Laura Fernández (Filmax): “The production division has saved distribution, and vice versa”
Filmax celebrates its 70th anniversary by ratifying its principles and playing a role of player global in the cinematographic world, while multiplying its efforts in the production, distribution, exhibition and international sales of films and series. Laura Fernández, producer and assistant director, starts from Filmax's analysis to end up x-raying a sector that requires an update to current and upcoming audiovisual trends.
Few companies have a consolidated track record in audiovisual production and distribution like Filmax. Born in 1953, the company spent its first three decades of life distributing American films, which was joined by its first steps into the world of production. However, the real revolution came in 1987, when Julio Fernandez acquired the brand to begin a path of diversification that led it to launch into the video and television markets with renewed energy. Then came new opportunities, like produce fantasy genre content for international markets through the Fantastic Factory label; internalize the company with the division Filmax International Sales, the inauguration movie theaters, taking as a first example the Filmax Granvía multiplex with 15 screens in the Gran Vía shopping center in L'Hospitalet (Barcelona) in 2001, still in operation.
These renewed foundations have allowed the production company to reach 2023 with a track record that resides in the collective imagination of several generations: films like The Machinist, The Perfume, [REC], Muse, Lemon Bread with Poppy Seeds or the recent The Hermitage; series like Red bracelets, Welcome to the family, everyone lies, Feria o Selftape; animation tapes like Snowflake, El Cid: the legend, Pérez, the little mouse of your dreams o La gallina Turuleca, and distribute more than 800 national and international films.
This extensive career and the multidisciplinary profile of Filmax they do not reassure Laura Fernandez, attached to management and one of the company's main producers. In this interview, far from settling on historical achievements, he transmits the next company goals, which involve identifying the talent, the themes and the paths to remain relevant in an industry condemned to overcome one challenge after another.
Reasons for celebration
The choice to celebrate one anniversary or another is not trivial. Why has Filmax decided to give such a boost to its 70th anniversary?
The truth is that it was not something premeditated. We could have waited a few more years, but reaching 70 years old is not easy. And even less so after so many crises that cinema is said to have gone through. It seemed to us that it was time to give it a boost not only for ourselves, but also for the industry. We are in all phases of the business. In development, working with many writers and new talent; in distribution, with the help of many producers with whom relationships of mutual trust are established, and also in the production part.
All of this has led us to decide to celebrate it together. It is a moment of meet and be among friends. We cannot be distributors if there are no producers who trust us, and we cannot produce if there are no series of entities, television stations or platforms. In the end, our 70th anniversary has become a party where the film industry, professionals, friends and families meet to celebrate cinema.
Do you think that the audiovisual industry needs more moments of celebration, in order to be more optimistic to be able to face the future with a different vision?
As a producer, I am optimist by nature. I think we producers have to be. Cinema has gone through several phases. It was said that I'm going to disappear by being able to watch movies at home or with the arrival of platforms. I believe they will always be. They may close rooms, and in fact there were too many rooms, but the industry will survive as long as the businessman takes care of his rooms, invests in them and is attentive to new technologies.
“The film industry will survive provided that the businessman take care of your rooms, invest on them and be attentive to the new technologies”.
We, for example, have made a significant investment to bring to our rooms the 4DX. Perhaps there are other cinemas that cannot invest in this technology, such as some theaters in the center of a city. But in those cases it is as easy as investing in your seats. Sometimes I go to a cinema and I say: oysters, it's sad...
Do you think that the experience of attending a movie theater should therefore be better taken care of?
You have to take care of all the details. From different queues according to needs, to elements such as cleaning or sinks. The overall experience is very important, but the release of movies like Oppenheimer o Barbie they give you hope. This last film, not even Warner knew very well how to release it and, in the end, it has become a global phenomenon. It makes you think: not everything is 4DX, but a normal movie, one of the usual ones, can also work.
Places where stories are born
Returning to Filmax's anniversary, one of the messages that has been transmitted the most is its intention to continue betting on stories as has been done for the last 70 years. Is that continuity plausible in the context of current production and distribution? Is it necessary to modify the methodology or processes to ensure the continuity of companies like yours?
To continue this path, the first thing is to be very close to current events and what is happening. New technologies, social networks, young people... All this makes stories appear in places that did not exist before. Traditionally, stories have come from original ideas, a news story or a novel. Now new programmers and places appear in which they create these stories: on the platforms, young people have speakers to spread stories that before they could only make known if a publisher trusted them, for example. We are obliged to see what is carried, what is not carried. Although this is problematic, because you can start a project today, but the truth is that it won't come out for three years (laughs).
Perhaps the line lies more in identifying lines of work and not so much specific themes.
That's right, like those places that I mentioned where the kids are writing their stories or in their own podcasts, which did not exist before and, suddenly, series are being made based on formats such as The Great Blackout. Therefore, I would say that we must continue doing what we have always done, but closely linked to current events.
“There are times you hear that “the spanish horror doesn't work", as some have transmitted to us displays. Maybe it's the movie that it wasn't buena”.
Then, there are genres like horror that will always work. There are times when you hear that “Spanish terror doesn't work,” as some exhibitors have told us. Maybe it's the movie that it was not good. It is true that our seal no longer exists as such. Fantastic Factory, but we do continue making films with this philosophy. Musa by Jaume Balagueró (2017) is part of that heritage, as Thou shalt not kill by David Victori (2020), The hermitage by Carlota Pereda (2023) or The nest by Hugo Stuven (in development), a project in which RTVE and Movistar+ have participated, and which we hope to film next year.
Also we have expanded our vision. For example, although we started with fiction series years ago, such as Manolito Gafotas (Antena 3, 2001), now we have gone back to betting on them with the arrival of the platforms and with the incorporation of Pau Freixas as showrunner and Iván Mercadé in the role of director of television scriptwriters.
Production at Filmax
Filmax is made up of different business units, among which distribution, production and exhibition stand out. How are efforts distributed between divisions? Are there any areas that you are placing greater emphasis on?
It's something that changes depending on the year, but I would say that the effort always goes into everything. There have been years when the production division has saved us after losing in distribution, and vice versa. In the pandemic, with theaters closed, distribution was zero, as was exhibition, since theaters were closed right after our investment in 4DX. However, international sales and bookstores did a lot. The good thing about having several legs is that, even if any problem, we can “play” with our resources.
At the level of efforts, we are launching some twenty movies a year. We could release more, but we also believe that films must be taken care of, so I would say that distribution is quite measured. In production we would always like to produce more, the truth is. In that area, we still have room for growth.
In what way would you like to continue strengthening your production branch?
Our ideal would be to produce two movies and two series a year, but we haven't reached it yet. It has happened to us that we have been without production for a year, and that, suddenly, we have had the green light for three projects. But our ideal, the one we are trying to achieve and have not yet reached, is to have a balance.
"In the production we would always like produce more, the truth. In that area, we still have growth margin”.
There is also the issue of the limit at the ICAA. Until recently, as a producer, we could not present more than two projects, which made us think about other projects that were not only for cinema, but also for platforms. Fortunately, this has now been changed.
What is your opinion about this dependence of Spanish production companies on ICAA subsidies, something inherent to the state industry?
To make a movie, be it low budget, medium budget or something, you need subsidies. I would say that we depend on it, and thank goodness we have them! This support from film subsidies and culture in general is appreciated, since they are the first to believe in the market.
Many times, these projects cannot be carried out with a single production company, but rather require the grouping of several companies from within and outside our borders. Do you consider this market situation positive?
If your film has a medium-high budget, you are forced to find a co-producer, this is so. In fact, we, with Lemon bread with poppy seeds, we were forced to do it. Yes, it is true that there are new tax incentives, but of course, that also forces you to have your film, which is set in the Basque Country, be shot in the Canary Islands. You have to take everything into account.
Filmax has recently renewed its commitment to series. What is your assessment of this market and how important will it be in your immediate future?
For us, the bet on the series is maximum. Beyond the incorporations of Pau Freixas and Iván Mercadé, this approach is demonstrated with the ten series that we have in development. It does not mean that all of them will come out: some will fall, others will have the green light and the last ones will remain in a drawer and perhaps will be released after a few years. We have worked with Netflix y Amazon, and we still have many other platforms that we have not yet collaborated with and with which we hope to do so.
The design of the distribution of a film in 2023
Distribution, historically, has had a great weight for Filmax. In recent years, with the consolidation of platforms, the natural cycle of films has changed. How is the design and decision-making regarding the distribution of a feature film approached today?
This decision-making is not exclusively part of the production company, since it must be taken into consideration the financial entities who have opted for your film. Therefore, depending on the financing, you will have one trip or another. If you have the classic, which would be the ICAA with the subsidy and support of a television, you have to respect the cinema window.
"The exhibition in cinemas it has become much more difficult and forces a investment you know that many times it will be difficult to recover”.
I agree with it. Above all, because it is a social experience. I have been going to the cinema all my life; I have daughters, and every Friday we go to the movies. It is true that many more windows have appeared and we should not forget them, because thanks to them you can see much more cinema and there are many more projects than ever before. Furthermore, thanks to these platforms, the projects are seen all over the world.
Some voices from the industry emphasize that the decision to release in cinemas is no longer a question of return or profitability of the exhibition, but rather responds to previous agreements, promotion, or prestige. Do you think this is so?
There are some windows that have to be respected. Then, if you have the option to choose, it is true that cinema gives you a prestige flight, recognition; to go to festivals and have the chance to win prizes. But it also depends on your film: there are feature films that are very commercial and you know that they will bring recognition from the public and the box office.
Even so, it is true that it has become much more difficult and that forces you to investment that you know will often be difficult to recover. Therefore, it is very important to measure very well what kind of premiere has a film, because we don't want to lose, either as distributors or as producers. Even so, we must take into account the surprise factor of cinema. The film can do very well at the box office or, in the world of platforms, be a sleeper.
Looking for opportunities in the market
The present of Filmax involves the identification of stories that continue to convey to viewers. What industry or thematic opportunities do you identify that could be important for your future?
Having several legs makes us think across. What a priori may seem like it doesn't work here, can work internationally. One of the genres that continues to work best outside is fantastic or that of terror. Therefore, we launch the Filmax Presenta Awards: to be able to continue supporting the usual talent, the consolidated one, but also all those scriptwriters or directors who contribute new perspectives. We are open to talent regardless of whether it is a man or a woman, but we do have a certain look at a feminine cinema.
On the other hand, we have always made cinema that I would define as commercial or open, but the truth is that we have missed opportunities for new filmmakers with a more copyright. For this reason, we have made the decision to closely follow this type of cinema.
"We have missed opportunities of new and new filmmakers with a more copyright. Therefore, we have made the decision to follow this type of cinema closely”.
A third way is animated cinema. It has always been the company's commitment and we have won several Goyas for it. There was a moment of animation drought at Filmax, but now we have returned to betting with projects like La Gallina Turuleca (2019), which won the Platinum Award, and we currently have in development Superthings. This project is a series in co-production with Tandem Films y Turanga Films based on toys that are sold in all kiosks and I think it can help us make a leap in the animation industry. To do this, we got together with a toy company that has some very powerful toys on the market. It is something that Americans know how to do very well and that has not yet been done in Spain.
Carlota Pereda, with The Hermitage, could fit the definition of new talent that I pointed out…
That is. Furthermore, we signed this second film when she had not yet filmed the feature film adaptation of Little pig. I met Carlota in a session in which I started watching short films like crazy. It is something that we have to follow very closely: see many short films, gonna festivals…It is a very good way to know what is being done and meet the new talent.
cAn interview by Sergio Julián Gómez
https://youtu.be/uONJq8o5fyM
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