How many millions does the audiovisual sector invest in Lanzarote per year?

In 2022, a total of 274 shooting days of 57 different audiovisual productions were recorded on the island.

Film shooting. Lanzarote Film Commission.
Film shooting. Lanzarote Film Commission.

Film, television, advertising and photography production companies added a total of 274 shooting days in Lanzarote last year, which represented an investment of 11.3 million euros, according to estimates by the Lanzarote Film Commission, the department dedicated to promoting the island as a film destination, within the Sociedad de Promoción Exterior (SPEL).

Due to its cross-cutting impact with other economic sectors and its capacity to generate employment, the audiovisual industry has been classified as a strategic sector by the Government of the Canary Islands, which estimates an investment in the entire archipelago of close to 224 million euros.

The Lanzarote Film Commission, responsible for advising professionals in the audiovisual industry interested in developing projects on the island, has recorded 57 productions in 2022. Among them, a feature film, two fiction series, five documentaries, eight television programs, as well as 41 advertising or photography projects.

One feature film, two series and nine documentaries

The German feature film Sonnenplatze, currently in post-production, was shot by the German production company Maverick Film, and was shot last year in several locations on the island, including La Geria, Las Casitas de Femes, El Golfo and the Volcán del Cuervo.

In 2022, scenes were also shot for two television series. On the one hand, the Spanish Bienvenidos a Edén, and on the other, the United States series, Foundation, which filmed, among other places, Las Salinas de Janubio, the Cactus Garden and the Piletas del Mojón.

Among the nine documentaries that included filming on the island, there were two of Spanish origin: Islas Canarias, Nacidas del Fuego, focused on Timanfaya and produced by Unidad Editorial Play the Unit for National Geographic; and Qué Animal, a production of Televisión Española, with images of Famara, Papagayo and Arrecife.

There were also five documentaries from the United Kingdom. The BBC filmed images of Timanfaya within its Planet Earth documentary series. The other British-made documentaries were: Europe From Above, focused on La Geria, for National Geographic; Make or Break, a documentary for Apple TV filmed in Caleta de Caballo and La Santa; A place in the Sun, filmed in Playa Honda; and High Road, Low Road, a documentary with images from all over the island.

In addition, chef José Andrés filmed on the island for the American Discovery Channel part of José Andrés & Family in Spain. Another American-produced documentary was Hidden Canary Islands, from public television PBS.

The French television France 3 also filmed a documentary in Lanzarote last year, entitled Thalassa, le grand jeu du monde de la mer.

Programs and advertisements for television and fashion magazines

In 2022, filming was also carried out on the island for three television programs. Discovering Canary Islands, a German production for the Rakuten channel; Holiday Home Show, a program for Channel 5, in the United Kingdom; as well as Acustic Home, a Spanish production for HBO.

Likewise, advertising campaigns were filmed for Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Roxy and Decathlon. There were also several photographic reports, including for the firms Massimo Dutti, Mango, Parfois, Pull & Bear and Zara; and for several fashion magazines such as Elle, Marie Claire and Vogue.

Lanzarote Film Commission has the institutional support of the regional government in symbiosis with the Canary Island Film. It also has the support of the main associations at national, European and international level.

Recently, it has also joined Profilm, an association of production companies that develop projects with third countries in Spain, and Cine Regio, a network of regional film funds in Europe, where the objectives are the exchange of knowledge, film policy and co-productions.

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