EFD Studios, Latin America’s biggest film equipment rental company, has named longterm Imcine senior executive José Miguel Álvarez Ibargüengoitia as CEO of EFD Studios Mexico.
The appointment of Álvarez Ibargüengoitia, one of the best-known and regarded of figures on Mexico’s film industry scene, comes as EFD Studios has begun to put through an energetic expansion drive.
It also takes place just months after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Mexican actor-producer-director Salma Hayek unveiled Feb. 15 a transferable tax credit for Mexican and international productions shooting in Mexico. Eligible spend includes post-production.
Under new global director general, Nacho Carballo, a former Madrid region audiovisual advisor who joined EFD Studios in April, EFD Studios is driving for what Carballo described to Variety as “consolidation in the national territories where we’re based – Spain, Mexico, Colombia and the U.S. – as well as international expansion.”
“Up to now, we’ve been the No. 1 in Mexico and even Spanish-speaking America but we can’t rest on our laurels but rather renovate our studios and equipment and confront the new challenges of AI and virtual production,” he added.
“To do so, we must be strategically positioned. Signing José Miguel is very, very important. He’s one of Mexico’s stars.”
“This is an important moment for the Mexican industry with a new incentive, significant state funds for production and a film industry open for international co-production which is recognized in the world,” said Álvarez Ibargüengoitia.
“The strengthening of the industry and AV ecosystem in Mexico and Latin America also has to do with companies like EFD Studios, sectorial leaders which know the business, know to be allies or partners with production teams, bet on powerful stories and have the capacity to grow in Mexico taking its industry to other States in the country,” he added.
In Mexico, Álvarez Ibargüengoitia will oversee an operation which prides itself on its advanced tech services for top players in the country. On “Pedro Páramo,” one of the highest-profile Netflix series in Mexico, for instance, EFD supplied not only mobile lighting and grip equipment but also ARRI’s M-series lights, SkyPanels, power generators, and a Fisher Dolly 11.
At Imcine, Álvarez Ibargüengoitia served as MD of international promotion over 2013-17 before becoming its director of film production (2017-26) and also technical co-ordinator (2019-26). He can be expected to use his vast network of contacts to attract both international shoots to Mexico and Mexican productions to EFD Studios.
EFD Studios will continue its training and refresher programs for technicians. “There’s an explosion of productions and the challenge is to have enough trained and specialised technicians to work on them,” Carballo said. The Studios will also create a consultancy for producers to access the new tax credits whose structure is little known, especially among younger and new producers, said Carballo.
“[EFD Studios Group President] Georgina Terán’s bet is on cinema in Spanish. It’s a bet to defend our roots, language, the quality of our cinema. We’re over 600 million speaking the same language and we have a lot of stories to tell. It’s a bet on Hispano-American talent and new creators,” said Carballo.
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