In 2019, Madrid hosted the filming of 66 series and 35 feature films

City of Madrid Film Office, the Madrid City Council's municipal film promotion and advisory office, attended to 287 projects in 2019, which represents an increase of 79% compared to the previous year.

The balance of audiovisual filming in Madrid during 2019 indicates the consolidation of the capital as a reference center in the global production of content.

In addition to the national platforms and networks (Movistar+, RTVE, Atresmedia and Mediaset), drivers of series production in the country, the establishment of relevant international platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO and Viacom International Studios has been added, as well as the commitment of The Mediapro Studio to the international production of content.

At the end of 2019 there have been processed 11,760 filming requests on public roads, according to data from the Filming Authorization Bureau of the Madrid City Council. Of them, 4,438 applications (38%) were permits with space occupation that correspond to 944 different projects and generated a collection of 522,069.42 euros in municipal fees, which represents an increase of 55.5% compared to the previous year. The remaining 62% of permits were communicated events, free of charge and for small teams.

Regarding the territorial distribution of the filming, The Central district continues to concentrate a very significant part of the filming carried out in the municipal area, with 34.8% of the requests. They are followed by the districts of Retiro (12.2%), Moncloa-Aravaca (7.4%), Salamanca (6.5%) and Chamberí (5.8%).

Record year

The most significant thing about the balance of 2019 has been the strong increase in filming of fiction series in the city, with a total of 66 series, which represents 20 more series than in 2018. Regarding national platforms, Movistar+ has promoted 11 series filmed in the city, highlighting titles such as Anti-disturbances (Horse Films), Tell me who I am (DLO Productions), The unit (Vaca Films) to the miniseries On death row (Bamboo Productions). Atresmedia He has participated in 10 series, including new bets such as The Fence (Good Mood), 45 revolutions (Bamboo Productions) and Poison (Suma Latina and Apache Films). RTVE is behind 9 projects filmed in Madrid, such as Central market (Diagonal TV), sand promises (Atlantia Media), I'm alive (Good Mood) and the long-awaited new season of The ministry of time (Onza Entertainment and Cliffhanger). Finally, Mediaset filmed 7 series, including Ladies of the Underworld (Mandarina Productions), Missing (Plane to Plane) and Charon (Bing Bang Media).

It is especially worth highlighting in 2019 the strong commitment of international platforms in collaboration with the local industry. Netflix has participated in 15 series filmed in Madrid, including the new seasons of the successful The Money Heist (Vancouver Media), Elite (Zeta Audiovisual) y The cable girls (Bambú Producciones), new projects such as Valeria (Plane to Plane) and The neighbor (Zeta Audiovisual), the Spanish-British co-production White Lines (Vancouver Media), and international productions Narcos: Mexico (Gaumont International Television) and The flower house (Night Night Cinema).

In turn, Amazon Prime He has participated in 5 series, with titles such as Little coincidences (Onza Entertainment and Medio Limón) and Temperance (Atresmedia Studios and Boomerang TV). In addition, HBO The filming of series in Madrid has begun this year with 3 original projects, By H or by B (Lacoproducera and Globomedia), 30 coins (Pokeepsie Films) and some sequences of Patria (Alea Media).

To the international productions already mentioned for Netflix we must add the Brazilian series family vacation (Globosat TV), the British Intergalactic (Sky One) and the Americans For Life (AMC), ruby (Televisa) and you can't hide (Telemundo).

Filming of feature films

In the 2019 balance, review the 35 feature films shot in the city, 26 of them national, 6 co-productions with other countries (Italy, France, Holland, Argentina and Uruguay) and 2 international films: the Hong Kong blockbuster Line Walker 2 by Jazz Boon, and the Colombian The oblivion that we will be by Fernando Trueba.

Among the national feature films and those in co-production, it is worth highlighting Way Down by Jaume Balagueró, first film declared 'filming of municipal interest' by the City Council, which involved an estimated investment of 7.15 million euros in Madrid. The city has also served as a setting in Father there is only one by Santiago Segura, the highest-grossing Spanish film of 2019; unfortunate stories, the new film by Javier Fesser; A normal world by Achero Mañas; Malasaña 32 by Albert Pintó; invisible by Gracia Querejeta; An optical effect by Juan Cavestany; up to the sky of Daniel Calparsoro; oh Advantages of traveling by train by Aritz Moreno, among others.

The city has also hosted the recording of numerous television shows national and international. Among the latter, it is worth highlighting travel programs such as Cult @ The City y 2 for 300 (Germany), A Long Weekend in … with Rory O’Connell (Ireland), Discovery of the Wolrd Mysteries y Shokunin Wagon (Japan), Leela Me (Thailand), Spatula Travels The World (Malaysia) or Homeland Dreamland (China). Added to them is the Spanish travel program Spain Passion and several episodes of the successful Chinese reality show with celebrities My Dearest Ladies, which shows the growing interest in Madrid among the Asian public.

Project typology

By type of projects, Advertising continues to occupy first place in volume of projects shot in the city: 401 ads and 64 photographic reports requested occupancy permits in 2019. The Madrid locations have served as a setting for campaigns by brands such as Adidas, Nike, Zara, El Corte Inglés, Audi, BMW, Ford, Mazda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Renault, Seat, Suzuki, VW, Iberia, Air Europa, Mahou, Alhambra, Beefeater, Budweiser, Heineken, San Miguel, Aquarius, Coca-Cola, Campofrío, El Pozo, Nespresso, Telepizza, Burguer King, McDonald's, Samsung, Nintendo, Movistar, Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, Banco Santander, BBVA, Banco Sabadell, Bankia, ING or Línea Directa, among many others.

Activity of the City of Madrid Film Office

City of Madrid Film Office, municipal office of promotion and advice for filming of the Madrid City Council, attended to 287 projects in 2019, which represents an increase of 79% compared to the previous year. Of them, 193 were national and 94 international (62 European, 15 Asian, 10 North American, 6 Latin American and one from Oceania), highlighting attendance at 32 series, 22 movies and 69 television programs.

In relation to promotional actions for the city and its industry, the office participated in various national and international markets in 2019: European Film Market (Berlinale), Series Mania Forum (Lille), Mafiz (Málaga Festival), Marché du Film (Cannes Festival), Conecta Fiction (Pamplona), Industry Club (San Sebastián Festival) and Focus (London).

The office also promoted the realization of meetings and training days Aimed at Madrid professionals. In collaboration with the prestigious Erich Pommer Institut and Creative Europe MEDIA brought the international course to Madrid European co-production: legal and financial aspects. It also hosted the presentation in Madrid of the network of European producers ACE Producers and the master class Festivals and markets: an introduction to the labyrinth, developed within the framework of PROGRESSIO, an international platform to support emerging audiovisual projects from Cineteca Madrid.

In order to raise awareness and promote sustainable measures In the field of the audiovisual sector, the Film Office supported the day of Training for committed filmmakers: producing sustainably is possible, developed within the framework of Another Way Film Festival in collaboration with Fiction Changing the World. Based on this action, a working group made up of different agents in the sector has been formed with the aim of developing strategies and tools that facilitate the integration of sustainability criteria in audiovisual productions.

Another line of work of the Film Office is dissemination and enhancement of Madrid's audiovisual legacy. Among the actions developed, it is worth highlighting the exhibition Cruz Novillo of Cinema, made in co-production with the DIMAD Foundation at the Matadero Design Center. The office also organized the first edition of the #MiMadriddeCine Awards in collaboration with EGEDA, inviting citizens and visitors to explore the city through the eyes of a locator.

City of Madrid Film Office was present at the first edition of Fitur Cine, promoted by the Spain Film Commission. It participated with its own stand and organized two activities: the table Actors and communication strategies in cinema and tourism and the colloquium Film Routes: The Madrid of Almodóvar and Arde Madrid, focused on the new audiovisual tourism routes created by Tourism of the Madrid City Council. The office also supported the second edition of Look at Madrid, a program dedicated to the discovery of places in the city and which on this occasion revolved around spaces that have been the scene of filming.

The office has continued the development of its website, conceived as an information tool for professionals and companies in the sector. In 2019, the directory of companies and professionals was opened, with 197 and 209 registrations respectively at the end of the year and a new informative section on cinema and tourism. The catalog of locations was expanded with 105 new spaces, reaching 400 references, and 67 entries related to the office's activity and the Madrid audiovisual industry were published in the news section throughout the year.

Finally, highlight the City Council's support for the sector through different actions such as support for the fifth edition of the Madrid Cinema Window, the international co-production forum that this year included Argentina, Canada and Brussels as invited countries and regions; the Film Academy residency program; the hosting of the latest edition of the Ibero-American Festival of Advertising Communication El Sol; Aid for contemporary creation and the contribution to the Crea SGR fund, facilitating access to financing for companies in the cultural and creative industries.