Key Spanish Titles at the EFM

EXCLUSIVE: Courtney Henggeler (Cobra Kai, Mom) has signed on to star alongside Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Jack Mulhern, Sam Strike, Luke Slattery, Thomas Elms, Tom Varey, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Wil Coban and Hadley Robinson in The Boys in the Boat, director George Clooney’s latest film for MGM, Spyglass Media Group and Smokehouse Pictures.

EXCLUSIVE: Euro distributor and producer Ascot Elite Entertainment has secured remake rights to successful Spanish comedy Sentimental for Switzerland and all German-speaking parts of Europe from Filmax and is producing a Swiss remake called The People Upstairs (Die Nachbarn Von Oben).

Premio Lo Nuestro debut.The iconic rock star premiered his new Spanish song, «Por Su Amor,» during the 34th edition of the awards show in Miami, Florida Thursday night.Surrounded by a host of dimly lit candles, Sting, accompanied by just his guitar, sat solo on a stage outside of the venue, as he performed the melodic tune to a captivated, intimate audience.«Por Su Amor» is the Spanish-language adaptation of his song, «For Her Love,» off his latest album, Por Su Amor… ✨

Salma Hayek Pinault just cemented a huge partnership with TelevisaUnivision. The actress and producer’s company, called Ventanarosa Productions, struck a two-year first-look pact with the TV giant, in which Ventanarosa will make Spanish speaking films for TelevisaUnivision’s ViX Plus, their soon to be released streaming platform. There’s already a project lined up for production.

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Emilio Mayorga Spain’s trendiest twosome, Claudia Costafreda and Ana Rujas, are co-creators of “Cardo,” the series on everyone’s lips since launching last fall on Atresplayer, the OTT platform run by Spanish media conglom Atresmedia, last fall and one of Variety’s best international TV shows of 2021.Rujas stars in the furious tirade against external, bogus beauty standards and Costafreda directs with Lluís Sellarès also heading two episodes. “Cardo” is co-produced by Atresmedia’s production arm Buendía Estudios and Suma Content (formerly Suma Latina), the outfit setup by iconic multi-hyphenate partners Los Javis (“Veneno”), selected by Variety as talents to track, as was Costafreda.

EXCLUSIVE: Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz will co-write and co-direct Spanish Dracula, the true story about how silent film star and Mexican actress Lupita Tovar found a second wind starring in  Spanish language versions of Hollywood films like the Universal classic Dracula. The Weitz Brothers are her grandsons, and they will produce through Depth of Field, along with Pancho Kohner. He is their uncle and author of The Sweetheart of Mexico, a memoir he helped his mother write about her most fascinating life.

Emiliano De Pablos Spanish media giant Atresmedia is joining forces with Portocabo, the production outfit behind Movistar Plus hit series “Hierro,” for a remake of Showtime drama “Your Honor,” starring Bryan Cranston.The Spanish redo is currently at the script stage and initiating casting.With an undisclosed number of episodes, the project production is scheduled to kick off this year.The TV series release date is still unknown. But it would be logical for it to launch on platform Atresplayer Premium before airing on Atresmedia’s free-to-air channel Antena 3 primetime, a windowing strategy usually followed by the group with its new fiction releases since Atresplayer Premium bowed in 2019.

Premio Lo Nuestro debut.The iconic rock star will premiere his new Spanish song, «Por Su Amor,» during the 34th edition of the awards show taking place in Miami, Florida, on Feb. 24.

Sasha Urban editorIsabel Torres, the Spanish actor known for portraying the transgender icon Cristina “La Veneno” Ortiz on HBO’s “Veneno,” died Friday, according to a post originally written in Spanish on her official Instagram. She was 52.“Although her family and friends feel her loss deeply, we know that wherever she goes, she will have fun as only she knows how,” the post reads in English. “Thank you for all the messages of affection and concern.

HBO Max has commissioned a second season of Álex de Iglesia and Jorge Guerricaechevarría’s mystery horror 30 Coins.

Emiliano De Pablos Post-COVID, Spanish sales companies look poised for a comeback to the global scene. Although, as Berlin’s EFM has gone virtual once again, their long-awaited physical reunion with the international industry will have to wait until Cannes… hopefully.An argument for optimism: Spanish-language films continue gaining ground on the global market, especially as platforms boom.

Wyatte Grantham-Philips editorThe Spanish Film Academy announced on Friday that its first-ever International Goya Award will be received by Cate Blanchett.Currently presided by Mariano Barroso, the Spanish Film Academy created the award to “honor artists that have contributed to cinema as a medium that brings together different cultures and people.” In Friday’s announcement, Blanchett was recognized for her impactful work both on and off the screen worldwide — as an award-winning actor, producer, artistic director and humanitarian. She will receive the award at a gala ceremony on Feb.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“Kompromat,” an anticipated spy thriller directed by Jerome Salle (“Zulu,” “L’Odyssée”) with Gilles Lellouche (“The Stronghold”) and Joanna Kulig (“Cold War”), has been sold by SND to distributors in key territories. Inspired by a true story, “Kompromat” stars Lellouche as a French diplomat working Siberia who discovers he is being framed by FBI and has to find his way out of the trap.

With Manchetser United gearing up for a return to action this week, they go into the second half of the season stuck in a competitive race for the top four.

Mónica Marie Zorrilla Televisa and Univision have closed their landmark transaction, a long-awaited merger deal that will now create a Spanish-language media and content powerhouse that will reach 100 million Spanish speakers across the U.S. and Mexico.

Mexico-based Grupo Televisa and Univision have closed their $4.8 billion merger, uniting their vast Spanish-language media and production holdings in the U.S. and Mexico.