The stars are aligning on political thriller “The Chauffeur’s Son,” a six-part series from acclaimed Spanish creative duo Isaki Lacuesta and Isa Campo.
It is one of five projects that has pulled down a muscular €1.5 million (1.6 million) grant from Catalonia’s Icec film-tv aimed at ensuring potential production partners that the series can bring series money to the table.
It comes after the two which won two Golden Shells at San Sebastian, for “The Double Steps” (2011) and “Between Two Waters” (2018), have demonstrated their chops for directing broad audience drama series, directing and in Campo’s case writing two episodes in Movistar+’s series “Offworld,” a Variety 2022 Best International TV Series.
“Elite’s” Zeta Studios is producing “The Chauffeur’s Son.” It has also been selected to compete at this year’s Berlinale Series Market’s Co-Pro Series, one of Europe’s foremost drama series project showcases. It hits the pitching session on Feb.
It is one of five projects that has pulled down a muscular €1.5 million (1.6 million) grant from Catalonia’s Icec film-tv aimed at ensuring potential production partners that the series can bring series money to the table.
It comes after the two which won two Golden Shells at San Sebastian, for “The Double Steps” (2011) and “Between Two Waters” (2018), have demonstrated their chops for directing broad audience drama series, directing and in Campo’s case writing two episodes in Movistar+’s series “Offworld,” a Variety 2022 Best International TV Series.
“Elite’s” Zeta Studios is producing “The Chauffeur’s Son.” It has also been selected to compete at this year’s Berlinale Series Market’s Co-Pro Series, one of Europe’s foremost drama series project showcases. It hits the pitching session on Feb.
- 2/20/2023
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
A Generation Kplus entry, “Las niñas” (Schoolgirls) is a coming-of-age story and a generational portrait of Spanish women who would now be in their forties.
This tale of sexual awakening takes place in a Catholic education center at the beginnings of the 90’s when Spain’s democracy was 15 years old. Spain had experienced galloping modernity; yet older customs and beliefs remained still deeply rooted.
The feature debut of Pilar Palomero, “La Niñas” is produced by Spain’s Inicia Films, behind Carla Simón’s Berlin-prized “Summer 1993,” and Bteam Pictures, which backed Isaki Lacuesta’s “Between Two Waters”).
Zaragoza-born, Palomero directed multi-prized shorts “Balcony Boy,” “The Night of All Things”) studied at Madrid’s Ecam and in 2013 was selected by Hungarian master Béla Tarr to participate in his training facility, film.factory, in Sarajevo.
As a project, “Las niñas” went to invited to multiple development initiatives: Netherlands Film Festival – Holland Film Meeting...
This tale of sexual awakening takes place in a Catholic education center at the beginnings of the 90’s when Spain’s democracy was 15 years old. Spain had experienced galloping modernity; yet older customs and beliefs remained still deeply rooted.
The feature debut of Pilar Palomero, “La Niñas” is produced by Spain’s Inicia Films, behind Carla Simón’s Berlin-prized “Summer 1993,” and Bteam Pictures, which backed Isaki Lacuesta’s “Between Two Waters”).
Zaragoza-born, Palomero directed multi-prized shorts “Balcony Boy,” “The Night of All Things”) studied at Madrid’s Ecam and in 2013 was selected by Hungarian master Béla Tarr to participate in his training facility, film.factory, in Sarajevo.
As a project, “Las niñas” went to invited to multiple development initiatives: Netherlands Film Festival – Holland Film Meeting...
- 2/24/2020
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Bambú Producciones, a key driving force behind the international boom in Spanish TV fiction, is entering into a phase of business expansion, tapping showrunners Josep Cister and Diego Sotelo and boosting film production brand Mr. Fields & Friends Cinema.
Founded in 2007 by Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés, and minority owned by Studiocanal, Bambú has produced a large list of high-profile TV dramas led by “Gran Hotel” and “Velvet,” whose success, especially in Latin America, proved that, for the first time ever, there was a mass audience abroad for original Spanish series.
“We are at a time when, given the market demand for Bambú content, we have decided to grow, incorporating names as important as Cister and Sotelo,” Campos told Variety.
A former TV fiction director at Lagardère’s Boomerang TV in Spain, Cister has been responsible for series such as “Old Bridge’s Secret,” “The Time In Between,” “Acacias 38” and “Presumed Guilty.
Founded in 2007 by Ramón Campos and Teresa Fernández-Valdés, and minority owned by Studiocanal, Bambú has produced a large list of high-profile TV dramas led by “Gran Hotel” and “Velvet,” whose success, especially in Latin America, proved that, for the first time ever, there was a mass audience abroad for original Spanish series.
“We are at a time when, given the market demand for Bambú content, we have decided to grow, incorporating names as important as Cister and Sotelo,” Campos told Variety.
A former TV fiction director at Lagardère’s Boomerang TV in Spain, Cister has been responsible for series such as “Old Bridge’s Secret,” “The Time In Between,” “Acacias 38” and “Presumed Guilty.
- 11/1/2019
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Movistar Plus, the pay TV unit of Telefonica, is driving into non-fiction, announcing in Madrid this week its first-ever slate of six titles which takes in Isaki Lacuesta’s “El Acusado,” Israel del Santo’s “El Palmar de Troya” and Santiago Posteguillo’s “El corazón del Imperio.”
“In Movistar+ we have a firm commitment to original production. We have been working for more than three years on entertainment and fiction. Going into non- fiction was the natural step,” María José Rodríguez Pérez, contents manager at Movistar premium channel #0 told Variety, adding: “For us to plumb non-fiction is to expand our commitment to creativity, emotion and the quality of our content.”
The move also comes as non-fiction is underscoring its market appeal on new Ott platforms. A repair last year by by Ampere Analysis suggested that over half (56%) of new titles being added to global streaming platforms were non-scripted, driven by documentary,...
“In Movistar+ we have a firm commitment to original production. We have been working for more than three years on entertainment and fiction. Going into non- fiction was the natural step,” María José Rodríguez Pérez, contents manager at Movistar premium channel #0 told Variety, adding: “For us to plumb non-fiction is to expand our commitment to creativity, emotion and the quality of our content.”
The move also comes as non-fiction is underscoring its market appeal on new Ott platforms. A repair last year by by Ampere Analysis suggested that over half (56%) of new titles being added to global streaming platforms were non-scripted, driven by documentary,...
- 10/11/2019
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
In this week’s International TV Newswire, series look to outscale the opposition, eOne make a key acquisition before Mipcom, Red Arrow’s Snowman a play for international co-production and Viacom International Studio’s flagship series clicks in Argentina.
Size Matters: Amazon’s Cortés-Moctezuma Series
On Thursday, Amazon Prime Video announced that Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal will join the creative team of its upcoming series about conquistador Hernán Cortés and Aztec empire ruler Montezuma II. At Mipcom, A & E Networks Intl. will be selling “Hernán,” a portrait again of Cortes, described by Fidela Navarro, CEO at Dopamine, the series’ lead producer, as the “largest independent series ever made in the territory under a multi-platform model of simultaneous premieres and promotion. Meanwhile, in Spain, Movistar+ is marketing “The Plague” Season 2, which world premiers at Mipcom, as “the most ambitious series in the history of Spanish television,” quoting Javier Zurro of “El Español.
Size Matters: Amazon’s Cortés-Moctezuma Series
On Thursday, Amazon Prime Video announced that Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal will join the creative team of its upcoming series about conquistador Hernán Cortés and Aztec empire ruler Montezuma II. At Mipcom, A & E Networks Intl. will be selling “Hernán,” a portrait again of Cortes, described by Fidela Navarro, CEO at Dopamine, the series’ lead producer, as the “largest independent series ever made in the territory under a multi-platform model of simultaneous premieres and promotion. Meanwhile, in Spain, Movistar+ is marketing “The Plague” Season 2, which world premiers at Mipcom, as “the most ambitious series in the history of Spanish television,” quoting Javier Zurro of “El Español.
- 10/4/2019
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Beating out other suitors, Madrid-based sales company Latido Films has closed international sales rights on Belén Funes’ anticipated San Sebastian main competition contender “A Thief’s Daughter” (“La hija de un ladrón”). BTeam Pictures will release the film in Spain.
Already one of the most talked-about titles heading to San Sebastian this year, based on word-of-mouth generated by sneak-peak screenings in Madrid and Barcelona, Funes’ feature debut is sparking buzz for both its direction as well as Greta Fernández’s lead performance.
San Sebastian Festival director José Luis Rebordinos readily admits that he and his selection team had originally thought of the film as a candidate for the festival’s New Directors section. After screening it, however, they wanted it for main competition.
Seen in Isabel Coixet’s “Elisa & Marcela,” Fernández plays Sara, a single mother traumatized by her jailed father’s abandonment who attempts to juggle reuniting...
Already one of the most talked-about titles heading to San Sebastian this year, based on word-of-mouth generated by sneak-peak screenings in Madrid and Barcelona, Funes’ feature debut is sparking buzz for both its direction as well as Greta Fernández’s lead performance.
San Sebastian Festival director José Luis Rebordinos readily admits that he and his selection team had originally thought of the film as a candidate for the festival’s New Directors section. After screening it, however, they wanted it for main competition.
Seen in Isabel Coixet’s “Elisa & Marcela,” Fernández plays Sara, a single mother traumatized by her jailed father’s abandonment who attempts to juggle reuniting...
- 7/25/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — Spain’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today the nominees for the 33rdedition of the Goya Awards, to be held at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones in Sevilla on Feb. 2, 2019.
Leading the pack with 13 nominations is Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s ultra-current political thriller “The Realm,” which impressed in San Sebastian’s main competition. The film is produced by Spain’s Tornasol and Atresmedia Cine and co-produced by Le Pacte and Mondex Cie out of France.
Spain’s foreign-language Oscar submission “Champions” scored an impressive 11 nominations of its own. The heartwarming dramedy about a special needs basketball team was a breakout hit at the Spanish box office this year, grossing €18.5 million ($21.4 million Usd) for Universal Pictures Intl. Spain.
It would hardly be a Goya Awards ceremony without one of Spain’s big three export acting talents – Banderas, Bardem or Cruz – and this year two are likely to be in attendance,...
Leading the pack with 13 nominations is Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s ultra-current political thriller “The Realm,” which impressed in San Sebastian’s main competition. The film is produced by Spain’s Tornasol and Atresmedia Cine and co-produced by Le Pacte and Mondex Cie out of France.
Spain’s foreign-language Oscar submission “Champions” scored an impressive 11 nominations of its own. The heartwarming dramedy about a special needs basketball team was a breakout hit at the Spanish box office this year, grossing €18.5 million ($21.4 million Usd) for Universal Pictures Intl. Spain.
It would hardly be a Goya Awards ceremony without one of Spain’s big three export acting talents – Banderas, Bardem or Cruz – and this year two are likely to be in attendance,...
- 12/12/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes opener Everybody Knows scores eight nominations.
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s political thriller The Realm led the Goya nominations from the Spanish Film Academy with 13 nods including for best film director, actor and original screenplay. It was closely followed by Javier Fesser’s hit comedy Champions with 11 nominations.
Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes opener Everybody Knows garnered eight nominations, including for best film, best actress for Penélope Cruz and best actor for Javier Bardem.
Fesser’s comedy is the most successful Spanish film by far at the local box office this year with a gross of $22m. Produced by Peliculas Pendleton, Movistar+ and Morena Films,...
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s political thriller The Realm led the Goya nominations from the Spanish Film Academy with 13 nods including for best film director, actor and original screenplay. It was closely followed by Javier Fesser’s hit comedy Champions with 11 nominations.
Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes opener Everybody Knows garnered eight nominations, including for best film, best actress for Penélope Cruz and best actor for Javier Bardem.
Fesser’s comedy is the most successful Spanish film by far at the local box office this year with a gross of $22m. Produced by Peliculas Pendleton, Movistar+ and Morena Films,...
- 12/12/2018
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Spanish filmmaker Isaki Lacuesta’s Between Two Waters topped the international competition at the 33rd Mar del Plata international Film Festival in Argentina, where it also picked up the best actor award for Israel Gómez Romero. A follow-up to Lacuesta's 2006 film The Legend of Time and a winner at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Between Two Waters follows the lives of two young gypsy brothers in the San Fernando Island in the form of a documentary-fiction hybrid. The jury awarded Lacuesta’s ninth film "for its cinematographic power when exploring a social, political and racial reality through a ...
- 11/18/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spanish filmmaker Isaki Lacuesta’s Between Two Waters topped the international competition at the 33rd Mar del Plata international Film Festival in Argentina, where it also picked up the best actor award for Israel Gómez Romero. A follow-up to Lacuesta's 2006 film The Legend of Time and a winner at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Between Two Waters follows the lives of two young gypsy brothers in the San Fernando Island in the form of a documentary-fiction hybrid. The jury awarded Lacuesta’s ninth film "for its cinematographic power when exploring a social, political and racial reality through a ...
- 11/18/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
San Sebastian — Isaki Lacuesta’s “Between Two Waters” won big at San Sebastian Saturday night, taking its top Golden Shell, the second time the Catalan director has won the award, after 2011’s “The Double Steps.”
Otherwise, the big winner of the night was Benjamin Naishtat’s covert violence thriller “Rojo,” which took director, actor (Dario Grandinetti) and cinematography (Pedro Sotero).
This year’s edition saw a a hugely-raised Hollywood star quotient, a half score or more of A-list talent hailing into town to tub-thump titles: Bradley Cooper (“A Star is Born”), Ryan Gosling (“First Man”), Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”), Robert Pattinson (“High Life”), Chris Hemsworth (“Bad Times at the El Royale”), John C. Reilly (“The Sisters Brothers”).
As Venice becomes ever more an Oscar platform, movies will now hit San Sebastian three weeks later, often off Toronto, their stars in tow, to capitalize on and push their potential Academy Award glory.
Otherwise, the big winner of the night was Benjamin Naishtat’s covert violence thriller “Rojo,” which took director, actor (Dario Grandinetti) and cinematography (Pedro Sotero).
This year’s edition saw a a hugely-raised Hollywood star quotient, a half score or more of A-list talent hailing into town to tub-thump titles: Bradley Cooper (“A Star is Born”), Ryan Gosling (“First Man”), Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”), Robert Pattinson (“High Life”), Chris Hemsworth (“Bad Times at the El Royale”), John C. Reilly (“The Sisters Brothers”).
As Venice becomes ever more an Oscar platform, movies will now hit San Sebastian three weeks later, often off Toronto, their stars in tow, to capitalize on and push their potential Academy Award glory.
- 9/29/2018
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- 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
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