Ibermedia celebrates its 25th birthday in 2023 within the framework of the 62nd edition of the Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival – FICCI, and it does so with a novelty: its presidency will be occupied by two community authorities. María Fernanda Céspedes, director of the Audiovisual, Cinema and Interactive Media Directorate – DACMI of the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Culture, Arts and Knowledge – Mi CASa, and Nicolas Batle, acting president of the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts – INCAA of Argentina, will be in charge of leading the aid and cooperation fund for the most important Ibero-American cinematography in the region.
Colombia and Argentina assume the presidency of Ibermedia, replacing the director of the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts – ICAA of Spain, Beatriz Navas.
For the first time in the 25 years of the program, two countries assume this role in a shared manner, which is seen as an opportunity to more strongly promote audiovisual excellence, now led by two great authorities in the region.
Céspedes, director of the DACMI from Mi CASa, when referring to the presidency of the program, indicates: “For Colombia it is an honor to be for the first time in front of the presidency of the Ibermedia Program together with Argentina. Our mission for these two years of co-presidency will be to work towards the consolidation of an Ibero-American audiovisual space that promotes the integration of our community of 23 countries.” He added: “We are diverse countries with a common challenge for the present and future, to generate actions in accordance with the new needs of our filmmakers in the region, reinforcing and strengthening what already exists and exploring new paths that bring us even closer to these new dynamics of the industry not only at a regional level, but also at a global level.”
Since the Ibermedia logo first appeared in 1998, the fund has helped the development and co-production of at least 2,000 feature-length fiction, documentary and animated films, as well as numerous TV series and training programs through scholarships and support managed by film and TV schools, laboratories, universities, workshops, seminars and an extensive etcetera in Latin America, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
“I am very happy and honored to share the Presidency of Ibermedia with Colombia; the Ibero-American audiovisual cooperation program whose excellence is reaffirmed year after year,” said Batlle, adding: “From Argentina, through the INCAA, we are proud to have been chosen together with Colombia; country with which we feel a great affinity and have a long tradition of joint audiovisual work. I want to highlight the importance of this experience, for which I make myself available to contribute our experience, resources and knowledge to face the challenges that new times demand. I assume that it will be a memorable experience in strengthening the Ibero-American audiovisual space.”
To celebrate the 25 years of the program, they share with us the motto "The emotion of Ibero-American cinema generated in more than 2,000 films", thus beginning an event as symbolic as his presidency.
ABOUT IBERMEDIA
Ibermedia is a stimulus program aimed at strengthening the Ibero-American audiovisual space through financial aid and through annual calls that are open to all audiovisual producers from the countries of the great Ibero-American community that includes Latin America, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The Program promotes audiovisual excellence in the community, contributes to the realization of film and television projects aimed at the market, encourages the integration of production companies into networks to facilitate co-productions and helps the continuous training of professionals in the sector.
