PremioFilmin

Source: ECAM Forum

Director María Herrera Lopez (right), with Alba Wystraëte (left) manager of ECAM.

Spanish director María Herrera López’s feature debut Since You’ve Been Gone won two major awards a the ECAM Forum international co-production market which took place in Madrid from June 10-13.

Since You’ve Been Gone won the €30,000 Filmin prize in which the Spanish platform acquired the streaming rights for a Spanish production. The family drama also won the €7,000 Madrid Film Office award, presented to a project set in Madrid.

Produced by producer-distributor Avalon, the film is about a woman facing the next stage in her life after the death of her mother for whom she has cared for many years.

Since You’ve Been Gone was screening in in the Films To Come section which showcased 15 Spanish and international projects in search of international financing and co-production partners.

The major winner of the Last Push section in which eight Spanish and international films in post-production were screened to potential partners was Peruvian director Gracia Barbieri and Gonzalo Benavente Secco’s The Art Of War which was awarded €15,000 for postproduction.

The film mixes genres to explore Peru’s recent history and the voices of the country’s artists.

Additionally, Spanish director Alba Esquinas’ first feature, the coming of-age drama BAI BAI won the IFFR Rotterdam award of an invitation to the 2026 CineMart co-production market, for a project participating in the ECAM development lab La Incubadora.

Nativity by Chilean filmmaker Francisca Alegría, won the Screen International ECAM Forum award for the project with the most international appeal.

Two awards in the series projects section, given by Serializados and Series Mania respectively, went to Javier Mariscal Crevoisier’s people-smuggling thriller Black Water, while the Conecta Fiction prize was presented Elizabeth Cruz, Bárbara Robles and Adrián Arjona’s New Age.

The second annaul pitching event was organised by Madrid’s film school ECAM and was attended by more than 700 professionals from Spain and abroad. They included programmers from Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, London and Rotterdam and Spanish and international sales companies including Le Pacte, Films Boutique, Alpha Violet and Charades.

“We know that more deals have been closed in the Last Push section and Films To Come than last year,” said Alberto Valverde, the Forum’s coordinator. “Some conversations that were started last year have also closed.”

 

Topics