Notizie

‘Segundo Premio’ también triunfó en la gran noche del cine español.

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Anoche se celebró la gala de los Premios Goya 2025, la que es la gran noche del cine español y una de las ediciones más abiertas de los últimos años donde todo podía pasar. Y es que, por un momento, parecía que íbamos a tener nuestro momento Moonlight–La La Land español, pero no, por primera vez en la historia de los Goya el premio a la Mejor Película se repartió ex aequo a El 47 y La infiltrada. Otra de las grandes triunfadoras de la noche fue Segundo premio, que logró tres galardones, incluido el de Mejor Dirección. Aquí os dejamos con la lista completa de nominados y ganadores de los Goya 2025:

Mejor PELÍCULA (Ex Aequo) Casa en flames

El 47

La estrella azul

La infiltrada

Segundo premio © A Contracorriente Films © Beta Films Mejor DIRECCIÓN Pedro Almodóvar...

‘La Habitación de al Lado’ no logra la nominación a Mejor Película y sorprende la ausencia de Najwa Nimri como Mejor Actriz. © Goya |A Contracorriente Films | Beta Films| BTeamPictures | El Deseo

Hoy ha tenido lugar la lectura de nominados a los Premios Goya 2025, en la que las películas El 47, La Infiltrada y Segundo Premio han conseguido el mayor número de nominaciones. Los ganadores se conocerán el 8 de febrero en Granada. Aquí os dejamos con la lista completa de nominados:

Mejor PELÍCULA

Casa en flames

El 47

La estrella azul

La infiltrada

Segundo premio

Mejor DIRECCIÓN

Pedro almodóvar (La habitación de al lado)

Arantxa Echavarría (La infiltrada)

Paula Ortiz (La virgen roja)

Aitor Arregi y Jon Garaño (Marco)

Isaki Lacuesta y Pol Rodríguez (Segundo premio)

Mejor DIRECCIÓN Novel

Miguel Faus (Calladita)

Pedro Martín-Calero (El llanto)

Javier Macipe (La estrella azul)

Sandra Romero (Por donde pasa el silencio)

Paz Vega (Rita...

Spain’s Academia de Cine has unveiled its list of nominations for the 39th Goya Awards, the country’s equivalent to the Oscar. Leading the field is Marcel Barrena’s biographical drama El 47, with 14 mentions. It’s followed by thriller La Infiltrada (Undercover) at 13.

Also in the mix is Segundo Premio (Saturn Return) with 11 nods. The movie about real-life rock band Los Planetas was Spain’s submission for the International Feature Oscar, though it did not make AMPAS’ shortlist cut which was revealed yesterday.

Meanwhile, Spanish maestro Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature, The Room Next Door, scored 10 nominations including Best Director and a pair of Best Actress nods for Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. It did not surface in the Goyas’ Best Picture race, despite taking the top prize Golden Lion in Venice earlier this year, his first ever top A-list festival prize.

The Goyas will be handed out on February 8 in Granada.

The Spanish film academy gave a surprise snub to its best-known director when Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door was not nominated for best film for the Goya Film Awards, Spain’s equivalent to the Oscars.

The Room Next Door picked up 13 Goya nominations, including best director for Almodóvar and best acting nominations for both of the film’s leads, Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, but the film was left out of the best picture category. Perhaps the language barrier — it’s Almodóvar’s first English-language feature — counted against it among Spanish academy voters.

Instead, the Goya’s best picture race will include five Spanish-language features: Casa en flames from director Dani de la Orden, Marcel Barrena’s El 47, La estrella azul from Javier Macipe, Arantxa Echevarría’s La infiltrada, and Segundo premio from director Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez, which was Spain’s official Oscar submission this year.

Local hits The 47 and Undercover lead the nominations for Spain’s 2025 Goya Awards, with 14 and 13 nods respectively.

Rock drama Saturn Return and Pedro Almodóvar’s Golden Lion winnerThe Room Next Door are also high up on the list of nominees.

The Goya winners will be announced at a ceremony in Granada on February 8.

Marcel Barrena’s The 47, produced by The Mediapro Studio, tells the story of a working-class community in the hills of Barcelona and its struggle to get public transport and better living conditions. It has grossed €3m at the Spanish box office to date.

The 47’s 14 nominations include best film,...

The 2025 Spanish Academy Goya Award nominations were unveiled today, where the big surprise was Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” being left out of the competition’s best picture category.

Although the film won’t compete for the ceremony’s top honor, its director and both his lead actors, Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, all received individual nods, Almodóvar for best director and the two performers for best actress.

Titles selected for this year’s best feature category include Marcel Barrena’s “El 47” – the most nominated with 14 nods – “La Estrella Azul” by Javier Macipe, “Saturn Return” from Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez, “Unddercover” from Arantxa Echevarría and “A House on Fire” by Dani de la Orden.

In the best director category, Almodóvar will face off against Goya regulars, including “Saturn Return” co-directors Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez, “Undercover’s” Arantxa Echevarría (2019 best new director winner for “Carmen y Lola...

The tragic story of Hildegard Rodrguez, a child prodigy whose mother, Aurora, moulds her into a living embodiment of radical ideals, is intricately woven into The Red Virgin, directed by Paula Ortiz. Set against the tumultuous background of early twentieth-century Spain—an era marked by social upheaval and the zeal of the Second Spanish Republic—the film transports viewers to a world where maternal obsession and ideological fervour mix.

Aurora’s ambitions for her daughter, whom she sees as the “woman of the future,” devolve into a claustrophobic dynamic in which love gives way to control. This unsettling story unfolds as Hildegard struggles with her emerging identity in the face of her mother’s unwavering expectations, eventually culminating in a tragic and unavoidable meeting.

The ramifications of Hildegart’s life go far beyond her tragic fate; they reflect the perennial struggle between human autonomy and ideological imposition. Her story is...

Directed by Paula Ortiz, The Red Virgin (La Virgen roja), is an intriguing thriller drama, based on the true story of a Spanish radical feminist and eugenicist, Aurora, and her daughter, Hildegart, whose complex relationship resulted in the daughter’s tragic death. Born into an upper-class family, Aurora was an intellectual with strong ideals who intended to become a pioneer in shaping the future of women. Project Hildegart was supposed to be an example of ‘the woman of the future.’ She wanted to show the world how a woman raised in the right conditions could become a revolutionary figure for the women’s rights movement. Aurora had everything planned, and her execution had been quite perfect, but that was until Hildegart demanded to exercise her rights.

Spoiler Alert

Why was Aurora against Hildegart’s relationship with Abel?

For the success of her project, Aurora copulated with a clergyman. He was...

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Prime Video is ready with an entertainment-packed December this year. The upcoming month will see the beginning of some of Prime Video’s best original shows including Secret Level and also the return of hit movies like Your Fault. Just like every month, Prime Video is ready to overload you with great content. So, we’re here to tell you about the best 7 new movies and TV shows coming to Prime Video in December 2024.

The Red Virgin (December 5) Credit – Amazon MGM Studios

The Red Virgin is a Spanish drama film directed by Paula Ortiz from a screenplay co-written by Eduard Sola and Clara Roquet. The 2024 film is set in the 1930s during the Second Spanish Republic in Spain and it follows a precocious and prolific writer who is raised by her mother to become the model of future women.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Across the River and Into the Trees (Paula Ortiz)

Hemingway’s work across novels and short stories has been adapted for film countless times over, yet Across the River and Into the Trees has never properly been rendered onscreen. Until now. Written by Peter Flannery and directed by Paula Ortiz, here is a handsome film that is decidedly modest in its endeavor. The best thing going for it is Liev Schreiber as Colonel Richard Cantwell, the lead of the picture. Schreiber is one of those actors who has somehow always been underrated, despite being capable of playing nearly any kind of part. A kind boyfriend thrust into an impossible familial situation (The Daytrippers)? Check. Tough-but-fractured fixer living on the edge (Ray Donovan)? Check.

Audiovisual from Spain, operated by Spanish governmental export and investment org Icex, hosted a short film screening, roundtable discussion and cocktail party at the San Sebastian Festival on Tuesday evening to promote its new screen industry promotion campaign: Spain, Where Talent Ignites.

At the city’s historic Tabakalera culture center, Icex CEO Elisa Carbonell explained, “This campaign aims to help build an image associated with the country related to transversality, diversity and the richness of its creativity. There is talent in all countries, but not everyone values it equally. Our commitment is to put talent at the top.”

The centerpiece of the evening’s festivities and the Where Talent Ignites campaign, which will host events at Mipcom, AFM and the Busan festival in the coming weeks, is a short musical fashion film titled “La causa del accidente que provocó el incendio,” which premiered in front of a packed house.

Directed...

Spanish producer Maria Zamora of Elástica Films, who has championed emerging and mostly female filmmakers through most of her 20-year career, received this year’s annual National Cinematography Award at the 72nd San Sebastian Festival on Saturday, Sept. 21.

On hand to introduce her were filmmakers Elías León Siminiani, Paula Ortiz and Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun.

Siminiani, who worked on two documentaries with Zamora in the span of 10 years, said: I’ve seen her career rise like a hot air balloon. After we stopped working together, she promptly snagged a Berlinale Golden Bear for ‘Alcarràs,’ a San Sebastian Golden Shell for ‘O Corno,’ a Goya for ‘Libertad’ and a Cannes Directors’ Fortnight award for ‘Creatura,’” he quipped.

“Indeed, in these uncertain times, we need a stabilizing force like Maria,” said Ortiz, a multi-Goya nominated filmmaker whose film “La Virgen Roja” (previously titled “Hildegart”), Elástica’s co-production with Prime Video, premieres on Sept.

In terms of stars — Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, Pamela Anderson — and auteur power — Pedro Almodóvar, Sean Baker, Costa Gavras, Edward Berger, Mike Leigh, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Joshua Oppenheimer, François Ozon, Lupita Nyong’o, Mohammad Rasoulof, Walter Salles, Maite Alberdi — this year’s San Sebastián Festival promises one of its biggest editions ever.

Yet it’s the Spanish festival’s wealth of new talent and rising names in its industry competitions sets it apart. Here are 10 things to expect from the fest, which runs Sept. 20-28 at the stunning Basque seaside resort:

Blanchett, Almodóvar, Bardem, Depp, Swinton, Anderson

Blanchett, Almodóvar and Bardem will collect career achievement Donostia Awards, with Blanchett talking up Guy Maddin’s Cannes hit “Rumours,” set for U.S. theatrical release via Bleecker Street on Oct. 18; Almodóvar and Swinton will present Venice success “The Room Next Door.” Depp will unveil “Modi,” his second film as a...

Prime Video has released a high-octane trailer for its spy series “Citadel: Diana,” starring Italy’s Matilda De Angelis (“The Undoing”) as Diana Cavalieri, an undercover Citadel agent fighting against an enemy syndicate set in a near-future Milan.

The six-episode show – which marks the streamer’s most ambitious Italian original to date – is the country’s installment of Prime Video’s high-concept “Citadel” franchise that debuted in April 2023. The series is meant to serve as a launch pad for multiple shows set in different countries that are all connected via plot and characters.

De Angelis, a rising Italian star, made her international breakthrough in Susanne Bier’s “The Undoing,” alongside Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. She also appeared with Liev Schrieber in the Ernest Hemingway adaptation “Across the River and Into the Trees,” directed by Paula Ortiz.

“Citadel: Diana” takes place in 2030 Milan where, eight years earlier, the independent global...

One of the best movies of the summer was quietly released at the end of August, nearly two years after Europeans got to experience it. Across the River and Into the Trees is a poignant adaptation of one of Ernest Hemingway's most oft-forgotten novels. The film, smartly directed by Paula Ortiz, sees Liev Schreiber star as Colonel Richard Cantewell, a fifty-one-year-old career soldier whose terminal heart failure will catch up with him in three days. Like the novel, the film covers the Colonel's final days as he returns to the city he loves, Venice, for one final duck hunt. There, he meets a bright-eyed young woman, Renata (Matilda De Angelis) who changes his outlook on life, far too late.

Liev Schreiber in Across The River And Into The Trees

There are many theories about how the magic gets into cinema, but in practice, a lot of it has to do with the right individuals coming together with the right projects. Ernest Hemingway’s final novel, Across The River And Into The Trees, was not as well received as he had hoped upon release, but it has been said that it just didn’t fit into that time. It feels much more apposite today, and it has found the right people to adapt it to the screen in writer Peter Flannery and director Paula Ortiz. This would be nothing, however, without the right performances.

Matilda De Angelis brings the perfect combination of youthful beauty, aristocratic elegance and shrewd intelligence to the character of Renata, the young woman whose attachment to the protagonist, Cantwell, bewilders him and gives him unexpected hope...

Liev Schreiber has the support of his two eldest children at the premiere of his new movie!

The 56-year-old actor and his wife Taylor Neisen were joined by his kids Sasha, 17, and Kai, 15, at the premiere of Across the River and Into the Trees on Thursday night (August 29) at the Angelika Film Center in New York City.

Liev and Taylor‘s one-year-old daughter stayed at home during the night out. For those who don’t know, Liev shares his two older kids with former partner Naomi Watts.

Liev also posed for photos with director Paula Ortiz at the event.

Across the River and Into the Trees is set in post-World War II Italian Venice and follows war-torn U.S. Army Colonel Richard Cantwell, a true hero who faces the news of his illness with indifference. The movie will be released in theaters on August 30.

Watch the trailer below!

Ernest Hemingway’s final novel, Across the River and Into the Trees, isn’t exactly known to be among his best works, so it’s probably no surprise that it took quite a while for anyone to adapt it to the cinematic medium. Director Paula Ortiz’s adaptation is fine, if unremarkable, elevated by its excellent cast and impressive production values.

Across the River and Into the Trees Review

The film follows a US Army Colonel who receives a life-changing diagnosis but meets it with indifference, taking a sojourn through post-wwii Venice. Those familiar with Hemingway’s work won’t be surprised by what Across the River and Into the Trees has in store — it’s poignantly meditative and incredibly simple. However, there is an undeniable elegance in that simplicity that allows this to be a charming drama.

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This feeling...

Ernest Hemingway’s 1950 novel Across the River and Into the Trees has long seemed an unlikely candidate for the silver screen. The story delves deep into existential themes that are challenging to portray visually. Yet the latest film adaptation, directed by Paula Ortiz, proves just how moving a meditation on life, death, and human connection it can be.

At the center are two complex characters. Richard Cantwell is a weary American colonel, already haunted by his actions in two world wars. After learning his heart will soon give out, he makes one last journey to find solace in Venice. There he meets Renata, a young Italian woman facing her own crossroads. On the surface, they seem from different worlds. But in quiet, poignant moments together, they gain deeper understanding.

Liev Schreiber and Matilda De Angelis bring intense depth to these roles. Schreiber especially captures the vulnerability beneath Cantwell’s outer shell.

In early 1950, Ernest Hemingway’s Across the River and Into the Trees was serialized in Cosmopolitan magazine before being published as a novel in September of that same year. It was panned. Hemingway was reportedly stung by the negative reception. Only two years later, he would tread similar existential ground (albeit with a very different setting and plot) to much more critical and commercial success with The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway was dead less than a decade later.

His work across novels and short stories has been adapted for film countless times over, yet Across the River and Into the Trees has never properly been rendered onscreen. Until now. Written by Peter Flannery and directed by Paula Ortiz, here is a handsome film that is decidedly modest in its endeavor. The best thing going for it is Liev Schreiber as Colonel Richard Cantwell, the lead of the picture.

Las tres películas preseleccionadas se conocerán el 4 de septiembre.

La Academia de Cine ha fijado el 18 de septiembre como la fecha en la que se anunciará la película que representará a España en los Premios Oscar 2025.

Antes de esta selección final, los académicos participarán en una primera ronda de votación que se llevará a cabo del 27 de agosto al 2 de septiembre. Posteriormente, el 4 de septiembre, la Academia revelará los tres filmes preseleccionados por sus miembros. De estos tres candidatos, se elegirá la película final tras una segunda ronda de votación que se celebrará del 9 al 16 de septiembre.

Este año hay muchas opciones, entre ellas, “La Casa” de Álex Montoya, galardonada en el Festival de Málaga; “Segundo Premio” de Isaki Lacuesta y Fernando Navarro, ganadora de la Biznaga de Oro; “La Estrella Azul” de Javier Macipe, proyectada en el pasado Festival de San Sebastián; “Volveréis”, de Jonás Trueba, ganadora de la...

Projects from Albert Serra and Iciar Bollain are among the 12 Spanish features selected for the 2024 San Sebastian International Film Festival (Ssiff), taking place from September 20-28.

Serra will compete for the first time in San Sebastian’s official section with bullfighting documentary Tardes De Soledad. His previous films include Locarno winner The Story Of My Death and 2022 Cannes premiere Pacifiction.

Competing in the main section for the fifth time is Iciar Bollain with I’m Nevenka, about a town councillor who reports abuse by the major. Mireia Oriol and Urko Olazabal star.

Also selected are Pedro Martín-Calero’s directorial debut The Wailing,...

Una película basada en hechos reales. © Elástica Films

Ya se ha publicado el tráiler oficial de “La Virgen Roja”, antes titulada “Hildegart”. Un drama histórico basado en hechos reales que mezcla romance y thriller y que se podrá ver en el Festival de Cine de San Sebastián como Proyección Especial, en Sección Oficial fuera de competición.

“La Virgen Roja” sigue a Hildegart, que es concebida y educada por su madre Aurora para ser la mujer del futuro, convirtiéndose en una de las mentes más brillantes de la España de los años 30 y uno de los referentes europeos sobre sexualidad femenina. A sus 18 años, Hildegart comienza a experimentar la libertad y conoce a Abel Velilla, quien le ayuda a explorar un nuevo mundo emocional y desmarcarse del férreo nido materno. Aurora teme perder el control sobre su hija y hace todo lo posible por impedir que Hildegart se aleje. Las dos...

The San Sebastian Film Festival, the biggest film event in the Spanish-speaking world, has unveiled a packed lineup of Spanish titles that is strong on women auteurs, led by Iciar Bollaín, Pilar Palomero, Paula Ortiz and Alauda Ruiz de Azua, who are now stepping up in scale or industry backing as big SVOD players – Movistar Plus+, Prime Video – move into the production of Spanish movies aimed at theatrical release or back their original series.

Vying in main competition, Bollaín’s “I Am Nevenka” looks like the first film to see the light of day from six auteur event movies co-produced by Movistar Plus+ and directed by leading cinematographic talent such as Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Alberto Fernández.

Also selected are two leading lights of a younger generation of women directors which have galvanised Spanish arthouse but are now looking for broader audiences.

Goya and San Sebastian winner Pilar Palomero competes in main competition with “Glimmers,...

Amazon hosted its annual Prime Video Presents event in Madrid this afternoon, where the streaming giant made a raft of announcements, including new theatrical features, true crime docuseries, returning drama programs and the next season of Spain’s uber-popular singing competition “Operación Triunfo.”

Ricardo Carbonero, director of Prime Video in Spain and Portugal, and Maria José Rodríguez, head of Amazon Studios’ Spanish Originals, were in attendance. Joining them were local stars Mario Casas (“Tres metros sobre el cielo”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In”), Malena Alterio (“Aquí no hay quien viva”), Najwa Nimri (“Money Heist”), Anna Castillo (“Nowhere”) and Maxi Iglesias (“Los artistas: primeros trazos”). Also in attendence were several of the streamer’s current filmakers, including Dani de la Torre (“La sombra de la ley”), Paula Ortiz (“La novia”), Hugo Stuven (“El desafio”) and Ginesta Guindal (“Élite”).

Prime Video Presents, Madrid

According to the streamer, the first half...

Una película basada en hechos reales. © Elástica Films

Ya se ha publicado el primer tráiler de “La Virgen Roja”, antes titulada “Hildegart”. Un drama histórico basado en hechos reales que mezcla romance y thriller.

“La Virgen Roja” sigue a Hildegart, que es concebida y educada por su madre Aurora para ser la mujer del futuro, convirtiéndose en una de las mentes más brillantes de la España de los años 30 y uno de los referentes europeos sobre sexualidad femenina. A sus 18 años, Hildegart comienza a experimentar la libertad y conoce a Abel Velilla, quien le ayuda a explorar un nuevo mundo emocional y desmarcarse del férreo nido materno. Aurora teme perder el control sobre su hija y hace todo lo posible por impedir que Hildegart se aleje. Las dos mujeres se enfrentarán durante una noche de verano de 1933 poniendo fin al “Proyecto Hildegart”.

La película está protagonizada por Najwa Nimri (“La Casa de Papel...

Italian state broadcaster Rai’s new world sales arm is gaining traction in Cannes — following its soft launch in Berlin — with four new titles on its slate, including veteran auteur Roberto Andò’s historical drama “The Blunder” starring Toni Servillo (“The Great Beauty”).

In “The Blunder,” which is currently shooting in Sicily, Servillo plays a Sicilian colonel at the head of a ragtag unit trying to outsmart the enemy during the 1860 battle led by Giuseppe Garibaldi that resulted in the unification of Italy.

“The Blunder,” which also stars popular Sicilian comic duo Salvatore Ficarra and Valentino Picone, is produced by Tramp Limited and Bibi Film with Rai Cinema and Medusa, in collaboration with Netflix.

Other titles added during Cannes on the Rai Cinema International Distribution slate include – as previously announced – “Of Dogs and Men,” the upcoming drama by Israeli director Dani Rosenberg (“The Death of Cinema and My Father Too...

Exclusive: Level 33 Entertainment has acquired distribution rights for the United States and Canada to Ernest Hemingway adaptation, Across The River And Into The Trees, starring Liev Schreiber (Spotlight), Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing), Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) and Danny Huston (Yellowstone).

The film, based on one of the last full-length novels published by Hemingway, is directed by Paula Ortiz (The Bride) and adapted for the screen by BAFTA Award winner Peter Flannery (The Devil’s Mistress). Producers include Robert MacLean (Man With A Gun), Kristin Roegner (The Expendables 3), and Michael Paletta (Above The Best).

Across The River And Into The Trees follows Richard Cantwell (Schreiber), an American Army Colonel in post-wwii Italy. Haunted by the war, Cantwell is a bona fide hero who faces news of his illness with stoic disregard. Determined to spend a weekend in quiet solitude, he commandeers a military driver (Hutcherson) to facilitate a...

Screen shines a light on 30 European titles that look set to grab the attention of festival directors in 2023, including new features by Tom Tykwer, Paz Vega, Paolo Sorrentino, Cecilia Verheyden and Baltasar Kormakur.

For our separate list of French festival hopefuls for 2024, click here.

Ariel (Sp-Por)

Dir. Lois Patiño

Patiño won the Encounters special jury prize at Berlin last year for Samsara and picked up the emerging director prize at Locarno in 2013 with Coast Of Death. His latest is a free adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, shot in Galicia and The Azores islands. Ariel stars Goya winner Irene Escolar...

In times of dramatic change for the film-tv industry, Spanish auteur cinema is booming, goosed by multiple significant and high-quality titles, reaping prizes, critical praise and profile at international festivals.

Beyond the preeminent interest in established auteurs such as Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro Amenábar, J.A. Bayona, Isabel Coixet and Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Spanish sales agents and distributors celebrate the increasingly strong presence of young local film auteurs on the international scene. The big question is, however, how this profile can translate into box office impact and substantial sales.

“We are living a very sweet moment in terms of the recognition of our cinema at international festivals, with ever more filmmakers who are creating dazzling works,” says Luis Renart, founder of Santa Cruz de Tenerife-based sales company Bendita Films.

“There’s a generation of creators and producers who look to international auteur cinema when they build their projects, made with a European sensibility and a very marked identity,...

One of Spain’s biggest and oldest movie events, the Valladolid Intl. Film Festival, known as the Seminci in Spain, is broadening its range of Spanish films and aims to strengthen its position as an international platform for art films.

Running Oct. 21-28 in Valladolid, the capital city of Spanish region Castilla-Leon, the Seminci’s 68th edition marks the first under new director José Luis Cienfuegos, named last April.

With an illustrious near 30-year career as a festival director, at the helm of the Seville European Film Festival (2012-2023) and prior to that at the Gijon Intl. Film Festival (1995-2011), Cienfuegos has arrived to Valladolid at a time when a new generation of Spanish film auteurs, often women, is booming, making waves at the international festivals circuit.

“Valladolid is a city absolutely dedicated to the festival that demands and needs to open the doors to a new generation of filmmakers,...

José Luis Cienfuegos is in his first year as festival director, joining after stints in Gijon and Seville.

José Luis Cienfuegos is ready to launch his first edition as director at one of Spain’s oldest film events, Valladolid International Film Week (October 21-28) also known as the Seminici.

Previously in charge of the Gijón and Seville film festivals, Cienfuegos’ Valladolid is embracing new voices and has enhanced industry activities as it continue the work of finding new audiences for independent cinema while debating film heritage in the 21st century.

He talks to Screen about this year’s programme and...

The 68th edition will screen a mix of new Spanish films and 2023 favourites and host an expanded industry programme.

The 68th edition of the Seminci, the Valladolid International Film Week opens this weekend (October 21) with a screening of The Movie Teller, directed by Lone Scherfig, starring Bérénice Béjo, Antonio de la Torre and Daniel Brühl and written by Walter Salles, Isabel Coixet and Rafa Russo.

For what is a vital launchpad into the Spanish market, new festival director José Luis Cienfuegos has programmed a series of international festival favourites from 2023 alongside new films by Spanish directors Antonio Méndez Esparza and...

Familiar by Călin Peter Netzer Photo: Courtesy of Tallinn Film Festival Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) has revealed the full line-up of its official selection, adding 16 films to the four announced last month.

It takes the total of world premieres in the section, incuding Boaz Yakin's Once Again (for the very first time) and Golden Bear winner (for Child's Pose) Călin Peter Netzer's Familiar.

Yakin's film sees "a legendary street dancer and a young spoken word poet reflect on their lives and past relationship, through dreams, dance battles, rap battles and memories", while Netzer's tale about a Romanian film director "who decides to make a film about his family's emigration to Germany in the Eighties".

The newly added titles also include five international premieres and features Paula Ortiz's Teresa, an adapatation of the stage play La Lengua en Pedazos by Juan Mayorga.

Festival director and head of programme,...

New titles include Boaz Yakin’s US feature ‘Once Again (for the very first time)’.

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Poff) has completed the lineup of its official selection competition, adding a further 16 films to the four announced last month.

Of the 16 new titles, 11 are world premieres, with the other five arriving as international premieres.

Scroll down for the full official selection competition

The world premieres include Boaz Yakin’s US film Once Again (for the very first time), which blends surrealism, drama, rap, dance and music as a dancer and poet reflect on their lives and past relationship. Yakin...

Spanish sales, distribution, exhibition and production outfit has a line-up of 16 titles in different stages of production.

Barcelona-based Filmax, one of Spain’s leading entertainment companies, has lined up its next genre production, El Nido, the third fiction feature from Hugo Stuven following Solo and English-language Anomalous.

A psychological thriller feature, El Nido (which translates to ‘the nest’) tells the story of Marta, who is obsessed with protecting her family from the terrifying outside world and keeps her mother and her young son locked in their home. Everything seems peaceful until, one day, a man arrives, looking to destroy everything Marta has built.

Spanish mini-major Filmax has picked up international sales rights to “Teresa,” the new feature by Paula Ortiz, a fictional story turning on the prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer Saint Teresa of Jesus.

“Teresa” marks the big screen adaptation of Spaniard playwright Juan Mayorga’s stage play ”La lengua en pedazos,” which narrates a meeting between Saint Teresa of Jesus – also known as Teresa de Ávila – and a character called The Inquisitor.

The feature is not a classic biopic, but rather a free adaptation of the text written by Mayorga – a winner of Spain’s National Prize for Dramatic Literature – which in turn, is based on “The Book of Life,” by Saint Teresa herself.

In the movie, Teresa patiently awaits the Inquisitor’s arrival and judgement. His visit and his words will determine her future. They will hold a religious and dialectical duel, where the question will be if she is set free,...

Driving into Spanish-language movies and series, Amazon Studios is hoping to repeat the success of “Argentina, 1985” with big Spanish period production “Hildegart,” starring Najwa Nimri and Alba Planas (“Skam España”), which wrapped production Aug. 19 in Madrid.

“Hildegart” has shot in the Spanish capital filming seven weeks and some days at historical heritage sites such as Spain’s Congress, Madrid’s Puerta del Sol central square, and its Atheneum.

Directed by Paula Ortiz, “Hildegart” is a fact-based tale of the extraordinary and tragic life of Spain’s Hildegart Rodríguez, born in 1914, a child prodigy raised by her mother to be a model for future women, who gave conferences on feminism and sexuality from the age of 11, writing on prostitution, contraception and eugenics – her monograph “Profilaxis anticoncepcional” sold 8,000 copies in one week just in Madrid – and accompanied H.G. Wells when he made a visit to Spain.

Sensing that she was losing control of her daughter – who,...

Bleecker Street has nabbed the North American rights to “Across the River and Into the Trees,” an upcoming movie starring Liev Schreiber (“Ray Donovan”) and Josh Hutcherson (“The Hunger Games”). The film is directed by Paula Ortiz, who is best known for her work on “The Bride,” and is expected to debut in the fall of 2023 for a theatrical release.

An adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s last full-length novel that he published in his lifetime, the movie is set in post-World War II Italy. After American Army Colonel Richard Cantwell (Schreiber) survived the war and emerged as a war hero, he has to grapple with a new battle: his own illness. Determined to find some peace, he enlists a military driver to bring him to his old haunts in Venice. But as his plans unravel, a budding relationships with a young woman teaches him to hope again.

In addition to Schreiber and Hutcherson,...

Bleecker Street has landed North American rights to “Across the River and Into the Trees,” an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s last full-length novel.

Liev Schreiber and Josh Hutcherson will star in the film, which will release exclusively in theaters in the fall. News of the sale was announced at the Cannes Film Festival.

Paula Ortiz (“The Bride”) directed “Across the River and Into the Trees,” which takes place in post-wwii Italy. Schreiber plays American Army Colonel Richard Cantwell, a bona fide hero who remains haunted by the war. As he faces news of illness with stoic disregard, he’s determined to spend a week in quiet solitude and commandeers a military driver to facilitate a visit to his old haunts in Venice. As Cantwell’s plans begin to unravel, a chance encounter with a remarkable young woman begins to rekindle in him the hope of renewal.

Matilda De Angelis...

Exclusive autumn theatrical release planned for drama starring Liev Schreiber, Matilda De Angelis.

Bleecker Street has acquired North American rights to Earnest Hemingway adaptation Across The River And Into The Trees starring Liev Schreiber, Matilda De Angelis, Josh Hutcherson and Danny Huston and plans an exclusive theatrical release in autumn.

Paula Ortiz (The Bride) directs from a screenplay by Peter Flannery (The Devil’s Mistress) based on Hemingway’s last full-length novel.

The story takes place in Italy after the Second World War as a cantankerous American Army colonel with a terminal heart condition encounters a remarkable young woman while on...

Bleecker Street has secured the North American rights to Across the River and Into the Trees from award-winning director Paula Ortiz (The Bride), which stars Liev Schreiber (Spotlight, Ray Donovan), Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing, Rose Island), Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right, The Hunger Games), and Danny Huston (The Aviator, Succession).

The screenplay adaptation was written by BAFTA winner Peter Flannery (The Devil’s Mistress). Bleecker Street is planning a fall theatrical release.

Set in post-wwii Italy, American army colonel Richard Cantwell (Schreiber), haunted by the war, is a bona fide hero who faces news of his illness with stoic disregard. Determined to spend a weekend in quiet solitude, he commandeers a military driver to facilitate a visit to his old haunts in Venice. As Cantwell’s plans begin to unravel, a chance encounter with a remarkable young woman begins to rekindle in him the hope of renewal. Based...

Across The River And Into The Trees, the long-awaited Ernest Hemingway adaptation starring Liev Schreiber (Spotlight), Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing), Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) and Danny Huston (The Aviator), has set North American release plans with Bleecker Street. The film based on the last full-length novel published by Hemingway in his lifetime, which award-winner Paula Ortiz (The Bride) directed, will bow exclusively in theaters this fall.

Adapted for the screen by BAFTA Award winner Peter Flannery (The Devil’s Mistress), Across the River follows Richard Cantwell (Schreiber), an American Army Colonel in post-wwii Italy. Haunted by the war, Cantwell is a bona fide hero who faces news of his illness with stoic disregard. Determined to spend a weekend in quiet solitude, he commandeers a military driver to facilitate a visit to his old haunts in Venice. As Cantwell’s plans begin to unravel, a chance encounter with...

The other day Variety provided an update on Amazon’s Prime Video film items in the works for the Spanish market and one project that sticks out (and would probably receive a festival premiere – perhaps a future San Sebastian berth) is Hildegart. Paula Ortiz is directing from a screenplay co-written by the prolific Clara Roquet (Libertad) and Eduard Sola. No players have been cast yet, but the lead and supporting mother role will be a big deal. Hildegart will be produced by Elástica Films María Zamora and Avalon’s Stefan Schmitz. Here is the wiki entry and synopsis:

A precocious and prolific writer in Spain’s 1930s, raised by her mother to become a model of future women, friend of H.G.…...

Prime Video is reviving classic Spanish talent gala format Operación Triunfo and has unveiled its latest slate of scripted shows, films and doc series from the nation along with a local version of Takeshi’s Castle.

The 12th season Operación Triunfo, which is filmed in front of a live audience, will stream on the SVoD in Spain and Latin America later this year.

A major ratings hit and cultural phenomenon, the first 11 seasons aired on Spanish public broadcaster Rtve and ran between 2001 and 2020.

The musical talent show follows a series of aspiring contestants as they enter a musical academy to train and display singing and artistic skills. Each week, in a live gala, they compete on stage.

“Operación Triunfo has entertained fans for over 22 years and brought joy to millions of viewers. We are thrilled and honored to bring back this beloved show to fans not only in Spain but also across Latin America,...

Zdf Studios has signed a deal to distribute the second season of the remake of the iconic Spanish horror series “Stories to Stay Awake” (“Historias Para No Dormir”).

The series is a reboot of the classic series created by Spain’s Chicho Ibáñez Serrador in the 1960s which proved a milestone in Spanish horror, introducing Spain to classic tales from Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allen Poe,

The deal sees Zdf Studios taking distribution rights to “Stories” in all territories outside Spain, Portugal, Italy and Latin America, which will be handled by Paramount Global Content Distribution. Zdf operated in the same capacity for the first season.

The second season is produced by Paramount in association with Zdf Studios, along with Prointel and Isla Audiovisual. The first season of the series premiered on Prime Video and public broadcaster Rtve in Spain.

In Season 2, directors Salvador Calvo (“Adu), Nacho Vigalondo (“Colossal”), Alice Waddington (“Scarlet...

Exclusive: The White Lotus breakout Sabrina Impacciatore has signed with Gersh and Mgmt Entertainment for representation.

Impacciatore is one of the Italian stars of the HBO smash’s second season, following the intertwining lives of employees and guests at a White Lotus luxury hotel in Sicily. The anthology created, written, directed and exec produced by Mike White had her playing Valentina, the tightly wound resort manager who falls for the concierge Isabella (Eleonora Romandini). While she’s annoyed for much of the season by the presence on the property of the sex worker Lucia (Simona Tabasco) and her aspiring singer friend Mia (Beatrice Grannò), she winds up sharing her vulnerability and a life-changing moment of physical intimacy with the latter. Mia is then able to realize a personal dream, as she’s granted the opportunity to perform for hotel guests.

The White Lotus has thus far nabbed 10 Emmys from 20 nominations for its two seasons,...

Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's series Historias para no dormir remains one of the most important and influential in Spanish television history; part Twilight Zone, part horror anthology, it has been revived a few times, in the early 2000s with works by Alex de la Iglesia and Mateo Gil, and again recently in 2021 with a new series, with filmmakers such as Paco Plaza and Paula Ortiz. The second season continues the strength and creativity of the first, and the earlier series, as it revamps (figuratively and literally) stories from the earlier incarnation of the show. These four one-hour episodes explore stories old and new, monsters human and otherwise; three of the filmmakers are ones familiar to genre fans outside of Spain: Jaume Balagueró, Nacho...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Prime Video has sent the Italian instalment of the Russo Brothers’ global sci-fi event series Citadel into production and cast Matilda de Angelis as its lead, as Amazon Italy execs today touted the streamer’s local growth here at the Mia Market in Rome.

De Angelis recently made her international breakthrough in Susanne Bier’s limited series The Undoing, alongside Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. It won her the Grandi Serie Silver Ribbon Award for the International Performance of the Year in 2021.

The Italian Citadel, currently untitled and part of Prime Video and Agbo’s expansive spy series, is being produced in Italy by ITV Studios-owned Cattleya.

Additional cast includes Lorenzo Cervasio, Maurizio Lombardi, Thekla Reuten, Julian Piaton, Filippo Nigro and Bernhard Schütz. Arnaldo Catinari (Suburra: Blood on Rome) is directing and Alessandro Fabbri is head writer. Gina Gardini is showrunner.

Cattleya’s Riccardo Tozzi,...

Production is underway in Italy on the Italian instalment of Prime Video’s global “Citadel” spy thriller franchise, produced by the Russo Brothers, with Matilda De Angelis cast as the lead.

De Angelis, a rising Italian star, made her international breakthrough in Susanne Bier’s “The Undoing,” alongside Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. She more recently appeared with Liev Schrieber in the Ernest Hemingway adaptation “Across The River and Into The Trees,” directed by Paula Ortiz.

The “Citadel” start-of-production in Italy and casting announcement was made at Rome’s Mia content market during an Amazon Studios panel.

The previously announced Italian leg of the Amazon event series — which has a U.S.-based “mothership” show as well as offshoot instalments in India, Mexico and Italy — is being directed by Arnaldo Catinari (“Suburra: Blood on Rome”) and written by Alessandro Fabbri who is also the head writer.

Prominent Italian shingle Cattleya,...