16 to 19 October 2017 will see ProColumbia accompanying 17 audiovisual and digital companies from Colombia to Cannes to participate in the MIPCOM 2017. The Colombian audiovisual industry has hit many significant milestones since the introduction of marketing programmes targeting international promotion, and participation in MIPCOM 2017 allows the country to showcase the many achievements that now place it among the most important audiovisual hubs in Latin America.

Over the past 10 years, the revenue generated by the film industry in Colombia has tripled, going from US$54.15 million in 2007 to US$173.94 million in 2016. The figures for exports are also constantly increasing. In 2015, the country exported US$32.3 million in audiovisual services. Between January and June 2016, exports reached US$30.2 million, representing a 93% increase over the same period.

Untouched, never-before-filmed dream locations

Thanks to the richness and diversity of the country and its climate, Colombia offers an incredible variety of different filming locations: glaciers, tropical rainforests, tablelands, immense valleys, two oceans, deserts, countless rivers, lakes and lagoons, all with thousands of animal and plant species. In fact, Colombia is considered one of the five “megadiverse” countries in the world due to its incredible diversity of nature. In addition, its various climates remain stable throughout the year, guaranteeing complete flexibility when shooting.

The country’s large cities, eclectic and abounding in culture, also offer a whole variety of different activities, colours and histories. Colombia has everything to suit the imagination and creativity of international directors and producers in search of exclusive and novel locations.

Production facilities and qualified human resources at your fingertips

Colombia is now established as a leader in the audiovisual industry, with new facilities, equipment and schools dedicated to film and the audiovisual arts. The country possesses sufficient talent and creativity to meet the needs of the audiovisual industry’s international market, as hoped to be showcased at MIPCOM 2017.

This is for a good reason: Bogotá, the epicentre of audiovisual production in the country, has the highest concentration of production facilities and professionals. This city alone has 74 film and television studios. Over the last ten years, more than 55,000 students have graduated with degrees directly related to the audiovisual industry: producers, directors, actors, film and post-production technicians, etc. Numerous international productions (TV series, films) have now gone even further by producing almost all their content in Colombia.

Agreements, benefits and grants to stimulate foreign co-productions 

The Colombian Ministry of Culture and the Proimagenes – Colombia Film Commission fund work together to grant audiovisual subsidies from their respective budgets of €4.3 million and €11.5 million.

The programme provides for the reimbursement of a producer’s expenses incurred in Colombia through tax credits at variable rates: 20% of expenses linked to logistics (accommodation, transport, catering), and up to 40% of expenses linked to design and development (preparation, filming and post-production, including artistic and technical services).

The signing of a new co-production agreement between France and Colombia in 2013 has since given new impetus to their collaboration by softening the financial terms and rules for sharing the contributions made by the respective co-producers of each country in a cinematographic project. Previously fixed at a variable rate of 30% to 70% of the final cost of the project, it has now increased to 20% to 80%.

This agreement has paid dividends in terms of cinematographic co-production, with France, Argentina and Spain as the main co-producers. Spain represents 24.7% of all co-production with 18 films, while France and Argentina both represent 19.2% with 14 films each.