María Luisa Gutiérrez renews as head of AECINE

After the end of the previous mandate, the State Film Association (AECINE) celebrates elections and is committed to continuing the work undertaken three years ago with María Luisa Gutiérrez as president.

AECINE, which currently includes 50 production companies from all over the territory, has had a new board of directors since September 20, which will be chaired again by María Luisa Gutiérrez, producer and CEO of Bowfinger International Pictures, who has been leading the Spanish box office for several years with his films and betting that Spanish cinema has a firm and essential voice in the audiovisual panorama.

The re-elected president of AECINE will have this time Adrian Guerra, CEO of Nostromo Pictures and with Beatriz Bodegas, producer and founder of La Canica Films, as vice presidents and with the following members Belen Atienza on behalf of Suspense Entertainment; Cristina Zumarraga on behalf of Tandem Films; Jose Alba on behalf of Pecado Films; Fernando Riera representing A Contracorriente Films; Sara Gonzalo representing MR Fields and Friends Cinema; Ricardo Marco on behalf of Mogambo Productions; and Eduardo Villanueva representing Caballo Films.

The objective of AECINE is to continue defending the figure of the independent producer and Spanish cinema and its diversity, in addition to representing the broadest possible reality of the industry. With that objective in mind, María Luisa renews her board of directors and once again surrounds herself with a government team that, on the one hand, will guarantee the continuity of management through the presence of those people who, by statute, could repeat their mandate (Bea Bodegas and Fernando Riera) and on the other hand will continue to advance with the incorporation of new and very notable and different representatives of our sector (Adrián Guerra, Belén Atienza, Cristina Zumárraga, José Alba, Sara Gonzalo, Eduardo Villanueva).

María Luisa Gutiérrez, after revalidating the presidency of AECINE, has assured that "as president of the outgoing Board of Directors, I can only express gratitude to the members who have accompanied me in the last 3 years and who, due to statutory impossibility, have not been able to renew their positions. Thank you Carolina Bang from Pokeepsie Films, Mariela Besuievsky, from Tornasol Films; Luis Manso, from Pendelton Films; Kiko Martínez, from Nadie Es Perfecto; Marta Velasco, from Áralan Films, María Zamora, from Elastica Films, Eduardo Campoy, from Álamo Producciones Audiovisuales. With them it has been possible not only to increase the number of members during these years and make a more open and participatory Association, with the establishment of different working commissions, but also to undertake and achieve very important projects for the sector. Among them, we can highlight being an active part of the constitution of P.A.P., Audiovisual Platform of Independent Producers, which brings together all the associations and federations in the country (AECINE, DIBOOS, MAPA, PIAF, PROA and PROFILM), and how necessary and requested it was to be able to unify interlocutors in front of the institutions; hold such important events as the General Assembly of CEPI that, for two days, brought together in Madrid all the independent producers of Europe to lead different and multiple activities in which relevant people from the audiovisual market have participated in direct contact with the partners or to obtain different training courses for both associates; and professionals, with the collaboration of EGEDA and the Community of Madrid.”

"With this new mandate, both the Presidency and the new Board, with great desire and energy, want to continue in the same continuous line of transparency for the member, bringing them all the information to which the Association has access in record time, and fighting to continue having a voice and vote in any legislative regulations that affect the independent film producer. We are faced in our sector with the essential update of the new FILM LAW that will have to contemplate new realities that were not even talked about a few months ago when the first ones were circulating drafts, such as AI, among many other factors that will have to be considered and that did not exist within the framework of the current Film Law of 2007,” adds Gutiérrez.

“We would like to continue contributing work and knowledge to all the tables where any issue that affects the activity of the independent film producer is discussed and decided, artistically or economically, making its problems visible and providing possible solutions to be agreed upon with the rest of the agents in the sector, in addition to continuing to count on the invaluable support of EGEDA to achieve each and every one of these objectives.
As President, I want to thank the new vice presidents and the new board of directors for being part of the Governing Body of AECINE for the next 3 years. And to recognize their generosity, solidarity and merit of such selfless work for and by the sector,” concludes the president of AECINE.