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Ambition, emotion and event programming — those are some of the key factors that Spanish pay-tv and streaming giant Movistar Plus+ is looking for in its originals, including its Eurovision Song Contest drama miniseries La Canción (The Song).

Susana Herreras, manager of original fiction content production at the company, which is part of Telefónica, touted several examples of such content at the Conecta Fiction & Entertainment industry gathering in Cuenca, Spain, on Tuesday.

She showed a teaser for the recent series La Canción, which tells the story of how Spain under General Franco in 1968 upset the U.K. frontrunner Cliff Richard and his “Congratulations” to win the Eurovision Song Contest with Massiel’s “La la la.” Created by Pepe Coira and Fran Araújo, and directed by Alejandro Marín, the series stars Carolina Yuste, Patrick Criado, Àlex Brendemühl, and Marcel Borràs. Movistar Plus+ Internacional is distributing the show outside of Spain.

Herreras also...

The creator and executive producers of the streaming hit Money Heistare back with another grand drama, Billionaires’ Bunker. The series is expected to hit Netflix globally this fall, and in anticipation, the platform has unveiled a sneak peek, hinting at what’s coming. Created by Álex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato, Billionaires’ Bunker stars Miren Ibarguren, Joaquín Furriel, Natalia Verbeke, Carlos Santos, Montse Guallar, Pau Simón, Alicia Falcó, Agustina Bisio, and Álex Villazán, among others.

As the title implies, Billionaires' Bunker sees a group of billionaires take refuge in a luxury bunker designed to endure any imaginable catastrophe as World War III is about to break out, per the official synopsis. These people are forced to coexist after locking themselves in, and through screens, they’ll watch the bewildering spectacle of the world they knew collapsing above their heads. The logline continues:

“As the situation outside becomes increasingly terrifying, they...

Miren Ibarguren, Milena Smit y Rodrigo de la Serna protagonizan la nueva apuesta de Movistar Plus+. © Movistar Plus+

Movistar Plus+ ha publicado el primer tráiler de su nueva serie original Los sin nombre, un thriller dirigido por Pau Freixas (Todos mienten), escrito por Pol Cortecans (Citas Barcelona) y basado en la novela de Ramsey Campbell.

En Los sin nombre, Claudia (Ibarguren) es una mujer que pierde traumáticamente a su hija Ángela solo para descubrir, años después, justo cuando empieza a recuperarse del trauma, que su hija puede seguir viva. «Mamá, soy yo, Ángela. ¡Por favor, ven a buscarme!». Esta es la estremecedora frase que Claudia escucha por teléfono y que le dará esperanzas. Claudia recurrirá entonces a Salazar (de la Serna), el inspector que llevó el caso tras la desaparición, y a Laura (Smit), la joven a la que Ángela, una niña especial con un extraño don, salvó la vida...

Barcelona-based boutique studio Filmax has rolled out further pre-sales on “My Friend Eva,” from “Truman” director Cesc Gay, licensing key territories ahead of the film’s Cannes screening, closing Italy (Teodora Films) and Germany and Austria (Neue Visionen).

The film was also sold after Berlin’s European Film Market to Israel (Lev Cinemas), Greece (Cinobo) and Bulgaria (Beta Films). Cinemania acquired the film rights for former Yugoslavia.

The film turns on Eva, a married woman on a quest for passion whose life takes a dramatic turn after a serendipitous encounter in Rome. She remembers what it feels like to fall in love again.

Juan Diego Botto (“The Suicide Squad”) and Rodrigo de la Serna (“Money Heist”) co-star.

“We’re big fans of Cesc Gay’s films and believe ‘My Friend Eva’s’ lead character, this wonderful, interesting and relatable middle aged woman ,has the power to resonate with a large audience,...

Miren Ibarguren, Milena Smit y Rodrigo de la Serna protagonizan la nueva apuesta de la plataforma. © Movistar Plus+

Movistar Plus+ ha anunciado la fecha de estreno de su nueva serie original Los sin nombre, un thriller dirigido por Pau Freixas (Todos mienten), escrito por Pol Cortecans (Citas Barcelona) y basado en la novela de Ramsey Campbell.

En Los sin nombre, Claudia (Ibarguren) es una mujer que pierde traumáticamente a su hija Ángela solo para descubrir, años después, justo cuando empieza a recuperarse del trauma, que su hija puede seguir viva. «Mamá, soy yo, Ángela. ¡Por favor, ven a buscarme!». Esta es la estremecedora frase que Claudia escucha por teléfono y que le dará esperanzas. Claudia recurrirá entonces a Salazar (de la Serna), el inspector que llevó el caso tras la desaparición, y a Laura (Smit), la joven a la que Ángela, una niña especial con un extraño don, salvó la...

Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday, had a special relationship with cinema going back to his childhood in Buenos Aires.

“I owe my cinema culture above all to my parents who took us to the cinema a lot,” the pontiff said in a 2013 interview, a few months after his election as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in the Argentinian capital in 1936 to parents with roots in northern Italy, Italian cinema figured highly in his early cinema-going.

In the same 2013 interview, Pope Francis named Federico Fellini’s 1954 Oscar-winning work La Strada, starring Giulietta Masina as fragile protagonist Gelsomina who is abused by brutish circus strongman Zampanò, played by Anthony Quinn, as the film he loved the most.

“I identify with that film, in which there is an implicit reference to Saint Francis,” said the pontiff referring to its themes of love...

Catalan films have impressed at festivals and awards ceremonies around the world for years now as the region continues to punch far above its weight in the screen industries. As the fall festival season transitions into awards season, we wanted to take a look at the buzziest Catalan titles set to make their debut sometime next year.

Carla Simon, among the most exciting young filmmakers working in Europe today, will return with her fourth feature, “Romeria,” which is shooting now. The film tells the story of Marina, who travels to Vigo in the northwest of Spain to meet her biological father’s family after he dies of AIDS. The film is particularly close to Simon, who lost her parents to the disease when she was only six years old.

Óliver Laxe made headlines when his next production, “After,” was unveiled in January with Pedro Almodóvar’s El Deseo producing alongside...

Todo lo que necesitas saber sobre la nueva película de Cesc Gay. © Filmax

Cesc Gay (“Truman”) ha concluido en Roma el rodaje de su décimo largometraje, “Mi Amiga Eva”, que ha coescrito junto a Eduard Sola (“El Cuerpo en Llamas”).

La película sigue a Eva, una mujer de 50 años, casada desde hace más de veinte y con dos hijos adolescentes. Durante un viaje de negocios en Roma, Eva se da cuenta de que quiere volver a enamorarse antes de que sea demasiado tarde. De vuelta a Barcelona, Eva empieza una nueva vida, soltera y abierta al juego de la seducción y el romance. A lo largo de un año seguimos a esta mujer que ha roto su mundo en busca de un sentimiento. Un imposible, pero quizá el azar pueda rescatarnos.

La historia transcurre entre Barcelona y Roma y está protagonizada por Nora Navas (“Dolor y Gloria”) acompañada de Juan Diego Botto...

Filmax has taken global distribution rights for “My Friend Eva,” the latest from Spanish director Cesc Gay whose ‘Truman’ proved a notable hit overseas, scoring substantial theatrical returns in several territories.

Set against the backdrops of Barcelona and Rome, this romantic comedy boasts Nora Navas (“Libertad”) Juan Diego Botto (“The Suicide Squad”) and Rodrigo de la Serna (“Money Heist”).

The film marks the ninth collaboration between Gay and producer Marta Esteban of Imposible Films, dating back to Gay’s breakout “Nico and Dani” and taking in “Truman.”

The new film turns on Eva, 50, a married woman on the quest for passion whose life takes a dramatic turn after a serendipitous encounter in Rome. She remembers what it feels like to fall in love again. This rekindling of passion propels her to rediscover love, challenging and changing her existing life.

Gay characterized the film as a comedy of serious intent. It is “filled with misunderstandings,...

Money Heist was a blast on Netflix, and fans of its universe will be hoping that the new spin-off of the popular series will live up to expectations. With its Berlin prequel due for release on Netflix on December 29th, and trailers showing Raquel Mulliro (Itziar Ituño) and Alicia Sierra (Najwa Nimri) in the streamer's new original series, it stands to reason that fans are wondering which of the remaining Money Heist characters might appear in Berlin. Characters who knew Berlin (Pedro Alonso), the protagonist at the heart of the prequel, before the Royal Mint of Spain robbery are clear candidates. And two of the mother-show's main characters are front-runners: Palermo (Rodrigo de la Serna), who knew Berlin for ten years, and The Professor (Álvaro Morte), his half-brother. As depicted in Money Heist flashbacks, where they are shown prominently alongside Berlin, these two played a vital role in Berlin's earlier life.

Fast-emerging Mexican auteur, delivering knowing and cross.grained takes on life in Mixtec communities, actress-turned-director Angeles Cruz’s “Valentina or the Serenity” walked off Saturday night with the top best picture award and best actress (Myriam Bravo) in a high-caliber main competition at this year’s Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival.

Best actor went to “Money Heist’s” Rodolfo de la Serna, for his weighty turn in Paramount Television Intl. Studios’ “The Rescue.”

The Rescue

Cruz’s win underscored the focus and value of Huelva. Despite funding challenges, Latin America’s big three – Mexico, Brazil and Argentina – alone produced 660 features in 2022. It is simply impossible for the media to pay sufficient attention to all but a highly select clutch of top titles.

“Ibero-American cinema is constantly evolving. Now, it is very easy to find great films, if not in budgetary terms, then in artistic ambitions,” Huelva director Manuel H. Martin told...

There’s “an enormous amount of fresh talent coming through, and those new voices, that for the most part don’t come from the U.S.,” CAA Media Finance’s said at San Sebastian’s Creative Investors Conference this September.

Getting noticed ia another matter. Global content spend has near doubled in a decade, from $136 billion in 2013 to $250 billion this year, according to Ampere Analysis.

The same cannot be seen of media coverage of new movies. Quite the reverse: At most outlets, it has radically declined.

Enter Huelva. They also often announce undoubted new talent to track, as Latin America has built film schools and passed film laws, creating a seemingly bottomless well of new talent.

Also taking in Luis Mandoki’s 17th fiction feature, Daniela Goggi’s fourth the second and third respectively from Renée Nader Messora and João Salaviza, Huelva’s 12 competition movies have very often won significant prizes at prominent festivals,...

Politics in Argentina are volatile. The 20th century brought six coups and restrictions on democracy were not lifted until 1983. Daniela Goggi’s (“Abzurdah”) latest “The Rescue” (“El Rapto”) is set in this transitional period, where a hangover of deep corruption still remains.

It stars “Money Heist’s” Rodrigo de la Serna, hit Paramount+ Nov. 3 and now plays in main competition at the Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival.

Produced by Paramount Television International Studios, Rei Cine (“The Settlers”) and Infinity Hill, it shows Paramount’s continued global ambitions in Spanish-language originals.

“At our studio, we always seek to create high-quality content with great partners and remarkable talent, in front of and behind the camera, to create local stories with universal appeal that will cross borders and conquer global audiences,” said Dario Turovelzky, EVP Broadcast & Studios at Latam Paramount Global.

“‘El Rapto’ (‘The Rescue’) is an outstanding example of this ongoing creative pursuit.

With the writers’ strike over, a new studio brand and new management in part of international, Paramount Global execs are attending Madrid’s Iberseries & Platino Industria, Rome’s Mia market and Mipcom as they talk up their competitive assets and priorities to the international market.

In one move, five months after the launch of Paramount Television International Studios in May, Paramount Global’s Darío Turovelzky delivered a keynote on Thursday at Iberseries & Platino Industria.

A rising star at Paramount, with oversight of ViacomCBS’ Argentine and Chilean broadcast networks Telefe and Chilevisión from 2019, Turovelzky himself was promoted to executive VP, Broadcast & Studios, Paramount Global, Latin America in late July.

His on-stage interview came just one day after Paramount’s U.K.’s chief marketing officer Anna Priest was announced as senior VP and head of Paramount+ for U.K. market, overseeing its “strategic vision” and pursuing growth opportunities.

Nicole Clemens, president...

“Monster,” Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan

Described by Variety critic Peter Debruge as a “convoluted portrait of a pre-teen in turmoil,” Kore-eda ‘s Palme d’Or best script and Queer Palm winner stars Sakura Andō as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing odd changes in her son’s demeanor. Written by Yuji Sakamoto, it’s scored by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.

“Peafowl,” Byun Sungbin, South Korea

Myung, a transgender, is estranged from her family because of who she is. She competes in a dance to earn some money for her sex-change surgery but it does not go well. One day, she is told that her father has died and that his will stipulates she could inherit his estate if she performed the Drum Dance during his memorial. Left with no other options, she returns to her hometown to do her father’s bidding.

“Waiting for Dali,” David Pujol, Spain

Fernando,...

In cinematic terms, regime change lends itself to a full stop or climax. It’s often used by filmmakers as a conclusion. Revolution is typically portrayed as the final act that the struggle has been building toward, as the old ways are swept aside in favor of a new and presumably glorious future. Stickier and typically more difficult to dramatize is the long, slow “what now?,” where a country begins the process of building new systems.

“The Rescue,” from writer-director Daniela Goggi, is set during the 1980s, after the reintroduction of democracy to Argentina, following the collapse of the military junta which ruled the country with an iron first after the 1976 coup against Isabel Perón. In “The Rescue,” the old regime has notionally been dispersed, but in practice, rooting out corruption and renewing a governance culture rife with human rights abuses is very much an ongoing work in progress.

Goggi...

Netflix is expanding the universe of its popular Spanish drama series Money Heist, otherwise known as La Casa De Papel.

The streamer revealed a first look at the spinoff series Berlin, which centers around the popular character also known as Andrés de Fonollosa (played by Pedro Alonso), during the fan event in São Paulo, Brazil on Saturday.

Related: All The News From The Tudum 2023 Fan Festival

Berlin is the second-in-command of the Royal Mint of Spain heist and also planned the Bank of Spain heist, which he shared with The Professor and Palermo. The teaser introduces audiences to Berlin’s latest heist to rob one of the top auction houses in Paris.

Watch the full teaser above. Berlin is expected to debut on Netflix in December.

Money Heist was created by Alex Pina and tells the story of the heists through the perspective of one of the robbers, Tokyo, played by Ursula Corbero.

Argentina’s Rodrigo de la Serna leads the cast in the latest Paramount+ original film for Latin America, “El Salto de Papá,” based on the memoir of Argentine author-journalist Martin Sivak.

Daniela Goggi, who co-wrote the script with Andrea Garrote, will direct the pic which is set to begin shooting in Argentina in upcoming weeks. Vis, Paramount’s international studio, is producing the drama in association with two of Argentina’s leading producers, Infinity Hill and Rei Cine.

The film is one of multiple Paramount+ original projects underway in Latin America and Spain as the streamer seeks to rev up its local slate. Competition for premium culturally-specific content among streaming giants and studios in Latin America continues to heat up as they source more original productions locally. This June, at its U.K. launch, Paramount+ announced plans to commission more than 150 international originals by 2025.

De la Serna is best known for his role as Palermo,...

Money Heist may be ending at Netflix, but the franchise will live on.

In a surprising announcement, star Pedro Alonso has announced a spinoff based on the character of Berlin/Andrés de Fonollosa is in the works at Netflix.

Alonso broke the news at a fan event on Tuesday at the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid.

“It is a memorable moment because it is the end of one cycle and the beginning of another,” Alonso said.

“Today I was talking to Jesús Colmenar and we were saying that now we walk into the unknown, open to whatever happens and without expectations," he said.

"I know that [the Money Heist writers] will give the series every possible twist and turn."

"The responsibility [of spinning off such a popular series] can be a burden and a prison. I hope we continue to have the courage to use this wonderful energy to risk everything again.”

The official Twitter account for La Casa...

Money Heist, otherwise known as La Casa De Papel, is coming to an end but Netflix is expanding the heist universe.

The streamer has ordered a spinoff of the hit Spanish drama series, centered around popular character Berlin, otherwise known as Andrés de Fonollosa, played by Pedro Alonso.

The show is set to launch in 2023.

The digital platform didn’t give out many details of the spinoff, but the Berlin character is the second-in-command of the Royal Mint of Spain heist and also planned the Bank of Spain heist, which he shared with The Professor and Palermo.

It comes as Money Heist is ending with its last five episodes dropping on December 3.

The series was created by Alex Pina and tells the story of the heists through the perspective of one of the robbers, Tokyo, played by Ursula Corbero. It also stars Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño, Miguel Herrán, Jaime Lorente,...

The thrilling final episodes of Money Heist are almost here.

"Only one month remains until the end of the heist, when the world will discover the fate of The Professor (Álvaro Morte) and his gang," Netflix said in a press release Wednesday. 

The streamer also debuted the final trailer for La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) Part 5: Volume 2, which premieres globally on December 3.

"Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó) is dead and the enemy still lurks in the Bank of Spain, wounded but dangerous as ever, Facing their darkest hour yet, the gang hatches a bold new plan to get the gold out without anyone noticing," the logline reveals. 

"To make matters worse, the Professor may have made the biggest mistake of his life."

The cast includes Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño, Pedro Alonso, Miguel Herrán, Jaime Lorente, Esther Acebo, Enrique Arce, Darko Peric, Hovik Keuchkerian, Luka Peros, Belén Cuesta, Rodrigo de la Serna and Najwa Nimri,...

The second season of Peacock’s “Saved by the Bell” reimagining will stream Nov. 24.

In the second season, Bayside High is back in session, despite the Season 1 finale teasing the emergence of Covid-19 in the world of the show. Now, the students are getting ready to compete in the Southern California School Spirit Competition, with Mac (Mitchell Hoog) seeing it as a way to finally get out of his father Zack’s (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) shadow. Meanwhile, Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez) finds herself paying more attention to her love life than she wants to; Jamie (Belmont Cameli) leans on Lexi (Josie Totah) in the wake of his parents’ divorce — with Lexi struggling to be a more understanding girlfriend; Aisha (Alycia Pascual-Peña) looks for a new outlet after football gets canceled; DeVante (Dexter Darden) enters into a relationship with a rich Bayside girl; and Slater (Mario Lopez) and Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley Lauren) grow closer.

The end is near for Netflix's smash hit international series Money Heist.

As previously reported, the second half of the fifth -- and final -- season is set to launch around the world on Friday, December 3.

It will be a bittersweet conclusion, for sure, but after years of high-octane drama, it's time to give the surviving members of the team a much-needed rest.

Five episodes remain, and they mark the end of the heist, and after the way the first half of the season concluded, well, it's going to be a tough watch.

"The gang has been shut in the Bank of Spain for over 100 hours," reads the logline for Season 5.

"They have managed to rescue Lisbon, but their darkest moment is upon them after losing one of their own."

"The Professor has been captured by Sierra and, for the first time, doesn’t have an escape plan."

Just...

Netflix has teased the latest series of hit Money Heist (La Casa De Papel), billed as part five, volume 2 and coming out on December 3.

Volume 1 ended with Tokyo sacrificing herself to defeat Gandia and the soldiers and the concluding season looks set to be a cracker for one of Netflix’s most popular global dramas.

The fifth part, volume 1 of the heist drama, which dropped its first five episodes earlier this month, saw the gang shut in the Bank of Spain for over 100 hours. They managed to rescue Lisbon but their darkest moment is upon them after losing one of their own. The Professor was captured by Sierra but, for the first time, didn’t have an escape plan. Just when it seemed like nothing else could go wrong, an enemy came on the scene that is much more powerful than any they’ve faced: the army. The end of...

TelevisionThe company Verve Logic announced that they are happy to announce an off on September 3 on the eve of the release of final season of 'Money Heist'.PTITwitterSuch is the fan frenzy over the final season of the global hit series Money Heist that a Jaipur-based private firm has announced a 'Netflix and Chill holiday' for all its employees to watch the show the day it starts streaming. Titled La Casa De Papel (The House of Paper) in Spanish, the Netflix series traces two heists pulled off by a ragtag group of thieves, led by the enigmatic The Professor (Alvaro Morte) -- one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain. The fifth and final season of the popular Spanish series will be divided into two parts of five episodes each. While the first five will stream on September 3, the remainder will debut after...

The rallying cries of the Italian anti-fascist song “Bella ciao” from The Professor’s (Álvaro Morte) gang of endearing city-named criminals will soon no longer be heard from the halls of the Bank of Spain. Álex Pina’s “Money Heist,” also known as “La Casa de Papel,” one of Netflix’s most-streamed Spanish-language shows, will reach its conclusion in two parts by the end of this year.

But while the series will come to an end, “it isn’t the end of the robbery at the Bank of Spain,” executive producer and director Jesús Colmenar said during the Television Critics Assn. press tour panel for the show on Aug. 19.

Colmenar, who was joined by Morte and Úrsula Corberó, discussed the “biggest and most thrilling” season, with Colmenar noting, “We have put the final stops in there.”

One important stop came in the fourth season, when fan-favorite character Nairobi (Alba Flores) was killed off.

Netflix released a trailer for the first five episodes of the final season of ‘La Casa de Papel,’ which stream on Sept. 3.

In this batch of episodes, which the streamer is calling “La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) Part 5, Volume 1,” the gang faces one of its darkest moments after losing one of their own. The Professor (Álvaro Morte) has been captured by inspector Sierra (Najwa Nimri) and, for the first time, doesn’t have an escape plan. However, that’s not the only problem because now the army is coming.

In the trailer, which you can watch below, Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó) describes the 100 hours they have spent shut in the Bank of Spain as feeling like 100 years. Also, the Professor reveals the stormwater tank has been found and Colonel Tamayo (Fernando Cayo) assembles an army to go into the Bank of Spain.

“La Casa de Papel” also stars Itziar Ituño,...

The end is approaching for Netflix's thrilling international drama Money Heist.

The streamer dropped the official trailer for the first part of the final season on Monday, which is set to launch on September 3, followed by the second half on December 3.

100 hours have felt like 100 years.

This is how Tokyo describes her current state of mind in the official trailer for La Casa de Papel Part 5: Volume 1.

The Professor, meanwhile, reveals that the stormwater tank has been discovered as Colonel Tamayo readies his army to enter the Bank of Spain.

Yep, the trailer proves the end is approaching, but will everyone make it?

They are against the ropes, and it seems like this might truly be the end.

Can they gather their strength to fight against the odds... just one more time?

After all, they are The Resistance.

The cast of the last hurrah includes Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte,...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Netflix reveals first look images from “Money Heist” Part Five; the second season of BritBox U.K.’s “The Beast Must Die” is being developed; Key Buyers Event: Digital introduces co-production forum; Entertainment One’s Kate Morton to join BBC Children’s; and free streamer Pluto TV expands deal with LG Electronics.

Netflix has released several first look images from the hotly anticipated fifth and final season of “Money Heist,” also known as “La casa de papel.”

Netflix describes the season thus: “The gang has been shut in the Bank of Spain for over 100 hours. They have managed to rescue Lisbon, but their darkest moment is upon them after losing one of their own. The Professor has been captured by Sierra and, for the first time, doesn’t have an escape plan. Just when it seems like nothing else could go wrong, an enemy comes on...

Netflix has released a clutch of first-look stills from the fifth and final season of La Casa de Papel, better known in the English-speaking world as Money Heist.

Keep scrolling to take a closer look at the images from the hit Spanish series, which was created by Alex Pina and produced by Vancouver Media. During the show’s curtain call, the crew of criminals reach the denouement of the greatest heist in history.

Here’s the logline for Season 5: “The gang has been shut in the Bank of Spain for over 100 hours. They have managed to rescue Lisbon, but their darkest moment is upon them after losing one of their own. The Professor has been captured by Sierra and, for the first time, doesn’t have an escape plan.

“Just when it seems like nothing else could go wrong, an enemy comes on the scene that is much more...

It’s been known for months that Part Five of Netflix’s most popular non-English language Original Series “La Casa de Papel” (“Money Heist”) would be the show’s last, and now we know when the iconic Spanish heist story will end. Broken into two parts, “Money Heist” Part Five, Volume 1 will launch worldwide on Sept. 3, with Volume 2 landing three months later on Dec. 3. Each part will include five episodes, filling out a ten-hour arc to end the series’ story as told by its narrator and protagonist Tokyo.

“When we began to write Part 5 in the midst of the pandemic, we felt that we had to change what was expected from the ten-episode season and used every tool we could to create the sensation of a season finale or series finale in the first volume itself,” said series creator Álex Pina. “We decided to work in an extremely aggressive genre,...

La Casa de Papel, better known in the English-speaking world as Money Heist, has wrapped on its fifth and final season for Netflix.

Created by Alex Pina and produced by Vancouver Media, the hit Spanish series has been in production on its eight-part concluding season since last August. “What started as a heist, ended as a family,” Netflix tweeted.

What started as a heist, ended as a family.

It’s a wrap on Part 5 of La Casa de Papel / Money Heist.

Thank you to all the fans for being part of La Resistencia! We can’t wait to show you how this story ends. pic.twitter.com/ey2TuEZENh

— Netflix (@netflix) May 14, 2021

The series stars Úrsula Coberó (Tokyo), Álvaro Morte (The Professor), Itziar Ituño (Lisbon), Pedro Alonso (Berlin), Miguel Herrán (Rio), Jaime Lorente (Denver), Esther Acebo (Stockholm), Enrique Arce (Arturo), Darko Peric (Helsinki), Hovik Keuchkerian (Bogotá), Luka Peros (Marseille), Belén Cuesta...

La Casa De Papel, better known as Money Heist, is coming to an end with its fifth and final season.

Netflix has renewed the Spanish drama for a final, fifth run, where the heist will come to an end. Season four, which consisted of eight episodes, launched in April.

Created by Alex Pina and produced by Vancouver Media, the fifth season will consist of 10 episodes and start production in Spain on August 3.

Miguel Ángel Silvestre (Sense 8) and Patrick Criado (La Gran Familia Española) are set to join the cast.

The series stars Úrsula Coberó (Tokyo), Álvaro Morte (The Professor), Itziar Ituño (Lisbon), Pedro Alonso (Berlin), Miguel Herrán (Rio), Jaime Lorente (Denver), Esther Acebo (Stockholm), Enrique Arce (Arturo), Darko Peric (Helsinki), Hovik Keuchkerian (Bogotá), Luka Peros (Marseille), Belén Cuesta (Manila), Fernando Cayo (Coronel Tamayo), Rodrigo de la Serna (Palermo), Najwa Nimri (Inspector Sierra), and José Manuel Poga (Gandía).

Alex Pina will...

Money Heist has one final act planned.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the upcoming fifth season will be the last for the international hit.

What's more, production on the final season will commence Monday in Denmark, before shooting in Spain and Portugal.

The series picks up when a mysterious man known as "The Professor" recruits a group of eight people, who choose cities for code-names, to carry out an ambitious plan that involves entering the Royal Mint of Spain, and escaping with €2.4 billion.

After taking 67 people hostage inside the Mint, the team plans to remain inside for 11 days to print the money as they deal with elite police forces.

In the events succeeding the initial heist, the group are forced out of hiding and find themselves preparing for a second heist, this time on the Bank of Spain, as they again deal with hostages and police forces.

The series has been...

The energy and fandom of July’s San Diego Comic-Con now thriving in South America at Comic-Con Experience (Ccxp) which kicks off December 5 with a preview night and continues through December 8 in Sao Paulo — and their program is stacked.

Dubbed as the most “pic pop culture event in Brazil”, Ccxp has been a destination con and is gaining traction year after year since it launched in 2014. It’s becoming (if it hasn’t done so already) the epicenter of fandom on a global scale second to San Diego Comic-Con.

The first official day (December 6) will include a panel lineup of Amazon Prime Video series include The Boys featuring Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukuhara and Antony Starr;The Expanse with Steven Strait, Dominique Tipper, Cas Anvar and Frankie Adams as well as the buzzy Star Trek: Picard with Santiago Cabrera, Michelle Hurd, Isa Briones and Jonathan del Arco.

This year, Marvel Studios...

Madrid — Pol-ka’s banner titles straddle telenovelas and international-length series. Here are highlights, projects, productions and shows now screening packing one of the most ambitious slates of any Latin American company:

‘Argentina, Land Of Passion And Revenge’ (Pol-ka)

The big one, at least for free-to-air. A period piece, so far more expensive to shoot, so rarer as a production, and a potential event series. A portrait of Spain’s diaspora to Argentina after its Civil War, the tawdry ethics of the new (and old) homeland, betrayal, passion, poverty and ill-gotten gains. A big play by Pol-ka to snatch Telefe’s ratings crown for El Trece. Overseas co-production potential.

“The Bronze Garden 2” (HBO Latin America, Pol-ka)

A HBO Latin America original, and directed by Pablo Fendrik (“Ardor”) and Hernán Goldfrid (“Thesis on a Homicide”), a missing daughter thriller. Elevating the father of the child into a tragic hero via meticulous character development and cinema-standard direction,...

Buenos Aires — In another Hollywood studio deal unveiled at Ventana Sur, Sony Pictures Television has expanded its multi-territory deal on Marcos Carnevale’s “Inseparables” (Inseparable) to take in four new major territories: France, Germany, South Korea and Japan.

Sony Pictures Television already holds all TV/VOD rights for Latin America and all rights for México, Chile and Colombia on “Inseparable,” an Argentine remake of the Gaumont-sold French box office colossus “The Intouchables.” An odd couple, across-the-tracks friendship dreamed directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache and starring Omar Sy, “The Intuchables” grossed $427 million worldwide, including $166 million in Franceand, almost as remarkable, $79 million in Germany.

Produced by Luis Alberto Scalella’s Argentina Sono Film and soon to be Viacom-owned Argentine TV network Telefe, “Inseparable” is directed by Marco Carnevale whose credits include big Argentine hits such as “Elsa & Fred” and “Heart of a Lion.” Premiered at the 2016 Venice Festival,...

Production has begun on Part 3 of Netflix’s Spanish-language phenomenon Money Heist. Known in Spanish-speaking markets as La Casa De Papel, the series’ third installment will air in 2019. Original creator Alex Pina is returning with some new faces joining the cast. Check them out in the video above as the gang gets back together for a table read.

Fans of the series, who are legion, will notice Pedro Alonso’s Berlin in the footage. Netflix teases that although the character died at the end of the heist in Part 2, this is sure to drive speculation about his actual fate.

Alvaro Morte stars in the thriller as El Professor, a mysterious criminal mastermind planning an epic heist. He recruits a group of eight thieves who take hostages and lock themselves in the Royal Mint of Spain while El Professor manipulates the police to carry out his plan.

As new members Hovik Keuchkerian,...

Madrid — The third part of “La Casa de Papel” (“Money Heist”), Netflix’s most-watched non-English language show, is entering production and has added new cast. Netflix dropped a first video on Thursday celebrating the occasion.

Produced directly by Netflix and Vancouver Media, the Madrid-based shingle of series creators Alex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato, the third part of “La casa de papel” was originally announced in April. Very little was known then about its plot apart from that “the professor will plan new heists, revealed in 2019,” Netflix said, and that much of the original key cast would return.

“The band is back. This time it will be more than a heist and, with new members, the stakes are raised,” Netflix announced Thursday.

Set to the music of “Bella Ciao,” the new video, however, hints more at Part 3 characters than its events, as Parts I and 2 actors, led by Alvaro Morte...

Exclusive: Deals signed for Australia, New Zealand, the Baltics and Taiwan.

Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has scored fresh deals on Inseparables, the Latin American remake of French smash Intouchables starring Coppa Volpi winner Oscar Martinez.

Marcos Carnevale directed the buddy film starring Martinez as a wealthy quadriplegic and Rodrigo de la Serna as his caregiver.

Rights have gone to Palace for Australia and New Zealand, Big Film for Cis and Baltics, and Cineplex for Taiwan. Global Eagle took airline rights and FilmSharks chief Guido Rud is in talks for the UK, Germany, France, Japan and China.

Buena Vista International distributed Inseparables in Argentina last year. Sony previously acquired the film for Mexico, Colombia and Chile TV/VOD, Paris for Brazil, and Wiesner Distribution for central America.

Film Movement holds North American rights excluding pay-tv and streaming, which HBO Latino previously licensed.

Exclusive: Marcos Carnevale’s Argentinian remake of Intouchables starring Coppa Volpi winner Oscar Martinez continues to be a hot seller for Guido Rud’s Buenos Aires-based sales company.

Film Movement has acquired North American rights excluding pay-tv and streaming, which HBO Latino previously licensed.

In two further key deals, Isaan Entertainment acquired the film for Spain and will set a second quarter theatrical release on more than 60 prints.

Movies Inspired acquired Inseparables for Italy and will also stage a theatrical release.

FilmSharks closed earlier deals with Buena Vista International for Argentina and Uruguay, and Sony for Mexico, Colombia and Chile TV/VOD.

Elsewhere, rights previously went in Brazil (Paris Filmes), Central America (Wiesner Distribution), Greece (Spentzos Film), Turkey (Tanweer), and Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia (Eurofilms).

Luis Alberto Scalella’s Sono Film and Viacom’s broadcaster Telefé produced the remake, which drew about 350,000 admissions in Argentina following the August 11 release last year.

Martinez, who won...

"Find out what they know or what they suspect?" This looks pretty cool. An official Us trailer has debuted online for a Spanish crime film called To Steal from a Thief (originally Cien años de perdón in Spain), which is a tricky little thriller about a coordinated bank robbery that goes awry. On a rainy morning in Valencia, six armed men in disguise try to rob a bank, but they're really after the contents of safety deposit box 314, which actually doesn't contain what they think it does. Not only that, but the government wants to stop them and the rainwater floods their escape route. Starring Luis Tosar, Rodrigo De la Serna, Raul Arevalo, Marian Alvarez and Jose Coronado. The masks aren't the most inventive, but the rest of the film seems like it has some sneaky twists and turns. I really want to check this out. See for yourself below.

“Road to La Paz” is a quiet, understated film about brotherhood and kinship between two very different Argentinians during the 2001 economic meltdown of the country, one a young man at a loss about how to live with his new wife and one an old man, a Muslim who has lived his life with his wife in Argentina and now wants to begin his pilgrimage, first to La Paz and then onward to Mecca.

What better way to transition from Qatar where I attended Qumra, a support program for upcoming filmmakers from Mena (Middle East, North Africa) to Latin America where I saw at Ficg, the Guadalajara Film Festival. “Road to La Paz” is a coproduction of Qatar, Argentina, Netherlands and Germany.

As I write this, it is screening at Iff Panama as well. Below is my interview with first time filmmaker, Francisco Varone. This interview was actually conducted in the foyer of the multiplex in Guadalajara before he went in for its premiere screening, just after I had seen it at the press and industry screening in Ficg.

This road movie starring Rodrigo de la Serna (“Motorcycle Diaries”) and one of Argentina’s leading stage actors, Ernesto Suárez, takes us on a trip of over 1,800 miles, from Buenos Aires, Argentina to La Paz, Bolivia.

Sebastian, whose passions are the rock band Vox Dei and his old Peugeot 505 is married and short of cash. Sebas decides to start working as a limo driver with his Peugeot. Among his frequent passengers is Jalil, an old unkind Muslim who one day offers Sebas a large amount of money to drive him to La Paz, Bolivia. Sebas reluctantly accepts. Jalil and Sebas don't agree on anything, not even on what music to play, Sebas likes Vox Dei, a progressive rock band from the 1970s, and Jalil brings along his traditional Arabic music tapes.

The road and Jalil's deteriorated health, make them surmount obstacles and become good fellow travelers. Jalil confesses that in La Paz he'll meet his brother Nazim and peregrinate along to Mecca. Jalil's health worsens and Sebastian knows he has little time left. After a long and winding road, Jalil arrives very weak to La Paz. There, after forty years, he meets his brother again. Sebas heads back home, his mission accomplished, his life changed.

The financing of this film was quite straight forward according to Francisco.

Francisco Varone: In 2012 we submitted the project the film to Visions Sud Est in Switzerland. I was almost working by myself on the film at this time and then started working with a larger Argentinean production company, Concreto Films owned by Juan Taratuto, a big film director who was directing TV commercials and said he’d help. They had a tough time finding investors so he introduced me to Gema Juarez Allen (whose recent film “Invasion” is the story of the U.S. invasion of Panama in the 1980s), a well known documentary producer with experience in coproductions who knew how to find money and understood the value of going to festivals. She said she would do it as her first fiction film and went to San Sebastian Film Festival’s Foro de Coproduccion in 2013. There she had lots of one-on-one meetings and met Julius Ponten our Dutch coproducer who got funding from the Netherlands Film Fonds and Gunter Hanfgarn that applied to Ezef, an Evangelistic Fund for films from the south (one of the backers of “Timbuktu”).

We already had the support from Incaa in their “Opera Prima” (First Works) section. Out of 100 script submissions, they chose three and I got 50% of the production budget.

We shot the movie in 2014 and then after we had a first rough cut, we went to 2015 Cartagena where we won in Colombia’s first Ficci PuertoLAB (consisting of five films by first, second or third time filmmakers from Latam, Spain or Portugal). This post-production money was awarded by a three-woman jury composed of producer Christina Gallego (“The Wind Journeys”, “Embrace of the Serpent”), Gaelle Mareschi of Kinology, the international sales agent and Paz Lazaro.

Then Doha added post-production funding for $25,000.

FiGa saw the film in Ventana Sur and picked it up for international sales.

Sl:What was your festival strategy?

Francisco Varone: Francisco Varone: The first festival it played in was Busan Film Festival 2015 in So. Korea. We wanted to play some festivals before its release in January in Argentina. There were many Latin American directors in Busan and it’s really good for making Asian sales.

From Busan it went on to Chicago, Sao Paolo, Mar del Plata where Ernesto Suárez won the Sagai Prize for New Actor, at Thessaloniki Ff 2015 where it won the Bronze Alexander, Palm Springs, London Argentinean Film Festival, Ficci, Ficg and Iff Panama. We also went to Palm Springs, Glasgow, Cartagena, Guadalajara (where I saw it) and Panama (where it is now playing). FiGa sells it at these festivals.

It was released in Argentina in January with 20 prints. So far it has 35,000 admissions and it is still playing, now in its fourth month!

Sl: How did you find your sales agent?

Francisco Varone: FiGa picked it up in Ventana Sur in December 2014 where they saw the first cut.

FiGa discussed playing it in more festivals but we needed the Argentinian release now, this year. Finding a commercial release date is hard so when you have it, you take it! There are not many options.

It was finished in 2015. At its premiere in Busan, FiGa it sold to Filmarti for Turkey. FiGa has sold to Danaos for Greece, Spain, Central America, Germany, France and Brazil. U.S. rights are still available.

Sl: Now that FiGa has it, what are you doing?

Francisco Varone: Four years ago when I quit commercials I became a professional scriptwriter and I’m also a script doctor, a rarity in Argentina. I conduct short-term one week-to-ten day workshops. Now I have written two scripts for two other directors and am working on my own script. I have lots of ideas…

Sl: What was the reaction to this film?

Francisco Varone: Most people have not seen Muslim films so audiences don’t recognize Sufi as something special.

In Sao Paolo, some young Muslims saw it and one told me that it was the first time in his life he saw Muslims without guns in a movie. He was surprised also that it came from Latin America.

Sl: What was the origin of the film?

Francisco Varone: In 2001 there was a huge economic crisis in Argentina. All savings in the banks disappeared. I was just finishing film school and there were no jobs. My best friend got married and his wife worked. He was a “house-husband”. This was a strange role conversion for me, but my friend was happy. I liked this character and wrote a half page of notes.

In 2008 I started a script about him. I also met an old film school friend and found out he had converted to Islam. These elements all went into the screenplay.

I am from a Catholic family but have always been interested in Buddhism and I practice martial arts; I’ve traveled to China and I like the East. So my friend introduced me to the Islam community. Like in the movie, I was in a ceremony called Dikhr, a Sufi ritual that takes one to two hours. It is a deeply moving experience.

I discovered something here in Argentina. How such Middle Eastern religions could be so organically a part of general society. I wanted to show this.

At the same time, I was into Zen Buddhism. Regarding how they express “truth”, I find the Buddhists and the Koran use the same words. We are all talking about the same thing.

The movie is not propaganda, it is simply depicting one possibility, one road…

Sl: How did you cast the film?

Francisco Varone: It as great for the film to have a huge star in such an indie film. The young actor, Rodrigo de la Serna, is very famous and he was very generous to trust in a debutant director and producer in fiction.

We had held a casting search in theaters in Cordoba, Uruguay, and other places and could not find an actor for the role of the Sufi. We had a casting director who called other casting directors and Eugenia Levin who had cast many important movies said on the phone she had the perfect actor and hd offered him this great part, but he had said no. She put us in touch with the older actor, Ernesto Suárez. He is very famous as a stage actor in Mendoza, a province in Argentina, but this is his first film. He lives a very modest life, drives a 1980 Renault, has a small house, a few clothes. He was not sure he wanted to do it, though we wanted him because he has such a natural quality.

He was not really interested in acting in a movie and I took a plane to talk to him. His two sons told him to do it, and so he accepted the part.

We found him three weeks before we started shooting. We were thinking of cancelling the shoot because we could not find the right actor.

Exclusive: Sandro Fiorin and his team has concluded key territory sales on Francisco Varone’s road movie.

Rodrigo de la Serna and Ernesto ‘Flaco’ Suarez star in the story of a journey from Buenos Aires to La Paz involving an older man out to fulfil a lifelong promise and trip and a young companion who struggles to make sense of his existence.

The Gema Films feature was a co-production with No Problem Cine and Concreto Films of Argentina, Habbekrats (Netherlands), and Hanfgam & Ufer Filmproduktion (Germany).

Road To La Paz premiered in Busan, won awards in Thessaloniki and Mar del Plata.

Deals have closed in Spain (Monesc Seven Entertainment), France (Visionfeir Distribution), Germany (Farbfilm), Greece (Danaos), Turkey (Filmarti Films), and Brazil (Lume Filmes).

Gema Juárez Allen, Varone, Omar Jadur, Dolores Llosas, Juan Taratuto, Julius Ponten, Philip Harthoorn, and Gunter Hanfgam produced.

Allen and Sebastián Perillo erved as executive producers

Fiorin told Screendaily he expects to confirm deals in North...

Among the most anticipated Spanish productions of the year are a Paleolithic period drama, the new Almodovar and a regal role for Penelope Cruz.A Monster Calls

Dir Ja Bayona

A Monster Calls completes Bayona’s trilogy exploring motherhood, after The Orphanage and The Impossible. Patrick Ness has adapted his novel about a boy who seeks refuge in a fantasy world. The English-language film, which shot in Spain and the UK, stars Liam Neeson. It is a Spain-us co-production between Apaches Entertainment with Telecinco Cinema, Peliculas La Trini, Participant Media, River Road Entertainment and Lionsgate. Set for release in the autumn, it will be distributed in Spain by Universal Pictures International, in the Us by Focus and in the UK via eOne.

Contact Lionsgate International: www.lionsgate.com

Abracadabra

Dir Pablo Berger

Berger’s follow-up to Blancanieves again stars Maribel Verdu, this time as a housewife determined to fight the spirit possessing her husband. Set to shoot...

Do: check the instructions (Wild)

This month sees the release of Wild, based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir about her solo hike along the gruelling 1,000 mile Pacific Crest Trail. Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) certainly doesn't make it easy for herself, buying the wrong type of gas cylinder for her stove and thus being forced to subsist on a diet of "cold mush."

Don't: give up (Touching The Void)

Consider the obstacles that Joe Simpson faced during his calamitous attempt to climb Peruvian mountain Siula Grande: a broken leg; a fall into a crevasse; and zero hope of rescue after partner Simon Yates left him for dead. And yet, as recounted in classic documentary Touching The Void, Simpson gritted his teeth and dragged himself through hell to reach safety.

Do: stay calm (Life Of Pi)

Travel is unpredictable. One minute, like Indian teenager Pi (Suraj Sharma), you're emigrating to Canada aboard a freighter.

Wildly successful Italian producer Pietro Valsecchi says he's eager for Antonio Banderas to star in biopic about the pontiff's younger years

Antonio Banderas is being tapped by one of Italy's most successful film producers to star as a young Pope Francis in a new biopic.

Pietro Valsecchi, the man behind popular comedies Sun in Buckets (Sole a catinelle) from this year and What a Beautiful Day (Che bella giornata) from 2011, broke the news in a television interview. The proposed film would most likely debut on the small screen in Italy.

Valsecchi's popular films, which star musician and standup comic Checco Zalone and are often directed by Gennaro Nunziante, are lowbrow comedies. But the producer certainly has the financial clout to get the biopic made, with his last two movies currently standing as the highest grossing films of all time in Italy, ahead of Roberto Benigni's 1997 Oscar winner Life is Beautiful.

“How is it possible to feel nostalgia for a world I never knew?”

The Motorcycle Diaries is screening at 7pm this Thursday, November 7th at Schlafly Bottleworks – 7260 Southwest Ave St Louis, Mo 63143. Doors open at 6:30pm. It’s a fundraiser for Helping Kids Together

The Motorcycle Diaries is the true story of two young Argentines, Alberto Granado and Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (“El Che”). In January of 1952, the two best friends embark on a journey on Alberto’s 1939 Norton 500 motorcycle. Over the course of 8 months they discover new destinations and also encounter the sorrow and injustices of the people of the land. Not only do the men discover a profound desire to change the world around them, but they also experience people and places that hardly anyone gets to discover.

Ernesto (Gael Garcia Bernal) is a 23 year old med student who is specializing in lepro-biology. His best friend...

The Pope will be the subject of two upcoming films.

The Argentinian and German movies will cover different periods in Pope Francis I's life, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Writer and director Alejandro Agresti's film - tentatively called Historia de un Cura (History of a Priest) - will centre around the future pontiff's life as a young man in Argentina.

The Motorcycle Diaries star Rodrigo de la Serna is reported to be playing Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the man who would become Pope Benedict XVI's successor.

Meanwhile, German writer and producer Christian Peschken is working on a $34 million (£21 million) production under the working title Friend of the Poor.

Agresti is best known in English language cinema for the 2006 Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves-starring romantic drama The Lake House.

Rome -- Pope Francis, the wildly popular pontiff who became the spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics six months ago after stunning retirement of Benedict XVI, is the subject of at least two major motion pictures, Italian newspapers said Thursday. Writer and director Alejandro Agresti, from Francis' native Argentina, is reported to be at work on a film tentatively called Historia de un cura (History of a Priest). It purportedly features actor Rodrigo de la Serna -- best known for his role opposite Gael Garcia Bernal in Walter Salles' Ernest "Che" Guevara 2004 biopic The Motorcycle Diaries -- playing a

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