News

One of Spain’s leading export powers, Mediterráneo, the film-tv international distribution arm of leading broadcast network Mediaset España, has hit Mipcom with one of its strongest slates in recent years.

This is led by “La Favorita 1922,” its first collaboration with Bambú Producciones, the Studiocanal-owned production house behind titles that have helped revolutionize Spanish scripted, such as “Grand Hotel,” “Velvet” and daily series “The Vow.”

Also brought to market are “Detective Romi” and “El Marqués” as Mediterráneo hit several growth axes in Spain and abroad: Modern melodramas with ultra-high production values (“La Favorita”), “lighter” procedurals and true-event-based crime stories. In the case of the latter, Mediterráneo is exploiting larger Spanish trends. According to The Wit, Spain is the number two country in Europe for fiction based on true events.

Mediterráneo also houses companies owned or part-owned by Mediaset España such as Telecinco Cinema, whose credits include “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Impossible,...

Unspooling in Cadiz over Oct. 25-31, the South International Series Festival is a bellwether on trends and highlights for the current season. What could be some of its star performers? Following, 10 titles to track, which also often say something about the way the market is going.

“The Big Jump” (Atresmedia International Sales)

One of Atresmedia’s biggest bets at Mipcom, a biopic series about the rise to Olympic Gold Medals at Sydney and Athens of Spanish gymnast Gervasio Deferr and, in a second timeline, his descent into drugs and alcohol, incapable of accepting failure in competition and lost when retired. Oscar Casas plays Deferr, with “Gangs of Galicia” helmer Roger Gual directs. An Atresplayer Original Series, bowing on Nov. 17.

“La Favorita 1922” (Mediterraneo)

From “Grand Hotel” through “Velvet” and “Cable Girls,” Ramon Campos’ Studiocanal j.v. Bambu Producciones has carved out its international reputation, creating modern gender-agenda melodramas that make...

Elena Anaya, Antonio Banderas, The Skin I Live In No Rest For The Wicked Tops, Pedro Almodóvar Empty-Handed: Goyas 2012 Winners Best Film La Piel que habito / The Skin I Live In, Pedro Almodóvar * No habrá paz para los malvados / No Rest for the Wicked, Enrique Urbizu La Voz dormida / The Sleeping Voice, Benito Zambrano Blackthorn. Sin destino / Blackthorn, Mateo Gil Best Foreign Film in the Spanish Language Boleto al paraíso (Cuba), Gerardo Chijona Miss Bala (Mexico), Gerardo Naranjo * Un cuento chino / Chinese Take-Away (Argentina), Sebastián Borensztein Violeta se fue a los cielos (Chile), Andrés Wood Best European Film Jane Eyre (United Kingdom), Cary Fukunaga Melancholia (Germany / Denmark / France), Lars von Trier * The Artist (France), Michel Hazanavicius Carnage (France), Roman Polanski Best Director Pedro Almodóvar, The Skin I Live In Benito Zambrano, The Sleeping Voice * Enrique Urbizu, No Rest for the Wicked Mateo Gil, Blackthorn Best New Director Paula Ortiz, De tu ventana a la mía...

The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) and the other nominations for the 2012 Goya Awards (Premios Goyas) have been announced. The 26th Annual Goya Awards (Premios Goyas), presented by the Academia de las Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas de España (Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences), is “Spain’s main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards.” The awards will be handed out on February 19, 2012 in Madrid, Spain.

The full listing of the 2012 Goya Awards (Premios Goyas) nominations is below.

Film

La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In), Pedro Almodovar

No habrá paz para los malvados (No Rest for the Wicked), Enrique Urbizu

La voz dormida (The Sleeping Voice), Benito Zambrano

Blackthorn. Sin destino (Blackthorn), Mateo Gil

Director

Pedro Almodovar, La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In)

Benito Zambrano, La voz dormida...

Cannes announced 16 films in the Main Competition today and the Un Certain Regard is perhaps complete but could fit two more titles in, but as expected, Terrence Malick's film is still in limbo. Apart from that frustrating example, there are about three to five available slots in the Main Comp and some hefty titles that are missing in action. I've compiled a list below, but worth mentioning are blatant omissions such as Julian Schnabel's Miral, Kornel Mundruczo's Frankenstein Project, Ken Loach's Route Irish and perhaps even Bruce Robinson's The Rum Diary. - Cannes announced 16 films in the Main Competition today and the Un Certain Regard is perhaps complete but could fit two more titles in, but as expected, Terrence Malick's film is still in limbo. Apart from that frustrating example, there are about three to five available slots in the Main Comp and some hefty...