Spanish filmmakers call for stronger India-Spain film ties

Srinagar, Sept 9: Spanish filmmaker and producer Anna Saura and filmmaker Roberto today called for stronger ties between the Indian and Spanish film industries, saying greater cooperation could help bring more films, talent and technology between the two countries.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inaugural International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir at SKICC in Srinagar, Saura said it was her first visit to Kashmir and praised the festival for creating opportunities for international filmmakers.

The filmmaker said film festivals are important for promoting independent cinema and giving audiences an opportunity to watch films that may otherwise not reach them.

Saura said stronger links between distributors, international sales companies and theaters were needed to increase the screening of Indian films in Spain and Spanish films in India.

“I think the main thing is to get more relationships between Spain and India, to get the distributors and also the international sales companies to get the films from India to sell in Spain, and the same, the Spanish films to get it in India,” she said.

Saura said Kashmir’s scenic landscapes could also make it an attractive destination for international filmmakers.

“In Spain we have a lot of interest in India, because it’s something exotic, it’s something different,” she said, adding that she had received positive reactions after posting a picture from Kashmir on social media.

Asked about making a film in Kashmir, Saura said she would consider Indian actors and crew depending on the story. “If we shoot a movie here in Kashmir, we should cast people from India and we should hire Indian crew, of course,” she said.

Saura, who has previously worked on a Spanish-Indian co-production, said the experience of working with an Indian crew had been very positive. The film was shot in Kerala, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi.

The filmmakers also highlighted opportunities for cooperation in visual effects, animation and other filmmaking technologies.

On artificial intelligence, Saura said the technology could help filmmakers achieve better results with the same or lower budgets, while stressing that human creativity remained essential. “We should involve the AI, but also on the creativity aspect,” she said. “Without the people, without the artists, without the crews, the teams, the AI, you cannot use it,” she added.

Saura congratulated the organisers on the first edition of the festival and expressed hope of returning to Kashmir for its next edition.

Film maker Roberto said India and Spain had considerable scope for collaboration, describing film festivals and other cultural events as important platforms for building those connections. “I feel there are a lot of Indian movies that we don’t see, and they are interesting,” he said, adding that greater cooperation could help audiences in both countries discover more films.

Roberto said the two countries could learn from each other and explore collaborations not only in films but also in series, VFX, animation and emerging technologies.(DE)