After just four editions, Merci Valladolid has emerged as a major market for independent films in Spain, facilitating the distribution of arthouse works from distributors to exhibitors, programmers and platforms.
The fifth edition of the market, to be held from October 29th to 31st at the Broadway Cinema in Valladolid, will be organized by the Valladolid Semana International Cine Seminci and the Spanish Independent Film Distribution Association Adisin and will bring together more than 150 professionals, including programmers, exhibitors, streaming buyers and television commissioners.
The event will feature exclusive, professional screenings of upcoming releases in 2025-26, as well as roundtables and presentations focused on new tools for marketing and theatrical promotion.
“This opportunity to show our films directly to programmers, platforms and TV buyers is a privilege,” said Enrique Costa Ríos, co-president of Adicine at Elastica.
Merci is completely customized for the industry, not the public. That focus creates continuity and trust. “We are convinced that Valladolid is a place where we can show our best every year,” says Costa Ríos.
For Avalon founder Stefan Schmidt, Merci became “a great initiative that has established itself as the ideal framework for independent film.”
“Valladolid is a great starting point for the final stage of this year and the start of the next,” added Schmidt. “The selection is the ‘best of the year’ and our films are well positioned for release in Spain.”
Avalon’s film work at Seminchi this year includes Tsou Shi-ching’s “The Left-Handed Girl,” Meng Hou’s “Living the Land,” and Venice Golden Lion winner Jim Jarmusch’s “Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers.”
A “living laboratory,” in the words of Costa Rios, Merci “helps us assess the market and test releases. It gives us visibility, but also perspective,” he explains.
Merci quickly became a model for cooperation in a once-fragmented sector. Its co-host, Adicine, has now integrated nearly all of Spain’s major indie distribution companies. A Contracorriente Films, Atalante, Avalon, Beta Fiction Spain, Bteam Pictures, Caramel Films, DeAPlaneta, Elastica Films, Festival Films, Filmax, Filmin, Golem, Karma Films, La Aventura, Lazona, SelectaVision, Sideral, Syldavia, Tri Pictures and WandaVision.
Strengthening industrial relations
Designated a UNESCO City of Cinema in 2019, Valladolid is bringing its recognition to the growth of its audiovisual infrastructure in collaboration with the Valladolid Film Commission, part of the Seminci Industria Framework.
Under Seminchi director José Luis Cienfuegos, who took over the reins in 2023, the festival’s industrial strategy has become sharper and more collaborative.
He sees Seminci Industria as a long-term investment in professional circulation and audience renewal. “We are strengthening our connections with distributors, exhibitors and the next generation of professionals,” he says.
Alongside Merci and La Meseta, Seminci hosts the European Cinemas Audience Lab, a practical workshop for exhibitors focused on audience growth.
From October 29th to November 1st, Europa Cinemas participants will exchange case studies, test data-driven approaches to programming and marketing, and develop actionable plans for young audience outreach and community partnerships to transform Valladolid into a practical training ground for getting arthouse films seen.
Valladolid’s industrial umbrella also includes efforts to promote inclusion and professional evolution. This year’s Women Filmmakers Encounter focused on expanding the role of women in the audiovisual industry.
