Zaragoza City Council and EFD Studios signed a contract on Thursday under which the Mexico-founded international company will take over management of the sound stages at Distrito 7. The agreement marks a further step toward launching the audiovisual complex being developed at the former Giesa factory, which aims to attract film shoots, investment, and business activity to the city.
Under the contract, EFD Studios will invest €1 million in the sound stages, pay a concession fee of €8.5 million, and has provided a guarantee of more than €300,000. The company will therefore operate one of Distrito 7’s core components, a project in which the City Council is investing €20 million.
Zaragoza Mayor Natalia Chueca and EFD Studios CEO Georgina Terán signed the agreement, identifying the creation of economic activity and professional opportunities as among the main goals of this new phase.
«We want these facilities to be operational, to attract investment, and to enable our professionals to work and build their careers here,» Chueca said.
EFD Studios has more than 25 years of experience and operates from Spain, Mexico, and Colombia, working across various areas related to production, technology, and audiovisual services. For the company, its arrival in Zaragoza represents a long-term project that extends beyond managing the facilities.
«For EFD Studios, today’s signing represents much more than taking over the management of sound stages. It represents a long-term commitment to Zaragoza and to Aragon’s audiovisual industry,» Terán said, also setting out the company’s first objective: «To get these sound stages operating, attract productions, and generate activity.»
More Film Shoots and Opportunities for Aragonese Companies
The strategy involves attracting co-productions, Spanish-language shoots, and international productions interested in working in Spain. The City Council and EFD intend to connect that activity with the professionals, production companies, and suppliers already operating in Zaragoza and across the rest of Aragon.
Terán was keen to emphasize this point. «We are not here to replace the production companies, technicians, or suppliers already working here. Quite the opposite. We want bringing more productions to Zaragoza to mean more opportunities for them as well.»
The economic impact of a film shoot is not limited to audiovisual professionals. Transportation, hotels, restaurants, costumes, set construction, and other services are all part of the activity generated by a production.
For that reason, the EFD executive believes Distrito 7’s results should be assessed beyond studio occupancy. «For us, Distrito 7’s success cannot be measured solely by the number of days the sound stages are occupied,» she explained. «It must also be measured by the activity we generate around it, the opportunities we create, and our ability to connect Zaragoza with new productions, new markets, and the future of audiovisual media.»
Retaining professionals trained in Aragon and the potential return of those currently pursuing their careers outside the region are also among the objectives outlined by the City Council.
«We have to create the conditions for staying in Zaragoza to be a genuine option. And for those who left to consider returning,» Chueca said.
Production, Technology, and Training
The plans for the sound stages also encompass areas gaining importance within the industry, including virtual production, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and new audiovisual formats. The aim is to connect these capabilities with the international ecosystems in which EFD Studios already operates.
The sound stages are part of a broader project. Distrito 7 will bring together audiovisual production, training, entrepreneurship, businesses, and culture at the former Giesa factory, between the San José and Las Fuentes neighborhoods.
The complex will be municipally managed and will include the new headquarters of the Zaragoza Film Archive. The City Council is also developing areas dedicated to training and businesses, while the entrepreneurship component will be organized through Zaragoza Activa. The aim is to foster links among students, industry professionals, and new business ventures.
With the contract now signed, the next phase begins: turning the sound stages into effective audiovisual activity. «Today we signed a contract, but above all we took on a responsibility,» Georgina Terán said. «To turn infrastructure into activity. Activity into opportunities. And opportunities into the future.»
