Spain's producers want more local pics in cinemas
Org FAPAE seeking 30% quota
And 60% of these one-in-two days of European features should be Spanish pics.
FAPAE prexy Eduardo Campoy said Tuesday that this effective 30% Spanish screen quota for local hardtops was a reaction to the huge roll-out of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "The Lord of the Rings" over Christmas. "Potter" bowed on 537 screens, a record.
Campoy called on the general manager of Spain's ICAA film institute, Jose Maria Otero, to denounce the U.S. majors' alleged abuse of their dominant position by block-booking multiple screens at the same multiplex.
Campoy's attack on the majors can be seen as a first move by FAPAE to garner political support for its aggressive agenda as Spain's ruling conservative party limbers up to select a successor to prime minister Jose Maria Aznar.
It also signals that FAPAE, which enjoys a large influence on the government, will get increasingly tough on major studios and studio-friendly exhibitors in Spain.
Spain's current cinema quota stands at one day of European (including Spanish) films for three days of other, largely U.S., pics. The regulation is often disregarded by provincial exhibbers.
