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Estrenos muy diferentes para seriéfilos en Netflix, Movistar Plus+, Prime Video y más. ©SkyShowtime, Movistar Plus+ & AMC+ LA CANCIÓN (jueves 8 de mayo en Movistar Plus+) © Movistar Plus+

Mayo es el mes de Eurovisión, y antes de escuchar a Melody representar a nuestro país en Suiza, Movistar+ nos hace viajar al pasado con una miniserie de tres episodios que revive la primera gran victoria de España en el Festival. Veremos la historia detrás del mítico La, la, la de Massiel y todo lo que rodeó aquel inolvidable triunfo de 1968, con un reparto que se lleva, sin duda, 12 points, con Carolina Yuste como Massiel. Una serie para los eurofans.

Cara Feliz: LA Historia De Un Asesino En Serie (jueves 8 de mayo en SkyShowtime) © SkyShowtime

Basada en el infame caso del asesino en serie Keith Hunter Jesperson, aka El Asesino del Rostro Feliz, aquí interpretado por Dennis Quaid, esta serie true crime se...

Exclusive: Pathé International will be launching sales at Cannes on Guillaume Canet’s new psychological thriller Karma, starring Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, three-time César nominee Denis Ménochet (Inglorious Basterds) and Goya winner Leonardo Sbaraglia (Pain and Glory).

Canet, who won a César for his Harlan Coben adaptation Tell No One in 2006, has written the script with Simon Jacquet and is directing the project, which is currently in production in Europe. Plot details remain under wraps but we understand Canet devised the main role for his wife and longtime screen collaborator Cotillard.

Luis Zahera (As Bestas) also joins but contrary to some online speculation Mark Ruffalo is not in the cast. Director of photography is Benoît Debie (Spring Breakers) while Laure Gardette serves as editor (Polisse).

The French-language film heralds from ascending French production company Iconoclast, which is also behind Romain Gavras’ starry action-comedy Sacrifice, and Canet’s label Caneo.

Delivery...

Madrid-based Onza, one of Spain’s top indie production-distribution houses, has kicked off filming on Season 2 of hit gridlock comedy series “Traffic Jam” (“Atasco), which is set to premiere on Prime Video Spain.

It has also shared on-set photos in exclusivity with Variety.

Launched May 24 on Prime Video Spain, the first season of the series hit No. 1 on the platform the day after, with an audience warming to the unexpected, comical and engaging stories that unfold in a huge traffic jam on the outskirts of Madrid.

Written and directed by Rodrigo Sopeña, as the series’ Season 1, the six new episodes continue the producers’ bet on a renowned Spanish star cast, this time featuring Silvia Abril, Carlos Sobera (“Little Coincidences”), Adriana Torrebejano, Carlos Areces (“The Last Circus”), Luis Zahera and singer-actress Edurne.

Some actors from Season 1 will reprise their roles in Season 2, the producers said.

Season 1’s stellar cast featured prominent...

La película está protagonizada por Luis Zahera. © Sony Pictures

Sony Pictures ha publicado el primer tráiler del thriller de suspense Tierra de nadie, dirigida por Albert Pintó y escrita por Fernando Navarro.

Tierra de nadie sigue la historia de tres amigos: Mateo el Gallego, un heroico –a su pesar– guardia civil, Juan El Antxale, un pescador convertido en narco por la mala suerte y en el paro, y Benito el Yeye, un resignado e inteligente depositario judicial siempre a medio camino entre la ley y la delincuencia. Tres amigos separados por un lugar, Cádiz, y un momento, el presente. Los tres están atrapados entre el abandono de las instituciones, el ascenso violento e imparable del narco en la provincia y el peligroso aumento del descontento social. Tres amigos atrapados en un polvorín que pondrá a prueba su amistad.

La película está protagonizada por Luis Zahera, Karra Elejalde (Mientras dure la guerra...

From today, 20 November, until 20 December, entries for the Ondas Global Podcast Awards can be registered on the website podcast.premiosondas.com. Prisa Audio and Cadena Ser, organisers of the Premios Ondas Globales del Podcast Awards, will open the registration period for their fourth edition on Wednesday 20 November. The awards, which have established themselves as the most important in the world for the Spanish-language sector, will once again be divided into three categories: general, specific and special. A total of 16 awards will be presented in the spring of 2025 for the best fiction, conversational podcasts, scripts, sound design or productions, among other categories. Entries can be submitted from now until 20 December 2024 via the website.

The CEO of Prisa Audio, María Jesús Espinosa de los Monteros, acknowledged that "it is with great satisfaction that we launch the IV Global Podcast Ondas Awards. From this opening of nominations, we begin a series of milestones...

From today, 20 November, until 20 December, entries for the Ondas Global Podcast Awards can be registered on the website podcast.premiosondas.com. Prisa Audio and Cadena Ser, organisers of the Premios Ondas Globales del Podcast Awards, will open the registration period for their fourth edition on Wednesday 20 November. The awards, which have established themselves as the most important in the world for the Spanish-language sector, will once again be divided into three categories: general, specific and special. A total of 16 awards will be presented in the spring of 2025 for the best fiction, conversational podcasts, scripts, sound design or productions, among other categories. Entries can be submitted from now until 20 December 2024 via the website.

The CEO of Prisa Audio, María Jesús Espinosa de los Monteros, acknowledged that "it is with great satisfaction that we launch the IV Global Podcast Ondas Awards. From this opening of nominations, we begin a series of milestones...

Global production, sales and distribution outfit Filmsharks has picked up international sales rights to the Spanish dramedy “Samana Sunrise,” starring box office mega-draw Luis Tosar.

FilmSharks wooed exhibitors at last week’s Iberseries & Platino Industria in Madrid and will now take it to RioMarket, the AFM and Film Baazar. Universal Pictures will release the film in Spain on Nov. 8, with Movistar Plus+ taking second window pay TV and SVOD rights.

Directed by Rafa Cortés (“Yo”) and based on a play by Jordi Galcerán, the comedy stars Spanish actors Tosar, Luisa Mayol, Luis Zahera and Bárbara Santa-Cruz alongside international performers including Charles Dance and Alfredo Castro.

In the film, two couples head off on a Caribbean vacation to celebrate their parallel 20-year anniversaries. As the friends reconnect over perhaps too many drinks, old truths come out that their pairings were almost very different on the night the four of them first met.

A coming-of-age drama about Argentinian icon Eva Peron and two Spanish comedy dramas, Band Of Buffoons and A Series Of People, are among the stand out series projects presented at the fourth edition of the Iberseries & Platino Industria Co-Production Forum in Madrid this week.

Evita Behind The Icon is a coming-of-age drama about Argentina’s former first lady. Described by its creators as a “punk and justice-driven” Evita, the series is produced by Argentina’s Kapow, with Paula Hernández directing.

Band Of Buffoons is a mix of black comedy and drama and is produced by veteran César Benítez’s Plano a Plano.

Los detalles de la película protagonizada por Luis Zahera aquí. © Sony Pictures

Termina el rodaje del thriller de suspense “Tierra de Nadie”, del director Albert Pintó. El rodaje se llevó a cabo en diferentes localizaciones de la provincia de Cádiz y luego continuó en la Comunidad de Madrid.

La trama sigue la historia de tres amigos: Mateo el Gallego, un heroico – a su pesar – guardia civil, Juan El Antxale, un pescador convertido en narco por la mala suerte y en el paro, y Benito el Yeye, un resignado e inteligente depositario judicial siempre a medio camino entre la ley y la delincuencia. Tres amigos separados por un lugar, Cádiz y un momento, el presente. Los tres están atrapados entre el abandono de las instituciones, el ascenso violento e imparable del narco en la provincia y el peligroso aumento del descontento social. Tres amigos atrapados en un polvorín que pondrá a prueba su amistad.

New films by Julio Medem, Alejandro Amenábar, Alberto Rodríguez, Isaki Lacuesta, Jonas Trueba and Oliver Laxe join a brace of smart thrillers in a rich Cannes lineup from Spain.

“8,” (Julio Medem)

Medem returns towhat he does best: a love story transcending time and space and a poetic critique of recent history, according to sales agent Latido Films. “Fariña’s” Javier Rey and “La Mesías” Ana Rujus star as the lovers. Morena Films produces.

Sales: Latido

“As Neves,” (Sonia Méndez)

After a magic mushroom-fueled party, teens in a snowbound Galician village discover one of them is missing. The film was well-received at the Malaga festival.

Sales: Begin Again Films

“Barren Land,” (Albert Pintó)

From a director on “Money Heist” and “Berlin,” this suspense thriller captures how the drug trade devastates friendships and lives in Andalusía’s Cádiz. Film sports a great cast: Luis Zahera (“The Beasts”), Karra Elejalde (“While at War...

The Courier on Spanish Netflix boasts a talented cast including Aron Piper, Maria Pedraza, and Luis Tosar. Director Daniel Calparsoro brings gripping storytelling to life with The Courier, a crime-drama that delves into corruption. Follow the journey of a hustler rising to the top of a money laundering scheme in Spain during the transition to the Euro.

The Spanish Netflix film The Courier features a well-rounded cast and characters that make the thriller far more interesting. The upcoming crime-drama follows the story of a hustler who rises to the top of the corruption of the real estate bubble after the euro arrives in Spain. The Courier hit Spanish Netflix at the beginning of the year on January 16, 2024.

The Courier is from Spanish director Daniel Calparsoro, who directed his first feature film, Salto al vaco, in 1995. In addition to this film, Calparsoro has gone on to direct films such as Blinded,...

Entérate de todos los detalles de la película protagonizada por Luis Zahera. © Sony Pictures

Sony Pictures ha dado inicio al rodaje del thriller de suspense “Tierra de Nadie”, del director Albert Pintó. El rodaje se está llevando a cabo en diferentes localizaciones de Cádiz, y continuará más tarde en Madrid.

La trama sigue la historia de tres amigos: Mateo el Gallego, un heroico – a su pesar – guardia civil, Juan El Antxale, un pescador convertido en narco por la mala suerte y en el paro, y Benito el Yeye, un resignado e inteligente depositario judicial siempre a medio camino entre la ley y la delincuencia. Tres amigos separados por un lugar, Cádiz y un momento, el presente. Los tres están atrapados entre el abandono de las instituciones, el ascenso violento e imparable del narco en la provincia y el peligroso aumento del descontento social. Tres amigos atrapados en un polvorín que pondrá a prueba su amistad.

“Barren Land,” from Spain’s Albert Pintó, director of Netflix global blockbusters “Money Heist,” “Berlin” and “Nowhere,” have been snapped up by Spain’s Film Factory Entertainment.

From an original idea by producer Alvaro Ariza, “Barren Land” (“Tierra de Nadie”) is penned by Fernando Navarro, one of Spain’s go-to screenwriters whose credits include Netflix hits “Below Zero” and “Veronica.”

Film Factory will launch world sales on “Barren Land,” as it builds a powerful slate of upscale commercial packages. Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia will release the film in Spain next year.

Now with principal photography underway in Cadiz, southern Spain, the suspense thriller captures the devastation of friendships, lives and the whole province by a rampant drug trade, action also expanding to the Straits of Gibraltar.

“An ode to friendship, focusing on three characters whose paths diverge due to the longstanding situation in the Southern part of Spain,” “Barren Land” turns on Mateo “El Gallego,...

“Segundo Premio”, de Isaki Lacuesta y Pol Rodríguez, se alza con la Biznaga de Oro a la Mejor Película del 27 Festival de Málaga.

El sábado tuvo lugar la entrega de premios del 27 Festival de Málaga. Un festival que desde mundoCine hemos cubierto como prensa y podéis leer nuestras críticas y entrevistas. Un festival en el que “Segundo Premio” ha ganado el mayor galardón apuntando ya a los premios Goya.

Aquí os dejamos con la lista de los ganadores de la 27ª edición del Festival de Málaga:

Biznaga De Oro A LA Mejor PELÍCULA ESPAÑOLA

Segundo Premio, de Isaki Lacuesta y Pol Rodríguez.

Biznaga De Oro A LA Mejor PELÍCULA Iberoamericana

Radical, de Christopher Zalla.

Biznaga De Plata Premio Especial Del Jurado

Los Pequeños Amores, de Celia Rico.

Biznaga De Plata A LA Mejor DIRECCIÓN

Isaki Lacuesta y Pol Rodríguez por Segundo Premio.

Biznaga De Plata A LA Mejor INTERPRETACIÓN Femenina...

Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez’s,Saturn Return was the big winner at the Malaga Film Festival on March 9, taking home the awards for Golden Biznaga for best Spanish film, best director and best editing.

Other top prizes went to Celia Rico’s Little Loves, Álex Monoya’s La Casa, Pau Durá’s Birds Flying East (Pájaros) and Mexican drama Radical, by Christopher Zalla.

Saturn Return, a drama inspired by iconic indie rock band Los Planetas, is set in the late 1990s in Granada. It is produced by La Terraza Films, Áralan Films, Ikiru Films, Bteam Prods, Sideral Cinema and Los Ilusos Films.

Malaga — Isaki Lacuesta’s “Saturn Return” (“Segundo Premio”), always a frontrunner, topped this week’s Malaga Festival winning its best picture, director (with co-director Pol Rodríguez) and editing (Javi Frutos) awards.

The triple plaudit delivers further recognition for a feature which pulls off the double achievement of being formally inventive and great fun at one and the same time.

Turning on Spanish indie rock group Los Planetas storied attempts to making their third and finally iconic album, but really about people’s need to recast the past as comprehensible narrative and a biopic parody, A broad audience play, “Saturn Return” has been hailed by Spanish newspaper El Mundo as a “masterpiece.”

“Saturn Returns” will do nothing to dent Lacuesta’s status as seemingly suddenly, after years in the wilderness as a supposedly radical filmmaker too out there to take on more ambitious budgets. Lacuesta’s feel-good concluding episode to “Offworld,...

The 27th edition of the Malaga Film Festival (Mff) opens today (March 1) with animated feature Dragonkeeper and a strong line-up of Spanish and Latin American world premieres. The festival is a popular annual meeting point for the Spanish film industry, attended by most buyers and sellers, and showcases the best in new Spanish-language filmmaking.

The world premiere of Salvador Simó and Jian-Ping Li’s Dragonkeeper opens the festival, marking the first time Malaga has raised its curtain with an animated movie. A Spain-China co-production, Dragonkeeper is based on books by Carol Wilkinson, with an English-language voice cast that includes Bill Nighy and Mayalinee Griffiths.

A4’s supernatural horror Talk To Me opens the debut film by Australian brothers and popular YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou on 2,300 screens. Strong reviews (see Deadline’s here), A24 large built-in fan base and its elevated horror cred saw a Thursday gross of $1.25 million, looking to top a $4-5M weekend.

The Sundance-premiering pic follows a group of friends who discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand and become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. Michael Philippou gleefully freaked out a Comic-Con event last week with a stunt that saw him possessed by an embalmed hand before meeting what appeared to be a bloody end. Stars Sophie Wilde, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji and Joe Bird. Written by Bill Hinzman and Danny Philippou.

Limited openings: Music Box Pictures presents The Unknown Country by Morissa Maltz...

Fighting with your neighbors is awful because, well, they can literally hit you where you live. Antoine and Olga, a middle-class French couple trying to get by on their remote Galician farm, learn that the hard way in The Beasts, the fifth feature from Rodrigo Sorogoyen. At a yawning 137 minutes this is no thriller, but it is an engaging, timeless examination of human tribalism, the nature of nature, and cinema itself.

The film opens on a slow, powerful sequence in which two young men wrestle a horse to the ground, then snaps to a game of dominoes at the local watering hole. Xan (Luis Zahera) is holding court over the games table, brashly shit-talking a fellow villager and browbeating his companions into agreement. One man, who Xan calls “Frenchy,” leaves to return to his farm. The Beasts then follows this man, who is actually named Antoine (Denis Ménochet), as he and his wife,...

Fifty-something French couple Antoine and his wife, Olga, move to Galicia looking for a fresh start. Instead, they find only hostility and hardship in Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts,” a deeply uncomfortable portrait of everyday evil that’s all the more terrifying for being true — not the two main characters, who are fictional, but the conflict that comes to define their new life in that wild corner of northwest Spain.

Antoine buys a modest plot on a primeval slope, fixing up the crumbling stone cottage into something cozy enough to call home. He and Olga, are fully prepared to face the challenges of raising crops on such unforgiving soil.

What they’re not prepared for is the open resentment of their xenophobic neighbors, 52-year-old Xan (Luis Zahera) and his brother, Loren (Diego Anido), who was kicked in the head by a horse at some point and has the jagged scar...

It’s hard to think of a less suspenseful set-up than the one writer-director Rodrigo Sorogoyen took on for his nail-biting new feature, The Beasts (As Bestas), which swept last year’s Goya awards in Spain.

In a tiny village lost in the hills of Galicia, a French couple has decided to restart their lives as organic farmers, selling produce at the town market while fixing up abandoned old houses in their downtime. The wife, Olga (Marina Foïs), and husband, Antoine (Denis Ménochet), are a gentle and thoughtful middle-aged pair, concerned by environmental issues and adept enough in Spanish to do business with the locals.

And yet, from its very first minute, this searing drama of rural strife, xenophobia and cultural hostility is filled with almost unbearable tension — a tension that boils over as Olga and Antoine clash with a pair of native-born brothers, Xan (Luis Zahera) and Lorenzo (Diego Anido...

After a mesmerizing slow-motion sequence of men struggling to pin down a wild horse, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts dives into the bad blood between its characters, already on the verge of boiling over. The first scene with characters and dialogue takes place in a bar serving as the social heart of the unnamed Galician mountain village where the story is set. Men drink and play dominos around a table, but the mood is anything but relaxed, due in part to the film’s natural lighting, so thin it looks almost fragile. One of the men, Xan Anta (Luis Zahera), propped up at every turn by his younger brother, Lorenzo (Diago Anido), dominates the conversation with venomous gossip. We sense that this is a daily ritual.

From the outset, it’s clear that The Beasts is no cozy small-town drama, but something more akin to a rural noir, peopled with petty,...

Exclusive: Filmax has acquired international rights to the European road movie Birds Flying East, starring Teresa Saponangelo (The Hand of God), Luis Zahera (The Beasts) and Javier Gutierrez (The Motive).

The Spanish-based Filmax will present first-look images from the pic this week at the Cannes Market.

Directed by actor and filmmaker Pau Durà (Formentera Lady), the pic is produced by David Ciurana of Fosca Films (Formentera Lady), José Nolla of Icónica Producciones (The Motive), and Cristina Zumárraga of Tandem Films (Rosa’s Wedding) for Birds Film and Aie, in co-production with Romanian producers MPM Motion Pictures Management. The project has also received support from Icaa Rtve, Prime Video and TV3.

Related: Cannes Film Festival Full Coverage

Billed as a comedy-drama, the pic tells the story of the trans-European road trip embarked on by two men who travel from Valencia, Spain, to the delta of the Danube in Romania in search of times passed.

Santiago Miter’s political thriller Argentina, 1985, and the Colombian series News of a Kidnapping, created by Andrés Wood and Rodrigo García, swept the top awards at the tenth Platino Awards Saturday evening.

Miter’s film took home six gongs, including Best Ibero-American Fiction film, Best Screenplay for co-writers Mitre and Mariano Llinas, Best Actor for Ricardo Darín, and the Audience Award.

The film is the tale of Argentinian lawyers Julio Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo, who bravely prosecuted members of the country’s former bloody military dictatorship. Under the regime, from 1976 to 1983, an estimated 30,000 people disappeared. The pic debuted in Competition at Venice, where it picked up the Fipresci prize, and was Argentina’s entry for the international Oscar race.

News of a Kidnapping (Noticia de un kidnapping) dominated the TV section taking four awards, including Best Miniseries or Series, Best Series Creator, and Best Actress in a Series or mini-series for Cristina Umaña.

Utama wins first awards for a Bolivian film.

In a one-two for Amazon’s original film and TV businesses Santiago Mitre’s courtroom drama Argentina, 1985 took five top honours at the 2023 Platino Awards on Saturday night (April 22), while News Of a Kidnapping from Andrés Wood and Rodrigo García claimed four.

Amazon Studios’ Argentina, 1985 won best Ibero-American fiction film, best actor for Ricardo Darín, best screenplay for co-writers Mitre and Mariano Llinas, best art direction, and film & education in values awards.

Satuday’s triumph here at Madrid’s Ifema Municipal Palace follows Oscar and Bafta nominations and the Goya for best Iberoamerican film.

Utama wins first awards for a Bolivian film.

Santiago Mitre’s courtroom drama Argentina, 1985 from Amazon Studios took five top honours at the 2023 Platino Awards at Madrid’s Ifema Municipal Palace on Saturday night (April 22), while stablemate Prime Video’s News Of a Kidnapping from Andrés Wood and Rodrigo García claimed four.

Oscar- and Bafta-nominated Argentina, 1985 premiered in Competition at Venice last year and added to an awards haul that also earned recognition at the Goya awards, among others.

Mitre’s latest film won best Ibero-American fiction film, best actor for Ricardo Darín, best screenplay co-written by Mitre and Mariano Llinas,...

Santiago Mitre’s “Argentina, 1985” and “News of a Kidnapping,” created by Andrés Wood and Rodrigo García, swept the top prizes for best picture on Saturday night at the 2023 Platino Awards, in a sign of how the global streamers – here Amazon Studios and Prime Video – have lured top-of-their-class talent in Latin America.

One highlight of the ceremony, dedicated to films and TV shows in the Spanish-speaking world, was Benicio del Toro’s acceptance speech of a honorary Platino in which he reflected on being typecast for many years in Hollywood as a Latino actor.

“If I had to play stereotypes, I tried to find the character’s humanity, a sense of complicity, so that audiences felt what my character felt and whilst they’re watching, don’t forget who I am and where I come from.,” he said. “What’s important is to share more than be divided,” he added.

Stars: Denis Ménochet, Marina Foïs, Luis Zahera, Diego Anido, Marie Colomb, Luisa Merelas, José Manuel Fernández y Blanco, Federico Pérez Rey, Javier Varela, David Menéndez, Xavier Estévez, Gonzalo García, Pepo Suevos, Machi Salgado, Emile Duthu | Written by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Isabel Pena | Directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen

Denis Menochet stars in this terrific Spanish thriller from director Rodrigo Sorogoyen that plays like an arthouse version of Straw Dogs. Shot through with tension in every frame, it exerts an intense, powerful grip and the result is one of the very best films of the year.

Co-written by Sorogoyen and Isabel Pena and loosely based on a true story from 2014, The Beasts stars Denis Menochet and Marina Fois as Antoine and Olga, an educated French couple who moved to a small Spanish village in Galicia in order to grow and sell organic vegetables. When the story begins, Antoine and Olga have already been in...

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s take on a western wins nine prizes, but none for Carla Simon’s Berlinale winner

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts scored big at the 37th edition of the Spanish Film Academy Goya awards held on Saturday in Seville, scooping major prizes including best film and best director.

The ceremony celebrated a year hailed as one of the strongest for Spanish cinema in recent memory. However, one of Spain’s most high-profile films on the international stage, Carla Simon’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Alcarras, left the Goyas empty-handed despite 11 nominations.

The Beasts, which debuted in Cannes in the Premieres section,...

Sorogoyen’s take on a western wins nine prizes, but none for Carla Simon’s Berlinale winner

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts scored big at the 37th edition of the Spanish Film Academy Goya awards held on Saturday in Seville, scooping major prizes including best film and best director.

The ceremony celebrated a year hailed as one of the strongest for Spanish cinema in recent memory. However, one of Spain’s most high-profile films on the international stage, Carla Simon’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Alcarras, left the Goyas empty-handed despite 11 nominations.

The Beasts, which debuted in Cannes in the Premieres section,...

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s latest pic, The Beasts (As bestas), dominated the main prizes, taking home nine gongs, including best film and director at the 37th edition of Spain’s Goya awards Saturday evening.

The pic debuted at Cannes last year and led the Goya award nominations with 17 nods. The film’s story follows a middle-aged French couple who move to a small village, seeking closeness with nature. However, their presence inflames two locals to the point of outright hostility and shocking violence.

The Beasts also picked up wins for best screenplay, leading actor, and supporting actor.

Movistar+’s Modelo77 from Alberto Rodriguez, which trailed The Beasts with 15 nods, picked up five wins, all of them in technical categories. Carla Simón’s Golden Bear winner Alcarràs had 11 nominations but left empty-handed.

In other major wins, Alauda Ruiz de Azúa...

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s modern-day feminist Western, “The Beasts,” already a box office breakout in France and Spain, swept nine prizes including film, director, and original screenplay on Saturday at a celebratory 37th Goya Awards, given Spain’s big fest prizes and rally at its home box office.

The upbeat mood was tempered inevitably by the death of Carlos Saura, one of Spanish cinema’s greats and this year’s Goya of Honor, on Friday.

In a rare departure, a foreign actor, France’s Denis Ménochet (“Inglorious Basterds”) took best actor, winning for his marvellous turn in the conflict-negotiation themed “The Beasts,” as a French settler in modern-day deep Galicia who finally refuses to back down when taunted by locals. His attitude contrasts pointedly with his wife’s.

Produced by Movistar+ and Atípica Films, “Prison 77,” the movie of clearest big production ambitions – the sort of film which will probably now only be made by platform,...

Infiesto is a Spanish movie written and directec by Patxi Amezcua starring Isak Férriz, Iria del Río and José Manuel Poga.

Infiesto takes us through backwater Spain in a dark thriller with secrets and devious characters. It is visually attractive, especially the surroundings.

About the Movie

The plot you might say is similar to Twin Peaks. It starts the same but later it is more a horror thriller in the vein of the trilogy of Baztán.

This movie is entertaining enough, well made visually and above all, knows how to use that “star landscape” that is so romantic which shapes the movie in a good way.

The director does a good job in this third feature film (previously he had directed Séptimo and Carat): knows what he wants, how to direct a thriller and create the right atmosphere, know what to rely on and be guided by the cold...

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s ’The Beasts’ has 17 nominations.

Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beasts leads the nominees for Spain’s prestigious Goya awards, with 17, followed closely by Alberto Rodríguez’s Prison 77 on 16.

The Beasts, which had its world premiere at Cannes, centres around a French couple who cause tensions in the local village to which they move. The psychological thriller is nominated in all major categories including best film where it lines up with Prison 77, Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s Lullaby, Pilar Palomero’s La Maternal and Carla Simón’s Golden Bear winner Alcarràs.

Scroll down for the full nominations

Alcarràs is...

The Spanish-French production The Beasts (As bestas), directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, takes place in a Galician village, although its central characters are a couple of French farmers, who have been living there for a couple of years, Olga and Antoine, respectively played by Marina Foïs and Denis Ménochet (the farmer who hid Shosanna and her family from the Nazis in Inglourious Basterds). In a time when cinema constantly reflects the evident xenophobia that exists in the world, The Beasts presents the classic hostility between neighbors. In this case, two Galician brothers (Luis Zahera and Diego Anido) begin to harass mainly Antoine, who in response starts to record them in order to have proof; however, he doesn’t have much success with the authorities. The Beasts stands...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Chicago – The 58th Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff) announced its award winners on October 21st, 2022, and the recipient of The Gold Hugo in the International Feature Film Competition – the festival’s top honor – is Hiynu Pålmason’s ‘Godland”, a multi-layered critique of colonialist destruction.

Picking up the Festival’s Silver Hugo in the International Feature Film competition is “Close” (directed by Lucas Dhant), which also receives the Gold Hugo-q in the OutLook competition. In the New Directors Competition, Charlotte Le Bon’s “Falcon Lake” takes the Gold Hugo and Ann Oren’s “Piaffe” takes the Silver Hugo. The complete list of honorees is below.

“The Chicago International Film Festival has a 58-year history of honoring the most exciting, most original talent, and this year’s winners reflect a diversity of storytelling and filmmaking in remarkable and timely ways,” said Chicago International Film Festival Artistic Director Mimi Plauché. “With visual languages bold and subtle,...

Entertainment One (eOne) have sold their first Soanish language series “Operación Marea Negra” to over 60 territories including the U.S. and Mexico (Roku), Austarlia (Sbs), Latin American (AMC Networks Intl), Canada (Teleus) and Spain (Disney-owned Fox channel).

The four-part series is based on the true story of Europe’s first intercepted narco-submarine in November 2019, when three smugglers crossed the Atlantic in a home-made sub-aquatic vessel carrying more than 3,000 kilos of cocaine. After boarding in the middle of the Amazon, they sailed to Europe while enduring terrible conditions including hunger, engine problems and storms before finally being captured on the Galician coast by the Civil Guard.

Álex González (“3 Caminos”) stars as “Nando, the ex-boxer and leader of the pack who turns to trafficking when his other financial options dry up.” Joining him are Nerea Barros (“La Isla Mínima”), Nuno Lopes (“White Lines”), Miquel Insua (“La Unidad”), Luis Zahera (“El Reino”), Xosé Barato...

The new additions bring the total number of films in Official Selection to 68.

The Cannes Film Festival has added two new titles to the Official Selection of its 75th edition running May 17 to 28.

Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Spanish-French rural thriller The Beasts (As Bestas) has joined the Cannes Première section and the documentary Salam will debut as a Special Screening.

The new additions bring the total number of films in Official Selection to 68.

Denis Ménochet and Marina Foïs star as a French couple who move to a village in the northern Spanish region of Galicia in a bid to be closer to nature,...

As Bestas

Spanish helmer Rodrigo Sorogoyen has been shooting up the charts with multiple projects for just over the past decade. Best known to international audiences for Mother – a project that began as a nominated short film for the Academy Awards and would then be elongated into the feature (Madre) which would be selected for Venice’s Orizzonti section in 2019. With filming having just concluded during the holidays, As Bestas is based on a true story co-written alongside frequent collab person Isabel Peña and which stars Denis Menochet, Marina Foïs, Luis Zahera and Diego Anido. Filmed in Galicia, Spain in two parts (to depict a timeline in two seasons), the Funny Games sounding thriller brings out the beast in people and that the filmmaker will shoot as a Western.…...

Entertainment One (eOne) has picked up international distribution rights (outside of Spain and Portugal) to Operación Marea Negra, a four-part submarine drama series.

The Spanish-language project comes from Amazon Prime Video and Ficción Producciones. The deal was brokered by Noel Hedges, eOne’s EVP, Acquisitions, International Distribution and marks eOne’s first Spanish-language acquisition.

Set in November 2019 and inspired by real events, the show follows three companions as they attempt to cross the Atlantic in a homemade sub loaded with more than 3,000 kilos of cocaine. While aboard, they fight for survival – battling storms, unpredictable currents, hunger, infighting, and the authorities – in this risky underwater adventure.

Álex González stars along with Nerea Barros, Nuno Lopes, Miquel Insua, and Luis Zahera.

Mamen Quintas and Julio Casal serve as executive producers with Portugal’s Ukbar Filmes. Co-producers are Forta, led by Tvg, and the Portuguese Rtp. The series will be directed by Daniel Calparsoro,...

Streaming

Over the weekend, the La Biennale di Venezia launched its new Biennale Cinema Channel in collaboration with Italian streamer MYmovies, offering up a streamable selection of films which have featured in previous editions of the Venice International Film Festival but which are not currently available elsewhere in Italy. The channel drops with an initial library of 36 titles which featured in various sections of the festival between 2007 and 2020. In September, the first group of films will be supplemented with titles available on the 2021 festival’s Sala Web from Sept. 1-11, and continuously updated thereafter. The channel is available as a monthly subscription for €7.90 ($9.38) or in three-month blocks for €19.90 ($23.62).

Venice prizewinning titles from the initial lineup include 2014 best screenplay winner “Tales” by Rakhshan Banietemad, Gastón Solnicki’s 2016 Fipresci Award-winner “Kékszakállú” (“Bluebird”), and Amat Escalante’s “La región salvaje” (“The Untamed”), which won the filmmaker the Golden Lion for best director in...

"You said he was dead. Now he wants revenge." Netflix has dropped the full trailer for the Barcelona-set revenge action thriller titled Xtreme, also known as Xtremo in Spanish. Running away is not an option. Revenge is his only plan. This one starts streaming June 4th on Netflix. Two years after the murder of his son and his father, a retired hitman sets in motion a carefully crafted revenge plan against the killer: his own brother. This is directed by Barcelona-born filmmaker Daniel Benmayor, who states: "Just as signature Spanish horror was created in the past, with Xtremo we have the opportunity to create a Spanish standard of action films." The film stars Teo García, Óscar Jaenada, Óscar Casas, Andrea Duro, Luis Zahera, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Juan Diego, and Nao Albet. This looks so badass! Fast-paced, stylish, hard-hitting action. I'm in! Very curious to see how this turned out and if...

"There's only one plan. I'm going to kill them all." Netflix has unveiled an official teaser trailer for revenge action thriller titled Xtreme, also known as Xtremo in Spanish. Launching on Netflix this June. Two years after the murder of his son and his father, a retired hitman sets in motion a carefully crafted revenge plan against the killer: his own brother. Directed by Barcelona-born filmmaker Daniel Benmayor, he explains the concept: "Xtremo brings to Barcelona a genre of film rarely exploited in Spanish-speaking films. It will be a relentless action film with a spectacular cast that brings together renowned international actors with new talents and a technical team of the highest level that brings a new style to our cinema. Just as signature Spanish horror was created in the past, with Xtremo we have the opportunity to create a Spanish standard of action films." The film stars Teo García,...

Miami — Breaking barriers, Netflix is preparing to unleash “Xtremo,” billed as one of Spain’s first full-on action thriller movies, starring Oscar Jaenada and action specialist Teo García.

A Netflix Original Film directed by Daniel Benmayor, “Xtremo” also marks the first production of Showrunner Films, the new production company set up by Spanish sales agent Vicente Canales and partner Julieta Videla.

“’Xtremo’ was born as a play to create action cinema made here in Spain. A film designed for the global market but with the character and originality of Spanish cinema,” Canales said in a press release.

For Netflix it’s certainly a gamble in bringing a new genre to a territory, but the bet is a calculated one as action thriller films have performed well for the service internationally. In 2019, the Michael Bay, Ryan Reynolds vehicle “6 Underground” was a massive success around the world.

Although the film only premiered on Dec.

Director Alejandro Amenábar spoke very briefly before the screening of his latest film While at War and the main sentiment was this: “It could happen anywhere.” He doesn’t, however, just mean rebellion or uprising. He doesn’t mean coup or military dictatorship either. What he and co-writer Alejandro Hernández share via the parallel journeys of Don Miguel de Unamuno (Karra Elejalde) and General Franco (Santi Prego) is that just fights always run the risk of becoming unjust very fast. This truth is ultimately a product of our collective naïveté when it comes to thinking our nation won’t succumb to tyranny—that a show of force isn’t always about suppression. We will delude ourselves to the point of no return and have nobody else to blame. “Anywhere” is quite literally your backyard.

The similarity of what Amenábar puts on-screen to the current state of American politics is legitimately horrifying.

Alejandro Amenábar went 15 years without making a feature in Spain, and his first such since the excellent “The Sea Inside” is notable not only for being a 20th-century Spanish history lesson, but also for providing a particularly timely anti-fascist message.

Climaxing in a famous speech of protest from literary lion Miguel de Unamuno, this is a worthy enterprise that errs on the side of caution, carrying the slightly stale whiff of awards-bait cinema in which greatness is frequently signaled but inspiration somehow lacking. Though surely due a certain amount of international travel, it’s unlikely to stir the kind of critical or viewer excitement needed to make this political back-chapter enticing to audiences outside Spanish-speaking territories.

To an extent, Amenábar and co-writer Alejandro Hernandez are hemmed in by the perspective of their protagonist (played by Karra Elejalde), an esteemed author and philosopher then considered by some “Spain’s greatest writer...

"Do you really consider yourself a normal citizen?" Signature Ent. has debuted an official UK trailer for a political drama titled The Candidate, originally titled The Realm or also El Reino. This Spanish dramatic thriller is about a politician whose high-class lifestyle is based on nefarious and illegal business threatens to break his entire party after a newspaper exposes the truth to the public. Antonio de la Torre stars as an influential regional vice-secretary "who had everything in his favor to take the leap into national politics", until he gets caught up in a scandal that changes everything. Also starring Mónica López, José María Pou, Bárbara Lennie, Nacho Fresneda, Ana Wagener, Luis Zahera, Francisco Reyes, and María de Nati. This premiered at the Toronto & San Sebastian Film Festivals last year, and is getting a UK release this summer but nothing in the Us yet. Looks damn good. Perhaps a story real-life politicians should heed.

Champions, a basketball-themed comedy, and The Realm, a political thriller, emerged as the top winners in Spain’s 33rd annual Goya Awards.

Roma, which was also taking the top prize across the Atlantic at Saturday night’s DGA Awards, won a Goya for Best Iboamerican Film.

The Realm took home seven trophies, for directing, acting, supporting acting, screenwriting, sound, editing and music. Director Rodrigo Sorogoyen will also be at this month’s Oscars, as a nominee for Best Live-Action Short Film for Mother.

Champions, which was Spain’s official submission for the Best Foreign Language category at the Oscars, won for Best Film. It depicts the efforts of a pro basketball coach who is sentenced to coach a team of intellectually challenged players. Director Javier Fesser cast non-professional actors with actual disabilities to play many of the players.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Film

Champions

Best Direction...

Political thriller The Realm awarded seven prizes including best director for Rodrigo Sorogoyen.

Political thriller The Realm and local box office comedy hit Champions shared the big prizes at Spain’s Goya Awards, held in Sevilla last night (2 Feb).

The Spanish Film Academy awarded seven prizes to The Realm, who led the race with 13 nominations, including best director for Rodrigo Sorogoyen; and crowned Javier Fesser’s Champions as best film.

Fesser’s comedy was the most successful Spanish film by far at the local box office in 2018 with a gross of $22m. Produced by Películas Pendelton, Rey de Babia A.

The notion that government is one big con directing money into already well-lined pockets is confirmed and then some in “The Realm.” Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “Michael Clayton”-like thriller has struck a chord in Spain, where the persistence of corruption in the post-Franco era is a popular topic bordering on obsession. But are examples of corruption just a matter of a few bad apples or the tip of a vast conspiratorial iceberg?

Sorogoyen (“Stockholm”) and co-writer Isabel Pena (also his collaborator on “May God Save Us”) definitely favor the second scenario, and that bleak verdict has resonated in Spain — “The Realm” is dominating this year’s Goya race, with 13 nominations. It’s unlikely the film will resonate as well offshore, as some viewers may be confused by a narrative that assumes familiarity with Spanish political and economic systems; moreover, the movie is not the “ripped from headlines” true story it often feels like.