The scene opens on Barceloneta, by the shore, and four girls sit together near the boardwalk, looking out at the beach. The Movistar+ original series “Simple” begins as its title suggests, with a concise portrait of each of the four characters, prominent personality traits on display.
Scripting ebullient women is something Spanish director Anna R. Costa never shies from, molding distinctive characters that permeate their scenes long after their exit. On the heels of her prior work on the Movistar+ sensation “Arde Madrid,” the streamer’s most-binged series after its premiere, “Simple” further proves that diverse female leads are in-demand, though, Costa admits, perhaps on account of their numbers. “In a matter of five years the audiovisual industry has made a strong commitment to the feminine.
But let’s not forget that we’re fashionable because we’re currency, our topics are interesting because they generate money,” she says. “What...
Scripting ebullient women is something Spanish director Anna R. Costa never shies from, molding distinctive characters that permeate their scenes long after their exit. On the heels of her prior work on the Movistar+ sensation “Arde Madrid,” the streamer’s most-binged series after its premiere, “Simple” further proves that diverse female leads are in-demand, though, Costa admits, perhaps on account of their numbers. “In a matter of five years the audiovisual industry has made a strong commitment to the feminine.
But let’s not forget that we’re fashionable because we’re currency, our topics are interesting because they generate money,” she says. “What...
- 9/12/2022
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix’s Kaos has its Medusa.
Entourage star Debi Mazar will play the coveted role in the upcoming mythological series from End of the F***ing World creator Charlie Covell, joining an ensemble cast including Jeff Goldblum, Janet McTeer and David Thewlis. Goldblum will play Zeus, Deadline recently revealed, having replaced Hugh Grant due to schedule availabilities.
Other cast confirmed include Aurora Perrineau as lead, Cliff Curtis, Killian Scott, Misia Butler, Leila Farzad, Nabhaan Rizwan, Rakie Ayola and Stanley Townsend.
The show from Chernobyl producer Sister and Anthem is currently filming in Spain and is described as a “bold, darkly comic, contemporary take on Greek mythology, exploring love, life and power in the underworld.” It was first revealed in 2018 and officially greenlit by the UK team last year.
Mazar, who broke out in Goodfellas, Little Man Tate and Singles, is currently starring in Netflix’s The Pentaverate as Patty Davis,...
Entourage star Debi Mazar will play the coveted role in the upcoming mythological series from End of the F***ing World creator Charlie Covell, joining an ensemble cast including Jeff Goldblum, Janet McTeer and David Thewlis. Goldblum will play Zeus, Deadline recently revealed, having replaced Hugh Grant due to schedule availabilities.
Other cast confirmed include Aurora Perrineau as lead, Cliff Curtis, Killian Scott, Misia Butler, Leila Farzad, Nabhaan Rizwan, Rakie Ayola and Stanley Townsend.
The show from Chernobyl producer Sister and Anthem is currently filming in Spain and is described as a “bold, darkly comic, contemporary take on Greek mythology, exploring love, life and power in the underworld.” It was first revealed in 2018 and officially greenlit by the UK team last year.
Mazar, who broke out in Goodfellas, Little Man Tate and Singles, is currently starring in Netflix’s The Pentaverate as Patty Davis,...
- 8/22/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Rafael Cobos, the co-screenwriter of Alberto Rodríguez’s Goya best picture winner “Marshland” and “The Plague,” one of Movistar Plus’ most ambitious series ever, is getting his own show.
Moving into production on July 18, “El hijo zurdo” stars María León, a stunning 2011 San Sebastian best actress winner for “The Sleeping Voice,” in a series which Cobos describes an “emotional thriller.”
Movistar Plus’ newly announced original is not only written by Cobos but co-directed too in the directorial debut of the Seville-based scribe.
A six part, half hour drama, “El Hijo Zurdo” is scheduled for release first half of 2023. Movistar Plus Internacional is handling worldwide distribution.
Cobos’ career-long relationship with Rodríguez takes in the Spanish director’s 2022 San Sebastian opening movie “Prison 77” and his episode in “Offworld,” a Movistar Plus anthology series which world premieres out of competition at San Sebastián.
Cobos has also co-written “The Unit,” Movistar Plus’ hit action-espionage series,...
Moving into production on July 18, “El hijo zurdo” stars María León, a stunning 2011 San Sebastian best actress winner for “The Sleeping Voice,” in a series which Cobos describes an “emotional thriller.”
Movistar Plus’ newly announced original is not only written by Cobos but co-directed too in the directorial debut of the Seville-based scribe.
A six part, half hour drama, “El Hijo Zurdo” is scheduled for release first half of 2023. Movistar Plus Internacional is handling worldwide distribution.
Cobos’ career-long relationship with Rodríguez takes in the Spanish director’s 2022 San Sebastian opening movie “Prison 77” and his episode in “Offworld,” a Movistar Plus anthology series which world premieres out of competition at San Sebastián.
Cobos has also co-written “The Unit,” Movistar Plus’ hit action-espionage series,...
- 7/18/2022
- by Pablo Sandoval and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Serbian drama “The Family,” which swept the newly launched Heart of Sarajevo TV Awards at the Sarajevo Film Festival on Monday, has sold to North America, Variety can reveal.
Directed by Bojan Vuletić (“Requiem for Mrs. J”) and produced by Firefly Productions, the show will launch this fall on the Ott service MHz Choice, where it will join the streamer’s roster of top-flight European titles, including the Italian hit “Inspector Montalbano” and the Movistar Plus original series “Arde Madrid.”
“The Family” is a five-part miniseries which tells the inside story of the three days leading up to the arrest of the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević. At Monday’s award ceremony in Sarajevo, it won best drama series, best series creator for Vuletić, and best actor for leading man Boris Isaković.
Vuletić, whose acerbic portrait of a suicidal widow, “Requiem for Mrs. J,” earned critical praise following its world...
Directed by Bojan Vuletić (“Requiem for Mrs. J”) and produced by Firefly Productions, the show will launch this fall on the Ott service MHz Choice, where it will join the streamer’s roster of top-flight European titles, including the Italian hit “Inspector Montalbano” and the Movistar Plus original series “Arde Madrid.”
“The Family” is a five-part miniseries which tells the inside story of the three days leading up to the arrest of the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević. At Monday’s award ceremony in Sarajevo, it won best drama series, best series creator for Vuletić, and best actor for leading man Boris Isaković.
Vuletić, whose acerbic portrait of a suicidal widow, “Requiem for Mrs. J,” earned critical praise following its world...
- 8/18/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Starring “House of Flowers’” Paco Leon, produced by “Patria” showrunner Aitor Gabilondo for network Mediaset España, and written by “Elite” creator Darío Madrona, Disney Plus’ first Spanish original bows Friday in Spain on Star.
Billed as “a kind of ‘Love Actually’ in times of pandemic,” “Besos al Aire” weighs in as a two-part miniseries, crisscrossing eight stories of lockdown love sparked by Spain’s first – and worst – March 14-May 2 confinement. Though a romantic comedy, “Besos al Aire” looks likely to stand as the first big, scripted record of how Spaniards reacted to Covid-19. Though a pickup, not an original production, it may also say something about what Disney Plus and Star will produce or buy in Spain, and the state of Spanish drama series production in general. Five takes on the new series:
Broadcast Networks’ Role in the New TV Landscape
Since 2017, when Netflix and Movistar Plus released their first originals,...
Billed as “a kind of ‘Love Actually’ in times of pandemic,” “Besos al Aire” weighs in as a two-part miniseries, crisscrossing eight stories of lockdown love sparked by Spain’s first – and worst – March 14-May 2 confinement. Though a romantic comedy, “Besos al Aire” looks likely to stand as the first big, scripted record of how Spaniards reacted to Covid-19. Though a pickup, not an original production, it may also say something about what Disney Plus and Star will produce or buy in Spain, and the state of Spanish drama series production in general. Five takes on the new series:
Broadcast Networks’ Role in the New TV Landscape
Since 2017, when Netflix and Movistar Plus released their first originals,...
- 3/25/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
In a novel experiment for Spain, Telefonica unit Movistar Plus will release its big new banner series, Enrique Urbizu’s historical adventure “Libertad,” day-and-date on March 26 on both its pay-svod platform and in Spanish theaters.
Theatrical distribution in Spain on “Libertad,” which is set in early 19th century Spain, in the wake of the French Revolution, will be handled by Adolfo Blanco’s A Contracorriente Films.
Beta Film has international distribution rights on the series, produced by Movistar Plus with Gonzalo Sálazar-Simpson’s Lazona, which also made Urbizu’s prior Movistar original series, “Gigantes.”
The theatrical release will not be nominal but “broad,” said Movistar Plus president Sergio Oslé. It will take advantage of Holy Week, which begins on March 26, and often sees a surge in box office in Spain, Blanco added.
The movie will run 135 minutes, the series bows as a five-part original of 50-minute episodes, which can be...
Theatrical distribution in Spain on “Libertad,” which is set in early 19th century Spain, in the wake of the French Revolution, will be handled by Adolfo Blanco’s A Contracorriente Films.
Beta Film has international distribution rights on the series, produced by Movistar Plus with Gonzalo Sálazar-Simpson’s Lazona, which also made Urbizu’s prior Movistar original series, “Gigantes.”
The theatrical release will not be nominal but “broad,” said Movistar Plus president Sergio Oslé. It will take advantage of Holy Week, which begins on March 26, and often sees a surge in box office in Spain, Blanco added.
The movie will run 135 minutes, the series bows as a five-part original of 50-minute episodes, which can be...
- 2/18/2021
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
In a powerful Spanish talent package, “Patria” director Felix Viscarret is set to direct “House of Flowers” Paco Leon and “Nasdrovia” star Leonor Watling in psychological thriller “From the Shadows” (“Desde la Sombra”), adapting a novel by Spanish writer Juan José Millas, winner of most of Spain’s foremost literary awards, including the Planeta, Nadal and National Narrative Awards.
A star of sitcom “Aida,” a free-to-air TV phenomenon over 2005-14, and more latterly Netflix Mexico hit “House of Flowers,” Leon co-wrote and directed “Arde Madrid,” a Movistar Plus Rose d’Or winning original series. Star of Pedro Almodovar’s Academy Award winning “Talk to Her,” Watling confirmed her comic talents most recently in Movistar Plus’ excruciatingly discomforting Russian mob comedy “Nasdrovia.”
Produced by Academy Award winning Tornasol Media (“The Secret in Their Eyes”), and co-produced by Belgium’s Entre Chien et Loup, “From the Shadows” will be brought onto the...
A star of sitcom “Aida,” a free-to-air TV phenomenon over 2005-14, and more latterly Netflix Mexico hit “House of Flowers,” Leon co-wrote and directed “Arde Madrid,” a Movistar Plus Rose d’Or winning original series. Star of Pedro Almodovar’s Academy Award winning “Talk to Her,” Watling confirmed her comic talents most recently in Movistar Plus’ excruciatingly discomforting Russian mob comedy “Nasdrovia.”
Produced by Academy Award winning Tornasol Media (“The Secret in Their Eyes”), and co-produced by Belgium’s Entre Chien et Loup, “From the Shadows” will be brought onto the...
- 11/30/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Few figures in the Spanish film industry dress as formerly, or as well, as Malaga Intl. Film Festival director Juan Antonio Vigar. But then he takes his job very seriously indeed. While many other Spanish festival directors have more or less maintained the formats of their events, Vigar has innovated constantly since taking over in 2013. The result is a bouquet of industry initiatives which only San Sebastian can equal in Spain, and which channel the key pivots in Spanish-language production at large: The gathering sense of one common production market in Spain and Latin America; the two-way street with drama series production; the primacy of talent.
Variety talked to Vigar in the run-up to its 2020 Spanish Screenings:
The key direction in which you’ve taken Malaga is “apertura,” an opening up, whether in its geographical ambit or types of titles….
Cultural initiatives must be reset from time to time, to allow them to breathe,...
Variety talked to Vigar in the run-up to its 2020 Spanish Screenings:
The key direction in which you’ve taken Malaga is “apertura,” an opening up, whether in its geographical ambit or types of titles….
Cultural initiatives must be reset from time to time, to allow them to breathe,...
- 11/18/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
No telecom in Europe has driven into original production with such energy as Spain’s Telefonica. Since its first series, “Velvet Collection,” bowed in Sept. 2017, its pay TV operator, Movistar Plus, has produced 21 original series, 13 returning seasons and one original film, Alejandro Amenábar’s “While At War.”
These titles include quite possibly the biggest scripted series ever made in Spain, “The Plague,” set in 1580s’ Seville, Canneseries winner “A Perfect Life,” Rose d’Or laureate “Arde Madrid” and a string of series, most recently “The Invisible Line,” about the buildup to Eta’s first assassination, that proved more popular on Movistar Plus than the Real Madrid-Barca F.C. soccer clásico.
Conecta Fiction caught Corral as Telefonica and Atresmedia, have just launched Buendía Estudios, a series/movies production joint venture. Corral, a lesson in humility, did use his Conecta Fiction keynote, however, to set the record right on a clutch of issues,...
These titles include quite possibly the biggest scripted series ever made in Spain, “The Plague,” set in 1580s’ Seville, Canneseries winner “A Perfect Life,” Rose d’Or laureate “Arde Madrid” and a string of series, most recently “The Invisible Line,” about the buildup to Eta’s first assassination, that proved more popular on Movistar Plus than the Real Madrid-Barca F.C. soccer clásico.
Conecta Fiction caught Corral as Telefonica and Atresmedia, have just launched Buendía Estudios, a series/movies production joint venture. Corral, a lesson in humility, did use his Conecta Fiction keynote, however, to set the record right on a clutch of issues,...
- 9/1/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Movistar Plus, the pay TV/Svod arm of giant European telecom Telefonica, is upping the ante. On New Year’s Eve, it announced a first 2020 release line-up – more titles may be added – that has two big swings, more emphasis on action, and a larger number of comedy and non-fiction plays.
2020’s 14 new series or seasons marks an all-time company record.
That, however, is just Movistar Plus, and does not count any big series in the second half of the year, or any that it might put into development via a new joint production venture, announced in September, with broadcast network Atresmedia.
Also, there may be more feature films, following on the company’s first original movie, Alejandro Amenábar’s “While at War,” which earned a gratifying €11.0 million at the Spanish box office this year, and established the pay TV unit as one of the very few companies in Spain...
2020’s 14 new series or seasons marks an all-time company record.
That, however, is just Movistar Plus, and does not count any big series in the second half of the year, or any that it might put into development via a new joint production venture, announced in September, with broadcast network Atresmedia.
Also, there may be more feature films, following on the company’s first original movie, Alejandro Amenábar’s “While at War,” which earned a gratifying €11.0 million at the Spanish box office this year, and established the pay TV unit as one of the very few companies in Spain...
- 12/31/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — The Mediapro Studio and Amazon Prime Video have teamed to make “Una Vida, Una Cena,” the most Proustian of 2019 Spanish original series, a portrait of six celebrities through their gastronomic emotions, sensations and memories.
Created and hosted by Spanish three-star Michelin chef Quique Dacosta and Ran Tellem, The Mediapro Studio’s head of international content development, the series stars singer -composer Alejandro Sanz, and actors Najwa Nimri, an international figure after “Vis-a-Vis” (“Locked Up”), one of Spain’s first big breakout hits, and Inma Cuesta, the lead of Movistar Plus’ “Arde Madrid,” a major Rose d’Or winner on Dec. 1.
Other interviewees are bullfighter José María Manzanares, Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza, actor Andrés Valencoso (“Velvet Collection”).
Bowing on Dec. 17, “The Dinner of a Lifetime” says much about The Mediapro Studio and Amazon Prime Video’s non-fiction ambitions, as well as the singular intellectual pursuit of Dacosta, a thinking man...
Created and hosted by Spanish three-star Michelin chef Quique Dacosta and Ran Tellem, The Mediapro Studio’s head of international content development, the series stars singer -composer Alejandro Sanz, and actors Najwa Nimri, an international figure after “Vis-a-Vis” (“Locked Up”), one of Spain’s first big breakout hits, and Inma Cuesta, the lead of Movistar Plus’ “Arde Madrid,” a major Rose d’Or winner on Dec. 1.
Other interviewees are bullfighter José María Manzanares, Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza, actor Andrés Valencoso (“Velvet Collection”).
Bowing on Dec. 17, “The Dinner of a Lifetime” says much about The Mediapro Studio and Amazon Prime Video’s non-fiction ambitions, as well as the singular intellectual pursuit of Dacosta, a thinking man...
- 12/13/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Jan Motjo’s Beta Films has found new broadcast homes for the Movistar Plus original series “Arde Madrid,” which won the Rose d’Or-Award for Best Comedy or Drama this past Sunday in London. The Virginia-based MHz Networks will broadcast the series in the U.S., France Televisions in France, HBO in Brazil and Teleclub in Switzerland.
According to Beta, negotiations are ongoing with broadcast partners in Russia, Eastern Europe, Portugal and Greece.
Co-created and co-written by Anna R. Costa and Paco Léon,who also stars in the show, “Arde Madrid” was an immediate hit in Spain for Telefonica’s Movistar Plus, quickly becoming the service’s most binged series ever after its November 2018 release. Since then it has hauled in a raft of prizes including best comedy at Spain’s Feroz Awards, the country’s Golden Globes, best miniseries or TV-series at the Platino Awards; and Sunday’s Rose d’Or.
According to Beta, negotiations are ongoing with broadcast partners in Russia, Eastern Europe, Portugal and Greece.
Co-created and co-written by Anna R. Costa and Paco Léon,who also stars in the show, “Arde Madrid” was an immediate hit in Spain for Telefonica’s Movistar Plus, quickly becoming the service’s most binged series ever after its November 2018 release. Since then it has hauled in a raft of prizes including best comedy at Spain’s Feroz Awards, the country’s Golden Globes, best miniseries or TV-series at the Platino Awards; and Sunday’s Rose d’Or.
- 12/6/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
HBO and Sky drama Chernobyl was a double winner at the Rose D’Or awards. The event, which was held in London and presented by Lenny Henry, awarded The Golden Rose Award to the Sister Pictures-produced limited series, which also picked up the best drama award, ahead of Killing Eve, Succession, Years and Years, 8 Days and Escape at Dannemora. The Studio Entertainment award was won by BBC One’s Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, with the Comedy category going to Canadian series Baroness von Sketch Show and the Comedy Drama and Sitcom to Spanish series Arde Madrid. Orphans of a Nation, the Brazilian drama from Globo, won in the Soaps and Telenovelas category, while the Children and Youth award was presented to Norwegian series ZombieLars, which pairs slapstick gags with social commentary. The Reality and Factual Entertainment category was won by BBC2’s The Repair Shop, the Arts category...
- 12/2/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Beta Film has added two more high-profile Spanish scripted series from Movistar Plus to its lineup ahead of Mipcom. The Germany-based content outfit has a history of selling Spanish drama globally, and has snagged the rights to action-thriller “La Unidad” and drama series “Tell Me Who I Am.”
The scripted series will be highlights of the Movistar Plus 2020 lineup as the pay-tv and streaming outfit goes deeper into original drama. Beta and Movistar Plus have a co-production and distribution deal in place, with recent successes including Alex Pina’s “The Pier,” Leticia Dolera‘s “Perfect Life” and Paco Leon’s “Arde Madrid.”
Beta Film will bring the two new dramas to market for the first time at Mipcom, the biggest event on the international TV calendar. Both “La Unidad” and “Tell Me Who I Am” are in production, and the focus at Mipcom will be pre-sales.
“La Unidad” re-teams director...
The scripted series will be highlights of the Movistar Plus 2020 lineup as the pay-tv and streaming outfit goes deeper into original drama. Beta and Movistar Plus have a co-production and distribution deal in place, with recent successes including Alex Pina’s “The Pier,” Leticia Dolera‘s “Perfect Life” and Paco Leon’s “Arde Madrid.”
Beta Film will bring the two new dramas to market for the first time at Mipcom, the biggest event on the international TV calendar. Both “La Unidad” and “Tell Me Who I Am” are in production, and the focus at Mipcom will be pre-sales.
“La Unidad” re-teams director...
- 9/27/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Three years ago, Spain’s independent TV production sector was heading toward a crisis with ever lower profit margins. Cut to 2019, and Spain is enjoying a golden age of drama series production, while consolidating as a global production center.
One major factor in the turnaround has been Movistar Plus, the pay TV unit of Telefonica. It has made the biggest push into high-end original production of any telecom in Europe — just as U.S. and European telcos scramble to compete for content with media companies.
The first results, at home and abroad, of Telefonica’s content drive are now in.
One is a turnaround. In the fourth quarter of 2016, Movistar Plus lost 54,000 pay-tv subscribers. After its first three original series had been released, Movistar Plus added 80,700 in Q4 2017. Since July 2017, releasing 22 original or returning series through September, Movistar Plus has posted eight consecutive quarters of steady pay TV household growth,...
One major factor in the turnaround has been Movistar Plus, the pay TV unit of Telefonica. It has made the biggest push into high-end original production of any telecom in Europe — just as U.S. and European telcos scramble to compete for content with media companies.
The first results, at home and abroad, of Telefonica’s content drive are now in.
One is a turnaround. In the fourth quarter of 2016, Movistar Plus lost 54,000 pay-tv subscribers. After its first three original series had been released, Movistar Plus added 80,700 in Q4 2017. Since July 2017, releasing 22 original or returning series through September, Movistar Plus has posted eight consecutive quarters of steady pay TV household growth,...
- 9/13/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
In this week’s International TV Newswire, “Hierro” breaks records in Spain, Sky readies fora diabolic Mipcom, Nent realigns, reflecting new market realities, Buena Vista drills down on gender crime, Drg, All3Media and EndemolShine strike production or sales deals.
Renewed, “Hierro” Triumphs in Spain
Movistar+, the pay TV unit of Telefonica, Europe’s third biggest telecom, has a hit on its hands. It says much, moreover, about Europe’s still building drama series scene.
This week, “Hierro,” a crime drama first seen at Seriesmania, was renewed for Season 2, and confirmed by Spain’s Movistar as its most-viewed of its first Original Series releases to date, judged over its first 80 days.
The result is a triumph for the series’ creators, Portocabo producer Alfonso Blanco and screenwriter Pepe Coira, plus director Jorge Coira. It also vindicates Movistar+ entry into international co-production, here with upscale French network Arte, Galicia-based Portocabo and the Lagardère Group’s Atlantique Productions,...
Renewed, “Hierro” Triumphs in Spain
Movistar+, the pay TV unit of Telefonica, Europe’s third biggest telecom, has a hit on its hands. It says much, moreover, about Europe’s still building drama series scene.
This week, “Hierro,” a crime drama first seen at Seriesmania, was renewed for Season 2, and confirmed by Spain’s Movistar as its most-viewed of its first Original Series releases to date, judged over its first 80 days.
The result is a triumph for the series’ creators, Portocabo producer Alfonso Blanco and screenwriter Pepe Coira, plus director Jorge Coira. It also vindicates Movistar+ entry into international co-production, here with upscale French network Arte, Galicia-based Portocabo and the Lagardère Group’s Atlantique Productions,...
- 9/6/2019
- by Jamie Lang and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Just over two weeks before its Sept. 20 global launch, Netflix has dropped its first full franchise trailer of “Criminal,” a 12-episode, four-part police interrogation anthology which reworks the procedural format taking it to a new European level, while focusing on what episodic drama is often held to disdain: Character and actors’ performance.
Netflix has already teased the crime thriller’s best-of-their class European key cast. Others trailers have targeted the individual countries where “Criminal” episodes are set – U.K., Spain, France and Germany – three in each country.
Wednesday’s trailer is, however, the first full-franchise reveal of action across the series, hinting at some of the its major fascinations, innovations and character details.
Playing suspects, many of “Criminal’s” guests stars are hailed in home countries as among their generation’s finest actors. Of U.K. stars, entering a lift at the beginning of the trailer is the bulky former...
Netflix has already teased the crime thriller’s best-of-their class European key cast. Others trailers have targeted the individual countries where “Criminal” episodes are set – U.K., Spain, France and Germany – three in each country.
Wednesday’s trailer is, however, the first full-franchise reveal of action across the series, hinting at some of the its major fascinations, innovations and character details.
Playing suspects, many of “Criminal’s” guests stars are hailed in home countries as among their generation’s finest actors. Of U.K. stars, entering a lift at the beginning of the trailer is the bulky former...
- 9/4/2019
- by John Hopewell and Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Marking its eighth quarter of consecutive growth in pay TV clients, Movistar Plus, the pay TV/Svod division of Telefonica, Europe’s third-biggest telecom, punched 11,300 net additions in customers from April to June.
The figure is 49% up year-on-year in terms of net adds, and takes Movistar’s total pay TV sub count in Spain to 4,106,100, extending its domination as Spain’s biggest pay TV player.
“These are very good results coming despite the recent launch of multiple new video Ott players in Spain and the end of the soccer season,” said Maria Aguete Rua, Ihs Markit executive director, technology, media & telecom.
“This proves that it’s not only sports that drives pay TV growth in Spain, but also content, movies and series,” she added, noting that eight of the top 10 shows on Movistar Plus’ platform are original series.
Movistar clients in Spain may have got into a habit of...
The figure is 49% up year-on-year in terms of net adds, and takes Movistar’s total pay TV sub count in Spain to 4,106,100, extending its domination as Spain’s biggest pay TV player.
“These are very good results coming despite the recent launch of multiple new video Ott players in Spain and the end of the soccer season,” said Maria Aguete Rua, Ihs Markit executive director, technology, media & telecom.
“This proves that it’s not only sports that drives pay TV growth in Spain, but also content, movies and series,” she added, noting that eight of the top 10 shows on Movistar Plus’ platform are original series.
Movistar clients in Spain may have got into a habit of...
- 7/26/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Pamplona, Spain — One issue dominated “Fiction Series, the Tsunami Continues,” a Conecta Fiction presentation by Madrid-based consultancy Gabinete de Estudios de la Comunicación Audiovisual: the impact of streaming services on scripted series, their production and consumption.
In an analysis of the main markets in Europe and Latin America which drew on multiple studies and occasionally took in the U.S., Geca deputy director general Luis de Zubiarre Wagner returned time and again to the theme at a presentation on June 18:
*In the U.S., Ott platforms for the first time released more series in 2018 (160) than basic cable (144), free to air TV (146) and premium cable (45), according to an FX study.
*The biggest sub-genre of U.S. releases, and the one which showed the biggest growth last year, was fantasy/sci-fi, with a total 119 new series bowing in 2018. That reflects these shows’ popularity on streaming platforms, and is one reason why...
In an analysis of the main markets in Europe and Latin America which drew on multiple studies and occasionally took in the U.S., Geca deputy director general Luis de Zubiarre Wagner returned time and again to the theme at a presentation on June 18:
*In the U.S., Ott platforms for the first time released more series in 2018 (160) than basic cable (144), free to air TV (146) and premium cable (45), according to an FX study.
*The biggest sub-genre of U.S. releases, and the one which showed the biggest growth last year, was fantasy/sci-fi, with a total 119 new series bowing in 2018. That reflects these shows’ popularity on streaming platforms, and is one reason why...
- 6/19/2019
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” made a sweep of the 6th Premios Platino on Sunday, May 12, trouncing its fellow nominees in direction, cinematography, screenplay, sound, and best Iberoamerican film.
The annual Iberoamerican awards ceremony, held once again at the Teatro Gran Tlachco within the sprawling Ecotourist Xcaret Park in Mexico’s Riviera Maya coast, was beamed live on TNT Latin America and by 19 free-to-air television networks from Latin America and Spain.
“Roma” was a shoo-in given its nine noms and all the prominent awards it has collected since its Golden Lion win at the 75th Venice Film Fest and culminating in its capture of Mexico’s first-ever best international film Oscar (formerly known as the best foreign language film award), as well as best director and best cinematography Academy Awards for Cuaron.
In a glittering ceremony opened by iconic Spanish crooner Raphael, who received a lifetime achievement award a day prior,...
The annual Iberoamerican awards ceremony, held once again at the Teatro Gran Tlachco within the sprawling Ecotourist Xcaret Park in Mexico’s Riviera Maya coast, was beamed live on TNT Latin America and by 19 free-to-air television networks from Latin America and Spain.
“Roma” was a shoo-in given its nine noms and all the prominent awards it has collected since its Golden Lion win at the 75th Venice Film Fest and culminating in its capture of Mexico’s first-ever best international film Oscar (formerly known as the best foreign language film award), as well as best director and best cinematography Academy Awards for Cuaron.
In a glittering ceremony opened by iconic Spanish crooner Raphael, who received a lifetime achievement award a day prior,...
- 5/13/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Lille, France — Few industry figures are more qualified than Jan Mojto – CEO of Beta Film, one of Europe’s biggest independent film-tv companies, once deputy CEO of KirchMedia, and current producer of “Babylon Berlin” – to place the current international scripted drama boom in perspective.
Fielding questions on a broad range of subjects from Le Film Français’ editor-in-chief François-Pier Pelinard Lambert, Mojto’s on stage conversation at Series Mania saw the dapper, courteous, self-deprecating and hugely experienced Mojto take several large bulls by the horns regarding a still building but challenged international TV landscape. Five takes:
1.The Rub: IP
The advent of digital platforms – Netflix, Amazon, Facebook Premium, now Apple – was “very good news” for producers and sales companies: Those are new clients, Mojto said: What’s “more complicated” is that, with the exception of France, platforms are paying 100% of the costs and taking 100% of the rights.” Those rules of the...
Fielding questions on a broad range of subjects from Le Film Français’ editor-in-chief François-Pier Pelinard Lambert, Mojto’s on stage conversation at Series Mania saw the dapper, courteous, self-deprecating and hugely experienced Mojto take several large bulls by the horns regarding a still building but challenged international TV landscape. Five takes:
1.The Rub: IP
The advent of digital platforms – Netflix, Amazon, Facebook Premium, now Apple – was “very good news” for producers and sales companies: Those are new clients, Mojto said: What’s “more complicated” is that, with the exception of France, platforms are paying 100% of the costs and taking 100% of the rights.” Those rules of the...
- 3/27/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
As was widely anticipated, Alfonso Cuaron’s triple Oscar-winning “Roma” dominated the 6th Premios Platino nominations, unveiled Thursday at Hollywood’s legendary Roosevelt Hotel, the site of the very first Oscars. It snagged a total of nine nominations, including best film, director, art direction, cinematography, and acting for its two Oscar-nominated actresses, Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira.
“Roma,” which won Mexico’s first best foreign-language film Oscar, is up against pics that were also submitted for their respective countries in the Academy Awards’ foreign-language category: Colombia’s “Pajaros de Verano,” Uruguay’s “La Noche de 12 Años,” and Spain’s “Campeones.” The first two titles nabbed six Premios Platino noms each while “Campeones” took five. Paraguay’s Oscar submission “Las Herederas” took five nominations.
The ceremony streamed live on Facebook with Premios Platino ambassador and CNN Español journalist Juan Carlos Arciniegas hosting the event alongside actors Joaquin Cosio, Angie Cepeda,...
“Roma,” which won Mexico’s first best foreign-language film Oscar, is up against pics that were also submitted for their respective countries in the Academy Awards’ foreign-language category: Colombia’s “Pajaros de Verano,” Uruguay’s “La Noche de 12 Años,” and Spain’s “Campeones.” The first two titles nabbed six Premios Platino noms each while “Campeones” took five. Paraguay’s Oscar submission “Las Herederas” took five nominations.
The ceremony streamed live on Facebook with Premios Platino ambassador and CNN Español journalist Juan Carlos Arciniegas hosting the event alongside actors Joaquin Cosio, Angie Cepeda,...
- 3/21/2019
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Telefonica, the European telecom which has made the largest bet on content over the last two years, saw a 6% year-in-year growth in pay TV customers in Spain, the country where that drive is most noticeable, Telefonica confirmed on a Thursday conference call, walking analysts through its full-year 2018 results.
Net subscriber additions for 2018, the first full year of releases for Movistar + Original Series, was up 55,000 for the fourth quarter of 2018 and 244,000 for the full year, 28% up on 2017’s growth of 199,000 new subs. Total Movistar + pay TV customers in Spain now stands at 4.1 million.
Telefonica’s pay TV subscriber growth reflects investment in sports, original series and original content. “Growth comes from the combination of them on a single platform “ said María Rua Aguete, Ihs Markit executive director, Media, Service Providers & Platforms, noting that after a Barcelona-Real Madrid Clásico soccer match last November, the most popular content on Movistar +...
Net subscriber additions for 2018, the first full year of releases for Movistar + Original Series, was up 55,000 for the fourth quarter of 2018 and 244,000 for the full year, 28% up on 2017’s growth of 199,000 new subs. Total Movistar + pay TV customers in Spain now stands at 4.1 million.
Telefonica’s pay TV subscriber growth reflects investment in sports, original series and original content. “Growth comes from the combination of them on a single platform “ said María Rua Aguete, Ihs Markit executive director, Media, Service Providers & Platforms, noting that after a Barcelona-Real Madrid Clásico soccer match last November, the most popular content on Movistar +...
- 2/21/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Berlin — When Variety conducted the following interview, “Arde Madrid” was a Movistar + Original Series which was sparking good word of mouth from sneak peak screenings over the summer in Madrid. Since then, it has gone on to world premiere to acclaim at the San Sebastián Festival, be renewed for a second season, become Movistar +’s most binged series ever when it bowed on the pay/Svod service in November, win best comedy series, actress (Inma Cuesta) and secondary actress (Anna Castillo) at Spain’s Premios Feroz, the nearest Spain has to the Golden Globes; and be acquired for international sales by Beta Film.
Written by León and Anna R. Costa, “Arde Madrid” turns on Ana Mari, a right-wing governess who begins the series, set in 1961, instructing a packed hall of young wives: “If your husband beats you, it’s because you’re doing something wrong.”
Ana Mari is dispatched...
Written by León and Anna R. Costa, “Arde Madrid” turns on Ana Mari, a right-wing governess who begins the series, set in 1961, instructing a packed hall of young wives: “If your husband beats you, it’s because you’re doing something wrong.”
Ana Mari is dispatched...
- 2/11/2019
- by John Hopewell and Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
Scandinavian and German drama series are putting in a strong showing at the market screenings in Berlin, along with high-profile series out of Israel, Spain and the U.K. The screenings are part of the growing Drama Series Days event in Berlin, which runs alongside the film festival.
A 24-strong roster features eight projects with a Nordic flavor, with Denmark accounting for three of those, including the third season of “Follow the Money.” Swedish shows include miniseries “A Wedding, Funeral and a Christening,” directed by Colin Nutley (“Heartbreak Hotel”).
Projects with a German influence on home turf include Zdfe-distributed German/Italian family drama “Bella Germania,” as well as “The Other Parents” from Turner, the pay-tv outfit that has been pushing into original programming.
Out of the U.K., All3Media and ITV Studios are handling sales for two projects apiece and Sky Vision another. All3Media has “Baptiste,” the BBC...
A 24-strong roster features eight projects with a Nordic flavor, with Denmark accounting for three of those, including the third season of “Follow the Money.” Swedish shows include miniseries “A Wedding, Funeral and a Christening,” directed by Colin Nutley (“Heartbreak Hotel”).
Projects with a German influence on home turf include Zdfe-distributed German/Italian family drama “Bella Germania,” as well as “The Other Parents” from Turner, the pay-tv outfit that has been pushing into original programming.
Out of the U.K., All3Media and ITV Studios are handling sales for two projects apiece and Sky Vision another. All3Media has “Baptiste,” the BBC...
- 1/25/2019
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Miami — Jan Motjo’s Beta Film has acquired worldwide sales rights to one of the most singular of Spanish comedy series released last year, Paco Leon’s “Arde Madrid,” a Movistar Original.
Beta Film made the announcement just after “Arde Madrid” was confirmed as one of the series at the 2019 Berlinale Drama Series Days Market Screenings.
Movistar’s most binged series ever, Telefonica’s pay TV unit announced after the six-part series’ commercial release in November, “Arde Madrid” is written by León and Anna R. Costa. It turns on Ana Mari, a right-wing governess sourpuss who begins the series instructing a class of young wives. “If your husband beats you,” she tells a packed hall, “it’s because you’re doing something wrong.”
Ana Mari is dispatched to the household of Ava Gardner to spy on her. The clash and gradual confluence of Gardner, Ana Mari and the other domestic staff,...
Beta Film made the announcement just after “Arde Madrid” was confirmed as one of the series at the 2019 Berlinale Drama Series Days Market Screenings.
Movistar’s most binged series ever, Telefonica’s pay TV unit announced after the six-part series’ commercial release in November, “Arde Madrid” is written by León and Anna R. Costa. It turns on Ana Mari, a right-wing governess sourpuss who begins the series instructing a class of young wives. “If your husband beats you,” she tells a packed hall, “it’s because you’re doing something wrong.”
Ana Mari is dispatched to the household of Ava Gardner to spy on her. The clash and gradual confluence of Gardner, Ana Mari and the other domestic staff,...
- 1/24/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — In an emblematic move for Spain’s film industry, José Alba’s Pecado Films, producer of “Gernika” and San Sebastian breakout “Journey to A Mother’s Room,” is moving into TV production with a series type in ever-larger demand in Spain: Social issue half-hour comedies.
With “Arde Madrid,” a comedy about Ava Gardner’s domestic entourage during the actress’ sojourn in Madrid, proclaimed by Movistar + as its most binged series ever, and “Spanish Shame” one of its breakout hits last season, Spain’s Ott platforms are on the hunt for edgy comedies, as are historic broadcasters facing up to their competition.
Created by Rubén Ávila, David Rodríguez Losada and Alba. “The P.A.” was unveiled last week at the FilmMarket Hub’s Madrid TV Pitchbox where the creators presented a light-hearted promo.
Founded in 2008, Pecado Films has emerged as a young talent platform, supporting early movies by Rodriguez...
With “Arde Madrid,” a comedy about Ava Gardner’s domestic entourage during the actress’ sojourn in Madrid, proclaimed by Movistar + as its most binged series ever, and “Spanish Shame” one of its breakout hits last season, Spain’s Ott platforms are on the hunt for edgy comedies, as are historic broadcasters facing up to their competition.
Created by Rubén Ávila, David Rodríguez Losada and Alba. “The P.A.” was unveiled last week at the FilmMarket Hub’s Madrid TV Pitchbox where the creators presented a light-hearted promo.
Founded in 2008, Pecado Films has emerged as a young talent platform, supporting early movies by Rodriguez...
- 12/24/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Cancun, Mexico — It’s boom time for drama series production in Mexico, Spain and Brazil, driven by pay TV and Ott players and their competitors alike. As a co-production forum, the 5th MipCancun moved up a gear. This year saw its biggest attendance, plus strategic alliances, hints at or presentations of multiple new series announcements of huge ambitions – Televisa’s 20-title remake extravaganza Fábrica de sueños; Secouya’s plan for a Madrid Content City. 14 takes on the new Spanish-language series gold rush:
1.Spanish-language Series Production Booms
MipCancun rocked. But it did so as a production forum, not a classic sales market. The production driver? The ever more fully-fledged Ott platform financing phenomenon. “It started focused much more on global content. But we’ve seen a second wave now of these same players – Netflix, Amazon, moving into more local content, in Latin America, India, Korea, even in the Middle East,” Creative Artists...
1.Spanish-language Series Production Booms
MipCancun rocked. But it did so as a production forum, not a classic sales market. The production driver? The ever more fully-fledged Ott platform financing phenomenon. “It started focused much more on global content. But we’ve seen a second wave now of these same players – Netflix, Amazon, moving into more local content, in Latin America, India, Korea, even in the Middle East,” Creative Artists...
- 11/20/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
In the first scene of “El Embarcadero” (“The Pier”), from “Money Heist” creators Alex Pina and Esther Martinez Lobato, Oscar vidcams his lover, Veronica, naked in bed, getting up, popping on a dress and walking out in dazzling sun onto her patio, the stunning L’Albufera freshwater lagoon beyond.
“The Pier’s” opening captures in a nutshell much of Movistar Plus’ major wager as an original series producer, the biggest of any telecom in Europe, having bowed 11 series from “Velvet Collection” in late September last year. Series is co-produced with Atresmedia Series and Vancouver Media.
It’s a just one-minute scene, filmed, however in 20 shots, with incisive style and the money that only a big-budget series can bring. But Movistar + is willing to put large resources at its creators’ disposal. Recreating c.1580 Seville, serial killer thriller “The Plague’s” six episodes cost €10 million ($11.6 million).
One of Mipcom’s only two World Premiere TV Screenings,...
“The Pier’s” opening captures in a nutshell much of Movistar Plus’ major wager as an original series producer, the biggest of any telecom in Europe, having bowed 11 series from “Velvet Collection” in late September last year. Series is co-produced with Atresmedia Series and Vancouver Media.
It’s a just one-minute scene, filmed, however in 20 shots, with incisive style and the money that only a big-budget series can bring. But Movistar + is willing to put large resources at its creators’ disposal. Recreating c.1580 Seville, serial killer thriller “The Plague’s” six episodes cost €10 million ($11.6 million).
One of Mipcom’s only two World Premiere TV Screenings,...
- 10/16/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Cutting-edge international drama used to be deadly serious: Think Nordic Noir.
“Arde Madrid,” represents a departure.
An eight-part half-hour created by Paco Leon and Anna R. Costa, the comedy-thriller yokes Spain’s grand movie comic tradition of caustic neorealism — think Rafael Azcona and Luis Berlanga — with suspense and romance, B&W cinematography of, in set pieces, the highest order; and a period of 1961 Madrid’s little known Dolce Vita, energized with Romani clans, flamenco dives, whiskey and sex, and real-life figures, led by the extraordinary Ava Gardner.
But it is its thoroughly modern feminist filter that really gives “Arde Madrid” its contempo edge and broader attraction while suggesting one way Movistar + is going as a company.
Gardner came to Madrid in 1957 to mourn her failed marriage to Frank Sinatra and find respect and freedom far away from the censorious eye of Hollywood, which deemed her white trash. Four years later,...
“Arde Madrid,” represents a departure.
An eight-part half-hour created by Paco Leon and Anna R. Costa, the comedy-thriller yokes Spain’s grand movie comic tradition of caustic neorealism — think Rafael Azcona and Luis Berlanga — with suspense and romance, B&W cinematography of, in set pieces, the highest order; and a period of 1961 Madrid’s little known Dolce Vita, energized with Romani clans, flamenco dives, whiskey and sex, and real-life figures, led by the extraordinary Ava Gardner.
But it is its thoroughly modern feminist filter that really gives “Arde Madrid” its contempo edge and broader attraction while suggesting one way Movistar + is going as a company.
Gardner came to Madrid in 1957 to mourn her failed marriage to Frank Sinatra and find respect and freedom far away from the censorious eye of Hollywood, which deemed her white trash. Four years later,...
- 10/16/2018
- by Emiliano Granada and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
San Sebastian — San Sebastian, the highest-profile festival and biggest movie event in the Spanish-speaking world, wraps Saturday after nine days of sun, some festival hits, deals and intense business discussions about gender parity and the future for Spanish-film-making in a future ever more dominated by digital platforms or vast and fast consolidating conglom-studio combos.
Ten takeaways from this year’s 67th edition.
1.Festivals: More Crucial Than Ever
The festival’s banner deal saw Film Factory Ent. seal world sales on San Sebastian Co-Production Forum winner “La Llorona,” from “Ixcanul” director Jayro Bustamente, about a mother ready to wreak vengeance on the never-punished soldier-now politician who killed her children.
Multiple sales agents deals went down – or were announced – on still available festival titles in the run-up to Toronto and San Sebastian or at the festivals. Luxbox (“Rojo”), Indie Sales (“Core of the World”), Latido (“Happiness”), Loco Films (“Journey to a Mother...
Ten takeaways from this year’s 67th edition.
1.Festivals: More Crucial Than Ever
The festival’s banner deal saw Film Factory Ent. seal world sales on San Sebastian Co-Production Forum winner “La Llorona,” from “Ixcanul” director Jayro Bustamente, about a mother ready to wreak vengeance on the never-punished soldier-now politician who killed her children.
Multiple sales agents deals went down – or were announced – on still available festival titles in the run-up to Toronto and San Sebastian or at the festivals. Luxbox (“Rojo”), Indie Sales (“Core of the World”), Latido (“Happiness”), Loco Films (“Journey to a Mother...
- 9/28/2018
- by John Hopewell, Emiliano De Pablos and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Once again, Telefonica’s pay TV unit Movistar+ is offering a completely different and new experience to its viewers, while demonstrating a core principle that plays through its original series: High-end scripted content derives from high-quality scripts and creative freedom.
“Arde Madrid” (Madrid on Fire) takes the audience back to a 1961 Spanish capital and the often mundane but sometime vibrant adventures of Ana Mari, a governess dispatched by Franco’s neo-fascist regime to become a spy, working as a servant in the house of one of the most incredible female figures of her time: Ava Gardner.
Channeling Spain’s grand movie comic tradition – think Rafael Azcona and Luis Berlanga – this black and white comedy manages to mix suspense and romance while profiling real life figures such as Gardner, Argentina’s General Perón and Charlton Heston, endowing them with large humanity. While playing the male lead, Spanish actor-director Paco León also directs,...
“Arde Madrid” (Madrid on Fire) takes the audience back to a 1961 Spanish capital and the often mundane but sometime vibrant adventures of Ana Mari, a governess dispatched by Franco’s neo-fascist regime to become a spy, working as a servant in the house of one of the most incredible female figures of her time: Ava Gardner.
Channeling Spain’s grand movie comic tradition – think Rafael Azcona and Luis Berlanga – this black and white comedy manages to mix suspense and romance while profiling real life figures such as Gardner, Argentina’s General Perón and Charlton Heston, endowing them with large humanity. While playing the male lead, Spanish actor-director Paco León also directs,...
- 9/27/2018
- by Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
In budget, and even maybe cinematographic values, the weightiest world premiere at this year’s San Sebastian Festival, the biggest movie event in the Spanish-speaking world, will be a TV drama: Movistar Plus’ “Gigantes,” a brutal Madrid crime family saga.
Another Movistar+ original series, Paco Leon’s “Arde Madrid,” a comedy shot in black-and-white about the antics and tribulations of Ava Gardner’s domestic staff in 1961 Madrid, has potential as a crowd-pleaser.
The premium pay-tv operator is seeking to create content that will set it apart from rivals, and “Gigantes” and “Arde Madrid,” its ninth and 10th original series, form part of the most muscular drive into premium TV production by any of Europe’s big telecoms.
Movistar + parent Telefonica, Europe’s second biggest telecom, whose 2017 revenues totaled €50 billion ($60 billion).
The content drive is now showing its first results, not only in Spain but also abroad, where Movistar + cut its first banner deals.
Another Movistar+ original series, Paco Leon’s “Arde Madrid,” a comedy shot in black-and-white about the antics and tribulations of Ava Gardner’s domestic staff in 1961 Madrid, has potential as a crowd-pleaser.
The premium pay-tv operator is seeking to create content that will set it apart from rivals, and “Gigantes” and “Arde Madrid,” its ninth and 10th original series, form part of the most muscular drive into premium TV production by any of Europe’s big telecoms.
Movistar + parent Telefonica, Europe’s second biggest telecom, whose 2017 revenues totaled €50 billion ($60 billion).
The content drive is now showing its first results, not only in Spain but also abroad, where Movistar + cut its first banner deals.
- 9/21/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
With its 66th edition running Sept. 21-29, San Sebastian is the highest-profile festival in the Spanish-speaking world. Here are 10 things to watch for at this year’s installment.
Pursuing Parity
Could the tide be turning? Following Cannes, Locarno, Sarajevo and Venice, of European events, San Sebastian will sign a gender-parity charter at this year’s event. More eye-catching, San Sebastian joins a growing bevy of events — Venice Days and Mexico’s Morelia, for example — in having at least one major section with more titles directed by women than men. In San Sebastian’s case, it is the 2018 Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum. That makes sense: Screening finished films, festivals depend on women’s movies getting made, and highlighting projects can further that goal. “We support ways for more women’s films to get made,” says San Sebastian director José Luis Rebordinos.
Stars
Danny DeVito, Judi Dench and Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose “Shoplifters...
Pursuing Parity
Could the tide be turning? Following Cannes, Locarno, Sarajevo and Venice, of European events, San Sebastian will sign a gender-parity charter at this year’s event. More eye-catching, San Sebastian joins a growing bevy of events — Venice Days and Mexico’s Morelia, for example — in having at least one major section with more titles directed by women than men. In San Sebastian’s case, it is the 2018 Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum. That makes sense: Screening finished films, festivals depend on women’s movies getting made, and highlighting projects can further that goal. “We support ways for more women’s films to get made,” says San Sebastian director José Luis Rebordinos.
Stars
Danny DeVito, Judi Dench and Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose “Shoplifters...
- 9/21/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
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