Touch down in THE Audio-Visual Hub of Europe
Global streamers commissioned more titles in Spain during 2022 than any other European country. That’s how streamers seeking out the most cost-effective destinations to film overseas have welcomed Spain’s move to mobilize public resources estimated at 1.6 billion Euros from 2021-25 to make it THE Audio-Visual Hub of Europe.
A 2023 boost to the country’s film incentive and the reopening of a purpose-built studio with a water tank on the Mediterranean piqued the interest of award-winning US & UK producers of film and television keen to join PSN and its service company Partner for a first-hand look.
Industry media coverage including their impressions following the visit can be read by clicking these links to articles by the Production Guild of Great Britain, The Location Guide, and KFTV.
Favorable weather, diverse locations, and a tradition of film support for foreign projects dating back to Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and the spaghetti westerns have long positioned Spain on filmmakers’ shortlist. PSN tapped into the hospitality of United Airlines, JW Marriott, and Meliá to craft a filmmaker FAM trip to Spain enabling the producers to connect in person with boots-on-the-ground film support of our times provided by PSN Spain as well as Madrid and Valencia film commissions, studios, and a selection of film industry suppliers.
FAM trip feedback from our producer guests – including executives working with Annapurna, Disney, HBO, Searchlight Pictures, Ubisoft, Walden, Warner Bros. Television, and award-winning independent producers – speaks for itself.
Debbie Liebling: “I feel very confident that I understand what’s available here and know what I can and can’t do here. So that’s really, really useful.”
Nigel Wooll: “You know the crews here are good, I know that. You know the facilities are good. But going around on these locations is really important.”
Joe Malloch: “When you read a script you consider many locations for a project and the ones you’ve been to will come to the forefront.”
Melvin Mar: ” We’re always developing shows and movies, always looking for territories you can build on. PSN is the beginning. You get to figure it out from its infancy into a show.”
Lisa Cochran: “There’s a lot of take away. “By the time a project lands there’s no time for a FAM trip.”
Alex Boden: “Working together. Establishing partners. It’s a win-win situation. Really, really valuable and PSN knows that.”
Click here to read further insights from producers, as well as Spain FAM trip collaborators from the film and travel industry.
Click here for the impressions of producers and location managers following the Filmmakers FAM trip to Madeira and Lisbon in Portugal.
Let's shoot Spain together!
Nina Alkan
Service Producer, commercials
I am all about production and storytelling. And I work with a multi-national team of veteran producers in Spain to facilitate the filming of commercial projects from all around the world.,…
[cont.] Having worked on both the production and agency sides has given me a good foundation for seeing to it that all sides of a production are taken care of. You need all cogs in the wheel to function so it can turn around.
It doesn’t hurt that I speak several languages and easily understand different cultures and references.
I also grew up with a copywriter mother who instilled a respect and love for advertising and communication in me.
Last but not least is my good sense of humour shaped amongst the great humans of our industry.
Yousaf Bokhari - IMDB
Head of Film & TV
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Yousaf Bokhari has acted as Line Producer and/or Unit Production Manager on film projects in Spain for a who’s who list of premiere filmmakers. Titles include Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Ridley Scott’s Exodus and The Councelor, F.F. Copolla’s Tetro, Carlos Saura’s Iberia, The Gunman with Sean Penn, …
[cont.] Ken Loach’s Land and Freedom and Carla´s Song, John Malkovich’s The Dancer Upstairs, Paul Greengrass’s The Green Zone, Danis Tanovich’s Triage. Other titles include The World is Not Enough, The Welles Mystery, Asterix at the Olympic Games, Blueberry, Lucky Luke and the Daltons, Territorio Comanche, with directors such as Álex de la Iglesia, Daniel Monzón, Gerardo Herrero, Michael Apted, Jan Kounen, Paul McGuigan.
Yousaf is a member of the Board of the Spanish Film Academy. In 1982 he began his professional career as a feature film assistant director. Yousaf started alternating this position with that of production manager in 1995, to eventually dedicate himself fully to the latter, in both Spanish as well as international productions. He has also worked on TV series and countless TV commercials.
