Documenta Pro: Archiving techniques and production challenges

As part of Documenta, the Cineteca Madrid and Madrid Film Office are once again organizing Documenta PRO, which seeks to foster reflection and the exchange of experiences on the challenges and opportunities for the documentary sector from a professional perspective. Over the course of two days, renowned professionals from the sector and representatives of national institutions and platforms will take part in round tables and case studies.

In line with one of the main themes running throughout the Documenta 2025 program, Documenta PRO will mainly deal with issues of archiving, memory and audiovisual heritage and how they relate to documentary practices. The sessions will address the challenges involved in the conserving and disseminating audiovisual heritage from an institutional perspective. In addition, some recent projects aimed at the restoration and recovery of archival material will be presented. Prominent producers and creators in the field of documentary film will also discuss their experiences working with this type of images from a creative point of view, in addition to issues of accessibility, costs and the administrative challenges involved.

Relations between Spain and Mexico in the field of documentary film will also have a prominent place among the debates of this edition, where the institutional support offered to the sector in the two countries will be explored, along with recent experiences in the field of co-production. In the case of Spain, there will also be a debate on the position of the major national platforms for the acquisition, production and programming of documentary projects, which will give industry professionals the chance to identify some existing opportunities for this type of work.

Over two intensive days, Documenta Pro will serve as a meeting point for the documentary film industry to provide different agents in the sector a place to gather together, engage in constructive debate and find strategies to boost the creative and industrial growth of documentary filmmaking in Madrid.

Organized by: Cineteca Madrid and Madrid Film Office. Media partner: Audiovisual 451

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>> Register here

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PROGRAMME

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7:

12:30 PM – Welcome and Institutional Remarks

12:40 PM – Panel: Presentation of Movistar Plus+’s Documentary Strategy
Speakers: Jorge Ortiz (Head of Non-Fiction Originals) and Leticia Pérez (Head of External Non-Fiction Production)

2:00 PM – Networking Aperitif hosted by Movistar Plus+ (by invitation)

4:30 PM – Panel: Archive, Memory and Heritage: Public-Private Collaboration
Participants: Alba Wysträete (Managing Director at ECAM), Marian del Egido (Director of the Conservation and Restoration Center at the Spanish Film Archive), Lisa Berger (Documentary Filmmaker and Co-founder of ADAE), and Jordi Marqués (Producer at Minoría Absoluta)
Moderator: Madrid Film Office

5:40 PM – Case Study: Restoration of the short film El Rastro (1966), by Javier Aguirre
Presented by: Javier Mosqueda (Coordinator of the Film and Audiovisual Archive at ECAM) and Arantxa Aguirre (Screenwriter and Documentary Director)

6:05 PM – Case Study: Archive and Memory in the Documentary Mucha mierda (Alba Sotorra, 2024)
Presented by: David Lara (Producer of the documentary)

6:30 PM – Panel: Challenges of Documentary Production Using Archive Material
Participants: Ricard Sales (Founder and Producer at LaCima Producciones), Mario Madueño (Founder and Producer at Pantalla Partida), Blanca Torres (Director and Screenwriter), and Álvaro Longoria (Co-founder and Producer at Morena Films)
Moderator: DOCMA

7:30 PM – End of Day One

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THURSDAY, MAY 8:

10:00 AM – Panel: Supporting Documentary Film in Mexico and Spain
Participants: Pau Montadud (Artistic Director, DocsDF) and Ignasi Camós (Director of ICAA – Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts)
Moderator: Cineteca Madrid

11:10 AM – Case Study: Rebeladas (Andrea Gautier and Tabatta Salinas, 2023) and Mexico-Spain Co-production
Presented by: Andrea Gautier (Co-director and Screenwriter of the documentary)

11:50 AM – Panel: Spanish Platforms and Their Approach to Documentary Film
Participants: Ana Peláez (Executive Producer of Documentaries at RTVE), Marijo Larrañaga (Executive Producer of Original Non-Fiction at Movistar Plus+), and Mireia Gubern (Director of CaixaForum+)
Moderator: DOCMA

12:50 PM – Closing Remarks

1:00 PM – Cocktail and Networking at Cantina (by invitation)