Catalan cinema under a third of Spain's total after dropping from 48% in 2010

Cinema produced in Catalonia accounted for 30% of all films made in Spain, down from 48% in 2010, yet a figure that has remained more or less stable since 2016.

This is one of the main findings of a Catalan Film Academy study that was presented in Barcelona on Thursday and which assesses the state of the movie industry in Catalonia.

On average, around 80 films are produced in Catalonia every year, with the exception of 2020 when far fewer were due to the pandemic.

The Catalan film industry, however, is more likely to participate in co-productions than moviemakers from other parts of Spain: 50% of all its films are co-productions, while 20% are co-produced with foreign companies.

The 'Alcarràs effect'

Carla Simón's 'Alcarràs', the Catalan-language tale of life in rural western Catalonia that won the 2022 Berlinale Golden Bear, is easily the most successful Catalan film in recent years.

1 in 3 people who have gone to the movies in Spain this year has seen 'Alcarràs'. Released in April, by June it had already grossed over €2m. 

Because of this, Catalan Film Academy president Judith Colell said it was "a very big milestone" for Catalan cinema. "It allows us to be very optimistic," she said, adding that "a series of films will be coming out soon that are also very good."

Reaching a wider audience

Catalan films released in 2020 and 2021 attracted some 1.3 million viewers across Spain – an average of just under 23,000 spectators per film.

The total share of spectators in Spain who watched Catalan movies had dropped to under 14% in 2019 but grew to a quarter of the total in 2021.