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Motion Picture Exchange (Mpx) has boarded worldwide sales on the romantic comedy Books & Drinks from the producer of Berlinale Competition entry Pepe and starring Jackson Rathbone from the Twilight Saga.

Rathbone plays David, the owner of a struggling bookstore in New York City who learns he has inherited a house in the Dominican Republic from the father he never knew.

David plans to sell the residence but his life is turned upside-down when he visits the Caribbean and meets his realtor, Maria, played by Nashla Bogaert. Clara Lago also stars.

Geoffrey Cowper directed the Veranera Films production from a screenplay by Josep Ciutat.

The time has finally come when Andres de Fonollosa sets out to get his “love and a million-dollar payday” in and as Berlin. The all-new Netflix original heist thriller has been in the works since November 2021, just before Money Heist ended, and is now set to premiere on the streamer this December. A spin-off prequel of the super successful Money Heist, Berlin follows the early days of Andres de Fonollosa, before he planned the robbery of the Bank of Spain and later joined The Professor in the heist of the Royal Mint of Spain. Berlin is created by Money Heist’s Alex Pina, who co-creates the upcoming series with Esther Martínez Lobato. Albert Pintó, David Barrocal, and Geoffrey Cowper are credited as directors for the series.

Netflix has recently stirred the excitement of ‘Money Heist’ fans by releasing a trailer for its upcoming spin-off, ‘Berlin.’ Scheduled to hit the screens on December 29, 2023, ‘Berlin’ promises a fresh perspective into the thrilling world of heists and heart-pounding adventures.

‘Berlin’ focuses on the character of Andrés de Fonollosa, known by his nickname, which shares its name with the German capital. This character, portrayed by Spanish actor Pedro Alonso, was a standout in the original series ‘La casa de papel’ (Money Heist). In a twist of events, ‘Berlin’ takes us back in time, serving as a prequel to the original series.

Set against the romantic backdrop of Paris, the city of love, the spin-off introduces us to new faces of a heist gang including Keila, Cameron, Roij, Damián, and Bruce. This setting adds a fresh dimension to the heist drama, promising a blend of suspense and scenic beauty.

Related: 15 Best...

Several years after Netflix announced that Pedro Alonso's Berlín would be getting his own Money Heist spinoff, details about the Money Heist's Berlín cast and a potential release have been unveiled. Initially produced by Antena 3 before going to Netflix, Money Heist is a Spanish crime drama that saw a band of criminals try to rob the Royal Mint of Spain. While The Professor (Álvaro Morte) was the mastermind behind the heist, he entrusted his half-brother, Andrés de Fonollosa (otherwise known as 'Berlín') to lead the robbery. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the plan went awry, and several main characters lost their lives, including Berlín.

Although it was a big shock when Berlín was killed at the end of Money Heist's part 2 (after being shot by the police), Alonso was still able to be part of the show as the writers included him in several...

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Netflix on Wednesday unveiled the new cast of Berlin, the Spanish spinoff series to the streamer’s global hit Money Heist.

Pedro Alonso, who plays the hedonistic, intelligent jewel thief Andrés de Fonollosa, aka Berlin, in the original series, will reprise his role in the new prequel series, which follows the extraordinary heists carried out before the events of the original show.

Alongside him, his new gang will include Michelle Jenner (Isabel) as Keila, an electronics specialist; Tristán Ulloa (Fariña) as Berlin’s confidant and philanthropic professor Damián; Begoña Vargas (Welcome to Eden) as the instable Cameron; Julio Peña Fernández (Through My Window) as the devoted Roi; and Joel Sánchez as Bruce, a relentless man of action.

Money Heist creators Esther Martínez Lobato and Álex Pina said the concept of the spinoff series was to take Alonso’s Berlin’s character, “the most...

Alaskan Nets, a documentary executive produced by Chris Pratt that centers on confluence of high school boys basketball and the culture of fishing on a Native reserve in remote Southeast Alaska, has won the audience award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

The 36th annual festival, which ran a hybrid in-person/virtual event that began March 31, wraps today with the unveiling of its juried awards. Alaskan Nets, directed by Jeff Harasimowicz, won the Audience Choice Award among a total of 11 categories that were represented.

“To say we are thrilled to win the audience choice award would be a vast understatement,” Harasimowicz said. “To see this film resonate with audiences is a deeply humbling experience. We are so honored to have had this special opportunity to share Alaskan Nets in Santa Barbara and I know it’s an experience my team, our families and the entire community of Metlakatla will never forget.

The documentary “Alaskan Nets,” set on a remote island where the Tsimshian Indians are focused on fishing and basketball, has won the Audience Choice Award at the 2021 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Sbiff organizers announced on Saturday.

The festival ran from March 31 through April 10 with a combination of virtual presentations and drive-in screenings in the coastal town north of Los Angeles. Audience members who viewed films both online and in drive-ins were eligible to vote for the Audience Choice Award.

The festival also announced an array of jury awards that were chosen by jurors Tony Anselmo, Antwone Fisher, David Freid, Li Cheng, Geoffrey Cowper, Patricia Rosema, Siqi Song, Mark Stafford, Rita Taggart, Paul Walter Hauser, Anthony and Arnette Zerbe. The Sbiff Best Documentary Award went to Nina Stefanka’s “Mirage” (“Miraggio”), a chronicle of West African refugees in Rome, while the award for the best international feature was given to...

Work in Progress strand will also return for a second year.

The Iffam Project Market (Ipm) has unveiled 14 films that will be presented during the three-day event in Macao, which runs December 6-8.

They include supernatural revenge thriller Nocebo from Irish director Lorcan Finnegan, who’s Vivarium was in Cannes Critic’s Week this year, and The Day And Night Of Brahma, a family drama by South African director Sheetal Magan, whose short Paraya was presented in Cannes Directors Fortnight.

Other titles include coming-of-age feature Uk Kei from Portuguese director Leonor Teles, the youngest director to have ever won the...

Chicago – The film festival circuit is not for the faint of heart. Two young Spanish filmmakers – Geoffrey Cowper and Jesús Lloveras – are making their way across the U.S., as they promote their film “Day Release” (Tercer Grado). The pair started out in California – with a couple of film festivals there – and then stopped in Chicago, for the 31st Chicago Latino Film Festival.

“Day Release” is a gritty heist film, set against a scenario in which a prisoner (portrayed by Jesús Lloveras) is given a short time release from his sentence, and uses it to try and redeem what is left of his life. When his only relative kicks him to the curb, it is up to a stripper that he had met on his first night out to help him on the road to redemption. Geoffrey Cowper directed the film, and co-wrote the script and produced the film with Lloveras.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has unveiled its 2015 line-up which includes films representing 54 countries, 23 world premieres and 53 U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Niki Caro’s McFarland USA will close out the 30th fest. Based on the 1987 true story and starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, the film follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. The unlikely band of runners overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well.

The festival runs from January 27-February 7.

Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.

World Premieres

A Better You, USA

Directed by Matt Walsh

Cast: Brian Huskey,...

A self-acknowledged "showcase for Academy Award frontrunners," the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is often overlooked for the actual films that earn it festival status. An amalgamation of international discoveries and ’merica’s circuit highlights, the Sbiff curates a week of best-of-the-best to pair with their star-praising. The 2015 edition offers another expansive selection, bookended by two films that aren’t on any radars just yet. Sbiff will open with "Desert Dancer," producer Richard Raymond’s directorial debut. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the drama follows a group of friends who wave off the harsh political climate of Iran’s 2009 presidential election in favor of forming a dance team, picking up moves from Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev thanks to the magic of YouTube. The festival will close with "McFarland, USA," starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello. Telling the 1987 true story of a Latino high school’s underdog cross-country team,...

Maniacs, monsters, demons, creepy kids, apocalyptic visions, phobias, heavy metal meltdown and snails. That’s just some of the things awaiting people in this year’s wild and eclectic mix of cutting edge short films from the global arena of the fantasy and horror genre at this years London Film4 Frightfest International Short Film Showcase. The ninety-minute film extravaganza is a tasty selection box of Sunday afternoon treats, sponsored once again by Horror Channel, which will kick-off at 1pm on Sunday 26th August.

Programme – Sunday 26 August, 1pm onwards

The Halloween Kid UK Dir. Axelle Carolyn 7.20

8-year-old Henry, a lonely and imaginative child, can only finds happiness on Halloween…Narrated by Derek Jacobi and starring Anna Walton, Julian Glover, Dave Legeno and Leo Donnelly Alexis Spain Dir. Alberto Evangelio 9.45

Nine year old Alexis has killed his parents, but can concerned officials uncover the supernatural truth? Gargols! (Snails!) Spain Dir Geoffrey Cowper...