Madrid IberLAB: the new audiovisual bridge between Madrid and Ibero-American talent

Within the framework of the twenty-third edition of Notodo film festival, the La Fábrica online short film festival whose gala took place on January 15, Madrid Film Office and Notodofilmfest promoted the first edition of Madrid IberLAB, a training and creative space that invites creators from the Ibero-American territory to explore the city from cinematographic practice and professional exchange.

This is a free online meeting aimed at Ibero-American creators who want to strengthen their audiovisual projects while discovering the visual and narrative wealth of Madrid. This action is part of the line of work of the Madrid City Council, through its audiovisual office, aimed at strengthening links between Ibero-American industries, with the aim of promoting co-production and cooperation between countries, supporting the talent of Ibero-American creators and positioning Madrid as a strategic bridge between Spanish and Latin American audiovisual.

The first edition of the program selected dSixteen creators over 18 years old, residents in one of the countries of the Ibero-American territory with audiovisual training or an emerging profile interested in expanding their creative and professional tools. It opened its call from November 26 to December 9, 2025 and carried out the training remotely on December 16, 17 and 18, taught by three award-winning filmmakers at Notodofilmfest: the producer Bogdan Tomá, the screenwriter and director Afioco Gnecco and the also screenwriter and director Maria Monreal. These professionals shared real work methods, good industry practices and provided direct support in the development of a Notodo, a short film of up to 3'30” that the creators participating in IberLAB made at the end of the learning.

The first call has obtained a very positive reception. They introduced themselves 114 creators, between 19 and 70 years old, from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Portugal and Venezuela and with very varied profiles: from professionals with experience in directing and creating short and feature films to film students who are beginning their creative journey. More than half of the people registered (54%) were 35 years old or younger, reflecting a strong presence of young talent.

"For the festival it has been a very stimulating experience because it involved taking on a challenge and that is part of our way of understanding creation and programming. The proposal started from a different approach than usual: thinking about Madrid from the perspective of non-Spanish Ibero-American creators. The result has been especially rich, because adding diverse voices and sensibilities broadens and makes the audiovisual story more complex," he explains. Mani Paez, coordinator of the Madrid IberLAB program, at Notodofilmfest.

"Although we are an international festival based in Madrid and we have the Madrid 21 Districts Award, where the city is the narrative axis of the short films, this project goes one step further. It proposes a creative exercise that connects territories, memories and cultures that share deep ties, but also their own singularities. The set of resulting works demonstrates that it is possible to approach Madrid from historical perspectives and, at the same time, project imaginaries of the future. In this dialogue a key idea is reinforced: the relationship between our societies is close, alive and in constant cultural and human exchange,” he adds.

Throughout the three training sessions, tools were provided to develop a film idea and build a solid script; plan a shoot and understand the essential production processes; build your own perspective from management; and create transnational collaboration networks with other Ibero-American creators. As a result of what they learned, the creators submitted their short films to the Madrid Ibero-American Award Mention, integrated into the Madrid 21 Districts Award of Notodofilmfest, endowed with 500 euros. The winning short was unveiled at the awards ceremony at the Callao Cinemas on January 15 and went to The return, from the creator Luna Binder.

"The level of the projects has been extraordinary and the work of the committee has not been easy at all. Choosing only 16 proposals for the formations was already a complex decision, but subsequently receiving the finished short films was even more so. Each piece showed enormous talent and a very personal view, and we loved being part of that process," says Paéz. The stories received have traveled through very diverse and deeply human territories: the memory of the Spanish colonization in America, the emotional relationships that mark us, the experiences of those who migrate, the artistic vocation and the love for cinema, among many others. “All of them, from very different places, share something essential: the ability to talk about the collective through the intimate, to address big topics from small, honest and deeply personal stories,” explains the coordinator of Madrid IberLAB.