Spanish cinema’s market share drops to 12.1% in 2010

The Institute of Film and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) has announced the official figures for Spanish cinema in 2010. Although still very disappointing, they are somewhat better than those announced by unofficial sources a few weeks ago.

At 12.9m, admissions for Spanish productions fell by 4.5m compared to 2009, representing a slump of over 25%. Meanwhile, the share of viewers dropped 3.4 points, from 15.5% in 2009 to 12.1% in 2010.

Overall, 2010 was not a good year for cinema in Spain, which saw lower audience turnout for films of all nationalities. While in 2009 audience figures in theatres reached almost 110m, last year they stood at 101.5m, representing a drop of 8.5m. Comparing both sets of figures, it can be concluded that more than half of the viewers who deserted theatres in 2010 did so by spurning Spanish films.

There are few surprises among the best-performing Spanish films. Topping the rankings is Fernando González Molina’s Three Meters Above the Sky (€8.4m), followed by

La Mirada Film Festival in Australia

Now in its fourth year, La Mirada Film Festival is a boutique, Spanish language film and cultural festival co-programmed by Festival Director Rocio Garcia and Spanish cinema maestro, Pedro Almodóvar. And locals have taken it to their hearts.

Madrid-born Garcia met Almodóvar when she worked as an attachment on his 1988 comedy classic, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown . It was her first job in the film industry, and it forged a professional relationship with both Almodóvar and the Spanish film industry, that has endured to this day. Garcia arrived in Australia in 1999 and continues to spend three months in Spain annually. When she arrived here, “Spanish film and culture wasn’t accurately represented in Australia,” she reflects. As a result, she decided to put together a showcase of Spanish cinema and culture that was more “sophisticated, real and true”.

For the first festival, Garcia enlisted the help of the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) as well as her illustrious friend, Almodóvar.

Almodovar, Coixet y Amenabar, los mas subvencionados por Espana

El B.O.E. ha publicado recientemente la relación de ayudas concedidas por el Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA) durante 2009 para la participación y promoción de películas españolas seleccionadas en Festivales Internacionales.

El ICAA tenía previsto un gasto de 1,2 millones de euros en concepto de ayudas a la participación en este tipo de certámenes. Sin embargo, Ignasi Guardans, que accedió al cargo de director general de esta instrucción en mayo de 2009, decidió aumentar esa partida inicial en 650.000 euros más, tras publicar una resolución en el B.O.E. en la que se justificaba esta decisión en las siguientes razones: “La particular situación de la industria cinematográfica española, el creciente número de producciones y la cada vez mayor selección de películas en festivales internacionales”.

After the Argentinian Oscar we should convene a discussion on the future of the industry

The Oscar he won the Argentine film “El Secreto de sus ojos” should convene a discussion of all sectors involved in the South American country on film the future of the industry, according to argentina actress Cecilia Roth. Roth said in an interview with Efe that his country is “enormísimo talent” and that national film production needs the commitment of everyone, both financially by the government and an audience who go to movie theaters. For the famous actress, another Argentinean film has risen with the Oscar for Best Foreign Film “is always a push for people to go see more movies, allows for more production and it is to serve as Argentina’s production deserves.