The Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic is set to welcome hundreds of regional media and cultural leaders in mid-2026, after being selected to host two of Ibero-America’s most important audiovisual industry gatherings. From June 22 to 26, the Hemingway Club in the coastal community of Juan Dolio will serve as the primary venue for both the 48th Ordinary Meeting of the Conference of Audiovisual and Cinematographic Authorities of Ibero-America (CAACI) and the annual Ibermedia Program Meeting. Local organizers, led by the country’s Ministry of Culture and General Directorate of Cinema (DGCINE), say the selection cements the Dominican Republic’s rising influence across the regional film and media landscape.
The five-day event will draw top film regulators, government cultural delegates, and independent audiovisual sector executives from more than 20 Ibero-American nations. Attendees will dedicate time to collaborative discussions across a range of pressing industry topics, including frameworks for deeper cross-border cooperation, expanded routes for regional film circulation across international markets, new avenues for collaborative co-production projects, and actionable strategies to boost the resilience and growth of the audiovisual sector across the region.
Marianna Vargas Gurilieva, Director General of DGCINE, emphasized that the decision to hold the summits in the Dominican Republic is far more than a logistical arrangement: it represents a vote of confidence from the entire Ibero-American audiovisual community in the country’s trajectory, and formalizes its standing as a central, strategic player in the regional industry. This 2026 gathering will also mark an unprecedented milestone for the Ibermedia Program, the leading regional funding and support initiative for Ibero-American cinema. For the first time since the program’s founding in 1997, member nations will gather to elect a new technical and executive secretary, a process that will shape the program’s direction for years to come.
Local cultural authorities have framed the hosting opportunity as long-overdue international recognition of the Dominican film industry’s rapid progress over the past decades, as well as the country’s expanding role in global cultural cooperation frameworks. To complement the official working meetings, organizers have planned a public-facing Ibero-American Film Series, which will screen standout productions from across the region at three iconic Dominican venues: the Cinemateca Dominicana, the historic Fortaleza Ozama, and the host venue Hemingway Club. The film series is designed to open the summits to local audiences and deepen cross-cultural connection through the shared art of cinema.