Perfect Madrid

From the wonderful people at the LesGaiCineMad International Film Festival, one of the best in the world (disclosure: I am doing some work for them)

LesGaiCineMad Spanish Film Market (SFM) is an event that will take place for the first time as part of Madrid’s 14th International LGBT Film Festival (LesGaiCineMad)

LESGAICINEMAD IS BECOMING A STRONG PRESENCE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY AND IS CATCHING UP WITH THE LEADERS IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET

Organized by Fundación Triángulo, LesGaiCineMad is one of the world’s most important independent film festivals, clearly positioned on the map of international festivals and events related to the 7th Art. With 14 years of professional history, 9 venues, and 120 movies, LesGaiCineMad will for the first time bring together members of the international LGBT film industry in a space of exchange, education, and business that will take place at LesGaiCineMad Spanish Film Market (SFM), coordinated by Spanish director Mariel Macia.

This first edition of Spanish Film Market (SFM) is born with the objective of supporting and promoting the production of independent cinema. “The international industry has been with us,” says Mariel Maciá, head of Industry & Market at LesGaiCineMad, “in each edition for the last 14 years. We believe that acknowledging their presence, haviing independent LGBT cinema professionals mix and network to create new projects and business, and structuring their visit so that they share their experience and knowledge with Spanish directors is the next step that our festival should take.” A logical evolution if we consider that LesGaiCineMad yearly attracts over 20,000 viewers and directors from all over the world; a circumstance that in previous editions made it possible to count on the presence of respected figures such as Pedro Almodóvar, Bruce LaBruce, and Barbara Hammer among others. Following the San Sebastián, Valladolid and Sitges’ film festivals, LesGaiCineMad is one of the cinematographic events with the most media coverage.

Mariel Macia, who has recently joined the festival team to accomplish new objectives, is a movie and theater director, producer, and distributor who has won several awards and international recognition. Since her short film “Flores en el parque” opened at LesGaiCineMad’s 2006 edition obtaining the Best Short Film and Best Spanish Movie Awards, her work has been featured at film festivals around the world, making her one of LGBT cinema’s role models. Later, with the opening of “A domicilio (o incluso también el amor)” and obtaining her second Best Short Film Award at LesGaiCineMad the next year, Mariel has had the opportunity to travel the world through the presentation of her work at LGBT film festivals which has given her the contacts, hope, and ambition to translate her experience into the local market.

For this first edition, LesGaiCineMad Spanish Film Market (SFM) will get important filmmakers, distributors, and programmers together.

1. SFM will provide its participants a selection of Spanish movies produced from 2006 to today, in DVD format with English subtitles. The same movies will also be viewable at SFM Booths – located at the SFM Meeting Point. The films participating in the official selection of the Festival will also be available.
2. SFM will organize debates, seminars and meetings with renowned international professionals dedicated to the production and distribution of LGBT contents.
3. SFM will create a meeting point (SFM Meeting Point) where all participants will meet, organize reunions and see movies at SFM Booths.

All these activities will be presented at Frameline 2009, the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival, to give this project its initial boost.

Independent cinema is growing strongly. Throughout these years it has obtained a privileged place within the national and international scene and also a bigger sector within the actual cinematographic market. The movie industry is transforming and adapting to the new times finding the niches that have been exploited in the international market for a long time. As a response to these challenges, LesGaiCineMad has created this new platform to promote and professionalize the LGBT independent cinema in the framework of its 14th edition.