Valladolid's Shooting Locations Marketplace sets location scouts and producers

Shooting Locations Marketplace (SLM), the event for location scouts and filming destinations organised by Feria de Valladolid and the Spain Film Commission, has confirmed 57 professionals from seven countries: the United States, Great Britain, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Italy and Germany - with the first two forming the majority. 

During the presentation held at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid last week, the general director of Feria de Valladolid, Alberto Alonso, emphasised the global nature of Shooting Locations Marketplace and its ability to bring together representatives from the locations sector, ahead of its third edition this October. 

"We are confident that this edition will be the consolidation of Shooting Locations Marketplace, after the good results of previous years it is time to consolidate our position as a benchmark in the work agenda. To this end, we are continuing with the line of work opened in 2022 in terms of the participating profiles and, in addition to location scouts, we are incorporating executive producers from major studios, given that they play an essential role in decision-making", explained Alberto Alonso.

With regard to the destinations that will be at the SLM, which will be held on 17 and 18 October at Feria de Valladolid, the plan is to increase the international presence and once again count on the entities associated with the Spain Film Commission and companies from sectors such as the hotel industry and auxiliary services. 

The president of the Spain Film Commission, Carlos Rosado, discussed the value of this initiative, which contributes to strengthening Spain's competitiveness as a filming destination and making it known around the world. "It is a perfect embodiment of the objectives of the Plan for Recovery, Transformation and Resilience in its audiovisual aspect: the Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe Plan. This initiative, promoted by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, within the First Vice-Presidency of the Spanish Government, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, not only supports the internationalisation of our industry and helps to attract international filming, but also connects our sector with what other countries around the world are doing. Spain can and wants to compete in this market, and to do so from a position of leadership that SLM confirms".

Collaboration with international organisations

SLM has signed a collaboration agreement with the International Association of Film Commissioners (AFCI), the body that brings together professionals from six continents, to help publicise the event among its members. In addition, AFCI President Jaclyn Philppot will be speaking at the conference programme accompanying the Shooting Locations Marketplace programme.

Creativity, cultural diversity, the influence of technology on filming and present and future challenges are some of the issues to be addressed in these sessions, which will begin with a talk by the American screenwriter and producer Jay Gibson, whose credits includes: The Dead Poets Club and The Thin Red Line, as well as Emmy and Writers Guild Awards (WGA).

The expo and summit also has the support and involvement of institutions such as the Junta de Castilla y León and Valladolid City Council, professional groups such as the European Film Commissions Network and Location Managers Guild International, as well as specialised media.

Knowing the territory

SLM is structured as a workspace that continues beyond the venue and moves to the real filming locations that the location scouts can get to know first-hand in the familiarisation trips organised with the film commissions of the different territories: the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Pontevedra have been some of the destinations that have hosted these trips in the two previous editions.