Spanish producers association controversially suggests new finance system

A press conference this morning in San Sebastian has created controversy in the Spanish cinema industry.

Pedro Pérez [pictured], president of FAPAE (the producers association) has said that “public funds should get out of the state’s general budget as it occurs in France or Germany. Cinema should fund cinema”, he said.

This new model proposed by FAPAE signifies a big change in the traditional system for financing Spanish films, until now dependent of the budget of ICAA, the government body for cinema. This announcement comes days after some unofficial sources assured that Government had plans to eliminate the “recoveries funds,” given by the state after films are released, according to a film’s box office results.

Pérez has pointed that cinema funds should come from the taxes of cinema tickets, DVD, TV rights and the overall cinema consumption. The president of FAPAE has also expressed fears that the government won’t pays this year’s recoveries leaving producers in a very difficult situation.

Regarding the complicated situation that Spanish cinema is going through, Pérez has revealed some numbers. In the last 12 months, film productions have decreased 14.7% (99 to 71) with a 10% loss of employment. Shooting have gone down a 27%, from 130 to 95. Co-productions have, however, gone up from 29 to 34.

Cinema tickets of Spanish films have also gone down from $83m to $60m and market share has gone from 14% to 11.2%. Overall tickets have slipped from $593m to $542m.