News

Netflix is to invest €1bn in Spain over the next four years, according to the streamer’s co-ceo Ted Sarandos.

Sarandos announced the investment figure on a visit today to Netflix’s production hub Tres Cantos on the outskirts of Madrid to mark the streamer’s 10th anniversary in the country.

He was joined by the President of Spain, Pedro Sanchez and the Minister for Digital Transformation Oscar Lopez at Tres Cantos.

Spain has become a significant production base for Netflix. Sarandos said the streamer had produced more than 1,000 Spanish titles since 2017, flagging series such as its first Spanish original...

Netflix announced Tuesday that it will invest over €1 billion ($1.14 billion) in Spain over 2025-28.

The commitment was made by Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-ceo, whose wide-ranging if brief speech at a press presentation Tuesday in Spain, held to mark Netflix’s first 10 years in the country.

Sarandos was accompanied by Diego Ávalos, Netflix VP of content, Spain, Portugal & Turkey, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez whose Spain Audiovisual Plan has channelled some €1.6 billion ($1.8 billion) into the sector.

The speech delivered by Sarandos covered Netflix’s achievements in Spain and key drivers to success, while praising Spanish “regulations that encourage creativity, innovative and long-term thinking” – an implicit slap on the wrists to other countries, such as France, where Netflix lodged in April an appeal with the country’s Council of State lambasting its windowing rules as the European Union debates possibly tougher quotas on streaming services.

The $1.2 billion investment is an example...

Netflix is releasing “A Widow’s Game,” a film that promises a chilling exploration of a real-life murder that shocked Spain, brought to the screen by a team renowned for their compelling crime narratives. As you know, crime sells, and audiences dictate. What’s better than a true murder story for a Friday night?

The premiere of “A Widow’s Game” marks Netflix’s continued investment in high-caliber international productions, particularly within the true crime genre that has found a fervent global audience. The film stars Ivana Baquero, celebrated for her breakout role in “Pan’s Labyrinth” and her subsequent work in “High Seas,” as the enigmatic widow María Jesús Moreno Cantó, known as Maje. Opposite Baquero is the highly respected Spanish actress Carmen Machi portraying Eva, the determined inspector tasked with uncovering the truth. Tristán Ulloa, known to audiences from “The Asunta Case” and “Berlin,” plays Salva Rodrigo, a pivotal figure entangled in Maje’s web.

Exclusive: Talisa Garcia, Karan Gill, Elizabeth Berrington and Christian Cooke have joined the cast of the Suranne Jones- and Jodie Whittaker-starring ITV drama series Frauds.

As we revealed in January, the buzzy six-part drama from Ghosts producer Monumental Television stars Jones and Whittaker as a pair of confidence tricksters in southern Spain separated by a 10-year jail spell. Jones’ Bert attempts to lure Whittaker’s Sam out of retirement for one final multi-million pound art heist, but their toxic friendship could ruin them both before they pull off the job.

García joins the cast as Miss Take, a smart, funny, and acerbic Spanish trans woman in her fifties who hosts drag bingo at the club on the Costa del Sol. However, she feels drag is now holding her back and and Bert and Sam, despite their thorny history, might just be able to offer her salvation.

Su reparto incluye a Jose Coronado, Maribel Verdú y Martiño Rivas. © Netflix

Netflix ha anunciado El problema final, una serie whodunit que combina thriller y misterio en un envolvente contexto de época, adaptada del bestseller homónimo del autor español Arturo Pérez-Reverte.

El problema final se sitúa en la primavera de 1959, cuando trece huéspedes quedan aislados en un hotel de un islote frente a la costa de Mallorca. Entre ellos se encuentra Elisa Mander, una enigmática turista británica que pronto aparece muerta en circunstancias sospechosas. Es entonces cuando Basil, un actor retirado que en otro tiempo encarnó en la gran pantalla al mismísimo Sherlock Holmes, se verá convertido, casi por azar, en el encargado de desentrañar lo ocurrido.

La miniserie de 5 episodios cuenta con un reparto coral de lujo, encabezado por Jose Coronado (Puntos suspensivos), María Valverde (3 metros sobre el cielo), Martiño Rivas (Las chicas del cable), Maribel Verdú (Cuando nadie nos ve...

A highly anticipated LGBTQ+ musical series (“Mariliendre”), a psychological thriller involving a standout U.S. indie producer-distributor (“Innate”) and a pre-sales hit period drama (“La Favorita 1922”) feature in Coming Next from Spain, a showcase of newest Spanish premium content.

Unspooling March 25 at Series Mania, organized by Icex Spain Trade and Investment’s umbrella organization, Audiovisual from Spain, the event targets buyers and international press, putting the spotlight on some of the most promising Spanish series produced by the country’s top leading companies.

Spain and its content have become a worldwide phenomenon. Think megahits “Money Heist” and “Elite,” which started conquering the TV fiction market seven years ago.

That fire left embers, as proved by recent hits such as the first season of “Berlin,” a “Money Heist” spin-off, toplining Pedro Alonso.

Released Dec. 2023 via Netflix, “Berlin’s” debut was the most-watched series globally upon its premiere, reaching the Top...

“La Favorita 1922” has pre-sold 20-plus territories in Europe and the Americas, including a pick-up by PBS streaming service Walter Presents for U.S. and Canada, Spain’s Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group announced Monday.

The announcement came just hours before the series’ March 17 commercial bow on Telecinco, Spanish broadcast network’s Mediaset España’s main channel, and days before “La Favorita 1922” hits Series Mania’s Forum over March 24-27 as Mediterráneo’s banner sales title.

In further deals, Mediterráneo, the international distribution arm of Mediaset España, has closed Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay with Flow, Telecom Argentina telco streaming service, while licensing to Belgium (Proximus), Lithuania (Lithuanian National Radio and TV), and Poland, one of the most robust of markets in Europe.

Set in a 1922 Madrid of often stunning Belle Epoque architecture, “La Favorita 1922” follows Seville’s Marquise Elena de Valmonte, who battles to turn an abandoned restaurant into the capital’s finest eatery.

Alex Hafner is starring in one of the newest K-dramas on Netflix, When The Stars Gossip!

The Spanish/American actor is the only non-Korean actor in the series, where he plays Santiago Gonzalez.

When The Stars Gossip is “a romantic comedy about an astronaut and a tourist who meet and fall in love at a space station.”

You may recognize Alex from other shows like The Mallorca Files, Vampire Academy, Cable Girls or Now And Then.

We recently caught up with Alex Hafner and got to know 10 Fun Facts about him!

Keep reading to find out more…

Check out what he shared below…

1. Acting almost happened much earlier for me. As a child, I was a finalist for The Sixth Sense, Free Willy 3, and Jingle All the Way—but we moved away from LA, and I forgot about acting until college. 2. My very first job was in Rod Stewart...

Picture: Bambú Producciones / Netflix

After filming in 2024, Netflix Spain is lining up its brand new period drama series The Lady’s Companion (also known as Manual Para Señoritas in Spanish regions) for a release on March 28th, 2025. Designed for multiple seasons, the new period romantic comedy-drama was filmed at Netflix’s expansive Tres Cantos production hub.

Premiering eight episodes on Netflix globally, the new series comes from Gema R. Neira and María José Rustarazo under the banner of Bambú Producciones. Gema is known for several high-profile and popular titles for Netflix over the years including Cable Girls, High Seas, and most recently, The Asunta Case.

Leading the cast for the series are Álvaro Mel as Santiago, Nadia de Santiago as Elena, and Isa Montalbán as Cristina, with the remainder of the cast for the new show including Zoe Bonafonte, Iratxe Emparán, Tristan Ulloa, Carloto Cotta, Paula Usero, Candela Pradas, Maria Barranco,...

“Cable Girls” lead Yon Gonzalez and Samantha Siqueiros, from “Money Heist” prequel “Berlin,” are set to topline Telemundo’s remake of Spanish hit series “Velvet.” They are joined by Ecuador’s Danilo Carrera, whose credits include “Sed de Venganza” and “Hijas de la Luna.”

The original “Velvet” is a 2014 Spanish drama series produced by Bambú Productions for Atresmedia Televisión. Created by Ramon Campos and Gema R. Neira, the show is set in the world of fashion and delves into themes of love, family and ambition. Spanning four seasons, it received acclaim for its depiction of the era’s glamorous lifestyle.

The main plot revolves around the “impossible” romance between Alberto Márquez, heir of Galerías Velvet, one of the most prominent fashion houses of that era, and Ana who works as a seamstress there.

Telemundo’s new version is a multi-episode telenovela format, set in present-day New York. It will be...

Telemundo has acquired the rights to adapt Atresmedia’s Spanish drama “Velvet.”

The network is set to adapt “Velvet,” which explored love, ambition and family dynamics within a 1950s Spanish fashion house, into a modern-day series, this time bringing the action to New York City. With production taking place at Telemundo Studios in Miami, the new series is slated to debut in 2025.

By setting the TV series in the modern era, Telemundo hopes to “revive this classic tale into a contemporary drama series, filled with unforgettable characters and plots that define great love stories,” per the official release.

“We are thrilled to bring this beloved series to our audience, with its universal themes and compelling narrative that make it a perfect addition to our diverse programming lineup,” Telemundo Studios EVP Javier Pons said in a statement. “With ‘Velvet,’ we continue to strengthen Telemundo’s content strategy with drama series that...

Warning: This article contains Major Spoilers for Netflix's The Merry Gentlemen!

With dancing at the center of the Netflix film, The Merry Gentlemen incorporates a wide range of lesser-known holiday songs that will keep audiences entertained from start to finish. The holiday rom-com follows a professional Broadway dancer named Ashley who puts together a male dance revue to raise money to save her parents bar, The Rhythm Room. Like most holiday movies, The Merry Gentlemen is packed with music to establish the cheery mood.

Rather than incorporating the traditional Christmas music that plays on the radio every year, the Chad Michael Murray movie includes a mix of holiday-themed hip-hop, country music, and ballads that arent well known. Each song perfectly shapes the scene in which it appears, helping create an entertaining Netflix movie for adults.

When Every Song On The Merry Gentlemen Soundtrack Plays In The Movie The Merry...

“Oderbruch,” the second series in a first-look TV deal between CBS Studios and Berlin-based Syrreal Entertainment, triumphed at Cadiz’s 2nd South Intl. Series Festival on Thursday, scooping its best fiction series award.

A brooding mystery series, it kicks in with the grisly discovery of the bodies and bones of 248 murder victims left in a pile in a field in set in the desolate marshes of Germany’s northern border with Poland. World premiering at the Munich Film Festival, series is recognized in its ambition as one of the biggest this year in Germany.

The other major winner in scripted was “Joan,” sold by All3International, an Audience Award winner which also took best screenplay. It stars Sophie Turner who is “thrilling in The CW’s tense and engaging jewel thief drama,” Variety announced in its review.

Sophie Turner in “Joan”

Best non-fiction series went to “On Thin Ice: Putin vs.

Studiocanal have released a fantastic new 4K restoration of Orca, The Killer Whale, as part of the Cult Classics Collection. Terror is just below the surface in this ferocious action adventure of mythical proportions from legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis, starring screen legends Richard Harris (Oscar-nominated for This Sporting Life) and Charlotte Rampling (Oscar nominated for 45 Years). As well as a collectable 4K Uhd SteelBook, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.

From Academy Award nominated director Michael Anderson (Around The World In Eighty Days) and screenwriter Luciano Vincenzoni comes a gripping and terrifying tale of man versus beast. Described by Scream Magazine as ‘Jaws with heart’, Orca, The Killer Whale features a marvellous lead performance from Harris as a sea captain targeted by a vengeful killer whale, and also stars Will Sampson, famous for his performance as in Chief Bromden One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Bo Derek (“10”), and Robert Carradine...

Life swings between triumph and failure in the enthralling “El Gran Salto” produced by Atresmedia TV in collaboration with Banijay’s Diagonal TV, the force behind shows such as “Isabel” and “La Catedral del Mar.”

Spanish star Óscar Casas stars as Olympic Gold Medalist gymnast Gervasio Deferr. The series is written by “Bye” scribe José Rodríguez and based on the Olympian’s own book of his struggles.

“Success is like a pendulum; it goes back and forth and is very delicate because if you don’t control it, it can screw up your life,” Deferr’s coach advises in the series opener.

This metaphor sets the tone for a five parter, which chronicles Deferr’s Olympic victories and profound personal struggles. Taking the reins is Catalan Director Roger Gual, “The idea from the beginning was to show the two sides of sports: success and failure. In Gervasio’s case, success came very early,...

“Artistock Game” Cj Enm

The new shiny-floor music show from Korean powerhouse Cj Enm. Viewers receive virtual game money to invest in a choice of 48 artists ranging from the indie scene to K-pop. Only one winner with the highest stock price remains at the end. Broadcast in Korea by Cj Enm-owned pay TV channel Mnet.

“A Better Place” Studiocanal

A social-issue thriller from Komplizen Serien, the TV arm of “Spencer” producer Komplizen Film, and Studiocanal Series, its first German show. In Rheinstadt, a gray-skied post-industrial city, its progressive mayor and a criminal law expert close a local correctional facility, reintegrating its inmates into society. The fates of the ex-cons steadily intertwine with that of Rheinstadt itself. This eight-episode series is backed by European heavyweights Canal + and Ard.

“The Big Jump” Atresmedia Intl. Sales

One of Atresmedia’s biggest bets at Mipcom, this biopic series follows Spanish gymnast Gervasio Deferr...

Today, Apple TV+ unveiled the gripping trailer for Tú También lo Harías (“You Would Do It Too”), the eight-episode, Spanish-language mystery starring Ana Polvorosa (Cable Girls), Michelle Jenner (Berlin), Pablo Molinero (The Plague), and José Manuel Poga (Money Heist).

The series will debut globally as an Apple Original series, with the first two episodes on Wednesday, October 30, and one new episode set to debut every Wednesday through December 11.

Tú También lo Harías (“You Would Do It Too”) takes place after an armed robbery on a bus near Barcelona results in the deaths of three robbers. Detectives and former lovers are on a mission to uncover the truth behind the six witnesses’ inconsistent timelines before time runs out.

As they navigate a world where perception often trumps reality, this lightning-fast thriller shines a spotlight on the importance of truth in today’s society and the lengths people will go to protect their version of it.

Unspooling in Cadiz over Oct. 25-31, the South International Series Festival is a bellwether on trends and highlights for the current season. What could be some of its star performers? Following, 10 titles to track, which also often say something about the way the market is going.

“The Big Jump” (Atresmedia International Sales)

One of Atresmedia’s biggest bets at Mipcom, a biopic series about the rise to Olympic Gold Medals at Sydney and Athens of Spanish gymnast Gervasio Deferr and, in a second timeline, his descent into drugs and alcohol, incapable of accepting failure in competition and lost when retired. Oscar Casas plays Deferr, with “Gangs of Galicia” helmer Roger Gual directs. An Atresplayer Original Series, bowing on Nov. 17.

“La Favorita 1922” (Mediterraneo)

From “Grand Hotel” through “Velvet” and “Cable Girls,” Ramon Campos’ Studiocanal j.v. Bambu Producciones has carved out its international reputation, creating modern gender-agenda melodramas that make...

Netflix Spain unveiled two new film projects at the San Sebastian International Film Festival that it is producing with Spanish filmmakers and production companies.

Carlos Sedes’ La Viuda Negra (which translates as The Black Widow) is being produced by Ramón Campos’ film and TV outfit Bambú Producciones, whose credits include Cable Girls and Isaki Lacuesta’s One Year, One Night.

The race-against-time thriller is about a body found in a parking lot in Valencia and the unexpected suspect the investigation digs up. It is now in pre-production.

Sedes is best known for TV series Fariña and, more recently, The Asunta Case.

San Sebastian — At one of the biggest industry gatherings at this year’s San Sebastián Festival, Netflix has announced new Spanish movies from “Cable Girls” showrunner Ramón Campos and “Cross the Line” director David Victori, as it unveiled new talent details on four other banner titles.

Produced by Ramón Campos at his Madrid-based label Bambú Producciones, also behind “Grand Hotel,” “Velvet” and “Fariña,” and directed by Carlos Sedes “The Asunta Case,” “Cable Girls”), murder mystery “La Viuda Negra” begins with a body stabbed seven times is discovered in a car park in Valencia. The prime suspect for the city’s Homicide Group is Maje, the dead man’s Maje, young and kind widow to whom the deceased had been married for less than a year.

Billed as a psychological thriller, Victori’s “Cortafuego” is produced by Anxo Rodríguez y Ferrán Tomás of ESpotlight Media and stars a topnotch cast of Joaquín Furriel,...

La Termita Films, the production label of double San Sebastian Golden Shell winners Isaki Lacuesta and Isa Campo, has struck a production alliance with Accidental Films, the newly formed label founded by Sara Gonzalo, managing director over 2011-24 of production powerhouse Bambu Producciones.

The alliance catches Lacuesta and Campo at new career highs, Lacuesta having directed Berlin competition player “One Year, One Night” and “Saturn Return,” a Spanish Film and Direction winner at March’s Malaga Festival; Campo co-wrote Iciar Bollain’s anticipated “I’m Nevenka,” which world premieres in San Sebastian main competition this weekend.

Gonzalo served as general manager at Bambú when it moved into ever larger industrial propositions from 2011-13’s “Grand Hotel” to “Velvet” (2013-15), “Cable Girls” (2017-20) and “Fariña” (2018), driving an acceptance in international of original Spanish series without the need to be dubbed into neutral Spanish in Latin America.

She is joined at Accidental,...

Apple TV+ has acquired Tú También lo Harías (“You Would Do it Too”), an eight-episode, Spanish-language mystery from Legendary Television and Espotlight Media. Tú También lo Harías will debut globally as an Apple Original series with the first two episodes on Wednesday, October 30, with one new episode set to debut every Wednesday through December 11.

Starring Ana Polvorosa (Cable Girls), Michelle Jenner (Berlin), Pablo Molinero (The Plague), and José Manuel Poga (Money Heist), Tú También lo Harías takes place after an armed robbery on a bus near Barcelona results in the deaths of three robbers.

Detectives and former lovers are on a mission to uncover the truth behind the six witnesses’ inconsistent timelines before time runs out. As they navigate a world where perception often trumps reality, this lightning-fast thriller shines a spotlight on the importance of truth in today’s society and the lengths people will go to protect their version of it.

Apple TV+ has acquired the global rights to the Spanish-language mystery series “Tú También lo Harías” (“You Would Do It Too”), Variety has learned.

The eight-episode show hails from Legendary Television and Espotlight Media. It will debut globally as an Apple original series on Oct. 30 with its first two episodes, with new episodes debuting every week thereafter until the season finale on Dec. 11.

The series stars Ana Polvorosa (“Cable Girls”), Michelle Jenner (“Berlin”), Pablo Molinero (“The Plague”), and José Manuel Poga (“Money Heist”).

The official series description states that the show “takes place after an armed robbery on a bus near Barcelona results in the deaths of three robbers, detectives and former lovers are on a mission to uncover the truth behind the six witnesses’ inconsistent timelines before time runs out. As they navigate a world where perception often trumps reality, this lightning-fast thriller shines a spotlight on the importance...

Un hospital al borde del colapso. © Netflix

Netflix ha publicado el tráiler de Respira, el primer drama hospitalario de Netflix en España, creado por Carlos Montero.

El Joaquín Sorolla es mucho más que un hospital público de Valencia donde cada día se salvan vidas. Médicos y residentes se dejan la piel en el frenético ritmo de las urgencias, donde las tensiones, las emociones y hasta el deseo aceleran el corazón de un personal que vive cada vez más al límite. La llegada de una distinguida paciente pone de manifiesto la complicada situación de la sanidad pública, encendiendo la mecha de lo que se convertirá en una huelga drástica y sin precedentes.

Esta nueva serie de ficción de ocho episodios está protagonizada por Najwa Nimri, Aitana Sánchez Gijón, Blanca Suárez, Manu Ríos, Borja Luna y Alfonso Bassave. Completan el reparto Ana Rayo, Macarena de Rueda, Blanca Martínez, Abril Zamora, Xoán Fórneas,...

After spending the last decade directing other actors, Eva Longoria is back in front of the camera in the new Spanish-language dramedy Land of Women.

The six-part Apple TV+ series is Spanish writer and producer Ramón Campos’ adaptation of Spanish journalist Sandra Barneda’s novel La Tierra de Las Mujeres. In it, Longoria stars as Gala Scott, a wealthy — or so she thinks — wife and mom who, along with her mother (Carmen Maura) and daughter (Victoria Bazúa), flees from New York City to the fictional town of La Muga in Catalonia, Spain, where her mom grew up, when she finds out her husband (James Purefoy) owes $15 million to mobsters intent on getting their money back by any means necessary. Humorously navigating the disastrous circumstances that befall the trio while they’re on the run falls perfectly within Longoria’s wheelhouse, having risen to fame staring on ABC’s mystery soap...

Un hospital al borde del colapso. © Netflix

Netflix ha publicado el primer teaser tráiler de “Respira”, el primer drama hospitalario de Netflix en España, creado por Carlos Montero.

El Joaquín Sorolla es mucho más que un hospital público de Valencia donde cada día se salvan vidas. Médicos y residentes se dejan la piel en el frenético ritmo de las urgencias, donde las tensiones, las emociones y hasta el deseo aceleran el corazón de un personal que vive cada vez más al límite. La llegada de una distinguida paciente pone de manifiesto la complicada situación de la sanidad pública, encendiendo la mecha de lo que se convertirá en una huelga drástica y sin precedentes.

Esta nueva serie de ficción de ocho episodios está protagonizada por Najwa Nimri, Aitana Sánchez Gijón, Blanca Suárez, Manu Ríos, Borja Luna y Alfonso Bassave. Completan el reparto Ana Rayo, Macarena de Rueda, Blanca Martínez, Abril Zamora,...

Making further inroads into markets in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond, Studiocanal, one of Europe’s top production-distribution-international sales powerhouses, has clinched further sales on premium daily drama “The Vow” (“La Promesa”), closing Poland and two Baltic States, as well as France.

Produced by Spain’s Bambú Producciones, a Studiocanal company, Studiocanal and national Spanish public broadcaster Rtve, “The Vow” has been acquired by Polish pubcaster Tvp Poland, state-backed network Err Estonia and state-owned Ltv Latvia.

In additional new sales, Dubai TV has closed rights to Mena territories. French free-to-air channel C8, owned like Studiocanal by the Canal+ Group, will begin airing the series in July.

Mediaset Italy has now acquired all three seasons of “The Vow,” as has Dori Media Israel and Finnish state network Yle.

Hrt Croatia and Ltv Lithuania and commercial network Ktv Kosovo, which have broadcast Season 1, have signed up for further seasons.

Created by...

Studiocanal announce a superb new restoration of Night Of The Eagle, as part of the Cult Classics Collection. Dare you believe in the existence of witches in this nerve-shattering, atmospheric horror starring Peter Wyngarde (Jason King) and Janet Blair (I Love Trouble)? The film will be available on 1st July 2024 on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital, with the striking original UK poster artwork featuring on the sleeve

Based on the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber – a story so good it’s been filmed three times – Night Of The Eagle (also known as Burn, Witch, Burn) is a taut and terrifying film that provides genuine chills, as well as a horrifying twist, and remains a much-loved cult classic to this day. Directed by Sidney Hayers (Circus of Horrors), with a screenplay by three masters of the macabre, Richard Matheson (I Am Legend), Charles Beaumont (The Premature Burial) and George Baxt (Vampire...

The Empress kicked off its story with a marriage based on love, unlike many historical dramas, focusing on intrigue and romance. Fans of The Empress will enjoy Sisi, Vanity Fair, and Reign, which offer similar tales of scandal, romance, and powerful female leads. Cable Girls, Downton Abbey, and Call the Midwife are modern period dramas with strong female characters fighting for their rights and independence.

Historical dramas remain one of the most popular genres of television and shows like The Empress prove there are still more stories to tell from European history. Based on the life of the real Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898), Devrim Lingnau plays 16-year-old Elisabeth as she falls in love with and marries her sister's intended fianc, Emperor Franz Joseph. Released in 2022, the show was one of the most popular non-English Netflix series of the year and the streaming service immediately ordered a second season and...

Spanish public broadcaster Rtve held its fifth annual Rtve Showcase late last week in Madrid. Eight of the network’s top shows were profiled for international buyers, and several panels debated the current state of affairs in Spain’s TV production industry.

Professionals from around the world tuned into this year’s Showcase, which had the overriding theme of international co-production. Guest speakers from across Europe attended and shared details about their recent experiences working with Rtve and what future collaborations are in the works.

According to Rodolfo Domínguez, Rtve commercial director, more than 200 attendees tuned in to this year’s Showcase, including 70 international buyers from more than 30 territories. Of them, 50% were from Europe, 30% from the Americas, and the other 20% from Asia and the Middle East.

Below, we reflect on two of this year’s most internationally relevant panels and briefly break down Rtve’s original programming lineup featured during the Showcase.

Netflix and “Elite” creator Carlos Montero have reteamed on the new medical drama “Breathless,” and Variety has been given exclusive access to new first images from the show.

“Breathless” is produced by Montero’s El Desorden Crea and executive produced by Montero and Diego Betancor. David Pinillos and Marta Font shared directing duties, working from screenplays by Montero, Carlos Ruano, Guillermo Escribano, and Pablo Saiz.

Alongside today’s photos, Netflix released a new synopsis for the show: “The Joaquín Sorolla is much more than a public hospital in Valencia where lives are saved every day. Doctors and residents work their fingers to the bone in the frenetic pace of the emergency room, where tensions, emotions and even desire accelerate the hearts of a staff that lives increasingly on the edge. The arrival of a distinguished patient highlights the complicated situation of the public health system, lighting the fuse for what...

In the past week, Richard Gadd's series Baby Reindeer has occupied the top spot in Netflix's viewership by offering a harrowing look at the lead actor's personal experience of being stalked by a woman he met at a bar. Yet, the series isn't the only real-life story subscribers have recently been drawn to. Another true-crime show created by Ramn Campos (the man responsible for the Netflix period drama Cable Girls) is also one of the streaming service's most popular titles. The Asunta Case follows the shocking murder of a Chinese child, who was allegedly killed by her adoptive family in Spain. This true turn of events drew attention from both the media and the people of Galicia at the time, as people theorized about who was guilty of the crime. As the police investigated the case, more evidence was found to support their lead into the killer's identity and motif.

In its latest expansive move, independent production house Nevision is opening offices in Barcelona, its first in Europe outside its London-based headquarters.

The Barcelona operation is headed by seasoned publisher, author, journalist and producer Tim Parfitt who will work with Nevision founder James Cabourne to develop scripted series in Spanish for both local and global markets, Nevision announced last week in a written statement.

First up are three projects, two with scribe-helmer Roger Guäl, who broke out with 2002’s “Smoking Room,” an acerbic take on office politics.

Parfitt has lived most of his life in Spain, being dispatched to Madrid in 1987 for six weeks to help launch Spanish Vogue. He ended up staying a decade and running the company as CEO of Ediciones Condé Nast, an experience he recounted in memoir “A Load of Bull – An Englishman’s Adventures in Madrid.” He moved to Barcelona in 2007, authoring art-detective crime thriller “The Barcelona Connection,...

A new restoration of the 1959 horror film on Blu-ray and DVD, and making its UK digital debut, Horrors Of The Black Museum, starring Michael Gough and directed by Arthur Crabtree (Fiend Without a Face), marked the first film in the “Sadian Trilogy”, followed by the Hammer favourite Circus of Horrors and Michael Powell’s infamous Peeping Tom – introducing cinema audiences to a more shocking and salacious brand of onscreen horror.

A series of grisly, macabre murders sweep London and leave Scotland Yard completely baffled. Bancroft, an evil crime journalist, is hypnotising his assistant to commit murders using items curated in his own personal “Black Museum” – inspired by the infamous real-life collection of weapons and torture instruments used by criminals. Using these murders to fuel his own crime stories, Bancroft delights in the Yard’s embarrassment.

Experience fear beyond belief in this gruesome British horror treat that features a splendid lead...

A new restoration of the 1954 British black-and-white science fiction film Devil Girl From Mars, directed by David MacDonald and starring Patricia Laffan, Hugh McDermott, Hazel Court, Peter Reynolds and Adrienne Corri.

One winter evening in a lonely Scottish inn, guests become prisoners when Nyah, a pitiless Martian with a robot minion, lands on earth and traps them within an invisible wall. With Martian males extinct after a battle of the sexes, Nyah aims to capture breeding stock on Earth. As escape attempts falter, the helpless humans must decide which one of them will die to save the others and possibly the world!

A famously economical film, Devil Girl From Mars was filmed over three weeks with no retakes in order to use up pre-booked studio time when another project finished ahead of schedule.

With a cast including the magnificent Patricia Laffan (Quo Vadis) as Nyah, and genre favourites Adrienne Corri...

“There are really only two things that can turn a bad day into a great one: The first is love. But to be honest, that’s not for today. My third wife just dumped me. The second is a heist worth millions of euros,” future Spanish Mint robber Berlin, played again by Pedro Alonso, says at the very beginning of “Berlin,” the spinoff of from Money Heist (“La Casa de Papel”) which Netflix drops Dec. 29.

More precisely, in “Berlin,” he aims with his gang to steal €44 million’s ($47.5 million) worth in 63 jewels from 34 cities across Europe – Zurich, Milan, Saint Petersburg, and so on – in just one night, as they come together in Paris’ biggest auction house.

Netflix has also shared in exclusivity with Variety one of the very first images from “Berlin.”

From “Money Heist” creators Alex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato, like the original “Berlin” is a notably Latin makeover of a U.

The fifth season of Cable Girls ended on a shocking and final note, leaving viewers wondering about the possibility of a season 6. The series, set in 1920s Spain, garnered critical acclaim for its soapy tone and compelling characters. The ending of season 5 saw the main characters sacrificing their lives in a bold and dramatic choice, reflecting the show's overall atmosphere.

The fifth season of the Netflix-exclusive Spanish drama series Cable Girls ended on a shocking, dynamic, and seemingly final note, but will there be a season 6 in the future? Debuting in 2017, Cable Girls is set in 1920s Spain and follows a group of young women who work for the country's first national telephone company and find a way to improve their place in the nation's patriarchal society. What began as a soapy interpersonal drama grew into an action-packed thriller by the conclusion of season 5, and along the way, the...

European production-distribution giant Studiocanal is teaming with Spain’s Mr. Fields and Friends and Bambú, both led by producer Ramón Campos, on dramatic comedy “Rondallas,” written-directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo.

Sánchez Arévalo, one of Spain’s foremost crossover filmmakers, is coming back with “Rondallas” to a movie project oriented to classic cinema theater exhibition and distribution, after creating and directing a feature film and a TV series for Netflix.

Studiocanal will handle worldwide sales on “Rondallas,” scheduled to roll from March in Galicia, Northern Spain, with a still undisclosed cast.

“Rondallas” is produced by Campos, creator and executive producer of flagship Spanish TV dramas such as “Gran Hotel,” “Velvet,” “Cable Girls” and “Fariña,” all set up at his Madrid-based Bambú, one of the most game-changing of TV production companies in Spain, and partially owned by Studiocanal.

With dedicated film production house Mr Fields and Friends, Campos has produced titles such...

Sometimes, love happens when you least expect it. Voltage Pictures’ upcoming film See You on Venus is based on the debut young adult novel by author Victoria Vinuesa. The YA romance features Virginia Gardner portraying the role of Mia and Alex Aiono as Kyle.

In this new footage from the film, the pair discusses Mia’s fascination with the planet Venus, while they sit together in front of a crackling fire on a star-drenched beach. Check out MovieWeb's exclusive clip now.

The synopsis reads as follows:

See You On Venus follows Mia (Virginia Gardner) and Kyle (Alex Aiono), two misfit American teens who travel to Spain in search of Mia's birth mother. As the pair road trip through the picturesque cities of Andalusia and fall in love, they discover that the most important question isn't who gave you life but what you decide to do with it.

Gardner also serves...

Toledo, Spain — The tide has changed. Just one year after Disney+ dazzled with “Santa Evita,” a banner title from its extraordinary swathe of Latin American originals, the 7th Conecta Fiction & Entertainment caught the mood of a larger international market with panelists in its conference strand focusing often on market challenges, when a feeding fever for premium content dominated conversations in recent editions. That said, running June 26-29 in Toledo, in market attendance and insight and shows brought to market, Cf&e fairly rocked.

10 takeaways from this year’s edition:

Conecta Fiction Booms

Despite Toledo’s sweltering in a hot snap, even by Spanish standards, Conecta Fiction’s attendance sky-rocketed to 1,031 accredited professionals, an all-time record and 42% up on figures announced at the end of 2022’s edition. Reasons abound. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas, to touch base with production partners, new ideas. It’s really interesting to see...

Variety’s Global Locations Panel Conversations kicked off Saturday with a focus on Spain in which Juan-Manuel Guimeráns, Spain Film Commission general secretary, posited a new further reason for shooting in Spain.

Much is made of the country’s Omg locations, highlighted in “Game of Thrones,” its talent and technical prowess, and now extraordinary incentives. Now, as big international companies seek cost control and to promote sustainability, increasing attention will be paid to the Spanish industry’s ability to produce quality, cost-effective film and TV content very largely shot on a limited number of soundstages. Variety’s John Hopewell, in conversation with Guimeráns, pointed to the example of milestone series from Spain, such as “Grand Hotel,” “Velvet” and the first two parts of “Money Heist” (“La Casa de Papel”). In the final stretches of the conversation, Guimeráns drilled down on some of key projects and recently opened studio facilities in Spain.

Former Netflix exec Juan Mayne has hung his own shingle, Madrid-based N&l Films, which is bulwarked by strong talent relationships, a strategic alliance with Exile Content and a sure sense of market opportunities for Spain-based independent producers.

Exile Content and N&l Films have struck a first-look development deal. Jeff Glaser, who oversaw Netflix production finance in Mexico City and Madrid, has joined the company.

N&l’s first slate includes a Mexican remake of “Miracle in Cell No. 7,” co-produced by Rock & Ruz and Mexico’s Corazón Films, which will handle distribution in the country, and “Aristides: A Righteous Life,” the true-life account of a Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands from the Nazis in WWII, from Seanne Winslow.

N&l is also in conversations with with Lluis Quilez and Fernando Navarro – director and writer of Netflix Top 10 non-English movie “Below Zero” – to develop a true crime film based...

In April 2018, Netflix announced that Spanish heist thriller “Money Heist” (“La Casa de Papel”) had become the U.S. streaming service’s most-watched non-English series ever.

With a Spanish series crowned as the first foreign-language blockbuster at the company that has transformed entertainment worldwide, Spain’s expansion — long nurtured by hits such as “The Red Band Society,” “Grand Hotel” and “Locked Up” — well and truly lifted off.

Building on that success, in March 2021, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez unveiled the Avs Hub Plan, which would invest €1.6 billion ($1.8 billion) into Spain’s audiovisual sector.

For a country in which the word españolada was used to write off supposed second-rate homegrown fare, the re-positioning of Spain’s film and TV industries as core drivers in its digital post-pandemic “reindustrialization” is little short of a revolution. Spain, Cannes Marché du Film’s 2023 country of honor, now accounts for seven of the 20 entries in...

Marsh is the CEO of Studiocanal and deputy CEO of parent company Canal+.

Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal and deputy CEO of Canal+ Group, will give a keynote speech exploring the changing dynamics of content strategies at the upcoming Mip-tv in Cannes in April.

Marsh’s speech will be a main event as part of the Media Mastermind series on the opening day of the market on April 17 during which she will take to the Debussy Theatre stage in the Palais to talk about the opportunities for talent, storytelling and creative strategies to emerge in the rapidly changing global content landscape.

Anna Marsh, CEO of production and distribution giant StudioCanal, will give one of the main keynote speeches for this year’s MIPTV, the global TV market confab held in Cannes in April.

Marsh will address the international television industry at Cannes’ Palais des Festivals on Monday, April 17, the opening day of MIPTV 2023. Her Media Mastermind keynote will explore the increasing crossover between different mediums, from film through TV and online, and the opportunities for talent, storytelling and innovative commercial strategies that spring from these.

“As the European leader in film and series production and distribution, StudioCanal has a responsibility to share its content with even wider and expanding international audiences,” said Marsh. “More than ever in 2023, we are looking to diversify our content and create the successes of tomorrow by strengthening the significant synergies between our film and series activities.”

StudioCanal is a major player in both the film and TV industries.

Lionsgate+, formerly known as Starzplay, has set March 3 as the premiere date of its darkly comic original series ‘Nacho’ across all Latin America.

The news comes as Atresplayer Premium in Spain has announced that “Nacho” will bow on its service on March 5 as an Atresplayer Premium Original, in other words an exclusive in Spain on the adventurous service whose recent Originals include “Cardo,” produced by Los Javis.

Bowing its international trailer exclusively on Variety, the eight-episode series stars Martiño Rivas (“Cable Girls”) who plays the legendary Nacho Vidal whose notable physique makes him a star in Spain’s incipient porn industry in the ‘90s.

“Proving his talents reach far beyond his most infamous 25 cm [9.8 inches], Nacho changed the rules of the game in the 1990s when he became an international superstar,” the synopsis goes.

Shot in Spain, “Nacho” tells the story of the people behind the country’s porn industry, which...

Nadie Es Perfecto, the Spanish production house founded by Kiko Martinez, has announced it is to produce smash hit Spanish-language young adult novel “Mala influencia,” written by Teensspirit for Wattpad Webtoon story telling platform. It will be produced with Mexico’s The42ndFilm and Wattpad Webtoon Studios.

To be directed by Catalan helmer Roger Gual, the script has been adapted for the big screen by Gual himself along with close collaborator, Spanish Mexico-based scriptwriter Antón Goenechea. It will be the first project produced by former Netflix exec and industry veteran Juan Mayne in his new position at Nadie Es Perfecto, which he began earlier this year.

A romantic thriller with Romeo and Juliette shades of a forbidden love between two star-crossed youths separated by a social chasm, the project will be set on Spain’s Costa del Sol and promises to take a glancing look at urban real estate corruption in the area.

Famed for its premium series, European production-distribution giant Studiocanal and Spanish partner Bambu Producciones are now driving ever deeper into premium daily dramas, first with “Two Lives” and now with “The Vow,” which Studiocanal is bringing onto the market at Mipcom.

The show is produced by Studiocanal-owned Bambú Producciones, led by Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández Valdés, and the creator of successful daily shows, Josep Cister.

Spanish public broadcaster Rtve, which co-produces with Studiocanal and Bambu, retains rights to Latin America and the U.S.

Created by Cister, “The Vow,” which went into production in Spain this September, weighs in at 122 one-hour episodes.

Unspooling across the stunning landscape of Southern Spain, “The Vow” begins in 1913 as Jana, a maid at the declining but still ruthless house of Luján seeks revenge for the death of her mother, while she searches for her brother, abducted at birth, most likely by the Lujans.

Entertainment One (eOne) have sold their first Soanish language series “Operación Marea Negra” to over 60 territories including the U.S. and Mexico (Roku), Austarlia (Sbs), Latin American (AMC Networks Intl), Canada (Teleus) and Spain (Disney-owned Fox channel).

The four-part series is based on the true story of Europe’s first intercepted narco-submarine in November 2019, when three smugglers crossed the Atlantic in a home-made sub-aquatic vessel carrying more than 3,000 kilos of cocaine. After boarding in the middle of the Amazon, they sailed to Europe while enduring terrible conditions including hunger, engine problems and storms before finally being captured on the Galician coast by the Civil Guard.

Álex González (“3 Caminos”) stars as “Nando, the ex-boxer and leader of the pack who turns to trafficking when his other financial options dry up.” Joining him are Nerea Barros (“La Isla Mínima”), Nuno Lopes (“White Lines”), Miquel Insua (“La Unidad”), Luis Zahera (“El Reino”), Xosé Barato...

Tom Hardy To Narrate Sky And Netflix Nature Doc ‘Predators’

Mad Max: Fury Road and Venom star Tom Hardy will narrate the upcoming Sky Nature and Netflix doc series Predators. The show, unveiled earlier this year, is the first co-pro between Sky and Netflix and comes from Sky-owned True to Nature and Sky Studios, in association with the streamer. It follows five apex predators as they face the ultimate test of survival in drastically changing environments across the globe. “To bring Predators to life with one of the UK’s most gifted and reputable talents, who has a passion for environmental causes, is a great pleasure,” said Sky’s Director of Documentaries and Factual, Poppy Dixon. In the UK, Germany and Italy, the show is set to launch on Sky Nature and streaming service Now in December. Sky’s Comcast stablemate NBCUniversal Global Distribution is selling the show internationally.

European...