Catalan film production reaches record figures

BarcelonaFilm production in Catalonia experienced one of its best years ever in 2024. This is the summary of the study prepared by the Audiovisual Production Observatory (OPA) of Pompeu Fabra University, which was published this Thursday by the Catalan Film Academy, coinciding with its traditional Summer Festival, which is being held at night in the Tres Xemeneies building, the future headquarters of the hub audiovisual Catalonia Media City. According to theReport on film production in Catalonia 2025Last year, a record number of 114 qualified films was reached, and the number of medium-budget productions tripled thanks to a significant increase in public investment. This figure is expected to reach 15% in 2023 and 15% compared to 2022. However, it should be noted that the industry's good performance goes beyond the Catalan framework and is a national phenomenon. Therefore, the specific weight of the Catalan industry in Spanish cinema as a whole has remained stable at around 30% since 2016, far from the four-figure number of qualified films. Incidentally, they do not include all films produced in Catalonia, since they exclude, for example, television films and short films. €18 this year. This figure triples the number of productions of this type in 2023, when only six titles enjoyed this budget. The Catalan Institute of Cultural Companies of the Generalitat (Catalan Institute of Cultural Companies) of the Generalitat (Generalitat). The increase in state contributions to the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts is more moderate, growing by 17% (67%) compared to 2023. Catalan film revenue is projected to reach €23.5 million in 2024, representing an even more significant year-on-year increase of 92%. The titles that have boosted Catalan production are House on fire and The 47, which they did Historical box office records for films in the original Catalan version, and the animated film Buffalo KidsThese three films account for 53% of the box office takings for Catalan films released in theaters in 2024. However, these are not record figures, and are still below the results obtained by Catalan cinema in 2022, when Tadeo Jones: The Emerald Table It became the commercial locomotive of Catalan cinema with 11.79 million euros at the box office.

The report from the Audiovisual Production Observatory—prepared by Reinald Besalú, Joan Corbella, Carlos José y Solsona, and Noemí Sánchez—also highlights the growth of co-productions in Catalan cinema, which represent 81% of rated Catalan films, 36% of which are international. Catalan participation in these co-productions is not minimal: in 86 films, it exceeds 50% of the budget. The negative note highlighted in the report is the decline in the presence of women in production positions, which fell from 38.2% to 29.7%, and also in directing, where it fell slightly to 33%. In any case, it is noteworthy that in the scriptwriting section, the female presence exceeds 40% for the first time.