Festival de Málaga extends to 15th March the call for applications for MAFF

Due to the circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the event reduces financing requirements for projects presented to this edition of MAFF

With the objective of encouraging participation, Festival de Málaga extends to 15th March the call for presentation of projects to MAFF (Malaga Festival Fund & Co- Production Event), an event that is part of MAFIZ (Festival de Málaga Industry Zone). This year, in its desire to continue evolving, MAFF is incorporating Portuguese and Spanish projects. The objective is to consolidate the event’s commitment with the diversity of identities and languages of Latin America and its audiovisual industry. MAFF 2021 has been renewed with a more useful structure, in line with the current times to continue working to enhance the projects of creators from Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

MAFF is organized by the Malaga City Council and Festival de Málaga in collaboration with ICAA (Institute of Cinematography and Visual Arts of Spain), CAACI (Conference of Audiovisual and Cinematographic Authorities of Ibero-America), IBERMEDIA, FIPCA (Ibero-American Federation of Film and Audiovisual Producers) and EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs).

Given the special difficulties that the audiovisual sector is currently facing as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, Festival de Málaga reduces the requirement for minimum guaranteed financing, for which 20% financing is no longer obligatory.

MAFF will be held online on 9th, 10th and 11th June 2021 in the framework of the 24th Festival de Málaga, with the participation of the projects selected in this call by a committee of experts. Projects can be registered online through the MAFIZ website. The projects that are selected will be announced at the end of March 2021.

MAFF is conceived as a communication space that facilitates dialogue between Latin American and European feature film producers as part of a co-production and market encounter. It is a setting that favors the artistic growth of participating projects, their international co-production and network of contacts, and that increases their possibilities of financing. MAFF brings together in the city of Malaga and in an unprecedented manner the main international co-production financing funds that exist at an international level.

In 2021, the objectives of MAFF’s fourth edition are the following:

- To be the communication and networking platform of reference, where the people in charge of the funds can meet and learn in their early stages about the projects that are being developed.

- To promote innovation in business and production models for new feature films with international co-production potential for subsequent distribution and marketing in different markets and through different modalities.

- To provide high level creative, economic and financial advice to generate viable and quality audiovisual projects that facilitate their insertion in the world market and thus contribute to generating international presence.

- To include in our platform the new players of the audiovisual industry and to create new content more in tune with the new audiences; new audiences that are part of our permanently expanding audiovisual activity.

The projects selected at MAFF 2021 will benefit from a two-month scholarship for training in the fields of creation and production, and will be eligible for the following awards:

- Bolivia Lab Award to participate in the production laboratory to be held in July 2021 in the city of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
- Cinema 226 Award: script consulting, financing, casting and teaser editing.
- FIDBA Award to participate in its production tutoring sessions in September 2021.
- Film Market Hub will grant all selected projects one year of free registration in its online market.
- SANFIC Industry Award (Santiago International Film Festival) to participate in the production laboratory to be held in August 2021 in Santiago de Chile.
- DOK LEIPZIG Award consisting in participating in its Coproduction Forum that will take place in 2021.


MAFF’s last edition was held online from 30th March to 20th May, 2020 with the collaboration of Filmarket Hub, bringing together 120 participants from 15 Latin American and eight European countries, highlighting the success of Festival de Málaga efforts to adapt its contents to the circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the postponement of the festival’s 23rd edition, scheduled from 13th to 22nd March and finally held in August.

A total of 28 projects participated in MAFF 2020, which was attended by 25 companies and international institutions, 16 Spanish companies and nine audiovisual funds, and had the support of SANFIC, Bolivia Lab, Cinema 226, Brasil Cinemundi, Dok Leipzig, Latam Cinema and DAFO (Directorate for Audiovisuals, Phonography and New Media- Peru).