an international-facing B2B business event. We have become a place where Spanish and Portuguese-language content can find a springboard to global expansion.”

“We started out with an ambitious focus on the Ibero-American market, but we have now gone beyond that. Last year, our international focus was Korea, and this year we are continuing that initiative with a major program dedicated to Korean content.”

Iberseries CFO Jesus Prieto expected registered attendees to surpass last year’s figure of 2,700.

“But the event is not measured simply by the number of people attending; it is also about the quality of those participants,” he stressed adding that of those more than 2,000 participants, around half are from outside Spain, and they expected a great number of participants from Mexico, the Focus Country this year.

Said Xiomara Garcia, general coordinator of the Madrid Film Region: “We are currently celebrating Spain’s submission of ‘La Bola Negra’ – a production from Madrid and with Madrid talent – for the upcoming [Oscar] awards and we hope to see it recognized.”

“The regional government is making a clear commitment to the audiovisual sector. At the most recent State of the Region debate, three audiovisual initiatives were put forward: support to encourage younger audiences to attend cinemas; the creation of the Carlos Saura Cinema House in Collado Mediano; and the creation of a network of filming destinations across the Community of Madrid.”

“These are three clear and decisive measures demonstrating a commitment to supporting the sector.”

The 6th Iberseries & Platino Industria runs from Sept. 29 – Oct. 2 at the Matadero Madrid.