The Banff World Media Festival has tapped Spain as its official Country of Honor for the 2026 festival.
Spanish producers and other industry execs will be spotlighted on the ground in the Canadian Rockies as they look to do more international co-productions while their country expands as a production hub for global studios and streamers.
“Spain’s rise has been one of the most consequential shifts in the global content landscape. From breakout franchises to award-winning prestige drama, Spanish producers are setting the pace for international co-production and premium storytelling,” Banff executive director Jenn Kuzmyk said of her event’s 2026 Country of Honor sending a delegation to the June 14 to 17 event.
Spanish producers have made popular scripted, unscripted, film and digital-first content like The Asunta Case, Valeria, Entre Tierras and Sueños de libertad, just as global streamers continue to invest in local infrastructure to make their own originals. That includes streaming hits like Money Heist and its prequel Berlin and survival drama Society of the Snow.
That success has followed Spain continuing to attract foreign investments and shoots, bolstering financial and tax instruments, training local crews and talent, making regulatory reforms and holding similar marketing pushes at MIPCOM and the European Film Market in Berlin.
“This recognition highlights the strength and ambition of our audiovisual industry, and we look forward to deepening and expanding the collaboration between Spain and Canada in the years ahead,” Luis Mayoral, creative industries director at ICEX, which promotes foreign investment in Spain for the federal government, said in a statement.
Spanish TV series are likely to fare this year as contenders for the upcoming Rockie Awards, to be handed out on June 16, 2026 in Banff.
