Malaga Film Office shines the spotlight on advertising films once again this year: we talk to Belén Carrasco

Advertising cinema, beyond being a form of commercial communication, is an art in itself. That is why we have a place in the prestigious Malaga Film Festival, with the celebration of the Advertising Film Production Activities, for the sixth time.

Between cinematographic creativity and the world of advertising here is Málaga Film Office. This municipal one-stop shop dedicated to the audiovisual sector plays an essential role in promoting Malaga as a filming location, showing the potential of the city to be the base of an audiovisual production, among other things.

Málaga Film Office recently has announced that the 271 audiovisual productions carried out in Malaga capital have invested 18.6 million euros in 2023, 30% more than the previous year. From APCP, we want to know how Malaga has become an attractive scenario for advertising production. We talked to Belén Carrasco de las Heras, who has been working at the Malaga Film Office for 20 years.

How does advertising cinema contribute to the culture of Malaga? As for example with the Cruzcampo’s Lola Flores spot.

Advertising films contribute to the culture of Malaga in a very positive way. And many of these productions -which have chosen Malaga as a location to tell their stories- have shown our culture in various ways.

Specifically in the Cruzcampo’s Lola Flores spot -by Primo for Ogilvy- neighborhoods are shown (such as Lagunillas, Ollerías, 25 years of peace among others) that define the idiosyncrasy of the place in addition to its urban culture, its gastronomy, etc… Likewise the focus is put on the uniqueness of our Andalusian accent, our artists and flamenco, that is, it is a clear example of how through an advertising production the Andalusian popular culture is made known.

And this visual record creates many benefits: it promotes tourism, leads to more interest and participation in the cultural scene of the city, it promotes local cultural identity and diversity which generates more tolerance and intercultural understanding and highlights the talent of our technicians and creatives. On the other hand, we are left with a document that shows our history or local cultural trend of that moment.

For all these reasons, advertising films play a significant and very positive role in the promotion and preservation of our Malaga culture.

How do the Advertising Film Production Activities contribute to the local community, as students, technicians and to the film festival itself?

The advertising film production activities contribute to the learning of new practical skills for both students and technicians (in fields such as film production, editing, wardrobe, etc… ) in addition to creating synergies, which is a plus for the development of their careers, increasing employment opportunities for the entire audiovisual sector.

Moreover, taking place during the Malaga Festival is reciprocally positive for the association as well, since it makes the city and its sector known. This includes opportunities for everyone, from filmmakers, production technicians, logistics personnel, including other services related to or derived from the audiovisual sector, such as local tourism.

What are the initiatives with the greatest impact that Malaga Film Office has had?

For example, the tax exemption for filming on public roads for non-advertising shoots, which has led to the attraction of many productions to the city, as well as the sustainable production seal of Malaga.

The City Council is committed to sustainable development practices that prevent and minimize the environmental impact of audiovisual activities in Malaga. Therefore, in collaboration with Promalaga and the Environment Department, we offer various tools aimed primarily at prevention and compensation.

As a result of this effort, many national and international public entities have contacted us interested in copying this initiative, which makes us feel very proud and want to continue working with enthusiasm to -as our motto says- take care of the most important location we have …., the planet!

2023 has left some exceptional data, do you think it is due to the showcase that means the Malaga Festival, the management of the city council of Malaga to show its new innovative image and your management of permissions?

The good data of 2023 are indeed due to the combination of many factors as you indicate: the impulse and support of the Malaga Festival as a platform to showcase and support the audiovisual industry, attracting the attention of the entire national and international industry and the general public, the management of the city council to promote the city through its new image, as well as the management of permits by this filming office that has been the municipal one-stop shop dedicated to the audiovisual sector for 22 years.

Obviously the experience is a degree, but the management of permits is fast and efficient thanks to the collaboration of the municipal areas that have understood from the beginning what is a production and its times, especially advertising. But this management goes beyond that, offering itself also in the execution of the productions thanks to the assistance of our magnificent Local Police that after so many years, already speak the language of cinema. This has led to create a favorable environment to host all kinds of productions. It’s a great team work and in Malaga we also work for yesterday…. 😉

Other important and decisive factors for choosing Malaga as a film set can be mentioned, such as the natural beauty of the city, the climate, the connections, the diversity of locations, but the real protagonist of this data is and always will be the audiovisual industry that not only attracts, but also produces, creates and is responsible for telling these magnificent stories.

In short, all this combination is what has contributed to the success of the audiovisual industry in Malaga in 2023.

What are the challenges you are facing today?

To have the necessary infrastructure to host large film studios and virtual studios, investing in training and equipment; this would create new business opportunities and employment generation.

To offer the necessary qualified training to meet the needs of productions, avoiding the need to bring in equipment from abroad.

Obtain more funding to continue promoting the productions and the sector in and from Malaga, investing in effective promotion and marketing strategies, attending more international fairs and markets to attract audiences and platforms.

What are your long-term goals in the development and promotion of Malaga’s film industry?

Our priority objective is to continue promoting our local audiovisual industry and at the same time attracting productions to the city always based on sustainable criteria, for which we work every day to get more and more resources and logistical support.We will continue to establish strategic alliances with other related industries, such as tourism and technology and innovation, to enhance the creative economy of the city, so that more is produced and at the same time invest in the support and distribution of local productions.We will also continue to serve as an archive of the history of the productions made in the city, betting that the aforementioned challenges will soon become a reality.

Photographs featured image: Museum of Malaga of the Institutional Video You know where to find me © Teatro Soho Televisión; City Hall Series Los Farad © Prime Video (Diego López Calvin)

Interview by Marina Carazo

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