59 entities sign the founding act of the Audiovisual Cluster Madrid
The constitution of the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster has been signed, with Raúl Berdonés from Grupo Secuoya serving as its president, and producer Mario Madueño, from the Asociación Madrileña Audiovisual (AMA), acting as vice-president, alongside Patricia Motilla from Andersen as the secretary. The Cluster is founded with a total of 59 registered entities, under the support of the Madrid City Council, though the Community of Madrid is not participating for the time being.
The cluster is a cross-sector business platform comprising production companies, distributors, exhibition firms, platforms, financial entities, universities, service providers, institutions, associations, law firms, and more. It brings together entities with seemingly conflicting interests but united by the shared goal of promoting the audiovisual sector and all the subsectors within it.
The 59 entities currently forming the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster are: 39 Escalones Film, 59 en conserva, Amazon Prime Video, Andersen, Aquilus, ADICINE, APPA, Asociación La Viña, AEVOD, AECINE, AMA, Asociación Iberseries y Platino Industria, Asociación Próxima Cine, CREA, Auna producciones, DAMA, DOCMA, Écija Media, El Gatoverde Producciones, EGEDA, Fede Entertainment España, Federación de Cines de España, FEDICINE, Fundación Universidad de Alcalá, Inusual Events Comunicación, JRivera Producciones, La Bestia produce, Making Doc, Matriz, Misstress Greenfilm, Movistar Plus+, Nadie es perfecto producciones, Netflix, Paramotion Films, Pixel Clúster de la Animación Digital, Potenza, Prevalenza, PATE, Resistance, Salon Indien Films, Secuoya, Smith & Pixel, Asoma Creaciones, Squirrel Media, Tharsis Capital, The Core School, The Film Agency, Walt Disney, Tornasol, Todos Bank, UTECA, Complutense University of Madrid, University of Alcalá, European University, Nebrija University, U-Tad Centro Digital, Vértigo Films, Wanda Visión, and Workout Events.
The Deputy Mayor of Madrid, Begoña Villacís, together with the City’s Councillor for Economy, Innovation and Employment, Miguel Ángel Redondo, and accompanied by the Councillor for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Andrea Levy, as well as Almudena Maíllo, the head of the Madrid Tourism Delegation, participated in the first meeting of the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster, which was formalised with the signing of the founding charter.
The Deputy Mayor of Madrid believes that “the cluster is the best formula” to assist the audiovisual sector because it allows the key representatives “of the sector itself” to “propose the path to follow and move forward together.” Villacís expressed optimism about this collaboration, saying, “I believe the outcome could not be better” for ensuring “Madrid holds a significant place in the film industry.”
In this regard, the new president of the cluster highlighted that “Madrid has become a magnet for high-level audiovisual production” and emphasised that “beyond being a cultural hub, which we undoubtedly are, we are also an industry that drives capital, adds value, and is essential for the growth of a community and its visibility abroad.” The individual who will manage the Cluster is yet to be revealed, with several candidates under consideration.
The Madrid City Council began working on this project in November 2021 with the aim of generating value, developing and retaining talent, promoting large events in Madrid with international reach, and designing and implementing collaborative projects of interest to the sector and all associated entities. The cluster aims to create employment and business, boost the audiovisual sector with a presence and activity in Madrid, support companies, and bring together various stakeholders, generating a multiplier effect through the participation of industry, the business and service sectors, public administrations, universities, training and research centres, financial entities, and other economic agents.
In the process of forming the Madrid Audiovisual Cluster, thematic working groups were organised on: training, financing, festivals and promotion, distribution and audiences, locations and public management, production services, a group dedicated to drafting the cluster’s statutes, and finally, one that developed the financing plan. All the working groups were coordinated by Andersen and the City’s Partnership and Madrid Brand office.
For Madrid City Council, the audiovisual sector is a key component of the city’s economy and industry, providing direct or indirect employment to around 39,000 people, which represents 41.3% of the total employment in the sector across Spain. For this reason, during this term, the Department of Economy, Innovation and Employment has allocated a total of €4,952,745 to support production, promotion, and distribution in 2021 and 2022, with a similar amount of €5 million expected to be granted in 2023.
