Content Americas Highlights Spain’s ‘Dreams of Freedom,’ ‘Detective Touré,’ ‘Fentanyl,’ as Spanish TV Embraces Daily Series, Docs, Diversity

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Anonymous Content and Spain’s Morena Films, behind box office breakouts “Cell 211” and Champions, have named former Studiocanal executive Beatriz Campos as the managing director of their Spain-based film-TV production venture Anonymous Content España. Campos will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations working closely with David Davoli, Anonymous Content’s president of international, and Morena Films CEO Pilar Benito, Anonymous Content and Morena Films announced Monday.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Global Screen has closed further deals on major territories for its animated adventure film “Niko – Beyond the Northern Lights.” Variety debuts the new teaser (below). Viva Kids has acquired all rights for North America to the latest feature film in the franchise about a flying reindeer, following worldwide hits “Niko & the Way to the Stars” (2008) and “Niko – Little Brother, Big Trouble” (2012), which were sold to more than 120 countries. Further deals were concluded with Flins y Piniculas for Spain, CDC for Latin America, Nos Lusomundo for Portugal, Grand Entertainment for the Middle East and SVOE Kino for Ukraine.

A couple on Channel 4's A Place in the Sun were left shocked after they purchased the perfect property in Costa Blanca, Spain, with the deal turning out to be just "too good to be true." Greg and Reda thought they had found the perfect property which was on the market for £85,470, and even managed to secure a cheaper deal, purchasing it for just £83,760.The stunning three-bedroom house in Albaida was surrounded by four acres of land, and after purchasing, the couple were excited for their sunny future when their dreams were quickly dashed. Greg and Reda discovered that their new Spanish home was not what it seemed after they applied to add a swimming pool to the stunning property.

Kanye West is gearing up for a new record and a world tour. “Vultures” will be dropping any time soon, and is the first record between West and Ty Dolla Sign, who’ve formed a duo known as ¥$. While the album has faced multiple delays (it was supposed to be released today), a new music video was released for the song “Talking/Once Again,” featuring Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West in her musical debut.

Julio Iglesias is ready to tell his story. Netflix revealed that they have reached an agreement with the legendary 80 year-old singer to bring his life to the screen.

Channel 4's A Place in the Sun couple thought they had found their dream home but were left shocked when they realised all was not as it seemed.

Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here bringing you all the news and analysis from another busy week, during which we have been to Spain through Argentina via Berlin. Oh, and there was the small matter of the Oscar noms. Read on, and sign up here.

Gemma Atkinson has shared a plea she often received from Gorka Marquez when it comes to Strictly Come Dancing - and what he has to do before every series which is actually why she knew he was the one in the first place.

Modern Family in Netflix series Griselda.Created by Eric Newman and Andrés Baiz (Narcos), the crime drama miniseries is inspired by the life of Griselda Blanco, a notorious drug trader who created one of the most powerful cartels in history.A synopsis reads: “Set in 1970s-80s Miami, Blanco’s lethal blend of unsuspected savagery and charm helps her expertly navigate between business and family, leading her to become widely known as ‘the Godmother’.”Other cast members in the series include Alberto Guerra, Martin Rodriguez, Vanessa Ferlito and Christian Tappan.Carlos Rafael Rivera composed the show’s score. His previous credits include The Queen’s Gambit, Godless and 2014 film A Walk Among The Tombstones.You can stream the full soundtrack below.Along with the score, the show features a bunch of songs by other artists.

Callum McLennan Brazilian TV behemoth Globo presented its world premiere preview of Brazilian series “Justice: Misconduct” at Content Americas, while also spotlighting its 2024 slate, presenting via sleek fast-paced sizzle reels its array of ever popular telenovelas such as “Crossed Paths,” “Land of Desire,” and “Perfect Love” alongside teasing the continuation of its successful “Justice” series. “Justice: Misconduct,” the series created by Manuela Dias, is a narrative of moral complexity and human connection framed by the dilemmas surrounding the notion of justice.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent MIAMI — Buoyed by a near celebratory inaugural edition last year – the first time many execs attending had seen one another post-Pandemic – the 2nd Content Americas neared its final bend to lift-off on Tuesday, with a bullish attendance and a market still reacting to the Netflix Corrective of 2022 when it began to measure the cost of its dramatic expansion worldwide. Delegates, as of Monday, were approaching 2,000, nearly 25% up on 2023’s 1,600. That includes 150 exhibition companies and a significant increase on buyers – 950, doubled from last year.

Anna Marie de la Fuente A bio-series about iconic ranchera singer Chavela Vargas starring “La Reina del Sur” lead Kate del Castillo is in the works. Colombia’s Caracol Televisión and indie Miracol Media are co-producing “Chavela,” which will trace the tumultuous life and career of the legendary singer.

EXCLUSIVE: There’s a famous line from the Spanish poet Antonio Machado that is familiar to most Spaniards: “Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace camino al andar,” which translates as “Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking.” 

Marta Balaga Everyone knows masked avenger Zorro, aka Diego de la Vega, righting the wrongs while trying to keep his identity secret. Then again, maybe they don’t. “I don’t think people were expecting this version of “Zorro.” It’s a completely new take, full of adventure, action, love and diversity,” Renata Notni tells Variety ahead of its Jan.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Fabula–Fremantle’s “Hot Sur,” The Mediapro Studio’s “El Mal” and “Two Nights in Lisbon,” from Portugal’s Hop Films and the U.K’s Heroes Films, look like potential standouts at next week’s Content Americas Copro Pitch 2024, one of its industry centerpieces. These series projects will be joined by crime mystery thriller “Delito,” from Barcelona’s Grup Focus TV & Films, behind banner Amazon Original “Reina Roja,” “Iron Woman,” a tumultuous political saga from Brazil-based Jarsom Wayans, two high concept doc series – Argentina’s “Climate Migrants” and Brazil’s “Mystery of the Megafauna” – and bio doc feature “Farraquito, a Flamenco Story,” profiling the famed flamenco bailaor.

EXCLUSIVE: Interactive animation studio Toonstar is launching an AI studio for digital creators following a strong response for its series with TikTok and YouTube star Parker James.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Telefonica’s Movistar Plus+, Spain’s biggest pay TV-SVOD operator, is set to co-produce new movies from Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Iciar Bollaín, Alberto Rodríguez, Óliver Laxe and Ana Rujas. It’s a move which sees the high-end Spanish TV powerhouse become one of Spain’s most significant movie players.

Naman Ramachandran A screening of Isabel Herguera‘s San Sebastian winner “Sultana’s Dream” will kickstart the inaugural edition of AniMela, India’s first-ever international festival for animation, VFX, XR, gaming and comics, in Mumbai. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Herguera, alongside her Spanish and Indian crew, including Indian animation expert Upamanyu Bhattacharyya.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent A group of 20 prominent screen trade organizations have united to ask governments around the world to enact regulations ensuring that global streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+ invest more resources in local content. The joint plea — hailing from production bodies in Europe, Canada, Australasia and Latin America — comes as streaming services have scaled down on acquiring and commissioning local content across many markets within the last year in order to ramp up profitability.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief New Zealand-based sales and distribution company Black Mandala has picked up international rights to Spanish-language genre film and 2023 festival hit “I’ll Crush Y’All” (aka “Os Reviento”). Portrayed by Mario Mayo, Gabriel, better known as ‘Tarado,’ is a former boxer who lives in a secluded village outside the city with his father and his dog. He could still box, but to avoid what led him to spend a few years in prison, he prefers to lead a quiet life.