Atresplayer Premium Dips its Toe into True-Crime Docuseries Production with ‘Besos Marvin’ (EXCLUSIVE)

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIn first phase sales, Alief has closed multiple major territories across Europe and Asia on “Cop Secret,” one of the key titles marking as move towards the mainstream in the lineup at August’s Locarno Festival, where it had its world premiere.Made on the near eve of this year’s American Film Market, the sales announcement comes after the comedy action romp bowed in its native Iceland on Oct.

EXCLUSIVE: Principal photography has begun on Penélope Cruz drama On The Fringe (En Los Márgenes), directed by Juna Diego Botto, and written by Botto and Olga Rodríguez.

Naman Ramachandran “The Forgotten History,” by celebrated Afghanistan filmmaker Roya Sadat (“A Letter to the President”), is one of 20 projects from 11 countries chosen for India’s Film Bazaar virtual co-production market.Being produced by Sadat’s women-centric collective Roya Film House and Spain’s Alba Sotorra Cinema Productions, the project previously participated at the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum and the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market.The market line-up of stories will

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorFrench media conglomerate Mediawan is to adapt Leonine Studios’ digital event show “YouTopia” for the French market. The deal is an early example of a pan-European collaboration between the two companies, who recently set up a European studio that united 61 production companies from France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain and the U.K.“YouTopia” is an innovative format, developed by i&u TV – a Leonine Studios company.

Latin GRAMMY stage.The 31-year-old Spanish rapper is bringing the sounds of his breakthrough album,, to audiences when the 22nd annual awards ceremony takes place next month.

Emilio Mayorga San Sebastian-based production-distribution outfit Atera Films has taken Spanish distribution rights to Inés María Barrionuevo’s “Camila Comes out Tonight” –sold by Latido Films – and Nathalie Álvarez Mesén’s “Clara Sola,” whose international sales are handled by Luxbox.With the two new titles, Atera underscores its aim of discovering and making available to Spanish audiences young Ibero-American directors including those who explore LGTBI+ issues.

JD Linville Filmax has acquired international rights to animated Basque feature “Save the Tree,” a new film from director duo Iker Alvarez and Haizea Pastor following the adventures of forest pixies and their quest to reconnect children with nature.A market premiere at this week’s Spanish Screenings-Málaga de Cine, the film has a central theme of environmental protection and subtly warns of the dangers of our technologically obsessed culture.“Save the Tree” is set amongst the forests of the

Liza Foreman Spanish director and screenplay writer Mireia Noguera is one of seven female directors teaming up for Barcelona-based production house Corte A Films on the anthology “7 of Hearts.”Corte A Films is in the financing phase of the film, which is the second project by Esteve Rovira and Gerard Quinto, who directed “7 Reasons to Run Away (From Society),” with David Torras.

Emiliano Granada After having won the Silver Biznaga for best documentary director at this June’s Malaga Festival with “El Father Plays Himself,” which screens now at the Spanish Screenings, director-cinematographer Mo Scarpelli is leaping into fiction with her new project, “A Song That Slays.” Following a number of eye-catching doc titles that have always generated festival buzz  whether “El Father Plays Himself” at last year’s Visions du Réel, “Anbessa” at the 2019 Berlinale and Frame by

Emiliano De Pablos LaCima Producciones, the company behind Luis López Carrasco multi-prize winner doc “The Year of the Discovery,” is joining forces with Colombia’s Sandelion on archive film project “Elena Gave Birth to a Beautiful Child.”Madrid-based Begin Again Films handles international sales and has also taken Spanish distribution rights.Co-directed by Chiara Marañón, head of content at streaming service Mubi, and Colombia’s Juan Soto Taborda, “Elena Gave Birth” taps the domestic archive

Emiliano Granada Bowing at June’s Malaga Film Festival in Spain, where it swept three prizes in its edgier Zonacine sidebar – best film, actor (Jorge Motos) and its Audience Award – Spaniard Alex Montoya’s second feature “Lucas” has been picked up by Spain’s Filmin SVOD service, the country’s biggest streaming platform for art pics and upscale TV series.International sale rights on “Lucas” are handled by Begin Again Films.The acquisition continues a close relationship between the Spanish

Emilio Mayorga Based out of the U.S. and Spain, 34T Sales has taken international rights to surrealist romcom “The Queen of Lizards,” directed by Nando Martínez and Juan González, who go by the name of Burnin’ Percebes.The feature is produced by Pedro Hernández at Madrid-based Aquí y Allí Films which first caught notice with “Here and There,” the debut feature of Antonio Méndez Esparza, which won Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prize in 2012.

Jamie Lang Spanish showrunners Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, popularly known as Los Javis, are launching Suma Content, a new, Madrid-based but internationally operating independent production company which will replace their current, smaller label, Suma Latina.The pair are already superstars in Spain and their star is rising abroad.

Emiliano De Pablos HBO Max has picked up first window U.S. pay TV rights and Outsider Pictures the remainder of U.S.

Emilio Mayorga Paris-based Les Films d’Ici, producer of Denis Do’s “Funan,” has teamed with Barcelona-based Boogaloo Films, whose credits include Miguel Ángel Blanca’s “Magaluf Ghost Town,” to co-produce documentary feature “Tolyatti Adrift.”Directed by Laura Sisteró ­– an on-the-rise Catalan talent – “Tolyatti Adrift” is being presented at the WIP’s showcase of this week’s Malaga Festival Spanish Screenings.The film depicts a collection of young characters desperately searching for

Emiliano De Pablos Malaga-based sales house Agencia Freak has picked up worldwide festival distribution rights to two new Spanish documentaries, “An Elephant on a Spider Web” by Cuban director Rolando Díaz, and Marcos Cabotá’s “Sonic Fantasy,” on legendary music engineer Bruce Swedien.Both acquisitions were unveiled at the eve of the 2021 edition of the Spanish Screenings-Málaga de Cine, which runs October 20-22, and where Agencia Freak-handled Emma Tusell doc “Video Blues” is being shown to

Jamie Lang The South of Spain is getting its own dedicate post-production studio, Antípodas Film Lab, the first of its kind in the region. Based out of Seville, the state-of-the-art facilities are co-founded by a group of post-production experts made up of José M.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a bid to up their game in the Spanish and international arena, Barcelona-based companies Mediacrest and A Contracorriente Films have forged a strategic alliance that will have the latter distribute Mediacrest films and series as well as co-produce a selection of titles with the fast-growing producer.Said Adolfo Blanco, CEO of A Contracorriente Films: “For A Contracorriente, the deal is an opportunity to collaborate with a first-rate team and to be able to offer its

The Financial Times.“We didn’t hide behind a woman, we hid behind a name,” Mercero told Spanish newspaper El País. “I don’t know if a female pseudonym would sell more than a male one, I don’t have the faintest idea, but I doubt it.”In interviews and on their author profile, Martínez, Díaz and Mercero said Carmen Mola was a university professor who lived in Madrid with her husband and three children.