Canary Islands will be again in the Málaga Film Festival, one of the most important audiovisual events in Spain, which has selected for this edition a dozen productions linked to the islands.
It will also be at MAFIZ, the industry area of the event, where negotiations are cooked up to establish, advance or close audiovisual production agreements, and the place where Canary Islands Film has arranged an extensive meeting agenda to continue working on strengthening the sector in the archipelago.
The details of the Canarian presence in Malaga 2026 have been announced today in an informative event at the headquarters of the Presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands, in which Alfonso Cabello, Deputy Minister of the Presidency and president of Proexca; Cristóbal de la Rosa, general director of Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries; Natacha Mora, coordinator of Canary Islands Film; Guillermo Ríos, filmmaker and director of CIIF Market; and Yadira Ávalos, producer of Naif Films, participated.
Canarias' actions in MAFIZ and the island's representation at the Festival reflect “the reality that the audiovisual industry is today in Canarias, which generates economy and opportunities,” highlighted Alfonso Cabello. A “success story” to which this work of dissemination and attendance at the most important events in the sector has contributed, such as the recent Berlinale and the next event in Málaga. A “degree of maturity that is the result of constant work over many years and of the talent and cultural perspective of our sector,” qualified Cristóbal de la Rosa.
The Malaga Festival will be held from March 6 to 15, with an intense activity of competition screenings and exhibition premieres, in addition to the frantic work of the industry section, which is attended by professionals from more than fifty countries. In this area, Canary Islands Film will have its own stand to attend meetings and also to provide space for others arranged by the thirty professionals from the islands attending the market, most of them within the framework of a mission coordinated by Proexca with the collaboration of the Canary Islands Audiovisual Cluster.
There will also be a great professional meeting organized by Canary Islands Film in which exhaustive information will be offered about the financing instruments that the Canary Islands offers for the audiovisual sector. It will be on March 12, at 12:00, at NH Málaga, led by Cristóbal de la Rosa, along with Natacha Mora and Lorena Martín from Canary Islands Film. The audiovisual model of the islands and the advantages of producing in and with the Canary Islands will be discussed.
Proexca facilitates the participation of ten companies and, additionally, through an open call, two others. Thus, Amuse Animation, Festeam Comunicación y Eventos, Flaming Frames, Jugoplastika, Kipuka Films & Estudio, Las Hormigas Negras, Naif Films, Onyxay Lanzarote Producciones, Solworks Films, Vector de Ideas, 3 Doubles and Alventio will be on this mission, several of which are part of selected productions.
Canarian productions selected in the festival
On the other hand, it should be noted that the Málaga Film Festival has selected several Canarian productions for its official competition section, among them, ‘The map to touch you’, by the filmmaker from La Palma Mercedes Afonso (documentary section) and the film ‘Quantum rave’, co-produced by the Canarian company Insularia Films (Zonazine section). both have been supported by the Government of the Canary Islands through its grants for development, production and minority co-production.
In official section out of competition features the premiere of the film ‘Solos’, by the Tenerife native Guillermo Ríos; in addition to other productions that were filmed in the Canary Islands and that have co-production from the Islands such as ‘The Benetón Family 2’, by Joaquín Mazón; ‘To an island of you’, by Alexis Morante; ‘Auri’, by Violeta Salama; ‘The Just Ones’, by Martín Piñeiro; ‘9 Moons’, by Patricia Ortega’, ‘Almost everything well’ by Andrés Salmoyraghi and Rafael López; and the series ‘Acoustic Home’ (4th season).
Canary Islands Film will land in Malaga after its recent passage through the market of the Berlin Film Festival, where it finally closed an agenda with 70 meetings, more than initially requested, and held a networking event that had a full house, in addition to receiving the Award for Best Location in Europe for the series ‘La Palma’.
The attendance at this type of events Spanish or international are part of the strategy that the Government of the Canary Islands is developing to attract audiovisual filming and also to support the talent that exists on the islands in this sector so that it becomes a strong and solid industry for the future.
In these markets is where the possibility opens for Canarian production companies to establish contacts to obtain funds or partners for the production of new films and series, and where national or international production companies interested in filming on the islands obtain the necessary information. Therefore, the presence of Canarian companies at this type of event is greater each year.
Throughout the coming months, Canary Islands Films, in coordination with Proexca and the rest of the island Film Commissions, is scheduled to attend other audiovisual events of maximum interest such as Series Mania, Lille (France); to the audiovisual Conferences in Mexico, CDMX; Marché du Film Cannes (France); MIFA, Annecy (animation/France); San Sebastián Film Festival (Spain); MIPCOM, Cannes (France); and Ventana Sur (Uruguay).
Official section in competition
- ‘The map to touch you’
Documentary by the Palmera filmmaker Mercedes Afonso, produced by Lunática Audiovisual Productions in co-production with Bocacha Films. Its premiere will be on Tuesday, March 10. The project has the support of the Government of the Canary Islands (Development 2020 and Production 2022)
The film has been developed over twelve years, where the camera accompanies the life of Airam, the director's son, diagnosed with ASD and PANDAS, and relies on the volcanic landscape of La Palma and the experience of its neighbors to build a story about resistance, community, and love. The project has the support of the Government of the Canary Islands (Development 2020 and Production 2022), it also was part of the CreaDoc documentary project development laboratory, in its 2018/2019 edition and received the Isla Mecas Award from the Las Palmas Film Festival.
The director, screenwriter, and film producer has already obtained several awards at national and international festivals with works such as: ‘Love Moves’, ‘Mothers Under the Skin’, or Life in the Hands, among others.
- ‘Quantum Rave’
Science fiction musical directed by Paco L. Campano and co-produced by the Canarian Insularia Films and La Zanfoña Producciones, which also has the support of the Government of the Canary Islands (Co-production 2023). It will premiere on Thursday, March 12, within the Official ZonaZine Section.
The feature film futuristic transports the viewer to the year 2666, when the universe is about to collapse and a singer and a DJ travel the cosmos in search of the best party. An epic odyssey that will take them towards the limits of reality.
Official section out of competition
- ‘Solos’
Directed by Guillermo Ríos, with Álamo Producciones and Secuoya Studios in co-production. The first screening will be on Saturday, March 7.
The feature film portrays the dinner of four close friends who face confessions, disappointments and reproaches during an exceptionally long night. A bittersweet comedy that invites one to lose the fear of laughing at oneself.
The Canarian director is known for his short films of social character. Nasija, one of his most recognized works at a national level, obtained more than 50 awards and was pre-selected for the Oscars.
- ‘The righteous’
Co-produced by the Gran Canarian Yadira Ávalos of Naif Films, with Carmen Machi as protagonist, and filmed in Gran Canaria. It will premiere on Monday, March 9
- ‘Auri’
Filmed in the Canary Islands in 2026, it is a production by Inefable Productions (ISII Group), which marks the second feature film by director Violeta Salama. In a comedy in the style of a “late coming of age” that explores with humor and tenderness the personal maturity of a woman who begins to dream of building the life she never had after achieving her own economic independence.
- ‘To an island of you’
Film by Alexis Morante, in co-production with Morena Films (Canary Islands) and IPG Mediabrands Entertainment, with the special collaboration of Toni Acosta. The film was shot in Gran Canaria, while a second filming unit recorded in Fuerteventura. Its premiere will be on Tuesday, March 10.
The objective, beyond telling a story, also aims to show the scenic and cultural value of the islands. It is for this reason that it has the support and participation of Tourism of the Canary Islands.
- ‘The Benetón Family 2’
Filmed in Gran Canaria, it is a production of Atresmedia Cine, together with a Canary Islands AIE. A comedy starring Leo Harlem and El Langui, whose first screening will be on Saturday, March 14.
- ‘9 Moons’
Dramatic comedy directed by Patricia Ortega (Mamacruz), with the Canarian Sara Sálamo in the cast, produced by La Claqueta, La Cruda Realidad, Amania Films, Menuetto ; and filmed in the Canary Islands.
‘Almost everything good’
Directed by Andrés Salmoyraghi and Rafael López and produced by Emedia Canary Projects and AF Canary Islands Studios, among others, and filmed in the Canary Islands. It will be available on March 7 and 8 at the Festival. The production narrates the story of Hilario, a writer stuck in the monotony of an unfulfilled life. The middle-aged man will seek a muse that makes him break with his routine and face a new reality.
A series, a documentary, a Lanzarote short film and a Special Pass
- Acoustic Home (4th Season)
Directed by Alexis Morante and co-produced by E-media Canary Projects and Womack Studios, whose premiere will be on Saturday, March 7. The musical documentary series narrates the life of ten artists in each season. The protagonists, Spanish or Portuguese, offer a concert and an intimate talk through an episode.
Out of competition participates the documentary feature film ‘One of Ours’, legacy of Joan Roca: produced by the Majorera La Caña Sisters; and in the official competition section the short film ‘Stone by Stone’, directed by Javier Vicente Caballero and in which the charm of Lanzarote's landscapes stands out, as it goes back to the origins of the Bodegas El Grifo, in La Geria.
Special pass for ‘Desire to live’, a documentary that focuses its gaze on the story of El Langui. It features the executive production of Yadira Ávalos, and is a production by Morena Films and the Gran Canarian Morena Docs.
