Fifth IsLABentura Canarias Lab Opens for Global Screenwriters

The regional government has launched the fifth IsLABentura Canarias, a film and TV script lab. Over the past four years, this program has helped develop more than 50 stories connected to the Canary Islands. About 20 of these are now being turned into films or series with the support of various Spanish production companies.

Details about this new edition were announced on Tuesday by Cristóbal de la Rosa, Director General of Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries; Natacha Mora, coordinator of Canary Islands Film; and María José Manso, director of IsLABentura Canarias.

This year, the lab is offering 16 spots to screenwriters worldwide. Applicants must submit a story idea in Spanish that features the Canary Islands. Selected writers will have six months to develop their ideas into full scripts, guided by leading Spanish professionals. The program will end with a meeting where writers can pitch their scripts to production companies interested in making them.

The Directorate General of Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries, through Canary Islands Film, organizes the program. It also works with the seven island councils and Proexca. You can find the full program details and application rules on www.islabenturacanarias.com. Applications are open until February 22.

Over the past four editions, 58 scripts have been created. Of these, 18 are currently in various stages of development, working with production companies towards becoming films or series. Last year, Elástica Films, known for the award-winning "Romería" (Carla Simón, 2025), signed a deal for "Goda" by Katia Klein, a script set in Lanzarote, even before that edition finished. Another major Spanish studio also bought an animation script, and more stories are in advanced talks to be produced.

From earlier years, several projects have secured most of their funding for filming. These include "Especies distintas" by Laura Pérez, set in La Gomera, and "Fiesta Negra" by Guillermo Magariños, set in Lanzarote. Both feature films received production grants from the Government of the Canary Islands. Additionally, three other projects received development grants: "Tierra" by Arima León, "La Cathédrale" by Eduardo Cubillo, and "Un supermercado en Tigaday" by Javier Morala.

This year, Sara Bamba, Yolanda Barrasa, and Borja Santaolalla are new additions to the team of professionals who will help shape the selected stories into top-quality scripts. Returning mentors include Curro Royo, Gianmarco Serra, Isabel Herguera, Pablo Bartolomé, Arantxa Cuesta, and Alba Lucío.

Screenwriters interested in developing a fiction or animation script set in the Canary Islands and written in Spanish can apply. After applications close on February 22, the mentoring team will take one month to choose the participants. Eight of the 16 spots are specifically for screenwriters living in the Canary Islands, with an aim to ensure fair representation and a balance of stories from different islands. Once selected, participants will attend three in-person meetings: in Tenerife (April), La Gomera (July), and Gran Canaria (October). The Gran Canaria meeting will include pitching sessions with production companies and an awards ceremony at the closing gala.

The training workshops will cover various topics: group support for the creative process (María Elizaga), group script analysis (Elina Fessa), pitching and marketing (Cristina Merino), creative process (Enrique Buleo), editing and script (Emma Tussel), art direction and script (César Macarrón), character creation (Diana Rojo), character psychoanalysis (María Elizaga), directing actors (Natalia Mateo), and music in scripts (Arturo Olea).