The session was co-hosted by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Commission's DG CONNECT and Cinema Authorities of Iberoamerica (CAACI). 

European Audiovisual Observatory data show that about 40 European-Latin America  co-productions are developed each year. Louise Bailly (DG CONNECT) indicated that there is room to raise that figure and announced the initiative EULAC Cinema Nights in movie-theaters across the two continents to promote visibility and political support.

Luis Chaby Vaz (CAACI) underlined shared values but highlighted the absence of a supranational body in Latin America, making alignment harder. He noted that eight countries still house their film agencies inside culture ministries.

French producer Thierry de Clermont-Tonnerre recalled the Brazil–France hit, I’m Still Here, whose Oscar win stemmed from “a local tale with universal stakes”. Mexican producer Nicolás Celis urged Europeans to keep post-production in LAC to boost local economies. Funding, he insisted, “is not the biggest problem in Latin America”.

Festivals still count

Mariela Besuievsky (Tournesol Films) warned that global platforms now prefer purely local content, complicating cross-border projects. She called for policies that reward multi-territory storytelling rather than penalize it.

Speakers agreed that major festivals remain gateways to global screens. Yet Celis lamented the slim LAC presence at Cannes compared with U.S., yet there is recognition for titles like Roma or Emilia Pérez. Mariela  Besuievsky noted that festival glory does not always translate into box-office success.

Policy horizons

Chaby Vaz pushed for stronger public schemes to compete with streaming imperatives. Julie-Jeanne Regnault (European Producers’ Club) pointed to Europe’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive as a model unlikely to reach LAC soon, but worth studying for future regulation.

Cinema is a window to the world—and Euro-Latino co-productions, in particular, create powerful bridges between our cultures. They allow audiences, no matter where they live or what they've experienced, to travel emotionally, to laugh, reflect, or cry together across borders. These stories bring us closer, fostering mutual understanding and shared identity.

Fabrizio de Gennaro / Cineuropa, 2025

Mariela Besuievsky, Vice-President, The European Producers Club

Co-productions with Europe are vital for Latin American cinema to remain visible in an industry that is turning away from our region.

Fabrizio de Gennaro / Cineuropa, 2025

Nicolás Celis, Oscar winner Mexican Producer

Co-productions between Europe and Latin America are essential for works to travel, cross borders, and reach diverse audiences.

Fabrizio de Gennaro / Cineuropa, 2025

Thierry de Clermont-Tonnerre, Oscar winner French Producer

Defining a cooperation policy involves identifying common elements among countries—based on history, language, and aspects of culture—that allow for the construction of a shared identity.

Fabrizio de Gennaro / Cineuropa, 2025

Luis Chaby Vaz, Secretary General, CAACI

Background

EULAC Cinema is one of the bi-regional initiatives of the EU-CELAC Roadmap 2023-2025, presented at the 2023 Summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels and preparing the forthcoming EU-CELAC 2025 Summit in Colombia.