The 28th Festival de Málaga, held from 14 to 23 March, has ended with a new rise in the number of spectators and participants, as well as in its international prestige, reflected in the high number of sector professionals from many different countries participating in its MAFIZ industry area.
 
All this was possible thanks to the support from institutions and companies that have participated in this 28th Festival de Málaga, organised by Malaga City Council and its Department of Culture and Historical Heritage, through Málaga Procultura, with support from the Malaga Provincial Council and the Ministry of Culture, through the ICAA; the collaboration of the Andalusian Regional Government, through the Department of Tourism and Sport and the Department of Culture; with Repsol as a multi-energy partner; and with the sponsorship of RTVE, Atresmedia, "la Caixa" Foundation, Cervezas Victoria, Iryo and Diario Sur.
The number of films scheduled at the 28th edition was 260 and the number of sessions 308, plus other activities such as the two screenings of the closing concert by El Kanka, the great photographic exhibition in Calle Larios by Juan Naharro, the new La Villa del Mar space at Malagueta beach, meetings, presentations, etc., as well as the activities held in the Solidarity Space, with more than 50 participating associations.
 
In terms of audience, the event attracted almost 108,000 spectators and participants in its different activities, including the almost 53,000 tickets issued, as well as visitors to other direct access activities, with accreditation or invitation. All this has resulted in takings of close to 280,000. This puts the festival's figures well above those of last year's edition, with an increase of almost 10% in spectators and participants.
 
The number of people accredited for the 28th edition of the Festival was 4,325, of which 1,650 were guests; 1,600 from 63 countries at MAFIZ; 225 from film schools and 850 press professionals, including 25 international media outlets.  
 
As for MaF - Málaga de Festival, the expanded Festival de Málaga programme attracted almost 15,000 people from 20 February to 13 March to the 125 activities that made up the edition, spread around 50 collaborating venues, in an edition with more than 130 participating creators. "la Caixa" Foundation is the main collaborator of this event.
 
Neópolis #3, the Festival de Málaga section that combines science, technology and avant-garde art and which is held in three city spaces on three consecutive days, has brought in almost 400 people, with a model based on the coexistence of artistic installations and immersive experiences. Neópolis #3 has revolved around three categories: liquid inheritances, AI and the concept of truth, and the relationship between machine and human. 
 
The industry festival
 
MAFIZ, the Festival de Málaga industry area, had 1,600 people accredited from 63 countries. Events in this area include Spanish Screenings Content, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture through the ICAA (Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts), ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, the Regional Ministry of Culture and Sport of Andalusia, the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function, and the San Sebastian Festival. 
 
There was a new space this year: La Villa del Mar, on La Malagueta beach, created by the Festival de Málaga in collaboration with the Digital Hub to showcase the synergies between the audiovisual and cultural industry and new technologies, and explore the possibilities they offer. It became a new meeting point where entertainment, technology, creativity and sustainability come together with the audiovisual world. Almost 9,000 people have passed through the space for the hundred or so activities organised with the sponsorship of Google, Mediabrands, Iryo, Repsol, Evad and Olin.
 
Spanish Screenings Content presented 134 films with almost 1,460 viewings.  The event also featured established initiatives such as Málaga Work in Progress España, which presented six Spanish films in post-production; Spain Colorful Diversity; Regional Film Hub; and Spain Scorecom.
 
Numerous professionals attended Málaga Short Corner, including representatives from prestigious international festivals. In this section, 496 works were entered and 58 selected, making up a very representative panorama of the current state, quality and diversity of Spanish short films.
 
MAFF Málaga Fund & Co-production Event, a training and financing event for fiction and non-fiction projects from Ibero-America, also took place within the framework of MAFIZ, where 25 works were presented in search of international co-producers. Two of them were part of the MAFF Women Screen Industry event organised by the Festival de Málaga in collaboration with three associations of women filmmakers with the aim of advancing towards equality. Within Maff, Warmi Lab, the Festival de Málaga initiative created to reduce the training gap in the audiovisual industry and empower women producers from Latin America and Spain, had 11 participating projects this edition from different regions such as Argentina, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Spain.
 
Sixteen films in post-production were presented at Málaga Work in Progress. In addition to the six titles from Málaga WIP España, there are 10 Ibero-American titles from five countries (two presented by the Dominican Republic as guest country at Latinamerican Focus). In addition to these 16 projects, there are also four projects from Ficviña Industria, proposed by the Chilean festival.
 
The Dominican Republic was the country of honour and protagonist of Latin American Focus 2025, which was attended by 48 participants, who demonstrated the country's great audiovisual talent.
 
The Region of Murcia was the protagonist territory and the 59 attendees of the Murcian delegation have participated in a series of activities at MAFIZ that fostered professional meetings and the promotion of the audiovisual industry of this region.
 
Meanwhile, in its strategy to position itself as a hotbed of talent, Festival de Málaga has brought together 20 young Spanish and Latin American filmmakers in the Campus Málaga Talent training and networking programme and 20 digital content creators at Hack MAFIZ Málaga. The latter, selected from among 14,000 candidates, presented the latest creative challenge proposed by the Festival de Málaga, as well as having the opportunity to participate in talks, training and tutorials with experts from the main platforms, companies and international agencies in the sector.
  
The Industry Club Village hosted 50 stands, including film institutes from the main Ibero-American countries (16 countries represented), Spanish autonomous regions (12), sales agents, film commissions and institutions, thus completing the participation of sector professionals at MAFIZ.
 
A new feature this year was the presentation of MERCADOC.0, a space for innovation in Ibero-American documentaries and the development of new business models involving new agents: journalistic media, digital platforms and television channels. With 14 participating documentary projects, the event marks a key step in the consolidation of a specific line of work on documentaries within MAFIZ. Organised by the Festival de Málaga and Culturia, it received funding from the Ministry of Culture and European Union - Next Generation funds.
 
Another novelty during this edition of Mafiz was the Forum for the Internationalisation of Andalusian Audiovisuals (FIAA), presented as a key instrument for positioning professionals and companies from the Andalusian audiovisual sector in international markets. Managed by the Andalusian Agency for Cultural Institutions of the Regional Government of Andalusia, it was attended by 20 international professionals (distributors, festivals and producers) and a selection of 12 Andalusian companies.
 
Dissemination on the internet and social media
 
With regard to the Festival's online presence, according to Google Analytics data, the Festival website (www.festivaldemalaga.com) had almost 172,000 users and 319,000 sessions between 25 February and 23 March, with almost 1,400,000 page views.
 
Once again this year, there has been an increase in the Festival's presence on social media, with almost 48,500 followers on Facebook; more than 98,500 followers on Instagram and more than 101,000 on X (formerly Twitter), keeping the Festival de Málaga in first place on this network among all the film festivals held in Spain.
 
 
 
Direct festival spending in the city of Malaga
 
In its 28th edition, the Festival de Málaga has made a significant economic investment in the city's various productive and services sectors. Festiva contracting of companies, professionals and personnel from Malaga is estimated at 735,000 euros, while production service (audiovisual, lighting, sound, etc.) contracting is estimated at 390,000 euros. Hotel and catering services are valued at 810,000 euros, while those linked to communication, media and image amount to 240,000 euros.
 
All this means that the budgetary management developed by the festival in 2025 has represented a total direct expenditure in the city of Malaga of 2,175,000 euros.
 
In detail, this investment has meant the hiring of 230 temporary staff (public relations, production staff, content, press, etc.), as well as 29 local collaborators and the hiring of more than 150 companies from Malaga for the different logistical and production tasks for festival activities.
 
Dates for the 29th edition
 
Finally, the Festival has already set the dates for its 29th edition, which will take place from 6 to 15 March 2026.