International buyers of Spanish featureshave a new event to mark on their calendars: the Spanish Film Screenings ofMadrid, to be held June 18-20.

Dubbed "Madrid de Cine,"themini-market will fill the hole left by the cancellation of the Spanish FilmScreenings of Lanzarote.

It will offer a more central and accessiblelocation for international travellers, and has the added advantage of being inthe capital city where many of the local industry's core businesses areheadquartered.

The June dates should also fit in well withthe international calendar of events, coming well after Cannes and not interfering with the Spanish Film Festivalof Malaga and its international markets, which have moved from late April toMarch 17-25 this year.

The LanzaroteScreenings, whichshifted in 2005 from their usual November-December datesto February, were called off last month after six editions. They attractedanywhere from 50 to 90 international buyers each year to screen the latestfeature films from Spain.

The new Screenings are organized by the cityand regional governments of Madrid, the Spanish Foreign Commerce Institute (ICEX), theMinistry of Culture and its Film Institute (ICAA), the Madrid Film Commission,the Spanish Producers' Federation (FAPAE) and the Business Confederation ofMadrid (CEIM).

Further details will be unveiled this week.