Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM) is back for its 16th edition, running July 14-18 with 245+ events.
The Colombia-based event covers music, animation, AI, documentaries, literature, film, and TV. Proimágenes Colombia and the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce lead the charge, focusing heavily on AI’s impact.
Panel highlight: Editing on Stage features Jorge Caballero, Adobe’s Fabián Caba, and Camilo Restrepo showing AI’s role in reshaping audiovisual editing. 
BAM also tackles digital IP with a talk called It’s Not Magic, It’s Strategy, aimed at turning creative ideas into sustainable businesses.
Influencer marketing gets a spotlight too. Cifras y Conceptos will introduce a new certification for creators while companies like Goldfish push authentic, purpose-driven campaigns.
BAM teams with Cinemateca de Bogotá for an Argentine film retrospective on Lucrecia Martel, including guest appearances by Santiago Gallelli and Julieta Laso.
Director Carlos Eduardo Moreno leads BAM Talks, a series of 12 sessions blending inspiration and industry insight. Highlights: Martel, exiled Iranian animator Sepideh Farsi, and Chinese documentarian Wang Bing.
Netflix’s Delirium premieres its pilot here with star Estefanía Piñeres and creators joining a discussion.
Otros Ojos, in partnership with the French Embassy, pushes Andean animation education for youth with heavy hitters from ECV Animation and Gobelins.
Moreno stresses BAM’s ethnic program supports Indigenous and Afro-Colombian creators, boosting participation and international attention. Colombian Indigenous filmmaker Iratu Dojura took an Honorable Mention at Berlinale for her stop motion short “Akababuru: Expression of Astonishment.”
Proimágenes’ Claudia Triana notes Bogotá has about 23 animation companies producing internationally. Two animated features co-produced with Spain drop next year, with a third expected.
BAM is expanding internationally with projects from Ecuador, Brazil, and Spain seeking Latin American co-productions. Moreno aims for a Latin American filmmaking alliance that drives regional financing and distribution outside North American and European models.
Colombia’s audiovisual industry is booming, thanks to tax incentives like Fondo Fílmico Colombia and CINA. The latter offers a 35% transferable tax credit that’s traded on the Colombian Stock Exchange at near full value.
Colombian film commissioner Silvia Echeverri says 2023 saw growth post-Hollywood strikes, with a spike in local series, reality shows, films, and video games.
Proimágenes Colombia director Claudia Triana on CINA:
“Currently, there are two animated films in co-production with Spain that are set to be ready next year. I believe by then we’ll have at least three feature-length animated films completed.”
“The credit is actually traded in the national market and sold at nearly full value—between 98% and 100% of its worth. This makes it a reliable incentive, especially since it’s issued through the Colombian Stock Exchange, adding trust and consistency to the process.”
Moreno on BAM’s bigger goal:
“At BAM, we aim to create a market that sparks reflection on filmmaking in Latin America. Given the region’s ongoing challenges with traditional North American and European financing models, we see a strong need – and opportunity – for greater regional collaboration. Our vision is to build a Latin American alliance, similar to the European Union, that fosters alternative financing, distribution, and co-production strategies. Latin America is not just our focus – it’s the path forward for BAM, one we’re committed to exploring and strengthening.”
