News

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...

Uruguayan production company U Films has boarded Ignacio Lasierra Pinto‘s debut feature, “Perseidas.” The film made waves after a successful pitch at last November’s Ventana Sur when it unveiled an all-star cast led by Spanish Academy Goya-winning actor Macarena García.

Today, at the Málaga Film Festival, a co-production agreement was signed between U Films and the previously established Spanish producers of “Perceidas,” Lago&Laporta and Imval Producciones. The group described their partnership as “an organic international co-production that strengthens the ties between both countries and allows us to continue advancing this very special project.”

U Films was founded by Virginia Hinze and Lucía Gaviglio in 2012. The company’s mission is to develop projects with a special emphasis on international co-productions and independent distribution.

Securing a Uruguayan co-producer was always a point of emphasis for the “Perseidas” team. The bi-continental film tells the story of a famous Spanish chef...

As the highly anticipated Spanish musical show “Mariliendre” gears up for this week’s world premiere at the Málaga Film Festival, screening at France’s Series Mania and an April 27 debut on Atresplayer, Variety sat down with the show’s creator and director, Javier Ferreiro, to discuss his debut series.

A six-episode musical dramedy, Mariliendre – produced by Spain’s hottest filmmaking duo Los Javis (Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi) at Suma Content – explores themes of friendship, LGBTQ+ culture, body positivity and the power of music in shaping identity.

Set in Chueca, one of the most vibrant and gay neighborhoods in the Spanish capital and likely the world, “Mariliendre” – a common Spanish nickname for the woman best friend of a gay man or group of gay men – follows Meri Román, a former queen of Madrid’s gay nightlife. Now, at 35 years old, those days of recognition are in the review mirror for Meri,...

Entrepreneur and TV producer Daniel Domenjó has been named CEO of Movistar Plus+, Spain’s biggest national payTV/streaming service, replacing Cristina Burzako.

The appointment was announced by Movistar Plus+ parent Telefónica on Thursday.

The same reshuffle sees the departure of Sergio Oslé, president of Movistar Plus+ from 2017. Promoted to managing director of Teléfonica Spain in 2021, he continued to champion Movistar Plus+. He is replaced by Javier de la Paz, already a Telefónica board member.

Burzako will remain a board member of brand Movistar Plus+’s official company name Telefónica Audiovisual Digital and will take on new responsibilities in the group.

The massive management overhaul at the Spanish telco has been sparked by the substitution this January of José María Alvárez-Pallete by former Indra Sistemas Marc Murtra as its chairman-ceo.

That change came in turn after Saudi Arabian telecoms group Stc announced in 2023 that it had bought 4.9% of Telefonica, signalling...

Beta Film, the leading European independent film-tv company, has picked up international sales rights to Leticia Dolera’s family drama “Pubertat – Secrets, Lies and Human Castles,” the Spanish writer-director-actor’s follow-up to “Perfect Life,” her Canneseries wining take on adult relationships and challenged coming of age,

Structured as a six one-hour-episode series, “Pubertat” completes Beta’s line-up at the upcoming London TV Screenings, which runs Feb. 23-28.

In “Pubertat,” a Max Original series, Dolera takes a look at lost love between parents and their teenage children and how it might be rediscovered, after an alleged sexual assault that sheds light on the adults’ sexual taboos.

The series is set in a Catalan town with a long-standing tradition of building human towers, the “castells.” Declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco, “castells” are not only a spectacle of local festivities but a symbol of the importance of each of its members,...

Julio Medem, one of Spain’s most distinctive cinematic voices, returns to the spotlight at Berlin’s European Film Market with “8,” an ambitious and formally daring film that spans 90 years of Spanish history through the intertwined lives of Octavio and Adela.

Javier Rey (“Cocaine Coast”) stars as Octavio, while Ana Rujas, acclaimed for her role in Los Javis’ “La Mesías,” plays Adela. Produced by Spain’s Morena Films, behind box office hits “Cell 211” and “Champions,” with Barbazul la película Aie, Eidan Produce and Quexito Films, the feature is sold by Latido Films.

“I proposed to tell the story of Octavio and Adela’s 90 years in eight chapters, and that each one would be a sequence shot, so that the time spent in each would be ‘a while’,” Medem told Variety. The director’s approach is rooted in the idea that “the only one who has a complete and...

Javier Calvo y Javier Ambrossi tienen nuevo proyecto en Movistar Plus+. © Movistar Plus+

Hoy, Movistar Plus+ ha dado un paso más en su compromiso con el cine español, anunciando sus próximos proyectos, y entre ellos se encuentra La bola negra, la nueva película de Los Javis (La llamada), que toma como punto de partida una de las últimas obras, inacabada, de Federico García Lorca desde una perspectiva queer.

Tras el éxito de La Mesías, Javier Calvo y Javier Ambrossi han vuelto a confiar en Movistar Plus+ para dar vida a su siguiente proyecto, esta vez un largometraje, en coproducción con Suma Content Films, la productora independiente de contenidos audiovisuales que ambos fundaron.

La bola negra narra las vidas entrelazadas de tres hombres –cuyo reparto aún no se ha anunciado– en tres épocas diferentes. Tres existencias íntimamente ligadas por la sexualidad y el deseo, el dolor y la herencia.

En palabras...

During a Movistar+ presentation at the historic Telefónica Building on Madrid’s Gran Via this afternoon, renowned writer-director-producer duo Los Javis – Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo – shared early details about their next project, “La bola negra,” a multi-timelined feature about what it is and has meant to be a gay man in Spain throughout the last century.

A day after their series “La Mesías” won the Rose d’Or Award for best mini or limited series at Content Americas, Ambrossi and Calvo – known locally as Los Javis – revealed that they’re in the final stages of putting the project together and will begin shooting later this year. Abrossi and Calvo are writing, directing, and co-producing the feature through their label Suma Content, which is teaming with Movistar+, its production and distribution partner, on “La Mesías.”

“La bola negra” is a “queer revisitation of a part of the history of our country,...

Spanish Salon

SkyShowtime has announced that production is underway for its new comedy series “Nails,” its third original series commissioned in Spain.

“Nails” tells the story of four women from distinct backgrounds and ages who meet regularly at a nail salon, leading to a transformative friendship. The quartet is overwhelmed by societal pressures to be “perfect,” which prompts them to question their lives and identities. As they grapple with chronic stress, they decide to rebel against their circumstances, which causes an emotional upheaval in their families. This rebellion culminates in the formation of The Free Women’s Club, a safe space aimed at helping other women navigate their challenges.

The show, filmed between Madrid and Bilbao, features an ensemble cast including Cristina Castaño (“Toy Boy”), Marimar Vega (“Las trampas del deseo”), Gracia Olayo (“La Mesías”), Teresa Cuesta (“Machos Alfa”), Fernando Tejero (“La que se avecina”), Javier Antón (“Vaya semanita”), Juanjo Cucalón...

On Sunday December 22 2024, PBS broadcasts Too Hot to Handel — The Gospel Messiah!

Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Too Hot to Handel — The Gospel Messiah” promises to be a unique and exciting experience for fans of classical music and gospel. This special presentation will take place at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall, where a talented cast will breathe new life into Handel’s famous work, “The Messiah.”

This reimagined performance aims to blend traditional elements with modern interpretations, creating a fresh take on a beloved classic. The show will feature a diverse group of musicians and vocalists who will showcase their incredible talents, bringing energy and passion to the stage. The combination of classical music with gospel influences is sure to captivate audiences and offer a different perspective on Handel’s masterpiece.

Viewers can expect vibrant performances, powerful vocals, and an uplifting atmosphere that celebrates the spirit of the season.

“Too Hot to Handel — The Gospel Messiah” promises a vibrant and fresh take on Handel’s classic “The Messiah.” This special performance will air on PBS at 8:00 Pm on Sunday, December 22, 2024, straight from the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London. The event aims to blend traditional elements with a lively gospel twist, creating an experience that resonates with both long-time fans of classical music and those who enjoy contemporary sounds.

The performance features a talented cast of musicians and vocalists who bring energy and passion to the stage. With powerful voices and dynamic arrangements, the artists reinterpret the beloved oratorio, making it accessible and exciting for audiences of all ages. The combination of classical and gospel styles is sure to uplift spirits and spread joy during the holiday season.

As viewers tune in, they can expect a celebration of music that honors Handel’s original composition while infusing it with a modern flair.

“Too Hot to Handel — The Gospel Messiah” is set to bring a fresh and vibrant twist to a classic piece of music. This special performance will air on PBS at 9:30 Pm on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. It promises to be an exciting reimagining of Handel’s beloved “The Messiah,” all set against the stunning backdrop of London’s Royal Albert Hall.

This unique version of “The Messiah” blends traditional elements with gospel music, creating a lively and soulful experience. Audiences can expect powerful vocals, energetic performances, and an atmosphere that celebrates the joy of the season. The production aims to connect with both longtime fans of Handel and those who may be new to this iconic work.

Viewers can look forward to a night filled with uplifting music and a celebration of community. The combination of classical and gospel styles is sure to create a memorable experience that resonates with many.

Movistar Plus+, the biggest Spanish SVOD/pay TV operator, has revealed four new scripted series for 2025, including a special on Pedro Almodóvar and struggling mother dramatic comedy “Yo siempre a veces” produced by “Veneno” and “La Mesías” creators Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo at their busy Madrid-based shingle Suma Content.

Also in the mix is “Los sin nombre,” from Pau Freixas and Filmax, a series spin-off from the movie, “La Canción,” a new title from “Hierro” co-writers and “Rapa” co-creators Pepe Coira and Fran Araujo, and espionage thriller “El Centro.”

News of new series comes as Movistar Plus+ scored in September both at Venice and San Sebastián, screening Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The New Years” at Venice’s series selection, alongside Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV+ Series “Disclaimer,” Joe Wright’s “M. Son Of The Century” and Thomas Vinterberg’s “Families Like Ours.”

Alauda Ruiz de Azua’s “Querer” was hailed...

Exclusive: Goodfellas is expanding its footprint into Spain in a new production venture with prolific local producer Enrique López Lavigne aimed at producing ambitious projects with Spanish talent with international appeal.

Bannered Goodapatxe – in a nod to Lavigne’s Apache Films company, which he runs alongside El Studio – the venture aims to get two to three productions off the ground a year.

Details of the first projects are under wraps, but the partners have revealed they are in development on a Spanish historic film noir, a western and science fiction picture and four additional genre feature films directed by young Spanish authors.

Lavigne has been a driving force in the Spanish independent cinema scene for more than 30 years.

He started out as a film buyer for Canal Plus, before moving into distribution at Sogecine. He branched into producing in the late 1990s, taking credits on a host of early films...

Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s Suma Content and Spanish platform Atresplayer have teamed on “Mariliendre,” a new fictional musical comedy series from creator Javier Ferreiro.

“Mariliendre” was unveiled at FesTVal Vitoria earlier this month, and Variety has now been given exclusive access to the first international teaser for the show.

Set in Chueca, one of the most vibrant and gay neighborhoods in the Spanish capital and likely the world, “Mariliendre” – a common Spanish nickname for the woman best friend of a gay man – follows Meri Román, a former queen of Madrid’s gay nightlife. Now, at 35 years old, those days of recognition are in the review mirror for Meri, a dethroned diva who can’t let go of the past and is bored by her mundane present.

After the death of her father, Meri reconnects with her old group of gay friends, bringing into sharper focus memories of her...

La película está protagonizada por Martin Scorsese. © Beta Fiction

Escape, la nueva película de Rodrigo Cortés, producida por Martin Scorsese y basada en la novela homónima de Enrique Rubio, se presentará en el Festival de San Sebastián, dentro de las galas de Rtve.

Escape sigue a N. (Mario Casas), un hombre estropeado. Algo no va bien en su interior. No quiere tomar una sola decisión más, sólo apearse del mundo. Dejar de tener opciones. El psicólogo a quien visita no sabe cómo abordarlo. Tampoco su hermana, que intenta apoyarlo sin frutos. N. sólo quiere vivir en la cárcel, y hará cuanto sea necesario para conseguirlo. ¿Lograrán sus allegados que desista de cometer delitos cada vez más graves? ¿Hasta dónde será capaz de llegar el juez para no concederle su propósito?

La película está protagonizada por Mario Casas (3 metros sobre el cielo). Completan el reparto Anna Castillo (Nowhere), José Sacristán (La...

Una de las grandes apuestas en ficción de la plataforma de streaming. © Atresplayer

La nueva serie original de Atresplayer, “La Sombra de la Tierra”, un drama rural ambientado en 1896, basado en la novela homónima de la actriz Elvira Mínguez, que también se pone por primera vez tras las cámaras como directora del proyecto, se proyectará en el Festival de San Sebastián en septiembre.

“La Sombra de la Tierra”, compuesta por cuatro episodios de 50 minutos, narra el enfrentamiento de dos mujeres marcadas por el odio. Garibalda (Adelfa Calvo) es una mujer enferma que gobierna a los aldeanos con puño de hierro. Desde la infancia odia a Atilana (María Morales), a quien culpa de todos sus males. La posición de poder que hereda de su marido la utiliza para abusar de todos los que la rodean. Atilana es una viuda de mediana edad que sostiene como puede una finca que en otros tiempos fue grande.

Una película basada en hechos reales. © Elástica Films

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

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

¿Qué tiene que hacer un hombre honrado para que lo metan en la cárcel? © Beta Fiction

Ya se ha publicado el primer tráiler de “Escape”, la nueva película de Rodrigo Cortés, producida por Martin Scorsese y basada en la novela homónima de Enrique Rubio.

“Escape” sigue a N. (Mario Casas), un hombre estropeado. Algo no va bien en su interior. No quiere tomar una sola decisión más, sólo apearse del mundo. Dejar de tener opciones. El psicólogo a quien visita no sabe cómo abordarlo. Tampoco su hermana, que intenta apoyarlo sin frutos. N. sólo quiere vivir en la cárcel, y hará cuanto sea necesario para conseguirlo. ¿Lograrán sus allegados que desista de cometer delitos cada vez más graves? ¿Hasta dónde será capaz de llegar el juez para no concederle su propósito?

La película está protagonizada por Mario Casas (“3 Metros sobre el Cielo”). Completan el reparto Anna Castillo (“Nowhere”), José Sacristán...

As Jesus and his followers carried on their ministry across the Holy Land, their challenges grew in season four of The Chosen. By now, word had spread of this curious rabbi who performed healings and spoke with mysterious authority. Crowds flocked to hear his parables and see displays of his power.

Yet Jesus also faced rising opposition from the established religious authorities, who saw him as a threat. Meanwhile, the Roman Empire watched closely as tensions simmered between their occupying forces and the restive populace. All the players knew change was coming, though the form it would take remained uncertain.

This season finds Jesus deploying his talents in new regions, and the devoted apostles are learning through both triumph and turmoil. But darker storms soon descend. The maniac king Herod, disquieted by the prospect of a rival, locks the fiery prophet John in the dungeon. And in Jerusalem, suspicion and...

Una película basada en hechos reales. © Elástica Films

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

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

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

“La Mesías” star Carmen Machi, Almodóvar muse Rossy de Palma and Blanca Portillo, a Cannes best actress co-winner for Almodóvar’s “Volver,” are set to star in “The Prey” (“Dia de Caza”), billed as a contemporary revision of Carlos Saura’s 1965 pic “The Hunt,” quite possibly his crowing achievement.

The film is set to shoot in July in Spain’s Extremadura, with theatrical release scheduled for autumn 2025.

Brutal, kinetic at times and taking no prisoners, Saura’s original won a Berlin Silver Bear. The film follows three once-close friends reuinting for a rabbit hunt; the final bloody outcome was read as a broad metaphor of the social elite in dictator Francisco Franco’s Spain.

Directed by Pedro Aguilera “The Prey,” set in the summer of 2024, has three women reuniting for a rabbit hunt in the very same stark valley where Saura shot “The Hunt” almost 60 years before. Under a remorseless sun,...

Kicking off on May 15-17 with the LA Independents, with a heavyweight Spanish-language presence, the LA Screenings then host Hollywood studio presentations. To help cut through the slates, – especially at the LA Independents but including some big studio plays – here’s Variety’s pick of 20 top titles:

“The Americas,” (NBCU, BBC Studios)

Narrated by Tom Hanks, his first unscripted narrator gig, and billed as an epic natural history series from “Planet Earth” producer BBC Studios Natural History Unit in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio. Scored by two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer and using groundbreaking technology to reveal the continent’s natural wonders. Previewed at MipTV, in a presentation which was one of the biggest events of the whole market.

“Amia,” (Dori Media Group)

Unfolding against the background of the terror attacks of 1992 on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and in 1994 against Amia, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, the...

Spanish writer and director Claudia Costafreda is on a roll. “Cardo” and “Veneno” have both been selected as Variety’s best international TV shows in their respective years and went on to find great success domestically and internationally, the latter landing distribution deals with major streamers such as HBO Max. Costafreda’s latest collaboration with long-term creative partners Los Javis, “La Mesías,” premiered to great acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival last January, and the trio is already working on their next project together, Netflix’s “Superestar.”

A sequel to “Veneno,” “Dressed in Blue: Veneno Season 2” premiered last year and followed in the footsteps of its predecessor in terms of international success, with Atresmedia TV International Sales closing deals across Europe, Africa and the Americas. Costafreda is a writer and director on the show.

“Dressed in Blue” begins two years after “Veneno,” with Lola Rodríguez’s Valeria returning to Valencia...

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...

The Match Factory is set to handle international sales on a new film by “Fire Will Come” director Oliver Laxe, headlined by Sergi López, star of Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth.”

Having begun production, shooting in Spain and then Morocco, the untitled Oliver Laxe project is a Movistar Plus+ original film produced with Pedro and Agustín Almodovar’s El Deseo, Laxe’s Galicia-based label Filmes da Ermida, Oriol Maymó’s Uri Films in Barcelona, and Paris’s 4 A 4 Productions.

The latest from Laxe follows Cannes wins for all his first three features. 2010’s “You Are All Captains,” Laxe’s debut feature, walked off with a Directors’ Fortnight Fipresci Award; 2016’s “Mimosas” scooped the Critics’ Week top Grand Prize, “Fire Will Come” a 2019 Un Certain Regard Jury Prize.

Co-written with “Matadero” director Santiago Fillol, also a co-scribe on “Fire Will Come,” Laxe’s next turns on a man...

Descúbrelo todo sobre el nuevo thriller español de Disney Plus+. © Disney+

Ya está disponible el tráiler oficial de la serie original de Disney+ “Las Largas Sombras”, un poderoso thriller femenino de 6 episodios que reflexiona sobre el peso de la culpa y cómo evoluciona la amistad de un grupo de amigas con el paso de los años. La serie, que cuenta con un equipo íntegramente femenino delante y detrás de las cámaras, es la historia de un grupo de mujeres cuyas estables vidas de éxito se ven repentinamente sacudidas por la aparición de los restos mortales de una de sus compañeras de instituto, desaparecida durante el viaje de fin de curso a Mallorca veinticinco años antes. Y es que, de primeras la serie nos recuerda algo a “Big Little Lies”, una serie muy aclamada y que ha sido una de las claras referencias de la cineasta a la hora de crear este intrigante thriller.

Cannes stood up for Daniel Brühl, as his new Disney+ show “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld” earned a 3-minute standing ovation on Sunday.

Premiering out of competition, it captures the late German designer before morphing into the instantly recognizable figure that took pop culture by storm. And, courted by young Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), finally opening up for love.

Local viewers enjoyed the spectacle, laughing at Lagerfeld’s awkwardness or at Yves Saint Laurent’s (Arnaud Valois) clumsy attempts at romancing de Bascher. The verdict? A “fun” and “entertaining” new show, declared Canneseries audience members, happy to share their enthusiasm with Variety even despite the language barrier: “C’est genial!”

The screening, which started with a joyful fashion show similar to Lagerfeld’s collection for Chloé in the 1970s – spotlighted in the first episode – attracted just about every celebrity in town. Including “Beverly Hills, 90210” alumni Jason Priestley and “Riverdale’s” Vanessa Morgan,...

Having spent three years making buzzy Spanish series La Mesías, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo have admitted to a crisis of confidence before the show was released.

The pair are huge stars in Spain and recognized at home and increasingly abroad. People are politely waiting for selfies when Deadline spoke to them at Series Mania, where they scooped the Best Directing accolade for the latest project, which was an original for Spanish streamer Movistar Plus+.

“When we made the show, we were like, ‘maybe nobody’s watching this.’ We were confident in the beginning, then got really scared,” Calvo said. “We were like, ‘is this too hard, is it too painful for the audience?’”

They needn’t have worried. Movistar does not break out viewing data, but the series created a huge stir in Spain, with buzz building as the episodes dropped in weekly instalments.

La Mesías – The Messiah in...

Man vs. machine chess thriller Rematch was awarded the International Competition grand prize at the 2024 Series Mania festival on Friday night (March 22) in Lille, France.

Inspired by the true story of the historic confrontation between chess master Garry Kasparov and Ibm’s supercomputer Deep Blue, the AI-themed story created by Yan England, André Gulluni and Bruno Nahon is produced by Unité, Arte France, Federation Studios and Proton and stars Christian Cooke. Federation Studios handles international sales.

Scroll down for full list of winners

The international competition jury, presided by The Oa creator Zal Batmanglij, also gave awards to the stars...

The Series Mania Festival’s top prize for best series went to Rematch, a French-Hungarian drama about the historic match between chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov and Ibm’s Deep Blue computer.

The best actress prize went to Annette Bening for her role in Apples Never Fall, the first major TV role up from the five-time Oscar nominee. Kamel El Basha won best actor for the Australian drama House of Gods, in which he played the charismatic head cleric of a big city mosque.

In the Apples Never Fall adaptation, based on the novel by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, Bening plays Joy Delaney, family matriarch and patient wife to the irascible former tennis pro, Stan (Sam Neill). When Joy disappears, the four adult Delaney children are forced to reassess everything they thought they knew about their parents and their family history. Bening was also a best actress Oscar contender...

It has been a while since “The Queen’s Gambit,” but as proven by “Rematch,” viewers’ love for chess is certainly not diminishing.

The show, dedicated to confrontation between famous chess player Garry Kasparov and Ibm’s supercomputer Deep Blue, was named the winner at Series Mania.

A somewhat lukewarm reception of “Apples Never Fall” didn’t stop Annette Bening from being crowned as best actress. The Peacock offering, also featuring Sam Neill and Alison Brie, is the latest adaptation of “Big Little Lies” and “Nine Perfect Strangers” scribe Liane Moriarty. Now showing a perfect family who, following its matriarch’s disappearance, needs to face some uncomfortable questions. Including this one: Did their beloved father have something to do with it?

Jury member Berenice Bejo read out a brief message of thanks from Bening who described the series as a “labor of love.”

Kamel El Basha, who plays the more progressive...

Annette Bening’s first major TV series role has won the five-time Oscar nominee the Best Actress prize at this year’s Series Mania.

Bening was awarded in the past few minutes at the prestigious Lille event for her leading role in Peacock series Apples Never Fall, an adaptation of a novel by Big Little Lies scribe Liane Moriarty.

The coveted grand prize was given to French-Hungarian chess drama Rematch about the historic 1997 chess battle between Garry Kasparov and an Ibm computer. It beat off competition from the likes of Apples Never Fall, MGM+’s Hotel Cocaine and Leonard Cohen show So Long, Marianne.

Apples Never Fall stars Bening as Joy Delaney, a matriarch former tennis coach married to the irritable Stan (Neill), who suddenly goes missing, leaving her four children to piece together everything they thought they knew about their parents.

Speaking to Deadline prior to Series Mania, showrunner...

French broadcaster Arte has joined Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s upcoming Movistar Plus+ series The New Years.

Arte and Spanish streamer Movistar Plus+ will co-produce the series, which is from Madrid-based Caballo Films — the production company Sorogoyen co-founded.

Production on the series began last year, and Arte has now snapped up French rights. Movistar Plus+ International will shop the title outside of Spain and France.

The series is set on New Year’s Eve every year for a decade, following a couple, played by Iria del Río (Riot Police) and Francesco Carril (Un Amor), who meet aged 30. Each episode follows updates their relationship and the trials they face to stay together, and the final shot is a single 40-minute take. “The narrative device allows you to consider change,” said Movistar Plus+ Director of Fiction and Entertainment Domingo Corral.

Alexandre Piel, Deputy Head of Drama at Arte France, said: “We’re very happy...

Updated Lille, France — One of Spain’s most awaited drama series of the year, Rodrigo Sorogyen’s ‘The New Years’ will be co-produced by Spain’s Movistar Plus+, its original backer, and new partner Arte France, the upscale French public broadcaster.

Going into production last year on Oct. 2, and shooting in Madrid, Lyon (France) and Berlin (Germany), the series is produced in collaboration with Madrid-based independent production house Caballo Films, co-founded by Sorogoyen.

Movistar Plus+ International will handle distribution outside Spain and France. Arte France’s involvement guarantees the 10-part series’ distribution in all the territories where it operates.

Set on the same day every year for a decade, New Year’s Eve, “The New Years” stars Iria del Río and Francesco Carril. Ana and Óscar, meet at 30 and start a relationship which lasts 10 years.

The period from 30 to 40 is “a crucial decade for all of us,” Sorogoyen commented when the new series was announced.

Series from Atresmedia TV, Rtve, Movistar Plus+, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (“La Mesías”), Zeta Studios (“Elite”) and director Carlota Pereda and Morena Films (behind Sundance hit “Piggy”) will unspool or be unveiled at the Berlinale. They underscore the breadth and depth of Spanish TV output:

“Death to Love,”

Carlota Pereda dazzled at Sundance with first feature, “Piggy.” Now, Pereda’s at the Berlinale Co-Pro Series on Feb. 20 with her debut series, “Death to Love,” in which afemale vampire struggles over centuries to end a toxic relationship with her vampire female lover and culminates in a modern-day climax. “A visceral and romantic proposition,” Pereda says.

“Dressed in Blue: Veneno Season 2,”

The Sundance world premiere “La Mesías” sealed the standing of Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi as most probably the coolest creative duo in Spain. This time around, they produce, with Mikel Rueda, a director on “Veneno,” and Claudia Costafreda and Ian de la Rosa,...

Going into Berlin’s European Film Market, Spain’s biggest sales agents are under no illusion just how tough international markets have become.

“Paradoxically, in one of the best moments for Spanish productions, we are finding that some of our top dramas are getting hard to sell unless selected in Cannes, Venice or Berlin,” says Latido Films CEO Antonio Saura.

Also, “If American productions dominate at least 80% of markets, and local productions claim about half what remains. You’re left with just 10% of markets for many wonderful films to try to find audience opportunities. Competition is fiercer than ever,” he says.

“Many newer platforms are insisting on revenue shares. This rarely works for us,” observes Feel Sales’ Yennifer Fasciani.

Yet companies are fighting back. “Either a film works very well or not at all. Our strategy is increasingly focusing on major titles, leaving no middle ground,” states Film Factory Entertainment’s Vicente Canales,...

Ja Bayona’s Society Of The Snow was the big winner at Spain’s Goya awards on Saturday night (February 10), scooping 12 prizes including best film and director to become the third-most garlanded film in Goya history.

Justine Triet’s Anatomy Of A Fall, was named best European film, and Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams won the prizes for best adapted screenplay and feature animation.

20,000 Species Of Bees, the feature debut of Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren, received three Goyas for best new director and original screenplay for Solaguren, and best supporting actress for Ane Gabarain. The 15 nominations for Bees were the...

Netflix Original “The Society of the Snow” won best picture and director for J.A. Bayona at Saturday night’s 38th Spanish Academy Goya Awards.

Those plaudits were two of a total 12 prizes, the third-highest kudos count for any title in the Goyas’ near 40-year history.

The lineup of best picture nominees was, however, a reminder in itself of the high quality and diversity of Spain’s current film production output. These took in Estibaliz’s Urresola Berlin triple winner “20,000 Species of Bees,” David Trueba’s real-life tender love story “Jokes & Cigarettes,” Isabel Coixet’s probing “Un Amor” and Victor Erice’s “Close Your Eyes,” an “aching ode to film, time and memory,” Variety wrote in its review.

Even after Bayona took best director there was still genuine suspense whether he would also win best picture, after best adapted screenplay went to “Robot Dreams” and “Jokes & Cigarettes” took best actor for David Verdaguer.

International television festival Series Mania unveiled its 2024 lineup Wednesday, with an impressive slate of world premieres that will grace the screens of Lille, France for the event running March 19-21.

Peacock’s Australia-set family drama Apples Never Fall, featuring Nyad Oscar nominee Annette Bening and Jurassic Park veteran Sam Neill as a dysfunctional couple, will screen in competition at year’s fest, as will MGM+’s Hotel Cocaine, from Narcos showrunner Chris Brancato, a crime thriller featuring The Shield star Michael Chiklis and set in the booming cocaine scene in Miami in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

So Long Marianne, a Canadian-Norwegian co-production from Crave and Norway’s Nrk, will also get its first screening in Lille. The series stars Oppenheimer supporting actor Alex Wolff as legendary singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen in a story of his turbulent relationship with Norwegian writer Marianne Ihlen (played by The Last Kingdom‘s Thea Sofie Loch Næss...

Peacock’s Apples Never Fall, MGM+’s Hotel Cocaine and Nrk’s buzzy drama about Leonard Cohen, So Long, Marianne will be in the International Competition race at Series Mania in March.

The shows will be up against BBC Three’s UK series Boarders, France 2 drama Dans L’Ombre (In the Shadows), Ard’s German series Herrhausen, the Banker and the Bomb, ABC Australia’s House of Gods, and Franco-Hungarian co-production Rematch, which is for Arte, Disney+ and HBO Europe.

The shows comprise an interesting cross-section of U.S. and European projects, with the Annette Bening-starring thriller Apples Never Fall among the highest profile. Hotel Cocaine, about a Cuban expatriate who re-made his life in Miami, is among MGM+’s biggest recent bets, while So Long, Marianne has been building steam as a study into the life of singer-songwriter Cohen and his muse, Marianne Ihlen.

Lille-based Series Mania, Europe’s biggest TV festival and forum, has revealed its impressive 2024 main competition, which includes three U.S. streamer bows – from Peacock, and MGM+ and Disney+/HBO Europe world premieres.

The starry lineup features, for example, the much-anticipated new Liane Moriarty adaptation “Apples Never Fall” with Annette Bening as the matriarch who suddenly disappears, leaving her picture-perfect family in disarray. Currently celebrating Oscar nomination for “Nyad,” Bening is joined in the series be by Sam Neill and Alison Brie.

Alex Wolff, recently spotted in another Oscar hopeful “Oppenheimer,” will put on his deepest voice for “So Long, Marianne” about the tumultuous relationship between Leonard Cohen and Norwegian writer Marianne Ihlen, from Norway’s Nrk.

With Wolff currently set to attend, Zal Batmanglij – behind Netflix’s “The Oa” – “The Artist’s” Bérénice Bejo, “Gossip Girl” alumni Kelly Rutherford, novelist Douglas Kennedy and France’s Laurent Lafitte will also deliver masterclasses.

“Film” may literally be in the title of the Sundance Film Festival, but the event has also premiered a variety of impressive episodic work over the years, and 2024’s lineup was no exception. Festival organizers put together an annual pilot showcase featuring narrative coming-of-age stories both magical and relatable. This year, the Spanish showrunners behind HBO’s Veneno, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, released a wild first episode of La Mesías, which blends low-budget aliens with intergenerational trauma and superb acting for a show that promises to surprise.

But the real gems of Sundance’s 2024 episodic programming were the docuseries reckoning with recent U.S. history, which ranged from the deeply compelling to those bordering on fan art.

Yaya (played by Camryn Jones) just wants to walk to school with her boyfriend. Living on the South Side of Chicago in a house overflowing with family members, the only thing that gets the exhausted teen out of bed every morning is knowing Dre (Travis Wolfe Jr.) will be waiting on her stoop. The only issue: her protective brother, Mouse (Victor Musoni), doesn’t approve. He thinks her friends aren’t a good influence — they show up late to school too often, eat too much junk food, and don’t pay enough attention to their surroundings. Mouse, clearly, just wants his little sister to be safe, get good grades, and live a better life, but by intimidating Dre, he’s unwittingly snuffing out her one spark of joy — joy that manifests itself via her favorite hobby: dance.

Yaya loves to dance, and “Me/We” — one of three entries in Sundance’s 2024 Pilot Showcase,...

Telefonica’s Movistar Plus+, Spain’s biggest pay TV-svod operator, is set to co-produce new movies from Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Iciar Bollaín, Alberto Rodríguez, Óliver Laxe and Ana Rujas. It’s a move which sees the high-end Spanish TV powerhouse become one of Spain’s most significant movie players.

Titles in the slate are backed by top Spanish producers such as Agustín Almodóvar and Esther García at El Deseo – backing Laxe’s next – and Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo at their high-flying new production house Suma Content, producing what will be Rujas’ debut feature as a director.

The acclaimed “La Mesías,” the latest series from Los Javis – as Ambrossi and Calvo are known – will have its international premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it will the only European series at this year’s event.

In a fillip for Spain’s box office, still 26% down on pre-pandemic levels, Movistar Plus+ will...

Fresh off the selection of “La Mesías” as the only European series at this year’s Sundance Festival, “Veneno” creators Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo – Los Javis – are set to produce Netflix original series “Superestar,” created by Spain’s Nacho Vigalondo, writer-director of 2016’s Anna Hathaway headed “Colossal,” Neon’s first pick-up for the U.S.

The six-episode series is directed by Vigalondo and Claudia Costafreda, co-creator of “Cardo,” an uninhibited portrait of Spain’s young generation eager for a quick fix of sex or drugs for want of a larger sense of direction in life, which was chosen by Variety, as “Veneno,” as one of the best international TV shows of the year.

Set up at Los Javis’ Suma Content, their indie Madrid-based label, “Superestar” is written by Vigalondo, María Bastarós, Paco Bezerra and Costafreda.

Oscar-nominated for his short, “7:35 in the Morning,” Vigalondo is best known for sci-fi comedies and thrillers such as,...

Disney+ has picked up Latin American rights to Diego Yaker’s Argentine-Spanish revenge thriller “Una jirafa en el balcón” and is planning a theatrical release in Argentina and Uruguay.

Barcelona-based indie studio Filmax is handling Spanish distribution and international sales rights on the film.

Hitting the final straits of its shoot, “Una jirafa en el balcón” is filming in Barcelona over Nov. 14-17, after previously lensing in Argentina’s La Rioja region and Buenos Aires.

The film toplines Argentine actress Andrea Frigerio and Spain’s Diana Gómez, Artur Busquets and “Mudar la piel’s” Mingo Rafols.

Frigerio plays Lidia Muñoz (64), a retired woman living in Barcelona since 1978 who was forced into exile from Argentina after the military dictatorship ruling the country those years tried to kidnap her and make her disappear. Pregnant with her only daughter Valeria (Gómez), who is now 36, she managed to flee to Spain.

40 years later, at her home in Barcelona,...

In a deal unveiled at Mipcom, Movistar Plus+ International, the prominent Spanish pay TV/SVOD platform’s sales division, announced a key sale to HBO Latin America of series “La Mesías,” hailed as the buzziest title at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September.

The series is written, directed and produced by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo of Suma Content, best known for their series “Veneno,” an HBO Max U.S. pickup, as well as “Paquita Salas,” sold to Netflix.

“La Mesías” marks the return of this creative duo, three years after their last release as directors and screenwriters, according to Movistar Plus+ Int’l.

Described as the most ambitious and complex project from the creative duo, widely known as Los Javis, “La Mesías” follows a family torn apart by the matriarch’s religious fanaticism.

Across seven gripping episodes, each with a runtime of just over an hour, the story spans various time periods,...

Spain’s TV fiction industry is exercising some caution after high-end Spanish-language series lifted off in 2018.

“We all wanted to launch so many projects, so many new platforms arrived that there was no time for analysis,” says Bambú co-founder Ramón Campos.

As streamers scale back on originals and sales cycles slow, the industry has time for larger re-calculation.

“We come from a spectacular moment, in terms of both quality and volume,” says Sonia Martínez, series editorial director at Buendía Estudios.

That groundbreaking moment, championed by series like “Money Heist” and “Elite,” propelled Spanish fiction production to historic heights of global popularity.

“There is a virtuous circle that began in 2018 and has been continuously regenerating. Spain’s talent base already interests international audiences,” says María Valenzuela, Movistar Plus Intl.’s general manager.

But the country’s TV production scene is still cycling through the fruits of the boom: the number of...

Audiovisual from Spain, an umbrella brand created to support Spanish content producers and distributors, is organizing the first Brand New Spanish Content Breakfast, an invitation-only sales event for international buyers,

It’s unclear what’s being served but if it’s a typical Spanish breakfast, then expect some pinchos de tortilla, café con leche and some bollos (buns), at least. What is guaranteed is a widely diverse range of shows, from period dramas to thrillers, romcoms and children’s fare.

The Oct 17 event at the Seaview Producers Hub in Cannes will showcase the latest content from the most prominent Spanish distributors, led by such heavy hitters as Rtve, Moviestar +, Filmax, Atresmedia, Plano a Plano and Onza.

Acquisition execs attending will have pre-scheduled meetings based on their selections.

Audiovisual from Spain’s Mipcom participation is coordinated by Spanish trade institute Icex, with the support of the Spain Audiovisual Hub of the...