Seminci, the Valladolid International Film Week, will host an expanded third edition of Spain’s Independent Film Market for the first time from October 25-27.
Known as MERCI Valladolid, the market is jointly organised by Seminci and the Association of Independent Film Distributors (ADICINE).
The market used to be held at the Seville European Film Festival, which was previously run by Seminici’s new director José Luis Cienfuegos.
Sixteen of independent Spanish distributors are presenting their international titles to exhibitors, television networks and platforms at MERCI Valladolid.
Among the titles being screened at MERCI Valladolid are the best feature winner at the recent Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, Demian Rugna’s horror When Evil Lurks (distributed in Spain by SelectaVisión); Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner Anatomy Of A Fall (Elástica); Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s dramedy The Miracle Club (A Contracorriente Films); James Marsh’s biopic Dance First (Wanda Visión), Thomas Lilti’s A Real Job (Filmax); and Thea Sharrock’s mystery period comedy Wicked Little Letters (DeAPlaneta).
Access to screenings will be allowed only to Spanish exhibitors, broadcasters and platforms.
“We call MERCI, ‘the little Marché.’ It allows exhibitors to watch what we consider are the best independent movies for the next months, beginning with the strongest titles for the Christmas and Oscar season,” says producer-distributor Enrique Costa, co-president of ADICINE, with Lara Pérez Camiña.
Costa and María Zamora’s Elástica Films’ has distributed films such as Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun, and produced Carla Simón’s Alcarràs and Jaione Camborda’s The Rye Horn.
Camiña is co-founder of BTeam Pictures, a distribution and production outfit behind films such as Maite Alberdi’s The Eternal Memory (as distributor) and Carlos Vermut’s Manticore (as producer).
“Another goal is to have some feedback from exhiibitors towards the marketing. Ithighlights the exhibitors’ work and allows for the positioning titles in each specific theatre or complex,” explains Seminici industry activities organiser Olimpia Pont.
Costa adds: “By sharing these screenings with exhibitors, we can find a more realistic approach for preparing and fine-tuning campaigns.”
Other films to be screened at MERCI Valladolid are María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat’s Puan (La Aventura Audiovisual), Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex (Avalon), Xavier Legrand The Successor (BTeam Pics) and Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper (Caramel Films).
“What we look for is an exchange,” Camiña explains. ”For instance, if some exhibitors have set the same date for their premieres for similar kinds of films, it is possible to search new non-conflicting launching dates.”
Festival Films, Golem Distribución, Karma Films, Syldavia Cinema, Tripictures and Vértigo Films make up the rest of the 16-member ADICINE contingent at MERCI Valladolid.
New initiatives
Among new industry activities at MERCI Valladolid is the seventh ‘Find Distribution in SEMINCI,’ initiative, where registered professionals can watch scheduled titles without distribution in Spain yet.
The Jornadas de Distribución Independiente (Independent Distribution Conference) will also be held at MERCI Valladolid under a new format. Sector experts will debate new tools that both distributors and exhibitors can use to develop their promotional strategies for launching films.
The conference is organised by Pont, also head of industry at TorinoFilmLab, and Fernando Lara, a former SEMINCI director and the general manager of Spanish film body ICAA from 2004-2009 The conference will include meetings, talks and round tables with industry professionals.
David Rodríguez, general manager for Spain & Portugal at Comscore Movies is among the keynote speakers.
Veteran producer, distributor and exhibitor Enrique González Macho will also be honoured at Valladolid with the MERCI Award 2023. He was founder of art film distributor Alta Films. Some of González’s most celebrated productions are Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo’s The Night Of The Sunflowers (2006) or Icíar Bollaín’s multi-awarded Take My Eyes (2003). He was the first European to own a cinema in Moscow, which was mainly devoted to Spanish films.
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