15/01/2019 - The Spanish Film Institute, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, earmarked a total of €44 million for the support of cinematic productions of all genres last year

In mid-December 2018, the Spanish Institute of Film and Audiovisual Arts (part of the Ministry of Culture and Sports) announced the names of the titles that would receive financial production support, encompassing those that took part in the call for general project support, as well as in the selective calls for animation, documentary and experimental film. All in all, 84 titles were selected, and they will share €44 million: €35.5 million for 37 projects of a general nature, from among the 130 that were submitted, and €8.5 million for 47 of a selective nature, which were chosen over and above the rest of the 200 submitted in this category.

Almost all of the films in the former group will receive €1 million in aid. Occupying the top spot, having earned the highest marks, based on its requirements, values and qualities, is The Europeans, a film by Víctor García León (Selfie [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Víctor García León
film profile]) that features a cast toplined by Juan Diego Botto and Raúl Arévalo. It is based on the novel of the same name by the great Rafael Azcona, and is being produced by Apache Films, A Contraluz Films and Gonita Filmación. Los europeos is followed by the Spanish-Portuguese co-production Out in the Open [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benito Zambrano
film profile], the new movie by Benito Zambrano (The Sleeping Voice [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), starring Luis Tosar and Luis Callejo in the lead roles, and staged by Morena Films and Aralan Films; and the comedy Gente que viene y bah [+see also:
trailer
film profile], produced by On Cinema 2018, Atresmedia Cine and Zeta Cinema, which was helmed by Patricia Font and is toplined by Carmen Maura, Clara Lago and Alexandra Jiménez, and which is in actual fact being released this Friday 18 January.

Other films that have received the same amount of money include the new effort by Pedro Almodóvar, Pain & Glory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antonio Banderas
Q&A: Pedro Almodóvar
film profile] (El Deseo); The Goya Murders [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Tornasol Films), a thriller by Gerardo Herrero, starring Aura Garrido and Maribel Verdú; Paradise Hills by Alice Waddington, which will soon be heading off to the Sundance Film Festival; Eye for an Eye [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paco Plaza
film profile], the latest outing by Paco Plaza, co-produced by Vaca Films; and La pequeña Suiza [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Kepa Sojo (see the news). These are in addition to a number of other movies that have already been released, such as Mirage [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Oriol Paulo, Crime Wave [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Gracia Querejeta, and the romcom Miamor perdido [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Emilio Martínez Lázaro.

Standing out among the movies in the selective support section is Libertad, the feature debut by Clara Roquet (the co-screenwriter of Petra [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaime Rosales
film profile]), which is being staged by Avalon Producciones and Lastor Media, and has received ICAA support of €432,000. It is followed by other films such as Fire Will Come [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Óliver Laxe
film profile] by Oliver Laxe, with production duties entrusted to Kowalski Films (€103,654); and The August Virgin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonás Trueba
film profile] by Jonás Trueba (€83,000). Worth noting among the experimental movies are the new effort by Diana Toucedo (Thirty Souls [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Diana Toucedo
film profile]), Puerto Deseado, with €20,400 in backing; Retrato de mujer blanca con pelo cano y arrugas, staged by Potenza Producciones (€120,000) and directed by Iván Ruiz Flores; and the creative documentary Wan Xia, la última luz del atardecer, produced by Imval Madrid and helmed by Silvia Rey. Interestingly, the two latter projects took part in the most recent Abycine Lanza (see the news).

The two lists of the selected projects can be found here and here (in Spanish).

(Translated from Spanish)