Screen International, Anima Stillking TIFF round table spotlights Spanish production scene

Spain’s attractive tax incentives and its vibrant production scene were among topics discussed in a round table hosted by production services company Anima Stillking and Screen International at Toronto International Film Festival.

Anima Stillking executive producers María Cabello and Jordi Utset met with producers, financiers and attorneys from Canada and the United States at the invite-only session on Sunday (September 9) to discuss what the new Malaga-based company can offer filmmakers looking to shoot further afield and benefit from production incentives, experienced crews, and stunning locations.

Spain’s appeal in the wake of last year’s Hollywood strikes was top of mind among attendees and Cabello confirmed the level of interest had gone up. “Since the strikes, producers are trying to finance projects in a different way after studio production was put on hold,” she said. “A lot of independents are coming to Spain as producers consider the different tax rebates around the world.”

Cabello, whose credits include production executive on the new Netflix show Kaos and executive producer on Warrior Nun, continued, “Our incentives have been highly secure and fully operational for the past nine years. The authorities have ensured the federal incentive is active, and we also provide regional incentives in Canary Islands and Basque country.”

Spain’s national tax rebate offers 30% to international film and television productions on the mainland spending a minimum of €1m, and 25% thereafter, capped at €20m for film and €10m for any single series episode.

”It’s 50% in Canary Islands for the first million [Euros spend] and 45% after that,” noted Utset, who was the Spanish unit location manager on Season 3 of Sid Gentle and BBC America’s Killing Eve, and the line producer on ITV’s The Diplomat.

Other regions are luring productions with competitive incentives, among them Bilbao and the province of Biscay, as well as Navarre, Valencia, and Galicia.

Anima Stillking, formed recently by producer Stillking Films, whose credits including Poor Things, and advertising production services company Twentyfour Seven, is led by CEO Silvia Aráez, COO María Cabello, and CFO Cristina Armario. 

It has offices in the Canary Islands, Barcelona, Madrid, Basque Country and Palma de Mallorca, and has been building a slate of productions with the likes of Netflix and AMC. The company’s suite of services includes overseeing all aspects of production, local tax rebate structuring, pan-European finance options, location services, and gaining access to a wide network of local production and government contacts.

Asked by Ali Moshref of Film Finances and Martin Katz of Toronto’s Prospero Pictures how long it takes before the rebate is returned, Cabello said international productions can expect it to be up to 18 months after the end of production in Spain. “A lot of people are asking for that bridge [financing],” said Cabello, who added that Anima Stillking will assist with the process.

David Lancaster of Los Angeles-based Rumble Films, who produced 2022 Toronto selection Sanctuary as well as Drive and Whiplash, asked about the points system – the backbone of the cultural test, which international productions must pass to qualify for the national incentive.

“It is very easy to pass – actually we don’t know any case that has failed, Cabello said. Points are earned, for example, when a minimum of five scenes are shot in Spain, another country within the European Union (EU) or a Spanish-speaking country. Shooting in a European language counts towards points, and that includes English, despite the country’s exit from the EU after the Brexit vote, thanks to EU members Ireland and Malta, where English is spoken.

All cast and crew who are Spanish tax residents are eligible and Anima Stilling hires them directly through a special purpose company it sets up for the production.

Katz, whose producer credits include David Cronenberg’s Cannes selection The Shrouds, asked what support productions can expect in terms of scouting. “We organise scouts according to the requirements, touching base with location departments all the time,” said Cabello. Utset added: “We can do this on a full project or even part of a project if you just need to shoot a scene in a desert, for example.”

Paul Presburger, a partner in Globalgate which specialises in local-language productions and has partners around the world, has just set up Miercoles Entertainment, Globalgate’s partner for Spanish-speaking territories. The executive has spent a lot of time in Spain.

“The tax advantages are second to none,” Presburger said. “Spain offers very experienced crews, top-notch production. You have a really robust environment of buyers: Amazon and Netflix are quite active in the territory, as is Movistar, which is another streaming service. [Broadcasters] Telecinco and Antena 3 have to invest in movies, like they do in France and some of the other big European countries, so there’s still a very robust theatrical business.”

“Your productions can count on big support from the administration,” Cabello said. “The visa process has become easier, we have these great incentives, and we take the business of environmentally sustainable productions seriously.”

Round table participants included Paul Cadieux of Filmoption, Kailin Che of SmithDehn, Yara Vilaro of Fabula, John Rakich of Location Managers Guild International, Jeff Kleeman from Bold Films, Jose Luis Echaniz Cobas of ICEX, and Joshua Jason and Alvar Carretero of Joshua Jason PR.

The event took place at Victor Private Dining Room, Le Germain Mercer.

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