Spanish TV Fiction Producers’ Appetite for Co-Production Grows

Komplizen Film, the German indie run by Janine Jackowski, Maren Ade and Jonas Dornbach, has joined The Creatives, an alliance of independent production companies that has a three-year partnership for developing and funding series with Fremantle.

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.

James Trafford revealed he has had offers to go abroad to develop is game but the Manchester City loanee is looking forward to sustaining his good form at Bolton Wanderers after taking tips from Ederson.

Emmerdale fans have seen an unexpected arrival take to the screens in the shape of Marcus Dean. Son of soap villain Pierce Harris, Marcus has arrived in search of his criminal father’s ex-wife Rhona Goskirk. With Marcus and Rhona struggling to get hold of one another after Vanessa pretended to be Rhona, fans are eager to find out how the storyline unfolds.

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.

Brits planning holidays to popular Spanish islands have been issued a warning by airline easyJet.

Travellers from the UK heading to Spain this winter will need to double check their proof of vaccination before takeoff.

ACEHUCHE, Spain -- It's hours before dawn in Acehuche, a small town in Spain's western Extremadura region, and a group of youngsters is ending a parade by setting off fireworks and beating drums.The noise awakes residents for some of the biggest dates in the local calendar: the three-day celebration of the fur-covered characters known as “Carantoñas" that resemble wild beasts.With roots in pagan traditions of fertility that were incorporated into religious symbolism, the ancient festival currently marks Acehuche's patron, St. Sebastian, whom the Catholic tradition considers a martyr of the early anti-Christian Romans.After the 2021 edition was canceled amid a strong surge in coronavirus cases, the festival went ahead in late January this year.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a bid to tap into the intense demand for premium Spanish-language content, veteran Spanish entertainment executive Pepe Huertas has launched TV production company, Tres Vacas. He’s joined by seasoned showrunners Pilar Nadal and Felipe Mellizo, creators of such top selling dramatic series as “Águila Roja” (“Red Eagle”) and “Un Paso Adelante” (“One Step Forward”).The company will focus on creating scripted content for the global audience, drawing on their combined talents, expertise and decades of experience.“Our aim is to conceive relatable stories capable of engaging with the audience from the first minute, based on in-depth character development that allows us to construct long and strong narrative arcs,” said Huertas, founding partner and managing director of Tres Vacas.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIn a sign of just how much the film and TV industry has evolved over the past few years, 25% of participants at the Malaga Festival’s new Spanish Screenings XXL will represent in one way or another VOD platforms, the organizers announced Tuesday.After taking place in November 2020 and October 2021 during two years of pandemic, Malaga’s leg of the 2022 Spanish Screenings XXL will take place over March 21-24 as part of an even larger Malaga Festival Industry Zone (MAFIZ).In line with the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris a fortnight ago, the event will expand to take in not only recent Spanish movies but series, animation and, in the case of the Spanish Screenings, straight to digital formats. “Not just features get sold these days,” said Malaga Festival director Juan Antonio Vigar.

‘Run Rabbit Run’ Adds Cast

MADRID -- The sister of Spain's King Felipe VI, Cristina de Borbón, and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, are announcing the end of their marriage after nearly 25 years together, Spain's state news agency EFE reported Monday, citing a statement from the couple.The announcement came a week after a gossip magazine in Spain published photos of Urdangarin taking a stroll in a southern French coastal town while holding hands with a work colleague.In their statement to EFE, the couple asked for “respect” for a private decision “to end our marriage relationship by mutual agreement.” They added that their commitment to their four children remained “intact," the agency said.Urdangarin, a 54-year-old former Olympic handball medal winner, was convicted of fraud and tax evasion in 2018. He served part of his five-year and 10-month sentence until early last year in a northern Spanish prison before judges allowed him to swap it for community work.Due to the corruption scandal, the couple was stripped of their aristocratic titles and dropped from the Royal House's payroll.The judicial process, which also saw Cristina questioned and fined as a beneficiary of her husband's crimes, contributed to the erosion of the royal family's image, leading eventually to the abdication of Juan Carlos I, who passed on the throne to his son, Felipe, in 2014.Cristina, 56, now lives in Geneva, Switzerland.The couple married in Oct.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Unknown people toppled a statue of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León in the pre-dawn hours of Monday ahead of a visit of King Felipe VI to the U.S. Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico.Col.

Ben Croll Founded in February 2021, French startup Dark Matters is set to unveil Gaul’s first virtual production facility. Setting up camp 23 miles from Paris, the 180,000 square-foot studio will open its doors this coming April, offering the local industry five new soundstages equipped for both traditional production and the LED-backed virtual sets made famous by the ILM Stagecraft system used on “The Mandalorian.”Backed by €10 million ($11.3 million) in VC funding from Paris-based firms Anaxago and CapHorn, and benefiting from another $2.2 million in public support, the full-service facility will be split between four core departments, focusing on hardware and software innovation, virtual production and creative development.

Newen Studios is moving into feature film after financier Anton increased its investment in the French production giant by 40% to €50M ($56.6M).

Christina Aguilera is a few hours away from releasing her long-awaited Spanish-language album La Fuerza but gave fans another taste of what is coming. The Ecuadorian-descent superstar premiered today, January 20, her new single “Santo” alongside urban music sensation Ozuna.The award-winning artists united their unmistakable voices to create a perfect fusion resulting in a powerful interpretation that honors Latin and Afro-Caribbean rhythms and continues the story that began with Aguilera’s most recent Spanish-language hits “Pa ‘Mis Muchachas” and “Somos Nada.”The iconic star got inspired by her Ecuadorian roots and started working on six unique and exquisite songs intended to push for empowerment.

NEW YORK -- Christina Aguilera doesn't pick up exactly where she left 22 years ago with her Latin Grammy winning Spanish album “Mi Reflejo.” The superstar singer comes full force as a “grown woman and a mother” to showcase her Latino roots in the EP “LA FUERZA”, out Friday. And that is only the beginning.While 2000's “Mi Reflejo” included five Spanish-language versions of tracks from her self-titled 1999 debut album, four original compositions and two cover songs, “LA FUERZA” presents six original tracks, all co-written by Aguilera.

Jamie Lang On Jan. 28 Netflix will drop its next big Spanish drama series, “Feria: The Darkest Light,” a new ‘90s-set fantastic thriller from “Elíte” co-creator Carlos Montero and thriller expert Agustín Martínez (“La caza: Monteperdido”).Produced by Filmax, one of Spain’s leading production, distribution and sales outfits, the show is a clear demonstration of Netflix’s ever-increasing ingratiation into the local industry and the company’s desire to work with the best local talent.