Co-production markets and specialist forums in Europe serve as essential platforms where international film projects can find partners, funding and collaborative structures that enable their realisation. Unlike commercial markets focused on the sale and purchase of distribution rights for completed films, these international co-production forums focus on projects in the development or production stages, facilitating meetings between producers seeking partners from different countries to share financial risks, combine creative and technical resources, and access tax incentives and public funds from multiple territories. Film co-production in Europe operates through a dense network of specialised events where producers present projects via pitching sessions, take part in one-to-one meetings with potential partners, receive expert advice on financing structures, and establish the professional connections needed to turn ambitious projects into cinematic realities with an international reach.
Co-production markets within film festivals
CineMart – Rotterdam
CineMart takes place during the Rotterdam International Film Festival, with the next edition scheduled for January–February 2027. The market provides a platform for presenting bold feature films in the early stages of development and immersive (XR) projects to the international audiovisual industry. CineMart is distinguished by its focus on innovative and experimental cinema that challenges narrative and formal conventions, attracting producers, development funds and distributors interested in artistically daring projects.
Selected filmmakers and producers receive specialist mentoring to strengthen the creative and commercial aspects of their projects, and take part in networking opportunities with European co-producers, investment funds, international sales agents, specialist distributors and other potential funders. The CineMart format combines pitching sessions, where producers present projects to an audience of industry professionals, with scheduled one-to-one meetings that allow for specific negotiations with interested partners.
The integration of CineMart with the Rotterdam Film Festival creates synergy, enabling projects presented at the market to connect with programmers, critics and professionals attending the festival, thereby expanding their network of contacts beyond the specific market. The festival’s Art Directions section, focused on immersive and multidisciplinary experiences, complements the market by providing a platform for projects that push the traditional boundaries of cinema into audiovisual performances and immersive media.
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. Specialising in fiction and non-fiction film projects in development from both Europe and Latin America, the Forum promotes transatlantic collaboration that capitalises on the cultural, linguistic and economic advantages of co-productions between the two regions.
Those in charge of selected projects present their work via pre-recorded pitches to industry members, complemented by personalised schedules of one-to-one meetings with professionals interested in participating as co-producers, investors or distributors. This dual structure of public presentations combined with private meetings maximises opportunities to establish specific connections tailored to the particular needs of each project.
The Forum awards significant prizes that provide direct funding and international visibility: the Best Project Award, the DALE! Award (Latin America-Europe Development), specifically designed to strengthen transatlantic ties, and the ArteKino International Prize. Winning projects receive not only financial support but also industry recognition, which facilitates subsequent negotiations with other funders.
The Forum’s collaboration with the Marché du Film-Festival de Cannes enables selected projects to continue their international journey within the Cannes Producers Network, creating a structured pathway where projects progress from their initial presentation in San Sebastián to being showcased to the global industry in Cannes. Since 2018, the Proyecta initiative has linked the Forum with Ventana Sur, the leading Latin American market, promoting co-productions with Latin America and driving selected European projects towards regional Latin American markets.
Since its inception, the Forum has presented 230 projects, of which 114 have become completed films selected for prestigious international festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Rotterdam, Sundance and Venice. This success rate of nearly 50% demonstrates the Forum’s effectiveness in identifying viable projects and connecting them with suitable partners.
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 where producers and creators can present their projects to potential European co-producers, regional distributors and international 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. The format combines formal project presentations with professional speed-dating sessions where producers rotate between brief meetings with multiple contacts, maximising the number of connections made during the market.
Participants forge valuable connections with European industry professionals, gain international visibility for their projects, and receive expert advice during consultancy sessions specifically organised to address aspects of development, financing or distribution that require attention. The market includes a programme dedicated to Italian-European co-productions, specifically designed to facilitate partnerships between Italian and European producers, taking advantage of Italian tax incentives and regional funds that support co-productions.
MIA Market also features showcases of Italian projects at various stages of production for international buyers, creating opportunities for Italian producers to position national content in global markets whilst attracting international investment towards local projects.
Connecting Cottbus
Connecting Cottbus takes place from 4 to 6 November 2026 during the FilmFestival Cottbus in Germany, specialising in East-West European co-productions. The market facilitates meetings between producers from Western and Eastern Europe, a region that offers an attractive combination of emerging 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, Slovakia, the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Connecting Cottbus is particularly valuable for Western producers seeking to structure co-productions that capitalise on production cost advantages in Eastern territories — more competitive technical wages, lower location costs, generous regional incentives — whilst maintaining access to Western distribution markets and European development funds.
The market includes work-in-progress sections where films in post-production are presented to sales agents and distributors seeking acquisitions, as well as pitching forums for projects in early development that require co-producers to commence production. This dual structure allows for the participation of projects at different stages of development.
Co-production forums and pitching events
When East Meets West – Trieste
The 16th edition of When East Meets West took place from 18 to 20 January 2026 in Trieste, Italy, establishing itself as a specialist forum for co-production that connects European producers with a particular focus on East-West collaboration. The event combines intensive pitching sessions, presentations of works in progress, inspirational workshops, talks with established professionals and extensive networking opportunities over three full days of activities.
The 2026 edition featured a special Focus on the Baltic countries and the GAS region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), highlighting productions and creative talent from these territories through dedicated showcases. The WEMW format includes a Co-Production Forum where projects in development are formally presented, Works In Progress sections for films in post-production seeking completion, the EAVE Slate showcasing projects by graduates of the EAVE European production training programme, Inspirational Labs with specialised workshops, and the Films x Games Connection Hub exploring the convergence between cinematic narrative and the video games industry.
Selected projects compete for awards that provide financial support and industry recognition. The 2026 edition named ‘Going Underground’ and ‘The Last Dog on Earth’ as winners, reflecting the market’s focus on independent cinema with a strong auteur vision. WEMW attracts decision-makers from European funds, established co-producers, sales agents specialising in auteur cinema, and distributors focused on niche markets, creating a conducive environment for projects that prioritise artistic quality over mass commercial potential.
Producers Network – Cannes
The Producers Network will be in operation during the Marché du Film in Cannes from 12 to 20 May 2026, providing a dedicated platform for producers seeking international co-production partners within the context of the world’s most important film market. The programme facilitates structured meetings between producers from different territories through a system of organised appointments that maximises the efficiency of networking during the market’s busy days.
Participants present projects in development, identify potential co-producers who can provide additional funding or specific regional expertise, and explore co-production structures that optimise access to national tax incentives, regional development funds, regional pre-sales and other sources of funding available when projects are structured as official co-productions under bilateral or multilateral treaties.
The collaboration between the Producers Network and the San Sebastián Co-Production Forum enables projects selected at the Spanish Forum to continue their international journey in Cannes, expanding the network of contacts established in September and presenting development updates to a new audience of industry professionals in May. This continuity between events creates a strategic pathway that maximises the exposure of projects to key decision-makers at different points throughout the calendar year.
The Producers Network also includes regional showcases where emerging markets such as Ventana Sur present selections of Latin American projects to European and North American producers, facilitating transatlantic co-productions that combine creative and financial resources from multiple continents.
Spain as an international co-production hub
Spain has established itself as a strategic hub for international co-production through an extensive network of bilateral and multilateral agreements that facilitate collaboration with producers from over 30 countries. This robust legal framework, combined with competitive tax incentives, a well-developed audiovisual infrastructure, a diversity of locations and qualified technical professionals, positions Spain as a prime partner for European, transatlantic and even intercontinental co-productions.
At the multilateral level, Spain is a party to the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production (revised in Rotterdam in 2017, ratified by Spain in 2022), which establishes a common framework for co-productions between signatory countries of the Council of Europe. This agreement facilitates the mutual recognition of works as national productions in each co-producing country, access to public funds from all participating territories, and the free movement of technical and artistic teams between member countries.
Spain is also a signatory to the Latin American Agreement on Film Co-production (Caracas, 1989) and the Convention on Ibero-American Film Integration, multilateral frameworks that facilitate co-productions across the entire Latin American region through harmonised procedures that reduce the administrative complexity of setting up co-productions with multiple countries simultaneously.
Spain’s bilateral European agreements include treaties in force with Germany (2000), Austria (2012), France (1988, amended several times), Italy (1997), Portugal (1989, with additional protocols of 2005 and 2006), Ireland (2008) and Israel (2012). These agreements establish specific procedures for the certification of co-productions, minimum participation requirements for each co-producer, nationality criteria for technical and artistic teams, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
Co-productions with Latin America are governed by bilateral treaties with Argentina (2018), Brazil (1963, updated 2008), Chile (2023), Colombia (2025), Cuba (1988), Mexico (2003), Uruguay (2023), Venezuela (1996) and the Dominican Republic (2021). These agreements capitalise on cultural and linguistic ties between Spain and Latin America, facilitating co-productions that access global Spanish-speaking markets whilst combining Spanish tax incentives with Latin American film promotion funds.
Spain also maintains strategic agreements with Canada (1985, amended in 1990 and 2006), China (2014), India (2012), Morocco (1998), New Zealand (2008) and Russia (1990), expanding co-production options beyond Europe and Latin America to Asian, Oceanic and North African markets. These treaties reflect a diversification strategy that enables Spanish producers to set up co-productions with partners from virtually any region of the world.
The Spain Film Commission coordinates a network of 48 regional and local film commissions that facilitate international co-productions by providing information on specific regional incentives, connecting foreign producers with Spanish service companies, assisting with the acquisition of filming permits, and advising on the optimal structuring of co-productions to maximise access to public funding and tax relief. Our presence at international markets and co-production forums enables us to establish direct links between international producers and the Spanish audiovisual ecosystem, transforming initial interest into structured co-productions that capitalise on Spain’s competitive advantages as a production location.
