In order to further expand the range of audiovisual content that they offer, Canary Islands-based studios are seeking out and hiring top talent in the areas of costume design, sound, production, animation, and editing. Some people are just born in the Islands.
The Islands have witnessed rising audiences for their native films, which is another evidence of the local industry’s continued growth and growing significance to a wider global movie scene.
More about the six participants that are presently driving the regional production push:
Orlando Harris
The art director and green screen foreman, who was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, has marshalled his resources for big studio investments including Netflix hits “The Witcher” and “La Palma,” as well as Amazon’s “The Rings of Power.” He says that working with Volcano Films on a regular basis “has always been, without a doubt, the most rewarding professional experience.” There are a number of international projects coming up as well as a promising project “that’s related to the people of our islands.” “It’s quite stimulating to be able to tangibly appreciate how your small contribution helps in the compilation of the work of many other people in each project,” he says in regards to art direction.
Marta Miró
Semi-vet of the business, Miró was recognised for her efforts on Isabel Coixet’s Juliette Binoche-led film “Endless Night” with the 2016 Goya best production director prise. She also served as line producer for Miguel del Arco’s award-winning drama series “Nights in Tefía,” which is set in a long-closed concentration camp in Fuerteventura that is meticulously rebuilt in Tenerife. She has several roots firmly planted in the area and is now filming a project that is still being kept under wraps on Gran Canaria. She says, “As a line producer, it’s very interesting to film in the Canary Islands due to the diversity of landscapes that each of the islands has.” You can imitate a rainforest, a desert, a foreign planet, arid regions like the Far West, and a lengthy list of other things.
Martínez, Omar Al Abdul Razzak
Following its successful premiere, Razzak’s full-length live-action directing debut, “Killing Crabs,” took home the Silver Biznaga for best feature at Málaga’s Zonazine in 2023. As a founding partner of Tourmalet Films, he combines production, art design, and writing acumen, diving into a varied portfolio that includes Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s debut feature “Stockholm” and the Goya-nominated “La Prima Cosa.” A concept developed by award-winning Spanish-Lebanese filmmaker Laila Hotait, two dystopian animated titles from Blanca Bonet of Madrid and Gabriela Fernández Galán of Cuba, and two documentaries, “Muchedumbre” from Felipe Rugeles of Colombia and “Yo Terrateniente” from Rodrigo Demirjian of Argentina, are among the upcoming projects. In addition, he is working on “Fuego en la Boca” with Paris-based filmmaker Alois Sandner and getting ready for his upcoming movie, “Dolour Fantasma.” “Both fictions that talk about bodies, men and women,” are the projects.
Atri Galván
Galván acknowledges that “a good costume is the character itself, understanding costume design is a language that goes beyond mere aesthetic,” and she applies her talent for costuming to both local and international cinematic endeavours as well as music videos and television shows. The idea was to “create an atmosphere of timelessness between a past and a possible future, giving each character a particular image as if it were a story through certain garments like a maroon skirt, a huge coat, or a leather jacket.” Goya nominations poured in for her team’s work on the Canary Island productions “Killing Crabs” and 2022’s “La Viajante.” She is currently in charge of the costume design for José Alayón’s most recent film, “La Lucha,” which is produced by Viaje Films, based in Tenerife.
Carlos Bonmati
capturing the finest audio Goya for his work on the Montxo Armendáriz film “Obaba” in 2006, and Goya-nominated for “13 Roses” in 2008. In addition, Bonmati contributed to the Amazon Original historical drama “El Cid.” The sound designer, who is currently in post-production on the upcoming Alberto Utrera title “Desmontando a Lucía,” which stars Hugo Silva (“Un Amor”), argues for Canary Island talent with a wide range of experience in audiovisual mediums, connecting compelling narratives with their visuals through powerful scoring.
María Pulido
The multihyphenate talent is becoming a major player in the Canary Islands’ indie animation scene, which is doubly reason to celebrate. In addition to working in tandem with the same budding team as art director on Tinglado and Ikiru Films’ socially conscious animated documentary “Black Butterflies,” which was recently chosen to screen in competition at Annecy’s Contrechamps, Pulido is also writing and directing the upcoming short film “Tsunami,” which she describes as a film about “moving and leaving a home, how it affects a person.” The sea serves as an analogy for the psychological tsunami of anxiety that accompanies change, loss, and parting with tangible possessions.
