Spain’s Vertice 360 Expands Theatrical Distribution Operations to 35 Countries (EXCLUSIVE)

Michael Owen may have thought escaping the country for work would get him away from his daughter's Love Island debut - but he was wrong. The former Liverpool and Manchester United footballer jetted off to Germany as England faced their second UEFA Nations League game.

Spain has scrapped coronavirus travel rules for all countries in the European Union - but not for the UK.

Emiliano De Pablos Celebrated Uruguayan producer Fernando Epstein, co-founder of Mutante Cine, one of Latin America’s key arthouse outfits, is entering into TV fiction creation with thriller drama series “La tinta invisible” (“The Invisible Link”).The show is a two-season series based on two novels by Uruguayan author Eduardo Mariani that go through part of the recent history of South America, linked to Europe through the exile of some of its characters.The project, at an early development stage, will be pitched at the Co-Pro Series session during the 6th edition of Conecta Fiction & Entertainment forum, which runs June 21-25 in Toledo, Spanish region Castilla-La Mancha’s capital city.Toledo will be “The Invisible Link’s” first participation in the international market. Epstein has been a film producer and editor since 2000, with more than 50 credits and several awards at A-class festivals, having produced and edited significant Latin American titles such as “Whisky” and “Gigante.”“After 20 years as a producer and editor of auteur films, I found in the series format the possibility of adapting the work of Eduardo Mariani, a Uruguayan author whose narrative force combines thriller with drama in a story that takes place over 40 years,” Epstein told Variety.Epstein has teamed with “Manny’s Garage Sale: A Hitchcock Knot” co-scribe Janine Zaruski to write “The Invisible Link.”Set up at Mutante Cine, the project tells the story of two opposite and complementary characters.

Emiliano De Pablos Top Spanish indie producer-distributor Vértice 360 is joining forces with U.K.-based Born Wild to co-produce YA drama series project “Motorway.”European sales company Eccho Rights is handling international distribution rights.“Motorway” has been created by Spanish writer-cartoonist Víctor Santos, the creator of graphic novel “Polar” whose film adaptation, starring “Hannibal” Mads Mikkelsen, was produced by comicbook-based media company Dark Horse Entertainment and Germany’s Constantin Film and released by Netflix.The new project is set up at Vértice 360, the ambitiously relaunched content division of Madrid-based conglom Squirrel Media, headed by Spanish entrepreneur Pablo Pereiro Lage. “Motorway” will be pitched during the upcoming 6th Conecta Fiction & Entertainment forum, as part of the High-End Series sidebar, a new section focused on higher-budget series and miniseries projects in search for co-production partners.Written by Santos and Born Wild founder Anthony Alleyne, the six-seg, one-hour TV drama tells a dark fairy tale set beside an apocalyptic highway in a world of endless pursuit.“Motorway” takes place in a near future, where young teenager Alice has spent her short life sketching and drawing the motorway and the towns at its side.

Emiliano De Pablos Two of Portugal’s most international production houses – SPi, producer of the country’s first Netflix Original series “Gloria,” and Caracol Protagonista – are teaming to co-produce police drama series project “O Último Lobo” (“The Last Wolf”).The show tells the true story of Franklim Lobo, one of the greatest European drug lords, exploring his rise, and the corruption in the Portuguese police in the late 1990s. Portuguese filmmaker Bruno Gascon, whose credits include “Carga” and “Shadow,” is the writer-director.The eight-episode series focuses on Castilho, an honest police investigator with a dark past, who sees it as his personal mission to capture Lobo.

Louis C.K. revealed today via his website that he’s directed a new indie titled Fourth of July, calling on his fan base to advocate for as wide of a theatrical release as is possible.

Cineflix Rights Goes On Scripted Sales Spree

Love Island star Savanna Darnell has undergone a dramatic makeover since appearing on the show.The 26 year old appeared as a Casa Amor contestant on the 2018 series of the ITV dating show with a head of bright blonde hair. However, since leaving the villa she’s embraced a new look, showing off brunette locks which she often wears in braids. The star recently shared in an interview with OK! how she was originally flown out to Spain to be a contestant on the main show.

It can be a real pain when you turn up to your hotel room just to find you can't charge your phone, laptop or toothbrush because you forgot to pack the correct plug adapter. To help you avoid this annoyance, we've made a list of every country and the type of plug needed so you won't be caught out again.

Emiliano De Pablos Spanish thesp Luis Tosar (“Miami Vice,” “Way Down”) has joined the cast of sci-fi comedy “Golem,” produced by Spain’s top indie house Aquí y Allí Films.Directed by Juan González and Fernando Martínez (a.k.a. Burnin’ Percebes), the project toplines Brays Efe, star of Netflix hit series “Paquita Salas,” Goya Award winner Bruna Cusí (“Summer 1993”) and Javier Botet (“It,” “Amigo”).Aquí y Allí Films’ Pedro Hernández and Elamedia’s Roberto Butragueño produce the film, scheduled to roll in Madrid from August.Elamedia will distribute in Spain.Aquí y Allí is one of the five Spanish companies selected by Spain’s trade promotion board ICEX and the ICAA film institute to pitch their production slates at Cannes’ Producers Network.

Newen Studios’ Spanish divison iZen has launched documentary producer CAPA Spain with Emmy and Peabody-winning director and journalist Tomás Ocaña.

Emiliano De Pablos Enrique Buleo’s “Still Life With Ghost,” Ana Asensio’s “The Goat Girl,” Gala Gracia’s “The Remnants of You” and Esteban Alenda Bros.’ “There Is Evil” are some of the film projects pitched at the spotlight event on Spanish cinema at Cannes’ Producers Network on Friday May 20.Five Spanish production companies– Un Capricho de Producciones, Quatre Films Audiovisuales, Potenza Producciones, Aquí y Allí Films and Solita Films – were selected by Spain’s trade promotion board ICEX and the ICAA film institute to pitch their production slates at the Marché du Film event.As part of the Production Day, which kicked off with the Producers Network, the five Spanish producers made a video pitch with their projects – the main part of them at development stage –  to encourage international partnerships with co-producers and sales agents.

Emiliano De Pablos Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has picked up world sales rights to Ángeles Hernández’s supernatural horror film “El faro” (“The Lighthouse”), set up at Mr. Miyagi Films, co-producer of Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s multi-awarded Netflix smash hit “The Platform.”“The Lighthouse” ended shooting in May; FilmSharks is showing first footage to buyers at Cannes.Film toplines Spanish film and TV stars Hugo Silva (“Las brujas de Zugarramurdi,” “The Body”) and Paula Echevarría (“Si yo fuera rico,” “Velvet”) plus Zoe Arnao (“El inocente,” “Las niñas”) and Sergio Castellanos (“Tu hijo,” “La peste”).Produced by Hernández and David Matamoros at Barcelona-based Mr.

Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” continues to take the charts by storm, the new album becomes the leading catalyst for the Latin genre’s streaming push. In a historic shift, “Un Verano Sin Ti” has claimed 18% of all U.S.

Emiliano De Pablos Paco León, one of Spain’s most prominent talents, is attached to star in thriller “Líbranos del mal” (“There Is Evil”), directed and produced by brothers José and César Esteban Alenda at their Madrid-based outfit Solita Films.Currently in development, “There Is Evil” is planned to shoot for six weeks in Madrid from January 2024.Solita Films is one of the five Spanish companies selected by Spain’s trade promotion board ICEX and its ICAA film institute to pitch their production slates at Cannes’ Producers Network, on Friday 20.In “There Is Evil,” after another girl is found dead, a former police officer decides to hunt down a child serial killer with the help of his six-year-old daughter.  “We want to make an impulsive, hypnotic thriller, but with the emotional texture of a family drama where the anguish and fear are born from perfectly real, recognizable and close circumstances,” José and César Esteban Alenda said.The Alenda brothers’ 2018 feature debut “Sin Fin” earned a Goya Award nomination for best new director, and won a Silver Biznaga at the Málaga Film Festival.A celebrated film and TV multi-hyphenate, Spain’s Paco León is well-known in Latin America, starring in Mexico’s “House of Flowers” and Colombia’s “Capital Noise.” He co-created, wrote and directed Rose d’Or winner “Arde Madrid,” one of Movistar Plus’ best reviewed series.“Rainbow,” León’s feature adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz,” a Netflix and Telecinco Cinema production, will be released this year on the streamer. 

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicFaZe Clan, the digital-native media, entertainment and esports platform, has hired music industry veteran Zach Katz for the role of president and chief operating officer.Katz arrives from music-tech investment venture fund Raised In Space Enterprises, which he cofounded in 2019 — in partnership with Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings — and led as CEO.In his new position, Katz will oversee FaZe Clan content, talent, merchandise, consumer goods, sponsorships and esports businesses. He will report to CEO Lee Trink.The company boasts 500 million followers across social platforms worldwide who engage with a range of entertainment offerings in esports and youth culture, including livestreams of popular gaming tournaments. Last year, the company announced its plans to go public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) with B.

Emiliano De Pablos Spain’s Cannes presence this year offers testimony to its developing co-production scene, as well as economic concerns driving the search for international partners and the ambitions of a highly cosmopolitan generation of cineastes that is driving art cinema production in Spain.Four Spanish features have made this year’s Cannes cut: Albert Serra’s competition entry “Pacifiction”; Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts,” in Premiere; José Luis López Linares’ Cannes Classics title “Goya, Carriere and the Ghost of Buñuel”; and Directors’ Fortnight contender “El Agua,” by Elena López Riera.All four are international co-productions. Also at Cannes, a Spanish Producers Network showcase, backed by ICEX Trade and Investment and ICAA Film Institute, will highlight eight potential overseas co-production projects.