EFD Studios, Latin America's largest film equipment rental company, has named José Miguel Álvarez Ibargüengoitia as CEO of its Mexico division — a hire that lands as Mexico rolls out a new production incentive designed to draw international shoots.

Álvarez Ibargüengoitia arrives from Imcine, Mexico's film institute, where he held multiple roles over more than a decade. He served as managing director of international promotion from 2013 to 2017, then as director of film production from 2017 to 2026, and as technical coordinator from 2019 to 2026. Variety

His appointment fits a broader build-out at EFD. In April 2026, Nacho Carballo — a former audiovisual advisor to the Madrid region — joined the company as global director general. EFD Studios Group is led by president Georgina Terán and operates across Spain, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States. Variety

The timing matters. On February 15, 2026, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Salma Hayek unveiled a transferable tax credit for both Mexican and international productions shooting in Mexico. Transferable means the credit can be sold or passed to another entity if a production cannot use the full value itself. The incentive also covers post-production spending — meaning editing, sound mixing, visual effects, and other finishing work count toward the rebate, not just what happens on set. Variety

EFD plans to turn that policy into a service. The company intends to create a consultancy to help producers access the new tax credits — a logical fit for a rental house whose business depends on productions choosing to shoot where the equipment and the incentives align. EFD will also continue its training and refresher programs for film technicians, an initiative that builds local crew capacity alongside the infrastructure investment. Variety

The company's track record in Mexico is already visible on screen. EFD supplied mobile lighting, grip equipment, ARRI M-series lights, SkyPanels, power generators, and a Fisher Dolly 11 for the Netflix series Pedro Páramo, shot in Mexico. That kind of kit — the lights, rigs, and generators that sit behind every frame a crew captures — is what EFD rents at scale across the region. Variety

What makes this stand out is the convergence. A government tax credit, a rental house expanding its executive bench, and a former public-sector film official crossing to the private side — all pointing toward Mexico as a production hub at a moment when streamers and studios are weighing where to spend. Álvarez Ibargüengoitia's years inside Imcine mean he knows the incentive landscape from the policy side. Now he will be working it from the other end of the camera.