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If you’ve been to the San Sebastian International Film Festival, then you know. If you’ve walked around the Frank Gehry-designed, titanium-plated Guggenheim Museum on the formerly industrial banks of the Nervion River in Bilbao, you know. If you’ve gorged yourself on pintxos or had the luxury of dining at one of the many Michelin-starred restaurants in the region, you know.

Basque Country is unique. This northern autonomous community of Spain is sophisticated, innovative and thriving — and its film sector is no different. The region is consolidating its outreach and support efforts into a new initiative dubbed Film Basque Country, which will be launched at the Berlinale on Feb. 16.

“Film Basque Country is an initiative that positions Basque Country as a top destination for audiovisual productions,” says Ruth Aristondo, head of Film Basque Country (Fbc). The organization, which is also launching a website on Feb. 16, will promote the territory as a whole.

Julio Medem, one of Spain’s most distinctive cinematic voices, returns to the spotlight at Berlin’s European Film Market with “8,” an ambitious and formally daring film that spans 90 years of Spanish history through the intertwined lives of Octavio and Adela.

Javier Rey (“Cocaine Coast”) stars as Octavio, while Ana Rujas, acclaimed for her role in Los Javis’ “La Mesías,” plays Adela. Produced by Spain’s Morena Films, behind box office hits “Cell 211” and “Champions,” with Barbazul la película Aie, Eidan Produce and Quexito Films, the feature is sold by Latido Films.

“I proposed to tell the story of Octavio and Adela’s 90 years in eight chapters, and that each one would be a sequence shot, so that the time spent in each would be ‘a while’,” Medem told Variety. The director’s approach is rooted in the idea that “the only one who has a complete and...

Italy’s Fandango will be launching sales at the Cannes Marché du Film on “The Sleeper,” a doc directed by Spain’s Alvaro Longoria about a lost Caravaggio painting depicting a thorn-crowned Christ that’s been making global headlines and will soon be displayed at the Prado museum in Madrid.

“The Sleeper” is structured like a thriller in which the viewer is guided by art dealer Jorge Coll on the tortuous journey of this piece of art, titled “Ecce Homo.” After hanging in the living room of an ordinary Spanish home for decades, the painting was attributed to the circle of the 17th-century Spanish artist José de Ribeira when it was offered for sale at a Madrid auction house in April 2021. It almost sold for just €1,500 before something clicked, prompting experts in Spain and Italy to reexamine the work.

“What happens when a painting that has always adorned the living...

The international endurance of Spanish film adaptations was front and center this year at the Malaga Festival Industry Zone’s (Mafiz) Remake Day event on Thursday, with a presentation of Shanghai-based Aim Media’s “Lose to Win,” the Chinese adaptation of the Latido Films-sold 2018 hit “Campeones” (“Champions”), directed by Javier Fesser.

“Champions” is produced by Luis Manso at Fesser’s Madrid-based Películas Pendleton (“Historias Lamentables”) alongside Alvaro Longoria at Spain’s Morena Films (“Everybody Knows”).

Global remakes of “Champions,” about a basketball coach who coaches a team of people with disabilities as community service, have so far included Arabic, German, U.S. (starring Woody Harrelson and directed by Bobby Farrelly) and Indian versions, not to mention a hugely successful Spanish sequel.

Discussing “Lose to Win,” directed by Gao Hu, ahead of a special screening of the film, Aim Media’s Emily Ruan detailed the benefits and challenges presented by the production.

Spain’s Morena, Mediacrest and Estrategia Audiovisual are joining forces with Italy’s Fandango on “The Sleeper,” a thriller doc following an alleged Caravaggio painting, directed by producer-helmer Álvaro Longoria.

Rome-based Fandango also handles international sales rights. It is attending the EFM.

Based on an original story created by Morena co-founder Longoria, Mediacrest’s Gerardo Olivares and Estrategia Audiovisual’s Ricardo Fernández-Deu, the project started production at the end of 2023, and is being shot in Madrid, London and several cities in Italy.

Guided by art dealer Jorge Coll, “The Sleeper” tells the journey of a piece of art that goes from a house’s living room in Madrid to making headlines worldwide in light of the possibility that it could be a lost painting by Italian Baroque master Caravaggio.

“You can’t ask for a better thriller plot,” Longoria told Variety. “The world of art is fascinating and somewhat obscure.

Latido Films is venturing yet more into the inspiring world of e-sports and viral fame with Goya Award winning producer-helmer Alvaro Longoria’s new doc-feature, “La vida de Brianeitor.” The film serves as a spin-off from Javier Fesser’s Spanish box office smash hit, “Championext,” which Latido is also selling.

The doc follows Brian Albacete, better known as Brianeitor2022. With millions of social media followers, an acting role in a top-charting Spanish film “Championext” and a spot on Team Heretics—one of Spain’s leading e-sport entities—Brian is redefining what it means to be a star. And he’s doing it all despite living with muscular dystrophy and spina bifida.

“Javier Fesser…told me Brian was an amazing subject for a doc. I wasn’t really sure until I met him in person,” recalled Alvaro Longoria, the film’s director, and the producer at Morena Films behind “Championext.” Brian...

Madrid-based Latido Films has unveiled a slew of sales during the summer, led by standout deals reached on Daniel Calparsoro’s thriller “All the Names of God” and Gerardo Herrero’s comedy “Under Therapy.”

The announcement comes as the 20 year-old company Latido disclosed early sales deals to Javier Fesser’s “Championext,” the sequel to his comedy blockbuster “Champions”- which has become Spain’s biggest box office hit of 2023, scoring €7.52 million ($8.08 million) and 1.2 million tickets sold through Sept. 3, three weekends after its Aug. 18 release.

Latido deal details add some much needed granularity to the state of the non-English language sales scene as major festivals take place at Venice and now Toronto.

A Bullish Summer

“It has been a good summer for Latido. And we hope for an even better fall,” explained Latido CEO Antonio Saura.

“The way the post-covid market works is not only linked to the market events themselves.

Five of the 19 films selected are world premieres.

Films from Álvaro Longoria, Itsaso Arana and Gerardo Herrero are among the 19 features selected for the Made In Spain strand of San Sebastian International Film Festival, the non-competitive showcase of Spanish talent.

Longoria will close the strand with the world premiere of La Vida De Brianeitor about a teenager with a physical disability who becomes an elite gamer.

Also world premiering is Mercedes Moncada Rodríguez’s documentary Perplexed Ants exploring workers trying to prevent the collapse of their industry.

The other world premieres include Juanma Betancort’s documentary Seed Of Son about...

Move over “Barbenheimer”: Spain has a new box office phenom: Javier Fesser’s “Championext” (“Campeonex”), his sequel to “Champions,” Spain’s biggest hometurf box office hit of the last seven years which sparked a Woody Harrelson U.S. remake directed by Bobby Farrelly.

Produced by Luis Mansó for Películas Pendleton and Alvaro Longoria for Morena Films, “Championext” is released in Spain by Universal Pictures Intl (Upi), and sold internationally by Latido Films.

It opened Aug. 18 for a first weekend €1.72 million ($1.89 million) which bested both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” as well as “Meg 2: The Trench,” Spain’s No. 1 for the last two weeks.

“Championext’s” first weekend frame is the biggest among Spanish films since Santiago Segura’s “Father There is Only One 3” in July 2022.

Scoring a muscular €823,399 on Wednesday, spectators’ day in Spain when ticket prices drop at cinema theaters, “Championext” grossed a robust €3.94 million ($4.31 million) through and including Friday,...

During a masterclass at the Nouvelles Vagues Festival in Biarritz, France, Penélope Cruz revealed that she will soon make her directorial debut with a mystery documentary feature.

Cruz, a guest of honor of this inaugural edition of Nouvelles Vagues, took part in a Q&a following the French premiere of “On the Fringe,” a commentary on Spain’s eviction crisis which she produced with Alvaro Longoria. Set over the course of 24 hours in a working class neighborhood of Madrid, the film follows several marginalized characters whose fates are intertwined as they struggle financially and face eviction.

Cruz said she set up her production company, Moonlyon, with Laura Espeso (“The Good Boss”) and Spanish powerhouse Mediapro Studio in 2022 to pursue “meaningful” projects as a producer and director.

“I was telling my friend Pedro Almodóvar that ‘I really want to do this. Do you think I should?’ And he always told me,...

Javier Bardem is the first recipient of San Sebastian’s prestigious Donostia Award for this year’s 71st edition.

He will accept the prize, San Sebastian’s highest accolade, granted for career achievement, at the festival’s opening gala on September 22. His image will also feature on the poster of this year’s edition, unveiled today in San Sebastian.

The only surprise about Bardem’s Donostia Award is that it hasn’t come earlier. A rugby player for Spain’s national team, Bardem first came to fame as a local village hulk playing opposite his now spouse Penélope Cruz in Bigas Luna’s 1992 flamboyant social critique “Jamón, Jamón.”

Bardem wanted, however, to be an actor, not a sex symbol. Refusing to be typecast, his full international breakthrough came in 2000 thanks to a tearaway performance as gay Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas in Julian Schnabel’s “Before Night Falls,” and in Spain,...

Barcelona-based sales shingle Filmax has acquired international rights to Spanish thriller “Ellipsis,” directed and co-written by Goya-nominated David Marqués.

“Ellipsis” toplines a slew of Spanish-language world stars, including Diego Peretti, José Coronado (“No Rest for the Wicked”), and iconic Mexican thesp Cecilia Suárez (“The House of Flowers”) and rising star Georgina Amorós (“Elite”).

Peretti plays protagonist Leo, a well-known author of mystery novels. He is paid a visit by a man claiming to be a journalist in a secret location where Leo is penning his next novel. But only his agent knows where he is. Could it be that a dark secret from Adriana ( Amorós), his lover, is behind the surprise visit?

The script was co-written by Rafael Calatayud Cano (“Tales of the Lockdown”) and Marqués, who is best-known for writing Spanish comedy-drama “Champions,” a box office and format smash hit directed by Javier Fesser.

Marqués said: “‘Ellipsis’ is an...

“Championext”(“Campeonex”), the anticipated follow-up to Javier Fesser’s Spanish comedy triumph “Champions” (“Campeones”) which scooped Forqué, Goya, and Feroz awards for best picture and delighted audiences to the tune of a stellar €18.5 million (21.4 million) box office grab, has been acquired for international sales by Latido Films (“The Beasts”).

Written by Fesser (“Camino”) and Athenea Mata (“El Secreto de Lilith”) in collaboration with David Marqués, the film follows nearly the same cast of beloved characters two years after they’ve left the fierce competition behind. A Los Amigos reunion will see “the landscape move from the world of basketball to the world of athletics for people with disabilities while making room to explore the fascinating world of metaverses and virtual reality,” Fesser revealed in a statement.

Delving further into the world of its protagonists, the film allows for a broader reveal while cementing the feel-good sentiment and relatability that brought the original high-acclaim.

Focus Features is already training for March Madness with the studio’s Champions trailer. Designed to make you laugh, open your eyes, and warm your heart, Champions stars Woody Harrelson as a former minor league basketball coach. After a series of missteps, the court orders Harrelson’s Marcus to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realizes that despite his doubts, the team can go further than they ever imagined.

Bobby Farrelly directs Champions from a screenplay by Mark Rizzo. Joining Harrelson for the inspirational sports feature are Ernie Hudson, Kaitlin Olson, Cheech Marin, and Matt Cook, with Madison Tevlin, Joshua Felder, Kevin Ianucci, Ashton Gunning, Matthew Von Der Ahe, James Day Keith, Alex Hintz, Casey Metcalfe, Bradley Edens, and more.

Paul Brooks, Scott Niemeyer, and Jeremy Plager produce, with Woody Harrelson, Brad Kessell, Alexander Jooss, Álvaro Longoria, Javier Fesser, and Luis Manso executive producing.

In the Champions trailer,...

Every movie star needs to play a gruff, fish-out-of-water coach in a heartwarming sports film at least once, and Woody Harrelson is getting that opportunity with “Champions,” a new comedy film from Bobby Farrelly. Focus Features debuted the official trailer for the upcoming film December 5.

In the film, “Cheers” and “True Detective” star Harrelson plays Marcus Aldridge, a temperamental minor-league basketball coach who gets fired from his position after a series of losses and winds up facing legal trouble after crashing into a police car. Ordered by the court to fulfill a community service requirement, he coaches a basketball team consisting of players with intellectual disabilities.

Initially apathetic about the assignment and unconvinced the group has any potential as a team, Marcus ends up motivated to whip the players into shape when he realizes that competing with them in the Special Olympics could be a step towards reclaiming his old job.

The 70th San Sebastian rounded its final bend with new deals announced for Spain by A Contracorriente, Bteam and Avalon, joy among industry players at a first full on site festival, blessed by early autumn sunshine, a sense of an even slower international sales business.

Equally, Spain’s market and production sector remain on ebullient, buoyed by art-house breakouts and a vibrant drama series production. Five takeaways from this year’s San Sebastian Festival, which wraps tomorrow, Sept. 24:

San Sebastian Grows (Again)

“There are markets that have improved during Covid-19, and others that haven’t and San Sebastian is a festival that’s improved thanks to its industry activities,” says Film Factory’s Vicente Canales. That build comes from afar, with a Films in Progress strand in 2002, an Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum from 2012, the Ikusmira Berriak development residency from 2017 and now a Creative Investors Conference.

There’s a form of cross collaterization here.

Actor’s directorial debut plays in San Sebastián’s Perlak section.

Actor Juan Diego Botto’s first feature as a director is On The Fringe, starring Penélope Cruz, which comes to San Sebastián’s Perlak (Pearls) section fresh from its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The social-realist drama about eviction and economic crisis focuses on three central characters: Rafa (Luis Tosar), a lawyer and activist whose altruistic instincts come at the expense of stability in his own life and family; supermarket worker Azucena (Penelope Cruz), a wife and mother who is a day away from eviction from her...

Events include the inaugural Creative Investors’ Conference, a panel on crisis in streaming and a focus on Serbia.

The 70th San Sebastian International Film Festival (September 16-24) will mark a return to full form for its industry programme, with a higher industry attendance expected than ever before and the inaugural edition of the much-anticipated Creative Investors’ conference.

Some 2,009 industry delegates will attend in-person, with 1,956 on site, and just 53 participating online as the festival continues to offer an online-only industry accreditation.

Last year, 1,625 delegates from industry attended, with 140 participating online – a time when strict Covid restrictions were in-place, including mandatory mask wearing,...

Alvaro Longoria, partner-producer at Morena Films, one of Spain’s top production shingles, is teaming with the Government of Cantabria to create El Bosque del Cine, a pioneering reforestation scheme offering producers a simple but inspiring way of cancelling productions’ carbon footprints.

The program is set to be unveiled on Sept. 13 at a round table at this week’s Santander Film Festival.

El Bosque del Cine aims to plant 34,000 trees over 40 hectares, lent to the program by the Government of Cantabria. Creation will be divided into two phases of 20 hectares each, the first beginning this year. The forest will absorb 19,000 tons of carbon dioxide (Co 2) emissions, equivalent to the footprint of 320 movies.

El Bosque del Cine will offer producers the chance to cancel a movie’s footprint supporting the reforestation at an average cost of about €6,000 per film, Longoria told Variety. Forest paths will sport plaques explaining the local ecology...

“Tequila, Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll,” from Goya Award-winning producer-helmer Alvaro Longoria, has been acquired for international sales by Latido Films.

Set up at Madrid’s Morena Films, which Longoria co-founded, doc marks a return to directing for Longoria, whose 2012 debut, “Sons of the Clouds,” produced by Javier Bardem, scored a Spanish Academy Goya while 2015’s “The Propaganda Game” nabbed a nomination. Meanwhile, just in the last few years, Longoria has produced Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes opener “Everybody Knows” and Spanish box office juggernaut “Champions.”

“I produce, that is how I make a living, but I direct documentaries as a passion.’ said Longoria.

Set to world premiere at this month’s San Sebastian Festival as part of its Made in Spain showcase, “Tequila” charts the rise of the Argentine-Spanish rock band fronted by Ariel Rot and Alejo Stivel.

The two are set to perform again in a series of post-film screening concerts.

Focus Features and Gold Circle Entertainment Land have announced the release date for Bobby Farrelly’s Champions on March 24, 2023.

Champions, directed by Bobby Farrelly from a screenplay by Mark Rizzo, stars Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson, Cheech Marin, and Matt Cook.

In Champions, Harrelson stars in the hilarious and heartwarming story of a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of missteps, is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realizes that despite his doubts, together, this team can go further than they ever imagined.

Producers on the project are Paul Brooks and Scott Niemeyer via their Gold Circle Entertainment banner, and Jeremy Plager via his 7 Deuce Entertainment banner. The film is executive produced by Woody Harrelson, Gold Circle Entertainment’s Brad Kessell, Alexander Jooss, Morena Films’ Álvaro Longoria, and Películas Pendelton’s Javier Fesser and Luis Manso.

The...

Focus Features will open Champions on March 24, 2023.

In the movie, Woody Harrelson plays a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of missteps, is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realizes that despite his doubts, together, this team can go further than they ever imagined.

Gold Circle Entertainment is also producing the movie which Bobby Farrelly directed from a screenplay by Mark Rizzo.

Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson, Cheech Marin, and Matt Cook star.

Producers on the project are Paul Brooks and Scott Niemeyer via their Gold Circle Entertainment banner, and Jeremy Plager via his 7 Deuce Entertainment banner. Harrelson, Gold Circle Entertainment’s Brad Kessell, Alexander Jooss, Morena Films’ Álvaro Longoria, and Películas Pendelton’s Javier Fesser and Luis Manso are EPs.

The movie will open on the same day as Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 and United...

Exclusive: Principal photography has begun on Penélope Cruz drama On The Fringe (En Los Márgenes), directed by Juna Diego Botto, and written by Botto and Olga Rodríguez.

Currently filming on location in Madrid, the Spanish-language film stars an ensemble cast which includes Oscar winner Cruz (Pain and Glory), Luis Tosar (Miami Vice), Aixa Villagrán (Loco Por Ella), Adelfa Calvo (Madres Paralelas), Nur Levi (Hablar) and Christian Checa. Above is a first look at director Botto, Cruz and Tosar on set.

Told over the course of one day, the movie will follow interweaving stories, including that of a woman (Cruz) who has 24 hours to prevent herself and her family being evicted from their home by a bank intent on repossessing it. Cell 211 star Tosar will play a passionate lawyer and activist.

The film is a Spanish-Belgian co-production and is produced by Cruz and Álvaro Longoria for Morena Films. The duo recently...

A fast-changing audiovisual ecosystem in Europe has spawned new initiatives in a bid to level the playing field among established media companies and streaming platforms.

The European Union has adopted the new Creative Europe 2021-2017 program with a hefty budget increase that is now being implemented with a Media and Audiovisual Action Plan introduced last December in tandem with the Recovery and Resilience Facility (Rrf), an unprecedented recovery plan for Europe with a total budget of € 723.8 billion. Its chief aim is to bolster and stimulate the European audiovisual industry which now faces deep change brought about in particular by digitalization and the greening agenda, a process further accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ably moderated by Elena Neira, founder and CEO of La Otra Pantalla, Spain, two panels at the European Film Forum, held Monday Sept. 20 at the San Sebastian Film Festival, addressed both the issues of greening and digitalization.

Introducing the forum,...

Major events will also be live-streamed, including the European Film Forum.

As the 69th edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival gets underway today (September 17), the festival boasts an increased in-person presence as well as extending last year’s hybrid approach to its industry activities.

All activities will take place in-person, with major events also being live-streamed.

Once again this year, the industry department – headed by Saioa Riba – will have its hub in the Kursaal centre, hosting the Industry Club space, a meeting and working space for accredited industry guests.

This year’s industry highlights include a conference on identities...

From its first edition 24 years ago, the Jihlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival, running Oct. 27-Nov. 8, has always gone its own way — largely thanks to director Marek Hovorka and his team, who never wanted to run just another venue for screening docs.

These days, the Czech Republic’s prime doc event continues that mission even as it’s been forced by government Covid-19 safety restrictions to go fully online. A digital version will in fact be a permanent Jihlava feature going forward, Hovorka says, but after this year it will be balanced with live events to create a hybrid fest format.

For 2020, rather than simply streaming films, he says, Jihlava will create a rich experience online and on the ground with top doc makers and leading thinkers visiting the central Bohemian town for talks to be aired live from the Lighthouse. This glassed-in shipping container converted into a studio is installed on Masarykovo namesti,...

”What do we do with a co-production which is shot in France, but the Covid-19 case happens in Germany?

The lack a cross-border insurance guarantee fund is crippling the European film industry’s abilitiy to get back on its feet in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic,said a group of experts at the European Film Forum, presented by Creative Europe at the San Sebastian International Film Festival on Tuesday (September 22).

Luis Chaby, president of the European Film Agency Directors Association (EFADs), noted seven member states have insurance guarantee funds set up nationally – “Austria, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Germany and soon to be Ireland,...

The European Producers Club unveiled its Covid-19 recovery manifesto in San Sebastian.

The European Producers Club (Epc) unveiled its an ambitious wishlist of industry support measures during the online European Film Forum, presented by Creative Europe at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain on Tuesday (September 22).

Spanish producer Álvaro Longoria of Morena Films, who is president of the European Producers Club, unveiled the group’s Covid recovery manifesto.

He called for support at the European level, especially during the pandemic. “We at the European Producers Club believe that the European authorities and the European Commission have to take...

The European Producers Club unveiled its Covid-19 recovery manifesto in San Sebastian.

The European Producers Club (Epc) unveiled its an ambitious wishlist of industry support measures during the online European Film Forum, presented by Creative Europe at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain on Tuesday (September 22).

Spanish producer Álvaro Longoria of Morena Films, who is president of the European Producers Club, unveiled the group’s Covid recovery manifesto.

He called for support at the European level, especially during the pandemic. “We at the European Producers Club believe that the European authorities and the European Commission have to take...

At a crunch time for Europe’s film and TV industries, as it faces Covid-19 crisis and streamer-propelled sea change, the San Sebastian’s Festival European Film Forum will take both bulls by the horns at its Sept. 22 conference, Beyond Covid-19: Revitalizing the European Audiovisual Industry,

Two panel discussions will be preceded by an in-depth analysis on The Impact of Covid-19 on the European A/V Sector, presented by Gilles Fontaine, head of the department for market information at the European Audiovisual Observatory.

Speakers at a first panel, entitled Incentives And Measures For Recovery, take in Lucía Recalde, head of unit, audiovisual industry and Media support programs, European Commission; Luis Chaby, President of Efad the European Film Agency Directors Assn. and president of the Board of Directors of Portugal’s Icaa agency; Peter Dinges, CEO of the German Federal Film Board (Ffa); and Iole Maria Giannattasio, a research unit coordinator,...

Latido Films, Amazon Prime Video and Vértice Cine have boarded vet Spanish filmmaker Fernando Colomo’s comedy project “Poliamor para principiantes”.

Produced by Álvaro Longoria at Madrid-based Morena Films, the film will begin shooting in early October. It starr high-profile Spanish thesps María Pedraza and Karra Elejalde.

Amazon Prime Video has acquired Spanish TV rights, Latido is handling international sales, while Vértice Cine will distribute in Spain.

Helmer-producer-director Colomo has made his reputation over more than four decades with small-scale comedies with a social agenda, such as “Tigres de papel,” “Bajarse al moro” and “Alegre ma non troppo.”

“Colomo has a very intelligent take on the transformations of Spanish society and knows how to sharpen its contradictions,” said Latido Films CEO Antonio Saura.

Questioned about the increasing international demand of film comedies, Longoria said: “Certainly, we are facing the boom of local products, very local films that deal with global issues.

Madrid-based Latido Films has picked up international sales rights to omnibus feature “Relatos Con-fin-a-dos” (“Tales of the Lockdown”), produced by Spanish film and TV house Morena Films.

Scheduled for a July 3 release in Spain via Amazon Prime Video, “Tales” is making its world market premiere at Cannes Marché du Film Online.

Filmed during the Covid-19 lockdown in Spain, the five self-contained stories range from a romantic comedy to a drama and a thriller, as well as terror and dark humor.

Produced by Morena’s Álvaro Longoria and Anna Saura, and Cecilia Gessa at Gessas Producciones, the “Tales” episode are directed by Fernando Colomo, Álvaro Fernández-Armero (“Spanish Shame”), David Marqués (“Dioses y Perros”), Miguel Bardem (“Mortadelo and Filemon: Mission — Save the Planet”) and Juan Diego Botto (“En los márgenes”).

The stories topline five pair of actors: Luis Tosar (“Miami Vice”) and Maria Luisa Mayol (“Eye For an Eye”), Alvaro Rico (“Élite...

The Panama Film Festival (Iff Panama), with support from the Inter-American Development Bank, is unspooling a five-day online festival, running May 22-26, which includes film screenings and round tables.

Held on May 22, 23 and 24, three online round-tables – two moderated by festival director Pituka Ortega Heilbron and one by Tiff’s senior director, film, Diana Sanchez – questioned leading international talent, based in Latin America and Europe, about what film festivals and film production and distribution will look like after Covid-19.

The panelists were Jayro Bustamante (“Ixcanul”), Nicolás Celis (“Roma”), Cristina Gallegos (“Embrace of the Serpent”) Elena Manrique (“Pan’s Labyrinth”), production designer Enrique Caballero (“Roma”), and actors Yalitza Aparicio (“Roma”), Luis Tosar (“Cell 211”), Ricardo Darín (“The Secret in Their Eyes”), Geraldine Chaplin (“Talk to Her”), Daniela Vega (“A Fantastic Woman”) and Marina de Tavira (“Roma”).

Several innovative new projects adapted to the lockdown period were discussed. For example, Spanish actor Luis Tosar...

“It belongs to no one and everyone,” a Greenpeace spokesperson observes of Antarctica, amid several awed talking-head statements at the outset of “Sanctuary.” It’s a true enough observation of the southernmost continent, though it opens up the question driving Álvaro Longoria’s short, straightforward environmental documentary: If the unpopulated ice kingdom is above human ownership, who takes responsibility for protecting it? Enter Spanish star Javier Bardem, thankfully not stepping into the breach as a self-appointed eco-warrior, but as a necessarily famous figurehead for a larger, less glamorous conservationist movement. That “Sanctuary” is modestly pragmatic rather than fawning about the function of celebrities in environmental activism is its most appealing and intriguing aspect, though it stops short of a deeper inquiry into the PR mechanics of saving the world.

For the most part, rather, Longoria’s film — produced in collaboration with Greenpeace, for which it effectively serves as an extended...

The London-based sales agent has also picked up the Forum films The Exit of the Trains, The House of Love and Strike or Die, plus the Panorama Dokumente title The Foundation Pit. The UK’s Taskovski Films has announced that it has picked up the worldwide rights for Sanctuary, an environmental documentary toplined by Javier and Carlos Bardem, directed by Spanish filmmaker Álvaro Longoria and produced by Madrid-based Morena Films. The film world-premiered at Toronto. “We strongly believe that filmmakers and actors can contribute to the protection of our planet and the environment we live in. We believe that ‘we are what we watch’ and that by distributing these films, we are, together with filmmakers, contributing to bringing about the change that we would like to see in the world,” says Irena Taskovski, founder and managing director of Taskovski Films. “It is an enormous pleasure to work with Morena Films and.

San Sebastian — On Monday at the San Sebastian Film Festival the European Film Forum hosted a presentation and two panels highlighting new financing and collaboration models for promoting European works.

Both panels were hosted by Rafael Lambea of Spanish non-profit Crea Sgr.

In 2016 Crea Sgr was the first agency to make use of new financing mechanisms established by the European Investment Fund, represented on Monday by Laoura Ntziourou who talked about ways in which the fund helps SMEs from creative and cultural services secure financing at each stage of production processes.

The first panel, Co-financing Formulas for Better Exploitation of Rights, featured conversations about new financing and collaboration models. Case studies were presented to illustrate production, distribution and exhibition possibilities combining both public and private sector financing.

Panelists included Ntziourou, two Spanish producers in Miramemira’s Xavier Font – who brought with him experiences from Oliver Laxe’s “Fire Will Come...

Focus Features has released a trailer for Everybody Knows, Asghar Farhadi’s follow-up to his Oscar winner The Salesman. The Spanish-language film stars Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and Focus scored a rights deal in May right after it had its world premiere as the opening film at the Cannes Film Festival. It now will have a platform release beginning February 8.

Focus won a late-night auction for the rights to the film, beating out numerous bidders including Netflix for the high-wattage dramatic thriller featuring a trio of Oscar winners in Farhadi, Cruz and Bardem.

The plot centers on Laura (Cruz) on her travels from Argentina to her small hometown in Spain for her sister’s wedding, bringing her two children with her. Amid the joyful reunion and festivities, the eldest daughter is abducted. In the tense days that follow, various family and community tensions surface and deeply hidden secrets are revealed.

“Everybody Knows,” the Spanish-language psychological thriller from Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi, will be released in theaters on Feb. 8, 2019, with a brief awards qualifying run beginning Nov. 30, the studio announced on Friday.

Focus Features picked up rights to the film ahead of its premiere opening-night screening at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival back in May.

The film, which stars Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, is director Farhadi’s follow-up to his 2016 Oscar-winning foreign language film “The Salesman.” Farhadi also previously won the best foreign-language film Oscar for “A Separation.”

Also Read: Penelope Cruz on 'Everybody Knows' Director: 'He's Demanding in a Very Good Way' (Video)

“Everybody Knows” follows Laura (Cruz) on her travels from Argentina to her small home town in Spain for her sister’s wedding, bringing her two children along for the occasion. Amid the joyful reunion and festivities, the eldest daughter is abducted. In the tense days that follow,...

Focus Features has set a February 8 limited release for Everybody Knows (Todos lo Saben), Asghar Farhadi’s psychological thriller starring Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Ricardo Darín that opened the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Written and directed by Farhadi, the Spanish-language film first will get a brief Oscar-qualifying run starting November 30. It follows Laura (Cruz) on her travels with her two kids from Argentina to her small hometown in Spain for her sister’s wedding. Amid the joyful reunion and festivities, the eldest daughter is abducted. In the tense days that follow, various family and community tensions surface and deeply hidden secrets are revealed.

At Toronto earlier this month, Farhadi talked about his inspiration for the movie. “It comes from a trip I had to Spain with my family 15 years ago, he said. “My daughter was very small at that time, and she saw photos...

Focus Features kicked off the Cannes 2018 market by acquiring opening night Competition entry “Everybody Knows,” starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. The solid Spanish-language melodrama from Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi played well Tuesday night to mixed response from critics. UTA and Memento fielded multiple bids for the film — which did not go to Netflix — which screened for buyers ahead of Cannes.

“Everybody Knows” is in the running for jury prizes, which could go to Bardem or Cruz; and Spain could submit the film for the Oscars.

Focus will release the taut family kidnap drama in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, select Asian territories, and the Middle East (but not Iran). Focus had previously acquired rights in Spain last year.

Farhadi has two foreign-language Oscar wins, for “A Separation” and “The Salesman.” In the film, Laura (Cruz) and her two children travel from Argentina to...

Focus Features kicked off the Cannes 2018 market by acquiring opening night Competition entry “Everybody Knows,” starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. The solid Spanish-language melodrama from Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi played well Tuesday night to mixed response from critics. UTA and Memento fielded multiple bids for the film — which did not go to Netflix — which screened for buyers ahead of Cannes.

“Everybody Knows” is in the running for jury prizes, which could go to Bardem or Cruz; and Spain could submit the film for the Oscars.

Focus will release the taut family kidnap drama in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, select Asian territories, and the Middle East (but not Iran). Focus had previously acquired rights in Spain last year.

Farhadi has two foreign-language Oscar wins, for “A Separation” and “The Salesman.” In the film, Laura (Cruz) and her two children travel from Argentina to...

Focus pounced after Tuesday night’s premiere.

Focus Features has acquired the Us, UK and multiple territories to Asghar Farhadi’s Cannes opening night film Everybody Knows.

Focus pounced after Tuesday night’s premiere and has picked up the Us, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, India, select Asian territories and the Middle East excluding Iran.

The studio, led by chairman Peter Kujawski, acquired rights to Spain last year.

Farhadi’s follow-up to his Oscar-winner The Salesman wrote and directed the Spanish-language psychological thriller starring Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Ricardo Darín.

Everybody Knows follows Laura (Cruz) on her...

Focus Features has acquired “Everybody Knows,” beating out Netflix for rights to the opening night film of this year’s Cannes.

The indie label will distribute the film in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, select Asian territories and the Middle East, apart from Iran. Focus had previously acquired rights in Spain last year. The deal for “Everybody Knows” closed just prior to its red carpet premiere on Tuesday.

The film is Asghar Farhadi’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning “The Salesman.” It stars real-life couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Farhadi also oversaw “A Separation,” picking up another Oscar for his efforts.

Focus was able to best the deeper-pocketed Netflix in the end because Farhadi and company wanted a traditional theatrical release. Netflix debuts its films simultaneously on streaming platforms and in theaters. The “Everybody Knows” filmmakers also believed that Focus, which just picked up...

Breaking: Focus Features won a late night auction for Everybody Knows, the Spanish language Asghar Farhadi film that opened the Cannes Film Festival last night with a glamorous Palais premiere that featured stars Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Ricardo Darín. Focus will distribute in the Us, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, select Asian territories and the Middle East, apart from Iran. Focus had previously acquired rights in Spain last year. Multiple bidders chased the film, including Netflix.

On the heels of his second Academy-Award winner The Salesman following his first for A Separation, Farhadi wrote and directed this film. It follows Laura (Cruz) on her travels from Argentina to her small home town in Spain for her sister’s wedding, bringing her two children along for the occasion. Amid the joyful reunion and festivities, the eldest daughter is abducted. In the tense days that follow, various family...

The Cannes Film Festival said Thursday that Asghar Farhadi’s psychological thriller “Everybody Knows” will play in competition as well as open the 71st edition of the event.

“Everybody Knows,” starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Ricardo Darin, will mark the second opening film in recent memory that is neither in English nor in French, following Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bad Education” in 2004. The last movie which opened the festival and competed was Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” in 2012.

Written by Farhadi and shot entirely in Spanish, “Everybody Knows” follows the journey of Laura (played by Cruz), who travels with her family from Buenos Aires to her native village in Spain for a celebration. An unexpected event changes the characters’ lives. The family, its ties and the moral choices imposed on them lie at the heart of the plot.

Iranian director Farhadi achieved worldwide critical acclaim in 2011 with “A Separation,” which...

Distributor plots move into genre and family movies, beginning with Asghar Farhadi’s upcoming thriller.

Italian distribution company Lucky Red is planning to ramp up its production operation, with a focus on genre and family movies.

At an event held in Rome yesterday (June 26) to mark the company’s 30th anniversary, founder and CEO Andrea Occhipinti said: “Distribution will remain our core business, but we want to become one of the most important production companies in Italy.”

“Production may be a good way not to be too dependent on acquisitions, since it’s becoming harder to get the good movies. Instead a good Italian film can make a big difference at the box office”.

One of the most prestigious projects that Lucky Red is co-producing is Asghar Farhadi’s untitled Spanish-language thriller starring Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Ricardo Darin (pictured, top).

As Screen announced during Cannes, the $12-13m project is a French-Spanish-Italian co-production with Lucky Red...

Distributor plots move into genre and family movies, beginning with Asghar Farhadi’s upcoming thriller.

Italian distribution company Lucky Red is planning to ramp up its production operation, with a focus on genre and family movies.

At an event held in Rome yesterday (June 26) to mark the company’s 30th anniversary, founder and CEO Andrea Occhipinti said: “Distribution will remain our core business, but we want to become one of the most important production companies in Italy.”

“Production may be a good way not to be too dependent on acquisitions, since it’s becoming harder to get the good movies. Instead a good Italian film can make a big difference at the box office”.

One of the most prestigious projects that Lucky Red is co-producing is Asghar Farhadi’s untitled Spanish-language thriller starring Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Ricardo Darin (pictured, top).

As Screen announced during Cannes, the $12-13m project is a French-Spanish-Italian co-production with Lucky Red...

Exclusive: Pedro and Agustin Almodovar exit movie set to shoot in August.

Two-time Oscar winner and festival favourite Asghar Farhadi (The Salesman) was due to fly into Cannes last night to take part in tonight’s 70th edition opening ceremony as a special guest and talk to buyers about his upcoming, currently untitled Spanish-language thriller.

Argentine superstar Ricardo Darin has joined Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem in the hotly anticipated project, which is due to shoot in Madrid from mid-August.

Darin is set to play Cruz’s husband from Buenos Aires in the family drama and psychological thriller which will explore how the kidnapping of a young girl leads to the unraveling of family secrets.

However, Pedro and Agustin Almodovar’s Spanish outfit El Deseo are no longer on board to produce the movie.

The $12-13m project is now being made as a French-Spanish-Italian co-production with French producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy (producer of Farhadi’s The Past...

This extraordinary documentary charts the antics of the first western band allowed into the country – to perform thunderous versions of songs from The Sound of Music

Just as Noah Cross in Chinatown said that politicians, ugly buildings and whores all get respectable if they last long enough, so the Stalinist Ruritania of North Korea has hung on, to become increasingly regarded as an exotic or even tragicomic kind of despotism, with its vast squares, monumental architecture and fixed, poignant smiles.

Alvaro Longoria’s film The Propaganda Game suggested it is a zombie state, animated by obsolete communist delusions but kept alive by the duplicitous interests of great powers. It suits the Americans to maintain an old-style red scare; the Russians and Chinese don’t want a Us-dominated Korean peninsula; and the South Koreans don’t fancy footing the bill for a German-style reunification. Werner Herzog recently got into the country...

It's a well-known fact that Iberoamerican cinema, which includes Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese productions, has had a prominent presence at the most important international film festivals for several years now and several films have been recognized at some of the most important film awards around the world. Colombia's "Embrace of the Serpent" earning the country's first-ever Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category and Argentina's "Wild Tales" taking home the 2016 BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in English Language are juts two examples of recent victories.

Acknowledging the need for a unified industry in the region and a platform for the Iberoamerican industry to honor and support its own productions, the Premios Platino of Iberoamerican Cinema were born three years ago. Each year the organizing committee selects a diverse group of nominees and invites members of the industry across the American continent and the Iberian peninsula to vote in order to select the winners. The ceremony takes place in a different country every year as a way to include all of the varied industries in the process and execution of the event.

This morning, after considering more than 150 films from a pool of over 800 theatrically releases productions, the final nominees were announced by a group of talented actors, including legendary Mexican-American thespian Edward James Olmos, and filmmakers led by CNN en Español's journalist Juan Carlos Arciniegas. Guatemala's Berlin-winning gem "Ixcanul" received 8 nominations, just as Colombia's Oscar-nominated "Embrace of the Serpent" did. These two gorgeously executed works center on indigenous stories and highlight the rich cultural heritage of Latin America. It's a pleasant surprise to see these two fantastic films get the most love.

Chile's "The Club" and Argentina's "The Clan," films by the two most prolific Pablos working in South America, Pablo Larrain and Pablo Trapero, received 6 nominations each. Larrain's dark tale about Catholic priests with questionable pasts was also nominated this year for a Golden Globe in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Perhaps one of the most surprising, yet well-deserved nominations, was the inclusion of Alonso Ruizpalacios among the Best Director nominees for his brilliant debut "Güeros."

Two films distributed by Pantelion received nomations: "600 Miles" and "Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos." Oscilloscope earned 10 mentions with properties "Ma Ma" and "Embrace of the Serpent." Kino Lorber's "Ixcanul, ""Güeros," and "The Pearl Button" also earned the art house distributor 10 nominations.

Regarding the quality of the films being produced in Iberoamerica Egeda's Elvi Cano said, “This has been an exceptional year for Iberoamerican Cinema, with 826 qualifying releases. Iberoamerican Cinema is alive, growing and stronger then ever.” Renowned journalist and host Juan Carlos Arciniegas added," These awards are starting a revolution and it's my dream, as an ambassador for Premios Platino, that these magnificent films that got nominated today to be seen by all our Iberoamerican audiences. I can't be more proud of what our filmmakers are doing today and if the public don't get to enjoy them, we won't be doing our job"

The 3rd Annual Premios Platino of Iberoamerican Cinema will take place on July 24th in Punta del Este, Uruguay

Here is the full list of nominees:

Premio Platino for Best Iberoamerican Picture

-"Embrace of the Serpent" (El abrazo de la serpiente), by Ciro Guerra (Ciudad Lunar Producciones, Caracol Cine, Dago García Producciones, Nortesur Producciones S.A., Mc Producciones, Buffalo Films) (Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina).

-"The Clan" (El clan), by Pablo Trapero (Kramer & Sigman Films, Matanza Cine S.R.L., El Deseo, P.C., S.A.) (Argentina, Spain).

-"The Club" (El club), by Pablo Larraín (Fabula Producciones) (Chile).

-"Ixcanul," by Jayro Bustamante (La Casa de Producción, Tu vas voir Productions) (Guatemala).

-"Truman," by Cesc Gay (Imposible Films S.L., Truman Film A.I.E., Bd Cine S.R.L) (Spain, Argentina).

Premio Platino for Best Director

-Alonso Ruizpalacios, for "Güeros."

-Cesc Gay, for "Truman."

-Ciro Guerra, for "Embrace of the Serpent" (El abrazo de la serpiente).

Pablo Larraín, for "The Club" (El club).

Pablo Trapero, for "The Clan" (El clan).

Premio Platino for Best Actor

-Alfredo Castro, for "The Club" (El club).

-Damián Alcázar, for "Magallanes."

-Guillermo Francella, for "The Clan" (El clan).

-Javier Cámara, for "Truman."

-Ricardo Darín, for "Truman."

Premio Platino for Best Actress

-Antonia Zegers, for "The Club" (El club).

-Dolores Fonzi, for "Paulina."

-Elena Anaya, for "The Memory of Water" (La memoria del agua).

-Inma Cuesta, for "The Bride" (La novia).

-Penélope Cruz, for "Ma Ma."

Premio Platino for Best Original Score

-Alberto Iglesias, for "Ma Ma."

-Federico Jusid, for "Magallanes."

-Lucas Vidal, for "Nobody Wants the Night" (Nadie quiere la noche).

-Nascuy Linares, for "Embrace of the Serpent" (El abrazo de la serpiente).

-Pascual Reyes, for "Ixcanul."

Premio Platino for Best Animated Feature Film

-"Capture the Flag" (Atrapa la bandera), by Enrique Gato (Telecinco Cinema S.A., Los Rockets La Película A.I.E., Telefónica Studios S.L.U., 4 Cats Pictures S.L., Ikiru Films S.L., Lightbox Animation Studios S.L.) (Spain).

-"Top Cat Begins" (Don Gato 2: El inicio de la pandilla), by Andrés Couturier (Anima Estudios) (Mexico).

-"El Americano", by Ricardo Arnaiz, Mike Kunkel (Olmos Productions, Phil Roman Entertainment, Animex) (Mexico).

-"Amila's Secret" (El secreto de Amila), by Gorka Vázquez (Baleuko, S.L., Talape Animazioa, Draftoon Animation) (Spain, Argentina).

-"Huevos: Little Rooster's Egg-Cellent Adventure" (Un gallo con muchos huevos), by Gabriel Riva Palacio Alatriste, Rodolfo Riva Palacio Alatriste (Huevocartoon Producciones) (Mexico).

Premio Platino for Best Documentary Feature Film

-"Beyond My Grandfather Allende" (Allende mi abuelo Allende), by Marcia Tambutti Allende (Errante Producciones Ltda, Martfilms) (Chile, Mexico).

-"New Girls 24 Hours" (Chicas nuevas 24 horas), by Mabel Lozano (Mafalda Entertainment, S.L., Aleph Media S.A., Puatarará Films, Hangar Films, Arte Vital) (Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia, Peru).

-"The Pearl Button" (El botón de nácar), by Patricio Guzmán (Atacama Productions, Valdivia Film, France 3 Cinema, Mediaproduccion, S.L.) (Chile, Spain).

-"Tea Time" (La once), by Maite Alberdi (Micromundo Producciones) (Chile).

-"The Propaganda Game," by Álvaro Longoria (Morena Films S. L.) (Spain).

Premio Platino for Best Screenplay

-Cesc Gay, Tomás Aragay, for "Truman."

-Ciro Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde, for "Embrace of the Serpent" (El abrazo de la serpiente).

-Jayro Bustamante, for "Ixcanul."

-Pablo Larraín, Guillermo Calderón, Daniel Villalobos; for "The Club" (El club).

-Salvador del Solar, for "Magallanes."

Premio Platino for Best Iberoamerican Debut Feature Film

-"600 Miles" (600 Millas), by Gabriel Ripstein (Lucia Films) (Mexico).

- "Retribution" (El desconocido), by Dani de la Torre (Atresmedia Cine S. L., Vaca Films Studio, S.L.) (Spain).

-"The Boss, Anatomy of a Crime" (El patrón: radiografía de un crimen), by Sebastián Schindel (Magoya Films S.A., Estrella Films) (Argentina, Venezuela).

-"Ixcanul," by Jayro Bustamante (La Casa de Producción, Tu vas voir Productions) (Guatemala).

-"Magallanes," by Salvador del Solar (Péndulo Films, Tondero Producciones, Cepa Audiovisual S.R.L., Proyectil, Cinemara, Nephilim Producciones, S.L.) (Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Spain).

Premio Platino for Best Film Editing

-César Díaz, for "Ixcanul."

-Eric Williams, for "Magallanes."

-Etienne Boussac, Cristina Gallego, for "Embrace of the Serpent" (El abrazo de la serpiente).

-Jorge Coira, for "Retribution" (El desconocido).

-Pablo Trapero, Alejandro Carrillo Penovi, for "The Clan" (El clan).

Premio Platino for Best Art Direction

-Angélica Perea, for "Embrace of the Serpent" (El abrazo de la serpiente).

-Bruno Duarte, Artur Pinheiro, for "Arabian Nights: Vol.2 - The Desolate One" (As mil e uma noites: Volume 2, O desolado).

-Jesús Bosqued Maté, Pilar Quintana, for "The Bride" (La novia).

-Pilar Peredo, for "Ixcanul."

-Sebastián Orgambide, for "The Clan" (El clan).

Premio Platino for Best Cinematography

-Arnaldo Rodríguez, for "The Memory of Water" (La memoria del agua).

-David Gallego, for "Embrace of the Serpent" (El abrazo de la serpiente).

-Luis Armando Arteaga, for "Ixcanul."

-Miguel Ángel Amoedo, for "The Bride" (La novia).

-Sergio Armstrong, for "The Club" (El club).

Premio Platino for Best Sound Direction

-Carlos García, Marco Salavarría, for "Embrace of the Serpent" (El abrazo de la serpiente).

-David Machado, Jaime Fernández, Nacho Arenas, for "Retribution" (El desconocido).

-Eduardo Cáceres, Julien Cloquet, for "Ixcanul."

-Federico Esquerro, Santiago Fumagalli, Edson Secco, for "Paulina."

-Vicente D’Elía, Leandro de Loredo, for "The Clan" (El clan).