International film markets and film industry networking events form the backbone of the global audiovisual business, where distribution deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars are struck each year, international co-productions are organised, and professional connections are forged that shape the trajectory of projects for years to come. Unlike film festivals geared towards audiences and artistic recognition, these film industry events operate as B2B markets where producers sell territorial rights to their films, distributors acquire content for their catalogues, sales agents negotiate multi-territorial deals, and producers seek co-production partners who can provide financing, local expertise and access to regional incentives. Understanding the film market calendar and the specific characteristics of each event enables productions to strategically plan their international presence, maximise funding opportunities and establish the professional connections needed to navigate the complex global film ecosystem.
Film markets
European Film Market (EFM) – Berlin
The European Film Market takes place in Berlin from 10 to 16 February 2027, running alongside the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale). With over 12,000 accredited trade visitors, the EFM is the first major market of the year, setting commercial trends that influence the rest of the season. The market brings together international sales agents, regional distributors, producers, film commissions and technical service companies at the Gropius Bau venue and surrounding areas.
The EFM stands out for its focus on independent European cinema and auteur films with international commercial potential. The national pavilions, organised by each country’s film institutions, create geographical clusters that facilitate regional networking: the Cinema from Spain pavilion, managed by ICEX and ICAA, occupies a prime location within the venue to maximise the visibility of Spanish companies among international professionals. The market operates through a system of private screenings in venues across the city, where buyers view full-length films or works-in-progress before negotiating acquisitions.
The EFM programme includes talks on distribution trends, panel discussions on European funding, workshops on new exhibition technologies, and dedicated sessions on co-production. The market runs concurrently with other industry events such as Drama Series Days (focusing on drama series) and Books at Berlinale (literary adaptation rights), creating a comprehensive ecosystem of business opportunities over the course of an intense week.
Marché du Film – Cannes
The Marché du Film will take place in Cannes from 12 to 20 May 2026, coinciding with the 79th Cannes Film Festival. Recognised as the most prestigious film market with the greatest international reach, the Marché du Film attracts over 14,000 accredited professionals representing all segments of the audiovisual industry: producers, distributors, buyers, sales agents, technical companies, film commissions, investors and digital platforms.
The market operates from the Palais des Festivals and adjacent venues on the Croisette, where companies set up temporary stands that serve as sales offices for nine days. The gathering of key decision-makers from the global industry makes Cannes the place where the most significant distribution deals of the year are struck, both for completed films and for projects in development seeking financing through territorial pre-sales.
The Marché du Film includes specialised programmes that broaden its scope: Producers Network facilitates meetings between producers seeking co-production partners; Next connects the film industry with digital platforms and new distribution models; the Goes to Cannes Pavilion provides a space for emerging regional markets such as Ventana Sur to present showcases of Latin American projects to international buyers; and NEXT Generation offers discounted access to young professionals starting their careers in the industry.
The fact that the market runs concurrently with the festival creates a unique synergy: films competing in the festival’s official or parallel sections attract media attention, which their sales agents capitalise on to negotiate better distribution terms. ICEX, in collaboration with ICAA, coordinates the Spanish presence through the Cinema from Spain pavilion, which brings together national companies, boosting their visibility and helping them generate business contacts.
American Film Market (AFM) – Los Angeles
The American Film Market takes place in Los Angeles from 10 to 15 November, with its headquarters at the Fairmont Century Plaza. The AFM is the industry’s most business-focused market, concentrating exclusively on commercial transactions without the festival element that characterises the EFM and Cannes. Thousands of professionals converge on Los Angeles to finalise distribution, development and financing deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
The AFM operates through a system of temporary offices that sales companies rent within the host hotel, where they hold private screenings for buyers and negotiate contractual terms. The market is renowned for its transactional efficiency: professionals attend specifically to do business, creating an intensely productive atmosphere over six consecutive days. The location in Los Angeles facilitates access to studio executives, established independent producers and entertainment financiers based in the area.
The AFM Sessions is a conference programme featuring over 30 talks that offer practical insights from executives, creators and dealmakers shaping the industry today. LocationEXPO connects filmmakers with film commissions, production service companies and global partners, whilst the Innovation Hub showcases emerging AI companies and platforms and technology applied to the audiovisual sector. The market also features strategically located official screening rooms where films are screened for accredited buyers.
Ventana Sur – Montevideo/Buenos Aires
Ventana Sur will take place from 30 November to 4 December 2026 in Montevideo, consolidating the “Río de la Plata” format, which alternates between the Uruguayan capital and Buenos Aires. Organised by Marché du Film, ACAU (Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Association) and INCAA (Argentine National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts), Ventana Sur is Latin America’s leading audiovisual market, bringing together more than 3,000 professionals involved in the financing, distribution and co-production of Latin American content each year.
The market features programmes focused on different formats and stages of production: Primer Corte presents films in progress seeking completion and distribution; Copia Final showcases completed Latin American films to international buyers; Proyecta promotes co-productions between Europe and Latin America through collaboration with the San Sebastián Co-Production Forum; VS Docs specialises in documentaries; VS Animation in animated content; VS Shortfilms in short films, VS Guiones in project development from the writing stage, and VS Tech explores technological innovation and the creation of intellectual property.
The events take place at iconic cultural venues in Montevideo: Sodre, the Uruguayan Film Archive and the Solís Theatre, with the Film Archive dedicating specific spaces to market screenings. Ventana Sur’s international reach is extended through the “Ventana Sur Goes to Cannes” showcase during the Marché du Film, where Latin American projects in development are presented to international sales agents, programmers and distributors.
Ventana Sur represents a strategic opportunity for Spanish producers interested in co-production markets in Europe with a Latin American reach, taking advantage of bilateral co-production agreements between Spain and countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic, which facilitate access to public funding in both territories.
Hong Kong Filmart
Hong Kong Filmart takes place over four days in mid-March 2027 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, having established itself as Asia’s leading film market. The event brings together audiovisual professionals specialising in Asian content and facilitates business transactions between producers, distributors and buyers from Asian, European and North American markets interested in films, series, animation and documentaries from the region.
The market operates with a structure of national pavilions representing the diversity of the Asian industry: mainland China, Japan, South Korea, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and other territories maintain a significant presence. The programme includes, in the mornings (9.30–13.00), showcases by global studios presenting new content, and the AI Academy with technical workshops on artificial intelligence applied to cinema; and in the afternoons (13.30–17.00), thematic panels, Producers Connect sessions on international co-production, and masterclasses on film technology.
Filmart is strategically valuable for European and Latin American producers seeking Asian co-production partners, buyers for territorial distribution in Asian markets, or financing through pre-sales to regional distributors. The market provides insight into audiovisual consumption trends in Asian regions, which account for a growing share of the global entertainment market.
Industry networking events and professional gatherings
Foro de Coproducción Europa-América Latina – San Sebastián
The San Sebastián Film Festival Co-Production Forum, established in 2012, will take place during the 74th edition of the festival from 18 to 26 September 2026. Aimed at fiction and non-fiction film projects in development from both Europe and Latin America, the Forum promotes the development of audiovisual projects, fosters collaboration between professionals and enhances access to international markets.
Those in charge of selected projects present their work via pre-recorded pitches to industry members and are provided with personalised schedules of meetings with professionals interested in participating as co-producers, investors or distributors. The Forum awards significant prizes: the Best Project Award, the DALE! Award (Latin America-Europe Development) and the ArteKino International Prize, which provide additional funding and visibility to the winners.
The Forum’s partnership with the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival enables selected projects to continue their international journey within the Cannes Producers Network. Since 2018, the partnership with Ventana Sur through the Proyecta initiative has promoted co-productions with Latin America and supported the international development of selected European projects that meet specific criteria.
Since its inception, the Forum has presented 230 projects, of which 114 have become completed films selected for festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Rotterdam, Sundance and Venice. Recent success stories include El mensaje by Iván Fund (Silver Bear Jury Prize at the 2025 Berlinale), La virgen de la Tosquera by Laura Casabé (World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance) and Un cabo suelto by Daniel Hendler (Horizontes Latinos).
Producers Network – Cannes
The Producers Network operates during the Marché du Film in Cannes, providing a dedicated platform for producers seeking international co-production partners. The programme facilitates structured meetings between producers from different territories through a system of pre-arranged appointments that maximises the efficiency of networking during the market. Participants present their projects in development, identify potential co-producers who can provide funding or local expertise, and explore co-production structures that optimise access to tax incentives and public funds from multiple countries.
The collaboration between the Producers Network and the San Sebastián Co-Production Forum enables projects selected at the Forum to continue their international journey in Cannes, expanding their network of contacts and funding opportunities. This continuity between events creates a strategic pathway that maximises the exposure of projects to key decision-makers at different times of the year.
Connecting Cottbus
Connecting Cottbus takes place from 4 to 6 November 2026 during the FilmFestival Cottbus in Germany, specialising in East-West co-productions. The market facilitates meetings between producers from Western and Eastern Europe, a region that offers an attractive combination of creative talent, diverse locations, well-developed technical infrastructure and competitive tax incentives.
The concentrated three-day format allows producers to establish targeted contacts with potential partners from territories such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Baltic States and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Connecting Cottbus is particularly valuable for producers seeking to structure co-productions that take advantage of production cost benefits in Eastern territories whilst maintaining access to Western distribution markets.
MIA Market – Rome
MIA Market takes place from 19 to 23 October 2026 in Rome, serving as Italy’s international audiovisual market focused on projects in development. The event welcomes feature films, animated films, documentaries and series in the development phase, providing a platform for producers and creators to present their projects to potential co-producers, distributors and sales agents.
MIA Market facilitates financing and distribution deals through a structured programme of meetings between producers with projects and professionals seeking content to invest in or acquire. Participants establish valuable connections with European industry professionals, gain international visibility for their projects and receive expert advice during organised consultation sessions. The market includes specialised programming on Italy-Europe co-productions and showcases of Italian projects to international buyers.
Spain Film Commission presence at international film markets
The Spain Film Commission maintains an active presence at the leading international film markets, coordinating the participation of Spanish regional film commissions and facilitating connections between international producers and the Spanish audiovisual sector. Our international agenda includes a presence at EFM Berlin, the Marché du Film Cannes, the American Film Market, Ventana Sur and other strategic events where we promote Spain as a filming destination, facilitate co-production meetings and connect foreign producers with Spanish service companies.
During these markets, Spain Film Commission organises bilateral meetings between international producers and representatives of the 48 regional commissions that make up our network, showcases the production capabilities of different Spanish regions through promotional materials and visual showcases, provides up-to-date information on national and regional tax incentives, and connects producers with technical companies, studios, equipment rental firms and other Spanish suppliers.
For international producers interested in filming in Spain, our presence at these markets provides an accessible point of contact where they can obtain guidance on the legal framework for co-production in Spain, understand the requirements for accessing tax incentives, identify suitable locations for specific projects, and connect with potential Spanish partners who can offer local expertise and access to regional resources.
Check our updated schedule of appearances at international markets to arrange meetings during these events and maximise opportunities to connect with the Spanish audiovisual ecosystem.
