Spain

A national tax rebate of 30%, higher still in some regions such as the Canary Islands, Basque Country and Navarre, has helped Spain attract and consolidate the flow of international productions, adding to the wider appeal of its natural and architectural assets. The focus is now on expanding that growth.

The national tax incentive was increased in 2020 and is currently at 30% for the first $1.2m (€1m) of local spend by an international shoot and 25% thereafter. And the tax rebate runs even higher in those regions with a tax regime that differs from the rest of the nation.

The incentives have been instrumental in the rise of high-end international productions drawn to Spain, also fuelling the local industry. “Both in the number of local and international productions and in scale, 2025 has seen an improvement compared to 2024”, says Juan-
Manuel Guimerans, president of Spain Film Commission.

And there is room for growth. All the players in the sector would like to see further fiscal improvements, with a rise in the 30% tax rebate in regions that do not have a special tax regime and a rise in the cap for the total tax rebate per feature — currently at $23.4m (€20m).

Talks with the Spanish government are ongoing. “Our proposal does not only concern a rise in the overall tax rebate in the country, that can put us in the same league as the most competitive countries in the European Union,” says Guimerans. “It is also about improving aspects of the paperwork, the timeframe for reimbursement and the legal framework.”

A 2024 study of the film industry’s economic impact in Spain, in terms of the gross value added to the economy and job market, calculated that inward investment from international film and TV production totalled $1.5bn (€1.3bn) over 2019‑22. A follow-­­up study should be ready by autumn.

International productions that recently shot in Spain include Martin Campbell’s Just Play Dead, starring Samuel L Jackson and Eva Green, on Gran Canaria; Day Drinker with Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz; the third and fourth seasons of AMC’s horror spinoff The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon; and the second season of The Night Manager. The 2026 Berlinale Competition title Rosebush Pruning was shot entirely in Catalonia.

The third season of German Net­flix series The Empress used locations in Malaga and Catalonia, including the coastal town of Lloret de Mar. Series producers Jochen Laube, Fabian Maubach and Lars Gmehling chose Catalonia for deliberate reasons: “We needed a region that offered a significant change of scenery, supporting the characters’ journey and expanding the series through the Empress’s foreign travels. Spain provided the ideal conditions.”

Diego Luna’s Spain-Mexico co-­production Ceniza En La Boca used locations in Barcelona and Madrid. Andalusia was busy with several Prime Video productions, including Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock series, which used a number of locations in the region, among them Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa Maria and Seville, and Our Fault: London, the third title in the Fault feature trilogy, directed by UK filmmaker Chanya Button. The second season of Left Bank Pictures’ BBC series This City Is Ours, produced with Palma Pictures, and Netflix miniseries Seven Dials also used several locations in Andalusia.

Prime Video thriller Kill Jackie, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, shot in the Basque Country and Navarre. The latter was also used by sci-fi thriller A.M.I. starring Mads Mikkelsen. Woody Allen’s upcoming untitled feature is scheduled to shoot in Madrid this year.

"We have been spoiled with our locations," says Forbes. 

Spain’s diverse landscapes cover 506,000 square kilometres. It has 8,000 kilometres of coast and beaches along the Mediterranean Sea to the east and south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and north, and the Cantabrian Sea to the north. 

Natural landscapes include high mountain ranges, deserts, plains, plateaus and a wide range of forests, from oak and fir to tropical. Architectural heritage sites abound, making Spain well suited for period shoots. 

Spain has a reputation for quality crews. Plans are underway to make more specialised crews available to cope with the rise of activity, supported by local players including film schools, public television service RTVE, some regional and local governments and Spain Film Commission. Spain can also provide specialists for underwater shoots.

Service companies working on international shoots include Nostromo Pictures, Fresco Film, Anima Stillking, Sur-Film, Fasten Films, Calle Cruzada, Meñakoz Films, Volcano Films, Babieka Films, Palma Pictures, El Ranchito, Minded Factory, Seven Islands Film, Mediapro Services, Nanu Films, Bambu Producciones, Brutal Media and Filmax.

Ciudad de la Luz Film Studios in Alicante, on Spain’s east coast, is the largest filming complex in the country with six soundstages of more than 11,000 square metres as well as interior and exterior water tanks.

Plans are underway in several regions to build or expand existing facilities. These include Secuoya Studios in Madrid — part of Madrid Content City and home to Netflix’s European production hub — and Parc Audiovisual de Catalunya near Barcelona. The latter is in the process of adding two new soundstages — 2,200 and 1,000 square metres respectively — and new production service spaces. The region is also working on the Catalunya Media City project, backed by the Catalan government, in the outskirts of Barcelona.

Spain has invested significantly in virtual stages and technology with Coruña Centro Inmersivo, being the biggest virtual set in the country. The facility includes an 800 square metre soundstage for immersive virtual shoots, equipped with a semicircular LED screen measuring 28 metres long by six metres high.

VFX companies have expanded the range of services and there is a growing demand for animation productions fuelled by tax incentives both on the mainland and the Canary Islands.

Spain’s longstanding tourism industry and public investment in road, rail and airport networks make logistics easy for international crews. Accommodation options can suit all budgets, though the popularity of certain locations during tourism season makes it advisable to book well ahead.

There are 46 airports and a 4,000 kilometre high-speed rail network offering tickets at competitive prizes. There are also 290,000 kilometres of motorway and roads, and around 50 airports allow international crews to travel easily around mainland Spain’s nearly 506,000 square kilometres, including 8,000 kilometres of coastline. 

The transport network is also reliable between the mainland and the Canary and Balearic islands, with a regular schedule of flights and ferries. 

First contact: Lara Molina, event manager, Spain Film Commission @ coordinacion@spainfilmcommission.org