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Gran Canaria may be appearing on the radar of one of the world's biggest film and television companies. A delegation of seven senior executives from Amazon MGM Studios recently flew in from the United States to spend time on the island, exploring everything it has to offer as a production base.

 

The visit was organised through the Sociedad de Promoción Económica de Gran Canaria (SPEGC), which is part of the Cabildo and manages the island's purpose-built Gran Canaria Platós studios. SPEGC managing director Cosme García Falcón and his technical team walked the executives through the facilities and outlined the infrastructure available for major international productions, including the Canary Islands' generous tax incentives for audiovisual work and the network of local companies and professionals already operating in the sector.

 

The delegation did not spend the whole trip in a studio, though. They were also taken to some very different locations around the island to get a sense of the range of settings Gran Canaria can offer. The historic Vegueta district of Las Palmas, a banana plantation and the Maspalomas Dunes all featured on the itinerary, demonstrating just how varied the island's landscapes are within a relatively compact area.

 

It is worth being clear about what this visit does and does not mean. Amazon MGM Studios has not confirmed any specific production or announced filming dates. This was a fact-finding mission, not a green light. The executives were assessing the island's suitability and building their own first-hand knowledge of what Gran Canaria can deliver, so that it is front of mind when future projects come up.

 

That said, attracting a delegation of this seniority from one of the world's major studios is not nothing. When decisions are made about where to film, familiarity counts for a great deal, and Gran Canaria will now be a known quantity to people who make exactly those decisions.

 

The economic potential of a large international production is also significant, spreading well beyond the film industry itself into accommodation, transport, catering and a long list of other local businesses.

 

 

Image: Jack Dewhurst/Pexels