The film industry had a direct economic impact of 13 million euros in Bilbao and Bizkaia in 2018

04/11/2019

Bilbao has grown accustomed to seeing actresses such as Maribel Verdú or Emma Suárez strolling along the streets of the city. Maribel Verdú launched the première of the full-length feature film “Crime Wave” at the Campos Theatre in 2018. The film was shot on location in Bilbao and Bizkaia, following the completion of the shooting of the latest work by director Mikel Rueda, “El doble más quince”, in which the city of Bilbao is clearly a dominant feature. Emma Suaréz visited the Bizkaia capital in February 2018 to take directions from Koldo Serra in “70 BinLadens”. She returned shortly afterwards, in October, to play the role of a woman suffering from cancer in “Sumendia”.

These are just two specific examples which demonstrate the growing “pull” of Bilbao and Bizkaia as references for the film industry. Film, television and advertising look towards the city and the Basque Region, with a total of 128 audiovisual productions in 2018 including the films “While at war” by Alejandro Amenábar, “El silencio de la ciudad blanca” by Daniel Calparsoro, “El hoyo” by GalderGaztelu-Urrutia and “La pequeña Suiza” by Koldo Sojo. Tax incentives of 30% on investments in full-length feature films, Spanish fiction or cartoon series, and documentaries help to strengthen Bilbao Bizkaia's attraction as a reference for a growing sector, which is undergoing a period of expansion, largely motivated by the development of streaming platforms.

The positive impact of the film industry on the economy of the cities and regions can be seen in the following figures: audiovisual productions promoted in Bilbao and Bizkaia in 2018 had a direct impact of 13,012,965 Euros and an induced impact of 22,122,041 million Euros. In terms of employment, in the last financial year the activity involved 2629 Basque professionals, equivalent to a total of 169 full-time annualised jobs.

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The film industry had a direct economic impact of 13 million euros in Bilbao and Bizkaia in 2018
The film industry had a direct economic impact of 13 million euros in Bilbao and Bizkaia in 2018
The film industry had a direct economic impact of 13 million euros in Bilbao and Bizkaia in 2018