La Villa del Mar opens its doors, a new space for the Festival de Málaga where technology and culture converge

Between 15 and 21 March, the public and professionals will be able to enjoy a hundred activities to learn about the latest technological trends in the audiovisual sector

La Villa del Mar, on La Malagueta beach, is the new space created by the Festival de Málaga in collaboration with the Polo Digital to showcase the synergies between the audiovisual and cultural industry and new technologies, and explore the possibilities they offer. A new meeting point where entertainment, technology, creativity and sustainability come together with the audiovisual world.

This morning the Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, presided over the official inauguration of La Villa del Mar, accompanied by Councillor for Culture and Historical Heritage, Mariana Pineda; Councillor for Innovation, Urban Digitalisation, Promotion of Technological and Business Investment and Investment Attraction, Alicia Izquierdo; Project Director at Polo Digital, Raúl Silleras; and Festival de Málaga Director, Juan Antonio Vigar.

La Villa del Mar, which will be open to professionals and the public from 15 to 21 March, will schedule more than a hundred activities and is sponsored by Google, Mediabrands, Iryo, Repsol, Evad and Olin.

The event was opened by Francisco de la Torre, who stressed the need to create a space of this kind within the framework of the Festival. In his speech, he stressed the importance of "strengthening this collaboration between culture and technology, given that Malaga is the third largest video game producer in Spain", and added that "this is an example of understanding that this union strengthens both sectors". He concluded his speech by congratulating the Festival and the Digital Pole for "uniting synergies and opportunities", stressing the privileged location of the space by the sea.

For his part, Juan Antonio Vigar also expressed his satisfaction at having been able to materialise the dream of "bringing the festival a little closer to the sea, so that its guests can really get to know the bright, coastal Malaga" and, after thanking the City Council and Polo Digital for their involvement, he stated that "the initiative seeks to promote dialogue between the audiovisual sector and cutting-edge technology companies". Finally, he wished "a long life to La Villa del Mar and to the connection between culture and technology".

They then visited the experiential area located in the Plaza de la Malagueta, where they had the opportunity to attend a practical demonstration of the services offered by Freepik, a tool that applies artificial intelligence to image management, by Samantha Andrin García, AI artist of the Malaga-based company. At the next stop, the mayor, the councillors and the director of the event had the opportunity to view Diarios de Locura, the first Spanish production in 360 stereoscopic, through extended reality glasses, accompanied by its director and producer Jo Sol and its star, Janet Novás. Victoria la Malagueña, the 3D avatar that tells you everything about the Festival created by the University of Malaga, encouraged Francisco de la Torre and Juan Antonio Vigar to talk about La Deuda, the opening film. Finally, the mayor attended the screening of a short film in the "most exclusive cinema", the interior of an Audi Q6 E-Tron.

In the experiential area, the public will be able to attend activities such as VR viewings, proposals produced in extended reality, showcases of generative artificial intelligence tools, narrative video games and immersive streaming formats, among other activities.

Last but not least, they enjoyed the first songs of the concert by Celia Flores and Rycardo Moreno, which opened the programme of musical performances to be held on Malagueta Beach between 15 and 19 March.

In addition, the indoor spaces of La Villa del Mar will offer a host of proposals based around five areas, Storytelling for the Future, Convergence of Content and Technology, Gaming and Immersive Experiences, Branding, and Social and Ethical Impact of Technology; conferences, workshops, showcases, brand activations, immersive experiences and networking, etc., will be held, offering a unique showcase for companies and creators looking to connect with the future of entertainment.


Storytelling for the Future will offer different panels, round tables and content exhibition. Topics to be covered include new 360 immersive narratives; virtual reality and the XR environment; ‘Impromptu AI’, a challenge to content creators working with artificial intelligence and a director to create a short film in 48 hours; or a workshop on narratives for video games. It will also be the setting for the premiere of Diarios de Locura (Diaries of Madness), by Jo Sol working with Janet Novás and Lali Aiguadé, the first Spanish project to be presented in 360 stereoscopic.

Convergence of Content and Technology will feature showcases on generative artificial intelligence tools for content creation and round tables on their application in other audiovisual production disciplines; the growth of the VFX industry in Spain; workshops on cryptocurrencies; and demos of immersive formats, as well as other formats.

Under the heading Gaming and Immersive Experiences, there will be 2D animation workshops, video game presentations and talks on robotics and education, immersive streaming formats and narrative video games, as well as other activities.

Branding will also occupy its own space through talks on topics like the future of the industry and festivals, keys to creating relevant and profitable films, neuro-research, the impact of Entertainment Marketing, and the importance of social networks when launching a film. In addition, the finalists of Hack Málaga will present their projects.

The second edition of Brand Entertainment Marketing, which will take place on 20 March, is also part of the Branding activities. During the conference, aspects such as new ways of financing, the challenges faced by entertainment marketing and the impact of artificial intelligence on content marketing will be discussed.

Finally, under Social and Ethical Impact of Technology a round table has been organised on “Slaves or masters of the algorithm?” regarding the influence technology has on content creators.

The complete schedule is available on the website.