Cinemotion Labs Highlights Medellín’s Push to Become a Regional Film Production Hub

Medellín is securing its reputation as a destination for film and audiovisual production, as the first edition of Cinemotion Labs brought filmmakers, production professionals, technology companies and creative-industry stakeholders together for a week of activities focused on production, post-production and emerging technologies.

Organized by TVyVideo+Radio, the audiovisual industry publication of Latin Press Inc., Cinemotion Labs held its main conference August 11 and 12 at Telemedellín, following a location-scouting tour on August 10. The program combined technical workshops, academic sessions, production laboratories, technology demonstrations and networking opportunities.

“Cinemotion Labs was born with the intention of creating these meeting spaces, and we’re already working on what the 2027 edition will look like,” – Verónica Marín, project manager of Cinemotion Labs.

The conference’s academic program examined emerging technologies and production trends, such as the impact of artificial intelligence on the film industry. Sessions and hands-on activities were held at Telemedellín’s Estudio 2, with the program also featuring technology demonstrations and workshops involving companies serving the professional production sector.

The week included the Medellín debut of the Salón Internacional de la Luz, as well as workshops led by Congo Films and the first Cinemotion Labs Filminutos competition, in which participating teams produced one-minute audiovisual pieces during the event.

The combination of training, technology and practical production was designed to connect professionals with the tools and partnerships needed to develop projects in an increasingly technology-driven industry.

Medellín’s film ecosystem continues to expand

Cinemotion Labs arrives as Medellín and Colombia continue to expand incentives intended to attract audiovisual production and strengthen local creative businesses.

At the national level, Colombia offers production incentives through the Fondo Fílmico Colombia and the Certificados de Inversión Audiovisual (CINA) program. These mechanisms are designed to attract international productions and encourage spending on Colombian production services.

Medellín has developed additional municipal support through its Comisión Fílmica and the Incentivo Cinematográfico y Audiovisual de Medellín (ICAM). In July, the city announced that 94 audiovisual and film projects would receive a combined $1.453 billion COP in incentives, with the supported initiatives reporting estimated investment of more than  $14.623 billion COP  in Medellín.

The city’s film commission has also reported that it supported 80 productions between 2024 and 2025, while 185 projects received incentives totaling $3.181 billion COP.

These programs give Medellín a growing institutional framework for attracting productions while developing local technical, creative and business capabilities.

A week connecting local talent with international production

The closing activities linked Cinemotion Labs with the Festival de Cine Corto Medellín, bringing the two initiatives together at Telemedellín’s Parque Gabriel García Márquez venue.

More than 100 people attended the joint closing, which included the Filminutos awards and a conversation between Colombian director Víctor Gaviria and cinematographer Rodrigo Lalinde. The two previously collaborated on “Rodrigo D. No Futuro,” the 1990 Medellín-set film that became the first Colombian production selected for the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Lalinde also worked with Gaviria on “La Vendedora de Rosas” and on Barbet Schroeder’s “Our Lady of the Assassins,” further linking the event’s technology and industry focus with Medellín’s established cinematic history.

For Cinemotion Labs, the first Medellín edition was intended to establish an ongoing meeting point for Latin America’s audiovisual production and post-production community rather than a one-off conference.

The organizers have already indicated that they are working on a 2027 edition, although details have not yet been announced.

For Medellín, the event adds another international industry gathering to a broader strategy combining film incentives, production infrastructure, technical training and creative-industry development. Together, those initiatives are intended to make the city more competitive for productions while creating opportunities for local companies and professionals.

Headline photo : A Cinemotion event featuring two panelists. (Photo shared by Cinemotion)