Canary Islands Film, TV, and Gaming Sector Courts Mainland Business in Madrid
Canary Islands' film, TV, and video game industries showcased their talent and competitive advantages, including unique tax benefits and a surge in production value, to Spanish mainland businesses in Madrid, aiming to foster new collaborations and opportunities.
Companies from the Canary Islands' film, TV, and video game industries recently met with Spanish mainland businesses in Madrid. The goal was to highlight the islands' talent and advantages for producing projects, emphasizing their "highly competitive international companies and professionals."
This event, organized by Proexca (the Canary Society for Economic Development), the Canary Audiovisual Cluster, and video game associations Acadevi and Arcadev, aimed to help Canary Islands companies build connections and find new business and collaboration opportunities with mainland companies.
Fifty companies from the islands met with 160 from the mainland. Alfonso Cabello, Vice-Minister of the Presidency and President of Proexca, pointed out the islands' "unique" tax benefits as an outermost region of the EU, such as a 4% corporate tax rate for companies in the Canary Special Zone (ZEC). He noted that a third of all filming in Spain in 2024 took place in the Canary Islands. Additionally, three animated films and shorts produced in the islands were nominated for the 2025 Goya Awards, and many major international video game franchises have a connection to the Canary Islands.
Proexca reported that film and series production in the Canary Islands generated over 218 million euros in 2024, a 50% increase from 2023. There were 154 film and series shoots, up 17.6%, and 14,000 direct jobs were created, a 40% increase. The animation sector has around twenty studios across Gran Canaria and Tenerife, producing 26 projects.
A panel discussion featured prominent Canary Islands figures like director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and actress Toni Acosta, alongside industry professionals such as Catalan producer, screenwriter, and director Kike Maíllo, who has filmed some of his movies in the islands.
Fresnadillo praised the initiative, calling the Canary Islands an important location for global cinema and a "benchmark" for ambitious productions. He stated, "We've managed to make the audiovisual sector a strategic one for the Canary Islands' industrial and business landscape, showcasing a place with potential not only in terms of scenery but also in human talent, at a technical, business, and creative level."
Toni Acosta, who will star in the series "Trazos ocultos" in Tenerife in 2026, described the islands as "a paradise for filming, because you have everything in a small area, and it's easy to move crews around."