Colombia and Argentina Assume Presidency of IBERMEDIA, the Funding Program for Ibero-American Cinema

Ibermedia is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023 during the 62nd edition of the Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI), and it does so with a significant update: its presidency will be held by two regional authorities. María Fernanda Céspedes, Director of Audiovisuals, Film, and Interactive Media (DACMI) at the Colombian Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Knowledge (Mi CASa), and Nicolás Batlle, acting president of Argentina’s National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA), will lead the most important aid and cooperation fund for Ibero-American cinematography in the region.

Colombia and Argentina take over the presidency of Ibermedia from Beatriz Navas, Director of Spain’s Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA).

For the first time in the program’s 25-year history, two countries will share this role, an arrangement seen as an opportunity to more aggressively promote audiovisual excellence under the leadership of two major regional powers.

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Céspedes, director of DACMI, noted regarding the appointment: “For Colombia, it is an honor to hold the presidency of the Ibermedia Program for the first time, alongside Argentina. Our mission for these two years of co-presidency will be to work toward consolidating an Ibero-American audiovisual space that fosters the integration of our community of 23 countries.” She added: “We are diverse nations with a common present and future challenge: to generate actions aligned with the new needs of our region’s filmmakers, reinforcing what already exists while exploring new paths that bring us closer to the new dynamics of the industry, both regionally and globally.”

Since the Ibermedia logo first appeared in 1998, the fund has supported the development and co-production of at least 2,000 fiction, documentary, and animated feature films, as well as numerous TV series and training programs. This support is managed through scholarships and grants for film schools, laboratories, universities, workshops, and seminars across Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

“I am very happy and honored to share the Presidency of Ibermedia with Colombia; an Ibero-American audiovisual cooperation program whose excellence is reaffirmed year after year,” said Batlle. He added: “From Argentina, through INCAA, we feel proud to have been chosen alongside Colombia, a country with which we feel a great affinity and share a long tradition of joint audiovisual work. I want to highlight the importance of this experience, and I am ready to contribute our trajectory, resources, and knowledge to face the challenges demanded by modern times. I take for granted that this will be a memorable experience in strengthening the Ibero-American audiovisual space.”

To celebrate the 25th anniversary, the program has introduced the slogan: “The emotion of Ibero-American cinema generated in more than 2,000 films,” marking a milestone as symbolic as its new joint presidency.

ABOUT IBERMEDIA

Ibermedia is an incentive program aimed at strengthening the Ibero-American audiovisual space through financial aid and annual calls for proposals. These are open to all audiovisual producers from the member countries of the Ibero-American community, which includes Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. The program promotes audiovisual excellence, contributes to the realization of market-oriented film and television projects, encourages networking among production companies to facilitate co-productions, and supports the continuous training of industry professionals.