Last year, actress Penélope Cruz set up a joint production venture, Moonlyon, with Madrid-based The Mediapro Studio at the urging of its CEO, Laura Fernández Espeso, a rising star in Spain’s fast-expanding media sector.
“It’s been an amazing connection from the first,” Cruz says, about her working relationship with Fernández Espeso, Variety’s International Media Woman of the Year.
It was no surprise to anyone that Cruz chose Fernández Espeso as her partner: Lifting up female talent in Western Europe and beyond has been a huge part of Fernández Espeso’s mission since she took the reins of the busy production studio five years ago. At her direction, the company, which has 30 production houses, has capitalized on the growing demand for TV series that can travel across the world. Fernández Espeso has steered the effort for the company to make its productions more saleable by lensing in English.
“It’s been an amazing connection from the first,” Cruz says, about her working relationship with Fernández Espeso, Variety’s International Media Woman of the Year.
It was no surprise to anyone that Cruz chose Fernández Espeso as her partner: Lifting up female talent in Western Europe and beyond has been a huge part of Fernández Espeso’s mission since she took the reins of the busy production studio five years ago. At her direction, the company, which has 30 production houses, has capitalized on the growing demand for TV series that can travel across the world. Fernández Espeso has steered the effort for the company to make its productions more saleable by lensing in English.
- 3/29/2024
- by John Hopewell and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Ester Expósito was born on January 26, 2000, in Madrid, Spain. From a young age, she displayed a keen interest in the artistic world and knew that acting was her true calling. At the age of 16, after completing her studies, Expósito decided to pursue her dream and enrolled in acting courses.
Expósito’s talent and dedication quickly caught the attention of industry insiders. In 2013 and 2015, she received recognition for her acting skills, winning the Best Actress award at the Madrid Theater Awards. These early accolades set the stage for what was to come in her career.
One of Expósito’s most significant breakthroughs came with her role in the Netflix teen drama series, Élite. She portrayed the character of Carla Rosón Caleruega, a complex and intriguing character that captured the attention of audiences worldwide. Expósito’s portrayal of Carla showcased her ability to bring depth and authenticity to her performances, solidifying her...
Expósito’s talent and dedication quickly caught the attention of industry insiders. In 2013 and 2015, she received recognition for her acting skills, winning the Best Actress award at the Madrid Theater Awards. These early accolades set the stage for what was to come in her career.
One of Expósito’s most significant breakthroughs came with her role in the Netflix teen drama series, Élite. She portrayed the character of Carla Rosón Caleruega, a complex and intriguing character that captured the attention of audiences worldwide. Expósito’s portrayal of Carla showcased her ability to bring depth and authenticity to her performances, solidifying her...
- 3/12/2024
- by Penelope H. Fritz
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
La comedia española original de Prime Video, que se proyectará en el próximo Festival de Cine de Málaga en el apartado de Selección Oficial, ya tiene fecha de estreno en la plataforma. © Prime Video
Tras haberse alejado del mundo del largometraje, Emilio Martínez Lázaro vuelve para dirigir “Un Hípster en la España Vacía” — su primera película desde la “Miamor Perdido” de 2018 —, una comedia basada en el libro homónimo de Daniel Gascón.
La película, que se proyectará el próximo 2 de marzo en el Festival de Cine de Málaga, está protagonizada por Lalo Tenorio (“La Familia Perfecta”), quien da vida a Quique, un joven al que le encargan liderar la política de la España Vaciada en un pueblo de Teruel. Un joven que se verá obligado a enfrentarse solo a un pueblo dispuesto a tomarle el pelo a él y a sus modernas propuestas y que, por si esto no fuera suficiente,...
Tras haberse alejado del mundo del largometraje, Emilio Martínez Lázaro vuelve para dirigir “Un Hípster en la España Vacía” — su primera película desde la “Miamor Perdido” de 2018 —, una comedia basada en el libro homónimo de Daniel Gascón.
La película, que se proyectará el próximo 2 de marzo en el Festival de Cine de Málaga, está protagonizada por Lalo Tenorio (“La Familia Perfecta”), quien da vida a Quique, un joven al que le encargan liderar la política de la España Vaciada en un pueblo de Teruel. Un joven que se verá obligado a enfrentarse solo a un pueblo dispuesto a tomarle el pelo a él y a sus modernas propuestas y que, por si esto no fuera suficiente,...
- 2/26/2024
- by Mario Hernández
- mundoCine
Spanish public broadcaster Rtve, Prime Video and Telekom Srbija have boarded “Cicatriz,” a high-end action thriller, based on the best-selling Spanish novel of the same name by Juan Gómez-Jurado.
It is a first, large-scale co-production between Spain and the Adriatic countries, the partners said.
Spanish powerhouse Plano a Plano and Mexico’s Dopamine will produce, in collaboration with Asacha Media Group and Adrenalin.
It is the latest project to be packaged by Asacha Media Group, the pan-European production studio.
The Serbian production company Adrenalin will serve as filming partners in Serbia.
Representatives from the new partners were at Mip on Tuesday to talk up the landmark project to press and buyers.
Adapted by Pablo Roa and Fernando Sancristóbal, co-writers of Netflix hit megabit “La Casa De Papel” (“Money Heist”) and Verónica Marzá, the eight-part drama is scheduled to go into production at the end of the year, filming in Spain and Serbia.
It is a first, large-scale co-production between Spain and the Adriatic countries, the partners said.
Spanish powerhouse Plano a Plano and Mexico’s Dopamine will produce, in collaboration with Asacha Media Group and Adrenalin.
It is the latest project to be packaged by Asacha Media Group, the pan-European production studio.
The Serbian production company Adrenalin will serve as filming partners in Serbia.
Representatives from the new partners were at Mip on Tuesday to talk up the landmark project to press and buyers.
Adapted by Pablo Roa and Fernando Sancristóbal, co-writers of Netflix hit megabit “La Casa De Papel” (“Money Heist”) and Verónica Marzá, the eight-part drama is scheduled to go into production at the end of the year, filming in Spain and Serbia.
- 10/18/2023
- by Liza Foreman
- Variety Film + TV
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...
“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...
- 10/16/2023
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
As earning significant profile for shows in a packed marketplace has become one of Europe’s most pressing industry concerns, a new and ambitious TV series festival is launching in Cadiz, southern Spain, as an initiative of Mediaset España and backed by shows from other key players on the Spanish TV scene, such as The Mediapro Studio and Movistar Plus+.
Speakers from the Spanish-speaking world take in writer-director-producer Armando Bo (“El Presidente”), an Oscar winning scribe for “Birdman, or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance,” and Daniel Écija, an executive producer on key hits in the last decade in Spain such as the multi-genre free-to-air series “Estoy Vivo,” and “Locked Up” “(Vis a vis,” a key into its lift-off into premium drama selling worldwide.
Some titles screening at Cadiz are already celebrated, such as Russell T. Davies’ “Nolly,” starring Helena Bonham-Carter.
Also in the Coming Next section is Norwegian political satire “Power Play,...
Speakers from the Spanish-speaking world take in writer-director-producer Armando Bo (“El Presidente”), an Oscar winning scribe for “Birdman, or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance,” and Daniel Écija, an executive producer on key hits in the last decade in Spain such as the multi-genre free-to-air series “Estoy Vivo,” and “Locked Up” “(Vis a vis,” a key into its lift-off into premium drama selling worldwide.
Some titles screening at Cadiz are already celebrated, such as Russell T. Davies’ “Nolly,” starring Helena Bonham-Carter.
Also in the Coming Next section is Norwegian political satire “Power Play,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Film has sold more than 100 hours of drama series to PBS Distribution-backed Walter Presents for the U.S., and Channel 4-backed Walter Presents for the U.K.
Five seasons of Italy’s gritty crime series “Rocco Schiavone” as well as Canadian mystery dramas “The Wall – The Chateau Murder” and “The Wall – The Orchard” will be available in both territories.
Included in the package of series for the U.S. only is the historical period drama “House of Promises.”
Among the titles bound for the U.K. only are the Spanish thriller “You Shall Not Lie,” and the Croatian-Ukrainian co-production “The Silence.”
Set in a remote Alpine region, crime series “Rocco Schiavone,” based on the bestselling novels by Antonio Manzini, follows the titular irascible deputy police chief. The series is produced by Rai Fiction and Cross Productions in association with Beta Film.
“The Wall – The Orchard” follows investigator...
Five seasons of Italy’s gritty crime series “Rocco Schiavone” as well as Canadian mystery dramas “The Wall – The Chateau Murder” and “The Wall – The Orchard” will be available in both territories.
Included in the package of series for the U.S. only is the historical period drama “House of Promises.”
Among the titles bound for the U.K. only are the Spanish thriller “You Shall Not Lie,” and the Croatian-Ukrainian co-production “The Silence.”
Set in a remote Alpine region, crime series “Rocco Schiavone,” based on the bestselling novels by Antonio Manzini, follows the titular irascible deputy police chief. The series is produced by Rai Fiction and Cross Productions in association with Beta Film.
“The Wall – The Orchard” follows investigator...
- 7/27/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Prime Video’s latest Spanish original is supernatural horror series Romancero.
The show, written by author and screenwriter Fernando Navarro (Venus, Verónica) and directed by Tomás Peña, comes from The Mediapro Studio-owned producer 100 Balas.
It stars Sasha Cócola (Food & Shelter, Paco’s Men) and Serbian-born actress Elena Matic, making her debut in a dramatic series in Spain, Ricardo Gómez (The Replacement, La Ruta, Cuéntame Cómo), Guillermo Toledo (The Minions of Midas), Belén Cuesta (The Endless Trench) and Julieta Cardinali (The Candidate) and includes a special guest role for Alba Flores (Money Heist, Locked Up).
Earlier today, Deadline revealed Flores is leading another new drama series, Ulterior, which is from Matt Brodlie and Jonathan Kier’s Upgrade Productions and Spanish firm Moreno Films.
Romancero follows Cornelia and Jordan, as they flee “the force of law, powerful supernatural creatures and themselves,” framed within “within the backdrop of a desert-like and cruel Andalusia,...
The show, written by author and screenwriter Fernando Navarro (Venus, Verónica) and directed by Tomás Peña, comes from The Mediapro Studio-owned producer 100 Balas.
It stars Sasha Cócola (Food & Shelter, Paco’s Men) and Serbian-born actress Elena Matic, making her debut in a dramatic series in Spain, Ricardo Gómez (The Replacement, La Ruta, Cuéntame Cómo), Guillermo Toledo (The Minions of Midas), Belén Cuesta (The Endless Trench) and Julieta Cardinali (The Candidate) and includes a special guest role for Alba Flores (Money Heist, Locked Up).
Earlier today, Deadline revealed Flores is leading another new drama series, Ulterior, which is from Matt Brodlie and Jonathan Kier’s Upgrade Productions and Spanish firm Moreno Films.
Romancero follows Cornelia and Jordan, as they flee “the force of law, powerful supernatural creatures and themselves,” framed within “within the backdrop of a desert-like and cruel Andalusia,...
- 11/28/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Asacha Media Group, the expanding pan-European company, is partnering up with Spain’s Plano a Plano and Mexico’s Dopamine on “Cicatriz,” a high-end action thriller based on Juan Gómez-Jurado’s bestselling novel.
“Cicatriz” is developed by a pair of established writers, Pablo Roa and Fernando Sancristóbal, whose credits include “Toy Boy,” “La Casa de Papel” and “Vis a Vis.”
The high-concept series revolves around a brilliant but lonely entrepreneur on the verge of making his millions, who meets a young woman hell-bent on a long-planned revenge mission. “Cicatriz” will be headlined by a prominent international cast and is currently in the financing stage.
Asacha Media Group has come on board as a strategic partner and will co-produce, secure pre-sales and develop an international strategy for the production.
“We are thrilled to board this very special project,” said Marina Williams, co-ceo of Amg. “This is a story with great international...
“Cicatriz” is developed by a pair of established writers, Pablo Roa and Fernando Sancristóbal, whose credits include “Toy Boy,” “La Casa de Papel” and “Vis a Vis.”
The high-concept series revolves around a brilliant but lonely entrepreneur on the verge of making his millions, who meets a young woman hell-bent on a long-planned revenge mission. “Cicatriz” will be headlined by a prominent international cast and is currently in the financing stage.
Asacha Media Group has come on board as a strategic partner and will co-produce, secure pre-sales and develop an international strategy for the production.
“We are thrilled to board this very special project,” said Marina Williams, co-ceo of Amg. “This is a story with great international...
- 10/21/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Prime Video has greenlit Season 2 of the hit Spanish series, “Dias Mejores” (“Better Days”), after the success of its first season. Created by Cristóbal Garrido and Adolfo Valor, the new season will continue to follow the stories of its lead characters Sara (Marta Hazas), Pardo (Erick Elías), Graci (Alba Planas), Luis (Francesc Orella) and Dr. Laforet (Blanca Portillo).
News was announced at the Iberseries & Platino Industria television event that was held in Madrid over Sept. 27-30.
The co-production between ViacomCBS International Studios (Vis) and Madrid-based Zeta Studios, producers of Netflix hit, “Elite,” will stream exclusively on Prime Video in Spain.
Season 1 was showcased at March’s Malaga Festival. The new season just started shooting and includes an additional robust cast led by Marta Aledo as Emi, Sara’s sister; Carol Rovira (“#Luimelia”) as Claudia, the teacher of Pardo’s children, and Sonia Almarcha (“The Good Boss”) as Maite, the mother of Graci’s late boyfriend.
News was announced at the Iberseries & Platino Industria television event that was held in Madrid over Sept. 27-30.
The co-production between ViacomCBS International Studios (Vis) and Madrid-based Zeta Studios, producers of Netflix hit, “Elite,” will stream exclusively on Prime Video in Spain.
Season 1 was showcased at March’s Malaga Festival. The new season just started shooting and includes an additional robust cast led by Marta Aledo as Emi, Sara’s sister; Carol Rovira (“#Luimelia”) as Claudia, the teacher of Pardo’s children, and Sonia Almarcha (“The Good Boss”) as Maite, the mother of Graci’s late boyfriend.
- 9/30/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Upping the ante on its inaugural edition, the 2nd Iberseries & Platino Industria will unveil about 50 drama series, whether via first episodes, or showreels or trailers (Upcoming…).
Following a breakdown of titles, and showreel highlights in showreels, featuring some of the most anticipated titles from Spain and Latin America, as well as recent hits:
Capitulo Uno
“El Encargado,” (Star Original Productions/The Walt Disney Company Latin America)
Anybody who caught neighbors’ standoff dark comedy “The Man Next Door,” a 2010 Sundance winner from “Official Competition” directors Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat could imagine they will tear with relish into dramedy of a concierge who uses his access to clients intimacy to control their lives. Iberseries marks the first market screening of the half hour which headlines Argentine star Guillermo Francella as a concierge from hell battling plans to be sacked. Star+ bows “El Encargado” on Oct. 26.
“Limbo,” (Star Original Productions/The Walt Disney Company Latin America,...
Following a breakdown of titles, and showreel highlights in showreels, featuring some of the most anticipated titles from Spain and Latin America, as well as recent hits:
Capitulo Uno
“El Encargado,” (Star Original Productions/The Walt Disney Company Latin America)
Anybody who caught neighbors’ standoff dark comedy “The Man Next Door,” a 2010 Sundance winner from “Official Competition” directors Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat could imagine they will tear with relish into dramedy of a concierge who uses his access to clients intimacy to control their lives. Iberseries marks the first market screening of the half hour which headlines Argentine star Guillermo Francella as a concierge from hell battling plans to be sacked. Star+ bows “El Encargado” on Oct. 26.
“Limbo,” (Star Original Productions/The Walt Disney Company Latin America,...
- 9/27/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Seismic shifts in the world’s entertainment industry have thrown a global spotlight on Spain’s film and TV industry as never before.
Foreign productions are flocking to Spain, spending €263 million (266 million) in 2021, double the 2016-19 average, according to a ProFilm study. International inward investment in national productions has also grown on an unprecedented scale.
All the big streamers have beached in Spain. Reed Hastings cut the tape on Netflix’s first European Production Hub, in Madrid’s Tres Cantos, in 2019. Viacom Intl. Studios (Vis) Emea and Asia and AMC Networks Intl. Southern Europe have set up production operations in Spain. Other players — Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and Starzplay — run offices in the country.
Capitalizing on such a massive presence, in March 2021 the federal government announced an Avs Hub plan aimed at sinking 1.6 billion into the entertainment industry. It is designed to turn Spain into one of the...
Foreign productions are flocking to Spain, spending €263 million (266 million) in 2021, double the 2016-19 average, according to a ProFilm study. International inward investment in national productions has also grown on an unprecedented scale.
All the big streamers have beached in Spain. Reed Hastings cut the tape on Netflix’s first European Production Hub, in Madrid’s Tres Cantos, in 2019. Viacom Intl. Studios (Vis) Emea and Asia and AMC Networks Intl. Southern Europe have set up production operations in Spain. Other players — Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and Starzplay — run offices in the country.
Capitalizing on such a massive presence, in March 2021 the federal government announced an Avs Hub plan aimed at sinking 1.6 billion into the entertainment industry. It is designed to turn Spain into one of the...
- 9/6/2022
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Starzplay, Starz’s premium international streaming service, and The Mediapro Studio, one of Europe’s biggest indie film-tv producers, are joining forces again to produce the second season of “Express,” the first Starzplay’s original series made in Spain.
Spanish thesps Alejo Sauras (“Estoy vivo”) and “Paradise’s” Laura Laprida are joining the cast of the new season, which is scheduled for a 11-week shoot on location in and around the city of Madrid.
Heading the cast of the series for a second season is actress Maggie Civantos, who reprises her character, Bárbara, a criminal psychologist who, after becoming the victim of an express kidnapping, works as a negotiator in similar cases to hers at the private company, Zentral Risk.
“Express” Season 2 will premiere on Starzplay in Spain and Latin America. It marks the first local production from Starzplay to be renewed.
The streamer is creating international originals through co-production...
Spanish thesps Alejo Sauras (“Estoy vivo”) and “Paradise’s” Laura Laprida are joining the cast of the new season, which is scheduled for a 11-week shoot on location in and around the city of Madrid.
Heading the cast of the series for a second season is actress Maggie Civantos, who reprises her character, Bárbara, a criminal psychologist who, after becoming the victim of an express kidnapping, works as a negotiator in similar cases to hers at the private company, Zentral Risk.
“Express” Season 2 will premiere on Starzplay in Spain and Latin America. It marks the first local production from Starzplay to be renewed.
The streamer is creating international originals through co-production...
- 6/27/2022
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Miguel Bernardeau, Guzmán in Netflix smash hit “Elite,” and Mexico’s Renata Notni will head the cast of “Zorro,” a reboot series from Los Angeles-based Secuoya Studios and John Gertz that will stream in exclusivity on Amazon’s Prime Video in the U.S., Latin America and Spain.
The flagship series at Secuoya Studios, “Zorro,” a modern take on the hero, is directed by Javier Quintas, whose credits include episodes of “Money Heist” and “Sky Rojo,” and Miguel Angel Vivas, a director on “Locked Up” and “Unauthorized Living.” Written by Carlos Portela, the 10 episode series is executive produced for Secuoya Studios by David Martínez, David Cotarelo and Angela Agudo.
John Gertz, founder of Zorro Productions and a producer on “The Mask of Zorro” and “The Legend of Zorro” movies titles, also executive produces along with former Sony exec Andy Kaplan at Kc Global Media, Sergio Pizzolante for C&t Mobs, and...
The flagship series at Secuoya Studios, “Zorro,” a modern take on the hero, is directed by Javier Quintas, whose credits include episodes of “Money Heist” and “Sky Rojo,” and Miguel Angel Vivas, a director on “Locked Up” and “Unauthorized Living.” Written by Carlos Portela, the 10 episode series is executive produced for Secuoya Studios by David Martínez, David Cotarelo and Angela Agudo.
John Gertz, founder of Zorro Productions and a producer on “The Mask of Zorro” and “The Legend of Zorro” movies titles, also executive produces along with former Sony exec Andy Kaplan at Kc Global Media, Sergio Pizzolante for C&t Mobs, and...
- 5/13/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
In its continued bid to ramp up its programming content, ViX Plus, the upcoming premium SVOD service from TelevisaUnivision, has formed a strategic alliance with Spain’s The Mediapro Studio, which will produce exclusive original content for the new Spanish-language streamer slated to launch in the second half of this year.
First out the gate are scripted series “Las Pelotaris” and the sports-themed docuseries, “La Sangre y la Gloria” (“The Blood and The Glory”).
Welcoming The Mediapro Studio as a crucial partner in its efforts to build “a service that will offer the best content in Spanish for our audience in the United States and Latin America,” Rodrigo Mazón, executive vice president and general manager of ViX Plus, said: “We are very excited to present the first original productions resulting from this strategic alliance and to be able to develop more stories together with the highest of production values.”
Commented Marta Ezpeleta,...
First out the gate are scripted series “Las Pelotaris” and the sports-themed docuseries, “La Sangre y la Gloria” (“The Blood and The Glory”).
Welcoming The Mediapro Studio as a crucial partner in its efforts to build “a service that will offer the best content in Spanish for our audience in the United States and Latin America,” Rodrigo Mazón, executive vice president and general manager of ViX Plus, said: “We are very excited to present the first original productions resulting from this strategic alliance and to be able to develop more stories together with the highest of production values.”
Commented Marta Ezpeleta,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Featured in the Spanish showcase at Series Mania, “Age of Anger” (“La edad de la ira”) has the potential to grab viewers from all demographics as it tackles the fractured and complex inner workings of teenagers coming to terms with their complexities, amidst the investigation of a close-to-home homicide.
Produced and distributed internationally via Atresmedia TV and The Mediapro Studio, the series follows its protagonists as they negotiate the terms of their budding and unconditional relationship, one that treads the line between steadfast friendship and romance. Palpable rapport is felt between the characters as they traverse the classroom, where they’re provoked to unravel moral quandaries by a passionate professor and an extracurricular film studies group.
Shaped by lauded playwright and series writer Lucía Carballal (“Locked Up”), the characters boast immense depth as audiences are privy to their vulnerabilities, naivety, and maturity. Dealing with traumas larger than themselves, they unveil nuanced takes on age-old tropes,...
Produced and distributed internationally via Atresmedia TV and The Mediapro Studio, the series follows its protagonists as they negotiate the terms of their budding and unconditional relationship, one that treads the line between steadfast friendship and romance. Palpable rapport is felt between the characters as they traverse the classroom, where they’re provoked to unravel moral quandaries by a passionate professor and an extracurricular film studies group.
Shaped by lauded playwright and series writer Lucía Carballal (“Locked Up”), the characters boast immense depth as audiences are privy to their vulnerabilities, naivety, and maturity. Dealing with traumas larger than themselves, they unveil nuanced takes on age-old tropes,...
- 3/25/2022
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
Appropriately enough given the show’s enigmatic nature, the slow drip of information about a second season of Spanish genre legend Alex de la Iglesia’s occult horror series “30 Coins” has, for the most part, been cryptic at best. That tradition continued Friday, after HBO Max confirmed the second season, when “Money Heist’s” Najwa Nimri, one of Spain’s biggest film and TV stars, teased her participation in the upcoming season.
Apart from the show’s three leads – Eduard Fernández as Father Vergara, Megan Montaner as veterinarian-turned-demon-hunter Elena and Miguel Ángel Silvestre as Mayor Paco – no other casting has yet been confirmed, but Nimri posted an Instagram story which included part of the Season 2 teaser and the phrase: “We start a new adventure,” while also tweeting #30Monedas – the show’s Spanish-language title.
#30Monedas
— najwa (@Najwa_Nimri) February 11, 2022
In response, Pokeepsie Films, De La Iglesia’s production company which produces the show,...
Apart from the show’s three leads – Eduard Fernández as Father Vergara, Megan Montaner as veterinarian-turned-demon-hunter Elena and Miguel Ángel Silvestre as Mayor Paco – no other casting has yet been confirmed, but Nimri posted an Instagram story which included part of the Season 2 teaser and the phrase: “We start a new adventure,” while also tweeting #30Monedas – the show’s Spanish-language title.
#30Monedas
— najwa (@Najwa_Nimri) February 11, 2022
In response, Pokeepsie Films, De La Iglesia’s production company which produces the show,...
- 2/12/2022
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Traditionally, Spanish broadcasters retained all rights, paying producers a percentage of the budget of their series, which prevented them from building catalogs of their own rights. Although at first, the arrival of SVOD platforms didn’t change their business relationship, the increasing demand for TV fiction and financial needs have forced an increased use of the co-production model.
“There is a lot of creativity and versatility in co-productions from Spain,” says Caroline Servy, managing director at The Wit.
Dipping its toe into the co-production arena in 2016 with “The Young Pope,” The Mediapro Studio, one of Europe’s super-indies, is expanding across Asia, Latin America and the U.S. markets, teaming with key broadcasters and platforms.
“Co-production has been the perfect model to hike the international reach of our productions. This way of working has become common among production companies, platforms and networks in recent years, and is in fact the...
“There is a lot of creativity and versatility in co-productions from Spain,” says Caroline Servy, managing director at The Wit.
Dipping its toe into the co-production arena in 2016 with “The Young Pope,” The Mediapro Studio, one of Europe’s super-indies, is expanding across Asia, Latin America and the U.S. markets, teaming with key broadcasters and platforms.
“Co-production has been the perfect model to hike the international reach of our productions. This way of working has become common among production companies, platforms and networks in recent years, and is in fact the...
- 1/20/2022
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
One of four Starzplay productions for the Spanish-speaking market, “Express” was commissioned by the platform in Spain and U.S.-based Spanish-language premium streamer Pantaya, marking the arrival in Spain of both international production companies which have fully embraced the not-so-hidden talent in the Spanish and Latin American markets and foresee their potential development.
Written by “Locked Up” co-creator Iván Escobar and co-produced by Spanish giant The Mediapro Studio, responsible for some of Spain’s biggest international TV titles (“The Head”), the show embodies the meeting of Spanish writing talent and international high production values. The result is a high octane thriller that spins the police procedural genre and devotes its attention to the emotional consequences that hit its characters with the violence of shrapnel.
The series’ thrilling pace is held together by the strong presence of its female lead Barbara, played by a versatile Maggie Civantos (“Locked Up”), a...
Written by “Locked Up” co-creator Iván Escobar and co-produced by Spanish giant The Mediapro Studio, responsible for some of Spain’s biggest international TV titles (“The Head”), the show embodies the meeting of Spanish writing talent and international high production values. The result is a high octane thriller that spins the police procedural genre and devotes its attention to the emotional consequences that hit its characters with the violence of shrapnel.
The series’ thrilling pace is held together by the strong presence of its female lead Barbara, played by a versatile Maggie Civantos (“Locked Up”), a...
- 1/20/2022
- by Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
Principal photography is underway on Argentine Sebastian Schindel’s romcom-spy adventure hybrid “Mienteme” (“Lie to Me”). Delayed slightly by the pandemic, filming of the Chilean-Argentine co-production has been taking place in and outside of Buenos Aires, now experiencing a summer heat wave.
Schindel is best known for psychological thrillers such as his upcoming film for Netflix, “La Ira de Dios” (“The Wrath of God”) apparently even darker than his previous films. “Mienteme” would be his first romcom. Schindel, who has a strong background in documentary filmmaking, said in a previous interview: “We are betting on playing the limits between reality and fiction.”
“There are a lot of firsts in this film,” said Argentine lead and co-producer Lucas Akoskin who plays opposite his wife in real life, Chile’s Leonor Varela. “It’s my first time to work as an actor in Argentina and our first time to work together as a couple,...
Schindel is best known for psychological thrillers such as his upcoming film for Netflix, “La Ira de Dios” (“The Wrath of God”) apparently even darker than his previous films. “Mienteme” would be his first romcom. Schindel, who has a strong background in documentary filmmaking, said in a previous interview: “We are betting on playing the limits between reality and fiction.”
“There are a lot of firsts in this film,” said Argentine lead and co-producer Lucas Akoskin who plays opposite his wife in real life, Chile’s Leonor Varela. “It’s my first time to work as an actor in Argentina and our first time to work together as a couple,...
- 1/19/2022
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
“17 Khz,” (Mediacrest)
Cut off in a border region, five people from different generations and countries confront Tiamat, a conspiracy of young teens who have ermined that the inly way to stop climate change is to eliminate all adults. That, for Tiamat, however, is not the end of their plan, just a beginning. A three-season fantasy thriller from Mediacrest, a fast-growing production-distribution outfit, multi-prized at September’s Conecta Fiction, partnered in Spain by A Contracorriente Films. ID: Mediacrest.
“The Age of Anger,” (“La edad de la ira,” Atresmedia Televisión, Big Bang Media, Masficción)
Penned by renowned young Spanish playwright Lucía Carballal, a writer on “Locked Up,” a high-school thriller plumbing the social angst assailing today’s youth. Produced by Atresmedia TV and The Mediapro Studio – a fertile production axis – through Tms’s Big Bang Media (“Caronte”) as well as by Masficción (“Hospital Central”). ID: Atresmedia TV International Sales, The Mediapro Studio Distribution
“Cardo,...
Cut off in a border region, five people from different generations and countries confront Tiamat, a conspiracy of young teens who have ermined that the inly way to stop climate change is to eliminate all adults. That, for Tiamat, however, is not the end of their plan, just a beginning. A three-season fantasy thriller from Mediacrest, a fast-growing production-distribution outfit, multi-prized at September’s Conecta Fiction, partnered in Spain by A Contracorriente Films. ID: Mediacrest.
“The Age of Anger,” (“La edad de la ira,” Atresmedia Televisión, Big Bang Media, Masficción)
Penned by renowned young Spanish playwright Lucía Carballal, a writer on “Locked Up,” a high-school thriller plumbing the social angst assailing today’s youth. Produced by Atresmedia TV and The Mediapro Studio – a fertile production axis – through Tms’s Big Bang Media (“Caronte”) as well as by Masficción (“Hospital Central”). ID: Atresmedia TV International Sales, The Mediapro Studio Distribution
“Cardo,...
- 1/19/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The biggest product in Spain of the M&a boom which looks set to power much future entertainment growth in Europe, Buendía Estudios, a joint venture of Telefonica’s Movistar Plus and Atresmedia, is fast driving into second-phase expansion in Latin America.
In one move last November, Buendía tapped former Telemundo Global Studios exec Ana Paula Valdovinos as director of production and development for Latin America and U.S. Hispanic.
Valdovinos will be based out of Mexico, Latin America’s “nerve and talent center,” she said, as the country also accounts for approximately 70% of the 70 million Latinx population in the U.S.
In another development, Buendía has confirmed to Variety further details on its first Latin America project, “Swift as Desire,”
Billed as a fantasy romantic drama, the series “Swift as Desire” is structured as a six-part, 50-minute adaptation of a hallmark novel by Mexico’s Laura Esquivel, published in...
In one move last November, Buendía tapped former Telemundo Global Studios exec Ana Paula Valdovinos as director of production and development for Latin America and U.S. Hispanic.
Valdovinos will be based out of Mexico, Latin America’s “nerve and talent center,” she said, as the country also accounts for approximately 70% of the 70 million Latinx population in the U.S.
In another development, Buendía has confirmed to Variety further details on its first Latin America project, “Swift as Desire,”
Billed as a fantasy romantic drama, the series “Swift as Desire” is structured as a six-part, 50-minute adaptation of a hallmark novel by Mexico’s Laura Esquivel, published in...
- 1/18/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Premium U.S. Spanish-language streaming service Pantaya and Elefantec Global, co-founded by ex -Televisa top exec Pepe Bastón, have gone into production near Mexico City on six-part series “La rebelión,” which turns on one of the most powerful of recent drama series narratives: Women fighting back.
Described by Pantaya and Elefantec as a “melodramatic thriller,” the six-part series will premiere on Pantaya in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in the third quarter of 2022.
Typifying the kind of series that Elefantec aims to bring to Pantaya, “La Rebellion” boasts an impactful ensemble key cast of Aracely Arámbula, star of “La Doña,” Chile’s Daniela Vega, lead in the Academy Award-winning “A Fantastic Woman,” Ana Serradilla (“El hubiera sí existe”) and Adriana Paz (“Locked Up”).
First fruit of Pantaya-Elefantec production alliance, “La Rebelion” is directed by Spain’s Iñaki Peñafiel after his helming gigs on high-profile Spanish series “Express,” produced by Starzplay,...
Described by Pantaya and Elefantec as a “melodramatic thriller,” the six-part series will premiere on Pantaya in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in the third quarter of 2022.
Typifying the kind of series that Elefantec aims to bring to Pantaya, “La Rebellion” boasts an impactful ensemble key cast of Aracely Arámbula, star of “La Doña,” Chile’s Daniela Vega, lead in the Academy Award-winning “A Fantastic Woman,” Ana Serradilla (“El hubiera sí existe”) and Adriana Paz (“Locked Up”).
First fruit of Pantaya-Elefantec production alliance, “La Rebelion” is directed by Spain’s Iñaki Peñafiel after his helming gigs on high-profile Spanish series “Express,” produced by Starzplay,...
- 1/14/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Hailed in its day as Spain’s own “Downton Abbey,” period espionage drama “The Time In Between” (“El tiempo entre costuras”), a huge hit in Spain, has been sold to South Korea in a deal between Atresmedia International Sales and Germany-based distributor Jung Consulting.
The series will air this January in South Korea on Smile TV Plus, TVasia Plus and WeeTV.
“We are delighted to be distributing such a successful Spanish series in Korea, together with Atresmedia. We trust the Korean audience will enjoy the series, and that it will allow us to bring more international Spanish series to Korea,” said Woojae Jung, Jung Consulting managing director.
An Atresmedia TV original series about a spying seamstress first released in Oct. 2013, “The Time in Between” went up against “The Voice” and historical hit “Isabel,” averaging an extraordinary 25.5% share and almost 5 million viewers on Antena 3. It made a star out of Adriana Ugarte,...
The series will air this January in South Korea on Smile TV Plus, TVasia Plus and WeeTV.
“We are delighted to be distributing such a successful Spanish series in Korea, together with Atresmedia. We trust the Korean audience will enjoy the series, and that it will allow us to bring more international Spanish series to Korea,” said Woojae Jung, Jung Consulting managing director.
An Atresmedia TV original series about a spying seamstress first released in Oct. 2013, “The Time in Between” went up against “The Voice” and historical hit “Isabel,” averaging an extraordinary 25.5% share and almost 5 million viewers on Antena 3. It made a star out of Adriana Ugarte,...
- 1/12/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
As it forges ahead with expansion into Europe, Starzplay is on the hunt for “edgy” returning scripted series of between six and ten episodes and promises all its partners a decent cut of the IP, according to the platform’s strategy head Peter Tortorici.
In his on-demand keynote at Conecta Fiction Friday, the former head of CBS and Telemundo laid out Starzplay’s content requirements as it makes its migration from cable channel to international streaming platform.
The niche player, which has now expanded into 56 countries, is focusing on “adult edgy dramas” as part of its originals commissioning strategy, Tortorici said.
The streamer’s first local language production has already wrapped in Spain – a territory that Tortorici remarked had a “high but not exhaustive level of talent” that enabled the platform to execute its “brand promise.”
Productions in this territory includes “Express” from showrunner Iván Escobar (“Locked Up”) – a co-production...
In his on-demand keynote at Conecta Fiction Friday, the former head of CBS and Telemundo laid out Starzplay’s content requirements as it makes its migration from cable channel to international streaming platform.
The niche player, which has now expanded into 56 countries, is focusing on “adult edgy dramas” as part of its originals commissioning strategy, Tortorici said.
The streamer’s first local language production has already wrapped in Spain – a territory that Tortorici remarked had a “high but not exhaustive level of talent” that enabled the platform to execute its “brand promise.”
Productions in this territory includes “Express” from showrunner Iván Escobar (“Locked Up”) – a co-production...
- 9/17/2021
- by Ann-Marie Corvin
- Variety Film + TV
Streaming
Netflix has unveiled a release date for its first Spanish Original reality show “Insiders,” which will premiere around the world on Oct. 21. Hosted by “Money Heist” actor Najwa Nimri, the show has been billed as something completely new to the reality landscape in which its contestants believe, through the entire filming process, that they are only in the qualification rounds for an entirely different show. With the cameras constantly rolling, the twelve participants are kept in the dark that they are, in fact, being filmed for a hidden camera show. Set on a 17200 sq. ft. soundstage rigged with more than 250 hidden microphones and 70 hidden cameras, the contestants will unknowingly let their true colors shine right until the final reveal, when one winner will take home €100,000.
Acquisition
Nhk has acquired broadcast rights to Ines Marzouk’s feature documentary “My Mohamed is Different,” a standout in the World Showcase section of...
Netflix has unveiled a release date for its first Spanish Original reality show “Insiders,” which will premiere around the world on Oct. 21. Hosted by “Money Heist” actor Najwa Nimri, the show has been billed as something completely new to the reality landscape in which its contestants believe, through the entire filming process, that they are only in the qualification rounds for an entirely different show. With the cameras constantly rolling, the twelve participants are kept in the dark that they are, in fact, being filmed for a hidden camera show. Set on a 17200 sq. ft. soundstage rigged with more than 250 hidden microphones and 70 hidden cameras, the contestants will unknowingly let their true colors shine right until the final reveal, when one winner will take home €100,000.
Acquisition
Nhk has acquired broadcast rights to Ines Marzouk’s feature documentary “My Mohamed is Different,” a standout in the World Showcase section of...
- 9/16/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Mediapro Group Taps Hollywood Rep in Bid to Lure More Productions to Spain, Portugal (Exclusive)
In its continued bid to lure more international productions to Spain and Portugal, Barcelona-based multinational The Mediapro Group has tapped L.A.-based Spanish publicist Alvar Carretero to represent the company in Hollywood.
For the past 25 years, Mediapro has been represented in the U.S. by its production centers in New York and Miami but Spain’s launch in March of a new Audiovisual Hub plan has given Mediapro more impetus to build its presence in Los Angeles, the epicenter of the North American media and entertainment industries.
The Audiovisual Hub scheme offers a total €1.6 billion ($1.9 billion) over 2021-25 to rev up Spanish film and TV production and persuade key foreign players to shoot and set up production bases in Spain. Ongoing incentives on a national and regional levels make the offer even more enticing. The current national tax relief incentive to shoot in Spain is 30% of the total cost...
For the past 25 years, Mediapro has been represented in the U.S. by its production centers in New York and Miami but Spain’s launch in March of a new Audiovisual Hub plan has given Mediapro more impetus to build its presence in Los Angeles, the epicenter of the North American media and entertainment industries.
The Audiovisual Hub scheme offers a total €1.6 billion ($1.9 billion) over 2021-25 to rev up Spanish film and TV production and persuade key foreign players to shoot and set up production bases in Spain. Ongoing incentives on a national and regional levels make the offer even more enticing. The current national tax relief incentive to shoot in Spain is 30% of the total cost...
- 9/13/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Spain’s Movistar Plus and Buendía Estudios are teaming to create groundbreaking series “El Apagón,” Movistar Plus’ first original to explore global dystopia and Buendía Estudios’ first full production for the Telefonica Spanish pay TV operator.
Scheduled to shoot in fall 2021, and inspired by the Spanish podcast “El gran apagón,” the series will bring together a top-of-their-class Spanish team of creatives, led by Fran Araujo as co-creator and executive producer on this show.
Araujo’s illustrious writers’ room includes Isabel Peña, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s longtime co-scribe (“Riot Police”) and Isa Campo, co-writer of Isaki Lacuesta’s two San Sebastian Golden Shell winners “Between Two Waters” and “The Double Steps.”
Further writers are Rafael Cobos, scribe of “The Plague,” one of Movistar Plus’ biggest series swings to date; and Alberto Marini, a preeminent writer-director of Spanish genre movies who also co-penned Movistar Plus’ 2020 espionage action thriller “The Unit.”
“As Movistar Plus’ first incursion into dystopia,...
Scheduled to shoot in fall 2021, and inspired by the Spanish podcast “El gran apagón,” the series will bring together a top-of-their-class Spanish team of creatives, led by Fran Araujo as co-creator and executive producer on this show.
Araujo’s illustrious writers’ room includes Isabel Peña, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s longtime co-scribe (“Riot Police”) and Isa Campo, co-writer of Isaki Lacuesta’s two San Sebastian Golden Shell winners “Between Two Waters” and “The Double Steps.”
Further writers are Rafael Cobos, scribe of “The Plague,” one of Movistar Plus’ biggest series swings to date; and Alberto Marini, a preeminent writer-director of Spanish genre movies who also co-penned Movistar Plus’ 2020 espionage action thriller “The Unit.”
“As Movistar Plus’ first incursion into dystopia,...
- 6/16/2021
- by Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Produced with U.S. streamer Pantaya and top European production house The Mediapro Studio, “Express,” Starzplay’s first Spanish-language original, is rounding the final bend of production, shooting last week at the Casa Huarte in a leafy luxury suburb of northern Madrid.
Reuniting “Locked Up” creator Ivan Escobar with its star, Maggie Civantos, “Express” refers to the phenomenon of short-lived abductions, lasting a few hours, where the victim or relatives are forced by assailants to max out their credit cards or rapidly pay off assailants. Abductions sometimes end in murder.
Created by Escobar, the series’ showrunner and writer, “Express” is shaping up as one of the banner Spanish-language productions of 2021. It also points an alternative – and often complementary – way forward for top producers which do not want to work just as producers for hire for the world’s biggest studio streamers. Seven takes on the eight-part series:
Grasping the Holy...
Reuniting “Locked Up” creator Ivan Escobar with its star, Maggie Civantos, “Express” refers to the phenomenon of short-lived abductions, lasting a few hours, where the victim or relatives are forced by assailants to max out their credit cards or rapidly pay off assailants. Abductions sometimes end in murder.
Created by Escobar, the series’ showrunner and writer, “Express” is shaping up as one of the banner Spanish-language productions of 2021. It also points an alternative – and often complementary – way forward for top producers which do not want to work just as producers for hire for the world’s biggest studio streamers. Seven takes on the eight-part series:
Grasping the Holy...
- 6/7/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
As many studio-streamers morph ever more into global general entertainment services, some SVOD players still stand out very much from the pack.
Two of the most expansive, both with a premium vocation, are Starzplay, Starz’s upscale international streaming platform which has quickly expanded into 56 countries, and Pantaya, the premium U.S. Spanish-language streaming service acquired last month from Lionsgate by the Hemisphere Media Group.
Starzplay and Pantaya and The Mediapro Studio are close to wrapping production in Madrid on “Express,” from “Locked Up” creator Iván Escobar, their first co-production and one of the most anticipated Spanish-language productions of the year. Pantaya launched in August 2017, Starzplay in May 2018, The Mediapro Studio in March 2019: These are three companies now helping to shape the new face of international and U.S. production.
Superna Kalle, Starzplay executive VP of International Digital Networks, Mario Almeida, Pantaya head of content, and Tms CEO Laura Fernandez Espeso,...
Two of the most expansive, both with a premium vocation, are Starzplay, Starz’s upscale international streaming platform which has quickly expanded into 56 countries, and Pantaya, the premium U.S. Spanish-language streaming service acquired last month from Lionsgate by the Hemisphere Media Group.
Starzplay and Pantaya and The Mediapro Studio are close to wrapping production in Madrid on “Express,” from “Locked Up” creator Iván Escobar, their first co-production and one of the most anticipated Spanish-language productions of the year. Pantaya launched in August 2017, Starzplay in May 2018, The Mediapro Studio in March 2019: These are three companies now helping to shape the new face of international and U.S. production.
Superna Kalle, Starzplay executive VP of International Digital Networks, Mario Almeida, Pantaya head of content, and Tms CEO Laura Fernandez Espeso,...
- 6/4/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
You know what everyone could use in the sweltering summer months? A nice, cold glass of…anime. At least that’s the particular theme that comes up in Netflix’s list of new releases for June 2021.
Netflix has been quietly expanding their anime offerings for awhile now but June is a particularly anime-heavy month. The absolutely metal sounding Record of Ragnarok arrives this month. So too do parts 1 and 2 of the newest Sailor Moon film on June 3 and Godzilla Singular Point on June 24.
Read more TV Yasuke Review: Netflix Anime Reclaims The Story of a Black Samurai By Caroline Cao TV Anime For Beginners: Best Genres and Series to Watch By Daniel Kurland
But for those who aren’t ready to dip their toe in the anime pool yet, Netflix has some other originals of note in June. Sweet Tooth, the ambitious comic adaptation starring Will Forte premieres on June 4. Then,...
Netflix has been quietly expanding their anime offerings for awhile now but June is a particularly anime-heavy month. The absolutely metal sounding Record of Ragnarok arrives this month. So too do parts 1 and 2 of the newest Sailor Moon film on June 3 and Godzilla Singular Point on June 24.
Read more TV Yasuke Review: Netflix Anime Reclaims The Story of a Black Samurai By Caroline Cao TV Anime For Beginners: Best Genres and Series to Watch By Daniel Kurland
But for those who aren’t ready to dip their toe in the anime pool yet, Netflix has some other originals of note in June. Sweet Tooth, the ambitious comic adaptation starring Will Forte premieres on June 4. Then,...
- 5/31/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Marking further dynamic expansion, ViacomCBS International Studios (Vis) and Ricardo Siri Liniers, Argentina’s best known cartoonist and children’s book author-illustrator, have announced they will adapt Liniers’ latest graphic novel, “Wildflowers.”
The project rolls off a development deal between Vis, ViacomCBS’ global production arm, and Liniers that was announced by Vis Kids at Kidscreen in February. This mentions the “adaptation of an upcoming book.”
“Wildflowers” (“Flores Salvajes”) marks the final part of a beginning readers’ graphic novel trilogy begun by “The Big Wet Balloon,” Liniers’ U.S. debut in 2013, and continued by 2017’s “Good Night, Planet.”
All three are odes to Liniers’ own three daughters. “As soon as I took a photo of my three young daughters looking at the jungle in Yukatan, México, I began to imagine this book,” Liniers has said. The three graphic novels also pay tribute, however, to the more general joy of childhood play and its imaginative powers.
The project rolls off a development deal between Vis, ViacomCBS’ global production arm, and Liniers that was announced by Vis Kids at Kidscreen in February. This mentions the “adaptation of an upcoming book.”
“Wildflowers” (“Flores Salvajes”) marks the final part of a beginning readers’ graphic novel trilogy begun by “The Big Wet Balloon,” Liniers’ U.S. debut in 2013, and continued by 2017’s “Good Night, Planet.”
All three are odes to Liniers’ own three daughters. “As soon as I took a photo of my three young daughters looking at the jungle in Yukatan, México, I began to imagine this book,” Liniers has said. The three graphic novels also pay tribute, however, to the more general joy of childhood play and its imaginative powers.
- 5/17/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Having just pitched at the Sanfic-Morbido Lab, Chilean slasher flick project “Matria” will head to South Korea’s Bucheon (Bifan) in June on behalf of Ventana Sur’s Blood Window, where the project pitched to great success in late 2020. In the midst of its pandemic online market run, “Matria” has added two new key castings in award-winning Chilean actor Benjamin Vicuña and Argentina’s Gabriel Schultz. They join the already top-line casting of “Locked Up” standout Itziar Castro and “A Fantastic Woman’s” Daniela Vega.
“How much harm can a man do to a woman? Enough for his head to have a price on it,” starts the promotional material for the upcoming project from Chile’s Sandra Arriagada. An over-the-top, blood-soaked black comedy, “Matria” sees seven awful men held to task for their previous transgressions against women by being unwittingly entered in a battle-royal, seven-men-enter-one-man leaves-style event sponsored by the...
“How much harm can a man do to a woman? Enough for his head to have a price on it,” starts the promotional material for the upcoming project from Chile’s Sandra Arriagada. An over-the-top, blood-soaked black comedy, “Matria” sees seven awful men held to task for their previous transgressions against women by being unwittingly entered in a battle-royal, seven-men-enter-one-man leaves-style event sponsored by the...
- 3/26/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Starzplay has unveiled plot details, casting and a first-look image for “Express,” an original co-produced with Spanish production giant The Mediapro Studio and U.S. streaming platform Pantaya. “Express” is Starzplay’s first local language Spanish production, but one of several announced in August of last year. Each will be available on the Starzplay platform in Spain and Latin America as well as Spanish-language focused streamer Pantaya – a co-venture between Lionsgate and Hemisphere Media Group – in the U.S.
Heading the cast of “Express” is “Locked Up” and “Cable Girls” star Maggie Civantos, joined by Spanish Academy Goya Award nominee Kiti Mánver, Vicente Romero (“Cell 211”), Loreto Mauleón (“Patria”), Esteban Meloni (“Los Internacionales”), Alba Planas (the Spanish version of “Skam”), Ana Marzoa (“Locked Up”), Omar Banana (“Veneno”), Bernardo Flores (“Women in Charge”) and newcomer Carmen Daza and Manuela Rojas.
In “Express,” criminal psychologist Bárbara (Civantos) becomes the victim of an express kidnapping,...
Heading the cast of “Express” is “Locked Up” and “Cable Girls” star Maggie Civantos, joined by Spanish Academy Goya Award nominee Kiti Mánver, Vicente Romero (“Cell 211”), Loreto Mauleón (“Patria”), Esteban Meloni (“Los Internacionales”), Alba Planas (the Spanish version of “Skam”), Ana Marzoa (“Locked Up”), Omar Banana (“Veneno”), Bernardo Flores (“Women in Charge”) and newcomer Carmen Daza and Manuela Rojas.
In “Express,” criminal psychologist Bárbara (Civantos) becomes the victim of an express kidnapping,...
- 3/16/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Following Chile’s most successful theatrical release of 2020 and high-profile streaming premieres in Latin America and the U.S. as an Amazon Prime Video Exclusive, Argentina’s Meikincine, sales agents on this year’s Argentine Oscar submission “The Sleepwalkers,” has sold Chilean political thriller “Jailbreak Pact” to Swift Productions in France and Sbs in Australia.
Recent deals struck following Meikincine’s summer sales push, including June’s virtual Marché du Film, which achieved sales to Movement Pictures in South Korea and Av-Jet International Media in Taiwan.
In September, the company shared with Variety that negotiations are in the final stages for deals in the U.K. and Ireland and offers are being considered from theatrical distributors in China, Canada and India, among others.
“Jailbreak Pact” was released theatrically in Chile in January by Fox, and quickly pulled the highest box office for a domestic film in more than two years...
Recent deals struck following Meikincine’s summer sales push, including June’s virtual Marché du Film, which achieved sales to Movement Pictures in South Korea and Av-Jet International Media in Taiwan.
In September, the company shared with Variety that negotiations are in the final stages for deals in the U.K. and Ireland and offers are being considered from theatrical distributors in China, Canada and India, among others.
“Jailbreak Pact” was released theatrically in Chile in January by Fox, and quickly pulled the highest box office for a domestic film in more than two years...
- 12/1/2020
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Sophia Loren on Thursday during an online press conference to promote her new film “The Life Ahead” – in which she plays a Holocaust survivor who forges a bond with a 12-year-old Senegalese immigrant boy – called the drama “a message of tolerance, forgiveness, and love.”
“We all have a right to be seen and listened too, otherwise it’s impossible to live,” Loren said. “We have a right to be loved, and to pursue our dreams,” the iconic Italian actor added.
In “The Life Ahead,” which marks Loren’s return in front of the camera for a feature film after a decade, Loren plays Madame Rosa, a tough Auschwitz survivor and former prostitute who cares for children of streetwalkers. Her doctor asks her to take in 12-year-old orphan Senegalese kid named Momo, who recently robbed her, and the pair become each other’s protectors.
Loren said that to play Madame Rosa...
“We all have a right to be seen and listened too, otherwise it’s impossible to live,” Loren said. “We have a right to be loved, and to pursue our dreams,” the iconic Italian actor added.
In “The Life Ahead,” which marks Loren’s return in front of the camera for a feature film after a decade, Loren plays Madame Rosa, a tough Auschwitz survivor and former prostitute who cares for children of streetwalkers. Her doctor asks her to take in 12-year-old orphan Senegalese kid named Momo, who recently robbed her, and the pair become each other’s protectors.
Loren said that to play Madame Rosa...
- 10/29/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish TV drama producers are thinking bigger than ever, scaling up in a globalized SVOD market.
They are also allying with powerful U.S. partners, responding to a global feeding-frenzy for Spanish-language premium series.
Spanish TV dramas at Mipcom Online Plus underscore this trend. One, “Inés of My Soul,” marks the first move into big-budget international co-production by public broadcaster Rtve, teaming with Boomerang TV, Chile’s Turner-owned Chilevisión and Amazon Prime Video Spain.
Beta Film is presenting “Tell Me Who I Am,” based on Julia Navarro’s global bestseller, co-produced with Telemundo Intl. Studios in partnership with Dlo.
In ongoing productions, Movistar, Telefonica’s SVOD/pay TV arm, alongside AMC Studios and Fernando Bovaira’s Mod Pictures, is producing “La Fortuna,” an adventure series created by Academy Award winner Alejandro Amenábar.
Also, Spain’s Paco Cabezas (“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels”) is leading creative development on “The Gipsy Bride,...
They are also allying with powerful U.S. partners, responding to a global feeding-frenzy for Spanish-language premium series.
Spanish TV dramas at Mipcom Online Plus underscore this trend. One, “Inés of My Soul,” marks the first move into big-budget international co-production by public broadcaster Rtve, teaming with Boomerang TV, Chile’s Turner-owned Chilevisión and Amazon Prime Video Spain.
Beta Film is presenting “Tell Me Who I Am,” based on Julia Navarro’s global bestseller, co-produced with Telemundo Intl. Studios in partnership with Dlo.
In ongoing productions, Movistar, Telefonica’s SVOD/pay TV arm, alongside AMC Studios and Fernando Bovaira’s Mod Pictures, is producing “La Fortuna,” an adventure series created by Academy Award winner Alejandro Amenábar.
Also, Spain’s Paco Cabezas (“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels”) is leading creative development on “The Gipsy Bride,...
- 10/11/2020
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid-based The Mediapro Studio (Tms), one of Europe’s biggest independent film and TV players, had a smashing 2019 with the release of 126 titles. And then the pandemic struck, forcing the company to shut down 56 shows. Months later, the Spanish outfit is slowly getting back on track by enrolling major U.S. players and Spain’s biggest stars in Hollywood.
Tms is teaming with Disney Plus Latin America on what it describes as an ambitious, music-laced romantic thriller set against a Caribbean background. Its shoot was postponed because of Covid-19.
Meanwhile, David Simon, creator of “The Wire,” is writing drama “A Dry Run,” a series set up at Tms that follows Abraham Lincoln Battalion members who come to Spain to fight fascism during the Spanish Civil War.
Headlined by Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, drama comedy “Official Competition” has resumed filming in Madrid; a second Tms movie, labor relations-themed “The Good Boss,...
Tms is teaming with Disney Plus Latin America on what it describes as an ambitious, music-laced romantic thriller set against a Caribbean background. Its shoot was postponed because of Covid-19.
Meanwhile, David Simon, creator of “The Wire,” is writing drama “A Dry Run,” a series set up at Tms that follows Abraham Lincoln Battalion members who come to Spain to fight fascism during the Spanish Civil War.
Headlined by Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, drama comedy “Official Competition” has resumed filming in Madrid; a second Tms movie, labor relations-themed “The Good Boss,...
- 9/30/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Movistar Plus, the pay TV division of Telefonica, one of Europe’s biggest telecoms, is scaling up — in series’ ambition, distribution aggression and corporate magnitude — as it seeks preeminence as a producer not only in Spain but also in the world’s dramatically exploding Spanish-language content market.
That expansive drive has seen bullish moves in 2020, despite Covid-19. Movistar Plus has teamed with AMC Studios to produce what is most probably Spain’s biggest series ever, epic adventure thriller “La Fortuna,” showrun by “The Others’” Alejandro Amenábar. Produced by Movistar Plus and Mod Producciones, the series, which went into production in early August, marks the former’s first original with a star of Hollywood renown, Stanley Tucci.
Set in 1804 and the present day, spreading from Spain, across the Atlantic Ocean to Miami, “La Fortuna” shows Movistar Plus working on a larger canvas and upping the ante on banner series’ action. The...
That expansive drive has seen bullish moves in 2020, despite Covid-19. Movistar Plus has teamed with AMC Studios to produce what is most probably Spain’s biggest series ever, epic adventure thriller “La Fortuna,” showrun by “The Others’” Alejandro Amenábar. Produced by Movistar Plus and Mod Producciones, the series, which went into production in early August, marks the former’s first original with a star of Hollywood renown, Stanley Tucci.
Set in 1804 and the present day, spreading from Spain, across the Atlantic Ocean to Miami, “La Fortuna” shows Movistar Plus working on a larger canvas and upping the ante on banner series’ action. The...
- 9/14/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The Atresmedia Group, the original producer of Netflix global hit “La casa de papel” and one of Spain’s leading media conglomerations, has built a brand as a powerhouse in the country’s blooming scripted TV industry.
As other big international broadcasters, such as ITV in the U.K. and Rtl in Germany, Atresmedia, now 30, is looking to depend as little as possible on a increasingly declining ad market, priming content creation and pay TV opportunities, extending the economic life of its prolific production factory.
Its series’ reach exploded a decade ago, driven by successful international sales on primetime hits such as Bambú-produced “Gran Hotel” and Boomerang TV’s “The Time in Between,” underscoring a never-seen-before foreign appetite for Spanish originals.
A more dramatic shift started six years ago, boosted by Spanish TV series’ growing impact, when its management team kicked off the task of gradually consolidating Atresmedia as a digital company,...
As other big international broadcasters, such as ITV in the U.K. and Rtl in Germany, Atresmedia, now 30, is looking to depend as little as possible on a increasingly declining ad market, priming content creation and pay TV opportunities, extending the economic life of its prolific production factory.
Its series’ reach exploded a decade ago, driven by successful international sales on primetime hits such as Bambú-produced “Gran Hotel” and Boomerang TV’s “The Time in Between,” underscoring a never-seen-before foreign appetite for Spanish originals.
A more dramatic shift started six years ago, boosted by Spanish TV series’ growing impact, when its management team kicked off the task of gradually consolidating Atresmedia as a digital company,...
- 9/2/2020
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Federation Entertainment, producer of banner Canal Plus’ series “The Bureau,” Netflix Italian hit “Baby” and Omri Givon’s Keshet success “The Grave,” has teamed with three high-profile Spanish executives to launch Federation Spain.
As when Federation Entertainment, a production-distribution company, bought a majority share in Italy’s Fabula Pictures in 2018, Federation Entertainment will own 51% of Federation Spain, to be run by executives Juan Sola, Toni Sevilla and Nacho Manubens. Federation Entertainment is based in Paris and Los Angeles.
Remaining equity is split between Sola, Jaume Collet-Serra’s producing partner, Sevilla, a former director of fiction at Mediaset España, and Manubens, the former deputy head of fiction at Spanish broadcast network Atresmedia when it produced milestone series ““Gran Hotel,” “Velvet” and “La Casa de Papel.”
Federation Spain has also hired as head of production Mark Albela, a producer on some of the biggest modern-day U.S. shoots in Spain, such as...
As when Federation Entertainment, a production-distribution company, bought a majority share in Italy’s Fabula Pictures in 2018, Federation Entertainment will own 51% of Federation Spain, to be run by executives Juan Sola, Toni Sevilla and Nacho Manubens. Federation Entertainment is based in Paris and Los Angeles.
Remaining equity is split between Sola, Jaume Collet-Serra’s producing partner, Sevilla, a former director of fiction at Mediaset España, and Manubens, the former deputy head of fiction at Spanish broadcast network Atresmedia when it produced milestone series ““Gran Hotel,” “Velvet” and “La Casa de Papel.”
Federation Spain has also hired as head of production Mark Albela, a producer on some of the biggest modern-day U.S. shoots in Spain, such as...
- 7/31/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Today marks the end of the month and therefore the final content drop from Netflix for July, but it’s certainly been an excellent 31 days to be a subscriber to the service. This month has brought with it big movies like Million Dollar Baby, Patriots Day, Paranormal Activity and The Karate Kid trilogy alongside the addition of new shows like Warrior Nun and Cursed – the latter of which is now the platform’s top scripted series.
But as great as all of that has been, many subscribers have been waiting for this day to see the return of a very popular show that took the world by storm when it debuted last year. Of course, that show is The Umbrella Academy, and all ten episodes of its second season are available right now. The sophomore entry is already doing exceptionally well, too, sitting at an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The...
But as great as all of that has been, many subscribers have been waiting for this day to see the return of a very popular show that took the world by storm when it debuted last year. Of course, that show is The Umbrella Academy, and all ten episodes of its second season are available right now. The sophomore entry is already doing exceptionally well, too, sitting at an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The...
- 7/31/2020
- by Billy Givens
- We Got This Covered
Amazon Prime Video has clinched U.S. and Latin American rights to Pacto de Fuga” (“Jailbreak Pact”), the biggest Chilean smash-hit at domestic cinemas in Chile over the last few years.
Negotiated by “Jailbreak Pact’s” sales agent, Buenos Aires-based Meikincine, the rights deal was struck during the Marché du Film Online, said sales agent Lucía Meik.
The fiction feature debut of David Albala, produced by Calibre 71, Storyboard Media, Enlazo Capital Films and Tora Investments, the thriller is based on real-life events which led to Chile’s most celebrated prison escape on Jan. 29, 1990, at the tail-end of Augusto Pinochet’s brutal dictatorship. During it, 49 prisoners, some members of the anti-Pinochet armed resistance group Frente Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez, managed to escape from a penitentiary on Santiago de Chile through a series of tunnels dug over 18 months using spoons, screwdrivers and other rudimentary tools.
A symbolic victory over Pinochet, the film...
Negotiated by “Jailbreak Pact’s” sales agent, Buenos Aires-based Meikincine, the rights deal was struck during the Marché du Film Online, said sales agent Lucía Meik.
The fiction feature debut of David Albala, produced by Calibre 71, Storyboard Media, Enlazo Capital Films and Tora Investments, the thriller is based on real-life events which led to Chile’s most celebrated prison escape on Jan. 29, 1990, at the tail-end of Augusto Pinochet’s brutal dictatorship. During it, 49 prisoners, some members of the anti-Pinochet armed resistance group Frente Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez, managed to escape from a penitentiary on Santiago de Chile through a series of tunnels dug over 18 months using spoons, screwdrivers and other rudimentary tools.
A symbolic victory over Pinochet, the film...
- 6/29/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
European Commission antitrust authorities have greenlit the launch of Buendía Estudios, the joint content creation and production company created by giant telecom Telefonica and Spain’s Atresmedia group, original co-creators of “La Casa de Papel.”
Producing film, series and entertainment projects, the game-changing strategic alliance will see a joint venture between Spain’s two biggest content investors who invested some €1.45 billion ($1.6 billion) in programming in 2019, according to Ihs Markit estimates.
The move allows the partners to gain in budgetary scale when making movies – though nowhere near the heights of U.S. series. All the more, however, it will enhance their ability to offer multiple creative options to top talent in the Spanish-speaking world as talent relations become the crux of success in a highly competitive sector.
Rather than taking on Netflix, a common reading of the joint venture when its first announced last September, Buendía Estudios sets out to produce...
Producing film, series and entertainment projects, the game-changing strategic alliance will see a joint venture between Spain’s two biggest content investors who invested some €1.45 billion ($1.6 billion) in programming in 2019, according to Ihs Markit estimates.
The move allows the partners to gain in budgetary scale when making movies – though nowhere near the heights of U.S. series. All the more, however, it will enhance their ability to offer multiple creative options to top talent in the Spanish-speaking world as talent relations become the crux of success in a highly competitive sector.
Rather than taking on Netflix, a common reading of the joint venture when its first announced last September, Buendía Estudios sets out to produce...
- 6/17/2020
- by Emiliano De Pablos and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The coming together of the creative brains behind two of Netflix’s biggest international hits, The Crown and Money Heist, certainly sounds like an eye-catching proposition on paper. For Netflix, it was irresistible.
Left Bank Pictures boss Andy Harries and Vancouver Media’s Álex Pina flew into La in February 2018 to sell their vision for a sun-soaked, sepia-toned saga, set in the breathtaking climes of the Balearic Islands.
Netflix was their first stop, with their meeting coming just weeks after Money Heist had taken off like a rocket on the streaming service. “They basically bought it in the room,” Harries recalls.
Fast-forward more than two years and Netflix is dropping White Lines this Friday, a 10-part series that tells the story of a British Ibiza DJ who is brutally murdered in the 1990s and his sister’s investigation into his death 20 years on.
Not only is the drama set across two different periods in time,...
Left Bank Pictures boss Andy Harries and Vancouver Media’s Álex Pina flew into La in February 2018 to sell their vision for a sun-soaked, sepia-toned saga, set in the breathtaking climes of the Balearic Islands.
Netflix was their first stop, with their meeting coming just weeks after Money Heist had taken off like a rocket on the streaming service. “They basically bought it in the room,” Harries recalls.
Fast-forward more than two years and Netflix is dropping White Lines this Friday, a 10-part series that tells the story of a British Ibiza DJ who is brutally murdered in the 1990s and his sister’s investigation into his death 20 years on.
Not only is the drama set across two different periods in time,...
- 5/13/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
In this week’s International TV Newswire “Creepshow” sells major territories abroad, Movistar TV Colombia adds Atreseries International, Brazil’s “Big Brother” breaks world records and Sky Studios inks a deal with writer-director Philipp Leinemann.
Dynamic Television Sells Shudder’s “Creepshow” Abroad
Global production, financing and distribution company Dynamic Television has announced a first round of international sales for “Creepshow,” Shudder’s – an AMC Networks channel – popular horror anthology series based on George A Romero’s 1982 cult classic written by Steven King. Deals were announced for M6 and Salto in France; Atresmedia in Spain; AMC Networks for Poland and the Middle East; Ote in Greece; Rusreport in Russia, Cis states, the Baltics and Ukraine; Telnet in Belgium; Rtbf for French-speaking Belgium and Astro in Malaysia. Season 1 was a hit in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Australia for showrunner and executive producer Greg Nicotero. A second season has already been ordered.
Dynamic Television Sells Shudder’s “Creepshow” Abroad
Global production, financing and distribution company Dynamic Television has announced a first round of international sales for “Creepshow,” Shudder’s – an AMC Networks channel – popular horror anthology series based on George A Romero’s 1982 cult classic written by Steven King. Deals were announced for M6 and Salto in France; Atresmedia in Spain; AMC Networks for Poland and the Middle East; Ote in Greece; Rusreport in Russia, Cis states, the Baltics and Ukraine; Telnet in Belgium; Rtbf for French-speaking Belgium and Astro in Malaysia. Season 1 was a hit in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Australia for showrunner and executive producer Greg Nicotero. A second season has already been ordered.
- 5/1/2020
- by Jamie Lang and Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid-based The Mediapro Studio and Paraiso Pictures announced at Miami’s Natpe Tuesday a co-production agreement for a new series based on the true story of a drug kingpin turned government operative after the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001.
“El Medico,” to be shot in English, is executive-produced and directed by Netflix’s “Fauda” Season 1 director Assaf Bernstein, and will enlist Academy Award-nominated producer Michael Nozik (“The Motorcycle Diaries”).
After one of his former partners becomes linked to the Sept 11 attacks, a silver-tongued drug boss called El Medico – the person’s real name who inspired the character is classified – sees his plea deal with the federal government rescinded. Accused of being a terrorist, he is coerced into cooperating with law enforcement and intelligence agencies in an increasingly dangerous plot to take down nacro-terrorist groups from the inside.
Now working for the government, El Medico proves to be a top notch operative and...
“El Medico,” to be shot in English, is executive-produced and directed by Netflix’s “Fauda” Season 1 director Assaf Bernstein, and will enlist Academy Award-nominated producer Michael Nozik (“The Motorcycle Diaries”).
After one of his former partners becomes linked to the Sept 11 attacks, a silver-tongued drug boss called El Medico – the person’s real name who inspired the character is classified – sees his plea deal with the federal government rescinded. Accused of being a terrorist, he is coerced into cooperating with law enforcement and intelligence agencies in an increasingly dangerous plot to take down nacro-terrorist groups from the inside.
Now working for the government, El Medico proves to be a top notch operative and...
- 1/21/2020
- by Jamie Lang and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Having conquered the global Svod market with large hits such as “La casa de papel” (“Money Heist”) and “Elite,” Spanish dramas continued gaining ground in 2019.
The international presence of Spanish fiction was driven by period dramas and thrillers, as its most demanded TV genres.
By territories, Mexico and the U.S. were the top destinies for Spanish TV shows.
These are some of the trends relating to the impact of Spanish TV content in the world, unveiled Tuesday by Alejandro Rojas, regional director at Parrot Analytics, at the 3rd Madrid TV Pitchbox pitching event.
With a variety of Internet data sources, Parrot has measured the demand for 100,000 TV shows across more than 200 platforms in 35 countries, listing over 100,000 titles.
The international reach of Spanish TV content still has a large room for growth. By past year’s last quarter, only 1.5% of all titles available on global catalogues were Spanish, in a...
The international presence of Spanish fiction was driven by period dramas and thrillers, as its most demanded TV genres.
By territories, Mexico and the U.S. were the top destinies for Spanish TV shows.
These are some of the trends relating to the impact of Spanish TV content in the world, unveiled Tuesday by Alejandro Rojas, regional director at Parrot Analytics, at the 3rd Madrid TV Pitchbox pitching event.
With a variety of Internet data sources, Parrot has measured the demand for 100,000 TV shows across more than 200 platforms in 35 countries, listing over 100,000 titles.
The international reach of Spanish TV content still has a large room for growth. By past year’s last quarter, only 1.5% of all titles available on global catalogues were Spanish, in a...
- 1/20/2020
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
San Sebastian — In a game-changing move for Spanish-language production Telefonica, Europe’s third biggest telco, and Atresmedia, the original co-creators of “La Casa de Papel,” are uniting to create a new joint contents production giant.
Aimed at gaining more scale and uniting talent relations – writers, directors and producers – the 50/50 joint venture will produce both series and feature films, focusing on fiction, the new partners announced Friday.
The partners have taken the first move towards the creation of the new production force, signing framework agreement, they added.
Both a product and distribution alliance, the new contents factory will look to bring in further co-production partners on many projects and create titles for third partner companies.
The agreement, which has to be approved by a Telefonica commission, was sealed by Atresmedia CEO Silvio Rodríguez and Emilio Gayo, president of Telefonica Spain.
The move has been made to face off with global streaming platform,...
Aimed at gaining more scale and uniting talent relations – writers, directors and producers – the 50/50 joint venture will produce both series and feature films, focusing on fiction, the new partners announced Friday.
The partners have taken the first move towards the creation of the new production force, signing framework agreement, they added.
Both a product and distribution alliance, the new contents factory will look to bring in further co-production partners on many projects and create titles for third partner companies.
The agreement, which has to be approved by a Telefonica commission, was sealed by Atresmedia CEO Silvio Rodríguez and Emilio Gayo, president of Telefonica Spain.
The move has been made to face off with global streaming platform,...
- 9/20/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
It seems all is not well between the "Lonely" hitmaker Akon and his wife Tricia Ana. Rumours doing the rounds on the Internet have suggested that Ana is dating a mystery man.
The rumours gained ground after a couple of pictures surfaced online where Tricia is seen getting cozy with an unidentified man, according to "aceshowbiz.com".
Also Read:?DJ Khaled and wife Nicole Tuck are expecting another baby
Tricia and Akon got married in a private ceremony in Africa quite sometime ago. It is also reported that the couple have been having a "on and off" relationship for years.
Besides Tricia, Akon's other former wives include Tomeka Thiam, with whom he has two children. Rachel Ritfield was also married to the rapper, though she decided to end the marriage in 2007.
Akon became a household name in India singing "Chhammak chhallo" for the 2010 film "Ra.One", starring Shah Rukh Khan. In...
The rumours gained ground after a couple of pictures surfaced online where Tricia is seen getting cozy with an unidentified man, according to "aceshowbiz.com".
Also Read:?DJ Khaled and wife Nicole Tuck are expecting another baby
Tricia and Akon got married in a private ceremony in Africa quite sometime ago. It is also reported that the couple have been having a "on and off" relationship for years.
Besides Tricia, Akon's other former wives include Tomeka Thiam, with whom he has two children. Rachel Ritfield was also married to the rapper, though she decided to end the marriage in 2007.
Akon became a household name in India singing "Chhammak chhallo" for the 2010 film "Ra.One", starring Shah Rukh Khan. In...
- 9/14/2019
- GlamSham
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