The Keys to Solid Agreements
Coproduction is a powerful way to maximise resources, access new markets and expand creative horizons. But even when working with trusted friends or close acquaintances, it is crucial to have clear, well-structured agreements. This panel discussion with expert producers aims to provide essential knowledge on the basics that every coproduction agreement should include in order to protect projects and friendships alike.
The panellists will draw on their own experience and expertise to discuss issues such as:
- Sharply defining the distribution of rights and intellectual property so that each party is clear about their role in the project.
- Clearly structuring financial agreements and income distribution to ensure that each coproducer knows how resources will be managed and what they are to get out of it.
- Setting out clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each party involved in order to prevent any future conflicts or misunderstandings.
- Designing conflict resolution mechanisms and contingency plans—a key part of any project, no matter how close friends the coproducers might be.
- Navigating key legal aspects at both national and international levels to ensure compliance with regulations and see that all parties are protected.
Accompanied by an expert lawyer who specialises in audiovisual law, the panellists will share concrete examples of real-life situations where negotiations and agreements were key to the success of their projects. This practical approach will not only give you a grasp of the theoretical concepts but also show you how to apply them effectively in your coproduction agreements.
Don't miss this valuable opportunity to learn from those who have gone before and to equip yourself with the tools to ensure that your coproductions are protected by watertight agreements to create the best conditions for success, no matter whom you work with.
Panellists
Mikel Mas
Mikel Mas studied film at the CECC (Center for Cinematographic Studies of Catalonia) and holds a degree in Art History from the UAB (Autonomous University of Barcelona). In 2009, together with six other partners, he founded the audiovisual production company Cornelius Films. As a producer, this year marked the start of filming for his first stop-motion animated feature, Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, a French, Belgian and Chilean coproduction, with support from Televisión Española, Televisió de Catalunya, Àpunt and Movistar+, as well as the ICAA, ICEC and IVAC. The film is set to premiere in September 2025. Last February, he commercially released Negu Hurbilak, by the Negu Collective, a fiction feature that participated in the Locarno Festival, where it received a Special Mention from the Jury.
Roberto Butragueño
Roberto Butragueño graduated in law from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and has a Master’s Degree in Fiscal Consultancy from ICADE and a diploma in production from ECAM. He is CEO of the leading postproduction services firm Elamedia Estudios and the production company Sideral Cinema. He has recently produced Mantícora, Pijamas espaciales, La vida era eso, Nueve Sevillas and El año del descubrimiento, winner of two Goya Awards. His other films also include El futuro, Sin fin, La Herida, 10.000 noches en ninguna parte, El fantástico caso del Golem and Segundo premio.
Valérie Delpierre
Valerie del Pierre founded Inicia Films in 2006 with the aim of developing projects by up and-coming talents and taking a special interest in their international careers. Since then, she has established herself as one of the most renowned and respected producers in the Spanish and European filmmaking industries. Inicia Films has been a key component of Spain’s female-led new cinema movement, supporting and encouraging emerging female filmmakers such as Carla Simón (2017 winner of the Best Film award at Berlin with Estiu 1993), Laura Ferrés (2017 Critic's Award winner with Los desheredados), Pilar Palomero (2020 Best Film winner with Schoolgirls, director of Los destellos, 2024, and La maternal, 2022, both awarded Best Leading Performance at San Sebastián) and Estíbaliz Urresola Solaguren (2023 Silver Bear winner at Berlin with 20,000 Species of Bees), among others.
Moderator
Cristina Calvet
Cristina Calvet is a lawyer for the Doblaje Unida Barcelona (DUB) union and the Association for the Promotion of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media of Catalonia, DONES VISUALS, among others. She has now resumed her doctoral thesis research, which focuses on unrecognised authorship in audiovisual works. She is a lecturer for the Audiovisual Communication degree programme at UB, where she teaches audiovisual law, and a lecturer at ESADE for the MA in Intellectual Property and New Technologies, where she teaches the module on related rights. She is the coordinator responsible for the legal module and professor in the MA Master's in Cultural Management at the International University of Catalonia (UIC), a member of the Scientific Committee, and a professor in the Master's in Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights at the Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB). She is also a professor in the Postgraduate program in Management and Production of Shows at the University of Barcelona (UB) and a lecturer in the Master's in Audiovisual Postproduction at UAO, where she teaches the subject of the legal framework in the audiovisual field.
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