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- A presence that fosters dialogue among production, talent, incentives, services, and new business opportunities, within a program connecting Mexico to the international audiovisual industry
The event will take place from September 29 to October 2 at Matadero Madrid. With over 120 accredited professionals, Mexico boasts the second-highest level of participation in this edition, following only Spain. “Producing in Mexico is awesome” (*Producir en México está chingón*)—a session titled “New Conditions for Competition”—is one of the key activities scheduled for Tuesday, September 29. This conversation will bring together diverse industry perspectives to analyze the country’s current capabilities and the conditions that bolster its competitiveness as a production hub. Participants will include Guillermo Saldaña, General Director of the Mexico City Film Commission; Mónica Lozano, CEO of Alebrije Cine y Video; Andrea Bilbatúa, CEO of New Art Group; and José Miguel Álvarez, General Director of EFD Studios Mexico.
*Amores perros*: Gala screening for Mexico, the Featured Country. Mexican cinema will also take center stage with a gala screening of *Amores perros*, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, taking place on Tuesday, September 29, at the Sala Azcona in Cineteca. The screening will be introduced by Mónica Lozano, the film’s associate producer; the event is presented by Estudio México Films, with distribution by MUBI.
Mexico will have its own dedicated space. Its status as the Featured Country will also be visibly represented within the market. Mexico will feature its own branded container and a special presence at Plaza Matadero, one of the main areas for networking and professional interaction at Iberseries & Platino Industria. Throughout the four-day event, this space will serve as a hub for the Mexican delegation, facilitating connections between the country’s companies, institutions, and professionals and international producers, executives, and partners. In this way, Mexico participates in the MAI Audiovisual Market, expanding its presence within the professional and business spheres of this edition. Mexican talent will take center stage once again with the previously announced keynote by director and screenwriter Katina Medina Mora: “Directing Without Borders: From Mexican Independent Cinema to Global Series.” After developing feature films in Mexico such as ‘LuTo’, ‘Sabrás qué hacer conmigo’, and ‘’atido’, Medina Mora has built an international career that includes productions like ‘Emily in Paris’, Selena: The Series’, ‘XO, Kitty’, ‘Swagger’, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’, and ‘Off Campus’.
The conversation, moderated by Axel Kuschevatzky, will address the transition from developing one’s own projects to joining productions with established universes, teams, and workflows; how the craft of directing changes when working for different platforms; and how a unique creative vision can find its place within international productions. Medina Mora will also participate in “Women in Ibero-American Fiction: Building Bridges from Dynamo,” a discussion on fostering local talent and facilitating their integration into international teams and markets without losing the stories’ identity.
The Mexican presence will also feature a component specifically designed to foster professional connections. On Thursday, October 1, the “Matchmaking Session: Mexico, Country in Focus” will take place, bringing together 40 professionals for a series of meetings with five hosts linked to key strategic areas of the Mexican audiovisual industry. Participants at these tables will include: Guillermo V. Saldaña Puente, General Director of CFilma (Mexico City Film Commission), an agency dedicated to facilitating and promoting audiovisual activity in the capital; under his leadership, CFilma has worked on policies and mechanisms to strengthen Mexico City as a production destination and improve conditions for audiovisual activity. Andrea Bilbatúa Ferrer, CEO of New Art Group, a company specializing in dubbing and post-production for the Latin American market. José Miguel Álvarez Ibargüengoitia, General Director of EFD Studios Mexico, a company specializing in audiovisual production services, offering solutions in camera, lighting, motion control, grip, soundstages, post-production, and virtual production.
Yunuen Cuenca and Diana Álvarez Segoviano, representatives of the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE), will present opportunities linked to the new Tax Incentive for Film and Audiovisual Production (EFICA). They will be joined by Regina Solórzano, CEO of Talipot Studio—a Mexican production company with a strong international presence—who is currently developing television series with creators such as Rodrigo Prieto, Gibrán Portela, Mark Olsen, and Will Scheffer. Solórzano also served as a co-producer on the Oscar-nominated film *Triangle of Sadness*.
The Mexican delegation will host a cocktail reception designed to foster professional networking, facilitating quick and productive interactions that can lead to new contacts and conversations, while bringing together professionals from different countries. The event will be opened by EGEDA Mexico, alongside CFilma and Sin Sentido Films.
Iberseries & Platino Industria is adding the workshop “Thinking Like a Producer: Creative Business Strategy” to its program. Aimed at producers, directors, screenwriters, and development executives, this training focuses on strengthening fiction projects from creative, industrial, and market perspectives. Leonardo Zimbrón, SVP of Co-production at 3Pas Studios, will share tools for developing projects and business models tailored to the current audiovisual market. Mónica Lozano will also participate in the session “Producers Only in the Building: Challenges as a Catalyst for Change,” joining international producers to discuss new financing structures, cross-territory collaboration, and strategies for project development in a transforming landscape. Additionally, she will take part in a commemorative conversation marking the 30th anniversary of FIPCA (Ibero-American Federation of Film and Audiovisual Production), an organization for which she previously served as vice president. Amazon MGM Studios will bring together talent from Mexico, Argentina, and Spain for the session “New Voices, Great Stories: Amazon MGM Studios’ Commitment to Emerging Talent.” Participants from Mexico will include Camila Misas, Head of Local Originals Mexico at Amazon MGM Studios, among others.
New formats will also feature Mexican representation. Clo Fernández, Future Development Manager at Telemundo Studios, will participate in the session “Microdramas: What the New Format Entails” alongside Javier Williams—SVP of Spanish Language Content at 3Pas Studios (USA) and CEO of Visceral (Mexico)—to analyze how the short-form format is beginning to be integrated into the strategies of studios and production companies. Meanwhile, Juancho Cardona, General Director of the Mexico-based 11:11 Films & TV, will take part in “How to Watch a Series with Your Eyes Closed,” a session exploring the process of adapting the narrative podcast ‘Las vidas de Marilú’ into a series.
Mexico’s presence at Iberseries & Platino Industria reflects a dynamic industry: talent working both at home and abroad, companies connected to diverse markets, an increasingly international network, and a new competitive landscape. This is the audiovisual Mexico arriving in Madrid this year.
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