Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Dahomey,” the Berlinale Golden Bear-winning film helmed by French-Senegalese director Mati Diop, has been sold to a raft of international territories by Les Films du Losange. Along with being acquired by Mubi in key markets, “Dahomey” has been acquired in Australia & New Zealand (Rialto), China (Hugoeast), Spain (Filmin), Portugal (Nitrato Filmes), Greece (One From the Heart), Scandinavia (NonStop Entertainement), Benelux (Cinéart), Bulgaria (Beta Films), Ex-Yugoslavia (Discovery), Hungary (Mozinet), Czech Republic (Film Europe), Romania (Voodoo), Baltic Countries (Taip Toliau), Poland (New Horizons), Ukraine (Kyivmusicfilm), Taiwan (Joint Entertainment), Indonesia (PT Falcon) and Sudu Connexion in Africa.
3D Digital Twins May Soon Offer Filmmakers Virtual Access to Spain’s Historical Sites, Protected Natural Wonders
07.03.2024 - 18:09 / variety.com
Ed Meza @edmezavar Spain’s cultural and historical heritage and its diverse natural landscapes, from Moorish castles and royal palaces to snowy peaks, vast deserts and rugged coastlines, have made the country a prime location for international films and series. In the last decade, Spain’s national government and key regions – the Canary Islands and the Basque Country’s Bizkaia – have added tax rebates and credits which now rate as among the best in Europe.
The country’s varied lands have served as practically the entire world for Netflix’s “The Crown,” while its imposing Sierra Nevada mountains in Andalusia played a key role in J.A. Bayona’s acclaimed survival drama “Society of the Snow.” Bayona used the Laguna de las Yeguas area in the Sierra Nevada as a key location in the film, which chronicles the 1972 Uruguayan airplane crash high in the snow-covered Andes that left survivors stranded on a glacier 4,000 meters above sea level known as the Valley of Tears.
The film used images from the real site in Argentina as backgrounds for the scenes shot in Spain’s Sierra Nevada. While the Spanish government is more than happy to attract international film productions to the country, there is growing concern about the protection of national parks, wildlife areas and heritage sites.
Macu Machín’s ‘The Undergrowth’ Wins Top Prize at Tenerife-based MiradasDoc
Anna Marie de la Fuente Macu Machín’s “La Hojarasca” (“The Undergrowth”) took home the top MiradaCanaria prize at the 17thMiradasDoc, which ran March 15-22 in Tenerife, Spain. Produced by El Viaje Films, Machin’s debut feature has been picking up accolades since its world premiere at Berlinale’s Forum, snagging Best Spanish Picture and director at the Malaga Film Festival’s Zonazine, a sidebar for edgier and sometimes smaller pics.
Shakira Is Grateful for Heartbreak on ‘Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,’ a Latin Pop Music Odyssey: Album Review
Thania Garcia On her first album in seven years, Shakira is focused on her evolution. The singer solidified herself as a pillar of international pop stardom, propelled by her English-language debut “Laundry Service,” in 2001, and in her freshly-released “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” she makes a grand re-entrance into society after what she’s openly called the “darkest hours” of her life, ones defined by the tabloid gossip surrounding her finances and very public breakup with soccer player Gerard Piqué.
‘Dune: Part Two’ Crosses $500M Global Box Office; ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Franchise Tops $2B Worldwide
Coming out of the weekend, and with Sunday’s actuals and Monday’s numbers included, there are new global milestones to celebrate for the two major Hollywood titles currently in release.
Upcoming Titles by Leading TV Fiction Players to Prove Spain’s Continued Competitiveness at Series Mania
Emiliano De Pablos Five upcoming Spanish TV fiction projects, involving top local production and distribution companies, feature in Coming Next from Spain, a showcase of series unspooling March 19 at Series Mania. Atresmedia TV’s “Sanctuary,” Movistar+ Plus’ “Fine Arts,” Filmax‘s “Dating in Barcelona” Season 2, The Good Mood-Mediawan’s “The Other Life” and Onza Distribution‘s “Heartless” will be presented at the event, proving once more that Spanish fiction production is in good health.
Jane Seymour’s ‘Harry Wild’ Sets Return As Acorn TV Rolls Out New Brand Look
EXCLUSIVE: Acorn TV, the streaming service aimed at Anglophiles, is getting a new look.
‘Fremont,’ Sundance Movie Starring First-Time Actor Anaita Wali Zada and Jeremy Allen White, Sells Widely for Memento International (EXCLUSIVE)
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Memento International has closed a raft of deals on “Fremont,” a critically acclaimed film starring Anaita Wali Zada, an Afghan refugee and first-time actor, and featuring “The Bear” actor Jeremy Allen White. Directed by BAFTA-nominated Iranian-born director Babak Jalali, the black-and-white movie tells the story of Donya, a young woman working at a Chinese fortune cookie factory in the San Francisco bay. Formerly a translator for the U.S.
‘Dune: Part Two’ Rises To $367.5M Global; ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Kicks Off With $80.5M WW As Early Overseas Play Begins – International Box Office
Warner Bros/Legendary Entertainment’s Dune: Part Two held strongly in its sophomore session at the international box office, adding $81M to handily cross the $200M overseas milestone, and reaching $367.5M globally.
Japanese Sci-Fi Movie ‘From the End of the World’ Takes Premier Prize at Genre Festival Fantasporto
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The 44th edition of genre film festival Fantasporto, which runs in Portugal’s second city Porto from March 1-10, has bestowed its best film award on Japanese sci-fi fantasy pic “From the End of the World,” directed by Kaz I Kiriya. The movie follows 10-year-old Hana, whose dreams transport her across various eras in Japanese history, and have the ability to save humanity. The jury’s special award went to “The Complex Forms,” Italian director Fabio D’Orta’s debut feature.
Production Spend Quadruples in Spain’s Bilbao-Bizkaia as Tax Credits Kick In
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent The incontrovertible and immediate effect of muscular tax credits, entering in force in 2023, have powered to a new level the shoot scene in Bilbao and Bizkaia – the Basque city and surrounding province in Northern Spain. Introduced on Jan. 1, 2023, the new incentives offer an up-to-60% tax deduction for national and international co-productions of film and TV projects.
Mason Greenwood pockets £500k as image rights company goes into liquidation
The image rights firm of Mason Greenwood has been voluntarily placed into liquidation, with the Manchester United forward set to pocket over half a million pounds as a result.
‘A Dead Man Cannot Live’s’ Ezekiel Montes, Sergio Siruela Team on ‘Aullar,’ Starring Elena Martinez (EXCLUSIVE)
Ed Meza @edmezavar Malaga-based writer-producer Ezekiel Montes is teaming with director Sergio Siruela on “Aullar,” a thriller centering on a father-daughter relationship. Elena Martínez, who worked with Montes on the appreciable 2021 crime thriller “A Dead Man Cannot Live” and Rafa Russo’s 2023 drama “Devoción,” stars in the film as a strong and independent woman struggling to make ends meet and support her son.
Malaga Competition Title ‘Nina’ Goes International Via Filmax
Ed Meza @edmezavar Filmax has acquired international rights to Spanish thriller “Nina,” the new feature written and directed by Andrea Jaurrieta (“Ana by Day”) that bows at this week’s Málaga Film Festival as one of its higher profile titles in main competition. Loosely based on the play of the same name by José Ramón Fernández, which borrows elements of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” “Nina” tells the story of a woman, an actress, who returns to her home town on Spain’s rugged northern coast seeking to take revenge on a celebrated writer.
‘Nowhere’ Star Anna Castillo, ‘Elite’ Icon Ester Expósito Set for ‘Death to Love,’ from ‘Piggy’ Director Carlota Pereda (EXCLUSIVE)
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Two Spanish female stars who have broken out to huge global audiences in Netflix hits – “Nowhere” and “A Perfect Story” lead Anna Castillo and Ester Expósito, highly prominent in “Elite” in early seasons – are set to star in dramedic vampire thriller “Death to Love,” (“Que muera el amor”), the first series created by “Piggy” director Carlota Pereda, who will also serve as its showrunner. “If there are two actresses you can believe are immortals, with their out-of-this-world allure and talent, it’s Anna and Ester. I can’t wait to explore this world of darkness, joy and Eternal Love with them,” Pereda told Variety.
Malaga’s Spanish Screenings Host 222 Titles, Underscore Industry Drivers: NextGen Talent, Animation, the Rise of Spain’s Regions
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent MALAGA — Antonio Chavarrías’ “Holy Mother,” Celia Rico’s “Little Loves” and Diogo Viegas’s “Alice’s Diary” play at this year’s 3rd Spanish Screenings Content, the Malaga Festival’s part of the Spanish Screenings XXL, Spain’s biggest international industry platform in its history, featuring over March 4-7 and – when it comes to Málaga – the monumental number of 222 titles. In production volume, Spain has never had it so good.
Movistar Plus+ Nabs ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ for Spain (EXCLUSIVE)
Ed Meza @edmezavar Spain’s Movistar Plus+, the pay TV/SVOD service of telco giant Telefónica, has picked up the Sky and Peacock original series “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” starring Harvey Keitel and based on the bestselling novel by Heather Morris. The six-part limited series is one of the key draws on the sales slate of All3Media International, which hosts a showcase at the London TV Screenings on Feb.
Amazon Studios’ James Farrell Outlines Strategy for Original Content in Spain, Globally Following ‘Red Queen’ Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, and James Farrell, the L.A.-based VP of international originals at Prime Video, flew to Madrid this week, with the world premiere of “Red Queen” (“Reina Roja”), the series adaption of the first book in Juan Gómez-Jurado’s hit trilogy, taking place on Monday night. The streamer is rolling off the record-breaking finale of its first weekly live entertainment show “Operación Triunfo,” and has revealed that the top three of the the ten most-watched Spanish Originals of 2023 – “My Fault,” “Awareness” and “Los Farad” – have received on average 80% of streams outside of Spain, reaching a milestone for the international reach of Prime Video’s non-English language content.
Sundance Queer Drama ‘Sebastian’ Finds U.S. and International Distribution (EXCLUSIVE)
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The Sundance queer drama “Sebastian,” directed by up-and-coming Finnish-British director Mikko Mäkelä, has been bought by Kino Lorber for U.S. distribution, along with a string of international buyers. Represented in international markets by LevelK, the film made its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
New Zealand Drama ‘My Life Is Murder’ Sees Brand New Season Widely Pre-sold by DCD Rights (EXCLUSIVE)
Emiliano De Pablos U.K.-based distributor DCD Rights has pre-sold the fourth season of New Zealand’s mystery drama “My Life Is Murder” to a raft of territories ahead of its Feb. 27 official launch at the London Screenings. Starring Lucy Lawless (“Top of the Lake,” “Spartacus,” “Xena: Warrior Princess”), the series’ brand new season rights have been secured by YLE Finland, TV2 Denmark, Quebecor Content Canada and Yes DBS Israel.
‘Catch Me a Killer,’ with ‘Game of Thrones’’ Charlotte Hope, Sells Widely as Abacus Media Rights Rolls Out Its Crime Drama Slate (EXCLUSIVE)
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Underscoring the enduring popularity of crime drama, Abacus Media Rights (AMR), an Amcomri Entertainment company, has announced a slew of sales on two titles, led by Showmax Original “Catch Me a Killer,” a true crime drama with “Game of Thrones’” Charlotte Hope playing South Africa’s first and most famous serial killer profiler. Hope also headed “The Spanish Princess,” as Catherine of Aragon. AMR has moreover closed further deals on fiction drama “Scrublands,” a scripted drama about the real reasons for a country town massacre.