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Exclusive: Madrid-based The Frank Barton Company has revealed it is working on a second season of preschool animated series Pim Pam Pino, which has proven a hit on YouTube, and is looking for further distribution partners.

Since its launch on YouTube in Spanish and English at the end of 2024, the show has drawn 70,000 subscribers worldwide, and generated 55 million views.

The Frank Barton Company’s commitment to further developing the in-house original series marks a turning point for the animation and special effects boutique, known for its high-end campaigns for global brands.

Founded in 2008 as a collective, the company has built its reputation in the animated advertising, working with agencies and advertisers across Europe and further afield, but Pim Pam Pino is born out of the team’s desire to create something more lasting.

“For every ad campaign, we had to build a brand-new universe from scratch—only to see it...

Gravitas Juan Martinez Vera made feature directing debut on migrant worker drama.

Italy-based IuviT Media Sales has picked up international sales rights at EFM for Aidan Quinn drama Spiked about the injustices that immigrant workers experience along the US-Mexico border

Screen has obtained an exclusive first-look from the film about a newspaper publisher fighting for justice for the family of a worker killed in a border town. Facing obstacles at every turn including unhelpful law enforcement, the publisher is beset by a sudden illness as issues with his wife bubble up at home.

Deirdre Lovejoy plays the local head of...

"We want to sue the police... but we need witnesses." Gravitas Ventures has released an official trailer for an indie film titled Spiked, from filmmaker Juan Vera Martinez. He was inspired to make the film after hearing real-life stories of immigrants suffering abuse of power from law enforcement agencies some 20-years ago and incredibly moved by how relevant these stories are today as immigrant families continue to grapple with inhumane and unjust treatment over and over. When the murder of a migrant worker shakes a southwest border town to its core, the feud between a newspaper owner and the chief of police leads to the blurring of the truth and a dirty fight for justice. The film stars Aidan Quinn, Deirdre Lovejoy, Carlos Gomez, Danay Garcia, Wendy Makkena, Lovensky Jean-Baptiste, Walter Belenky, Sal Lopez, and Christopher Rich. It looks like a powerful drama about the struggles of many immigrants these days.

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, has acquired North American rights to distribute writer/director Juan Martinez Vera’s Spiked. The pic will be produced by Per Melita. Aidan Quinn, Deirdre Lovejoy, Carlos Gomez, Danay Garcia, Wendy Makkena, Lovensky Jean-Baptiste, Walter Belenky. Sal Lopez, and Christopher Rich star in this indie feature drama. Joe Soldwedel and Brett Soldwedel serve as executive producers.

On March 26th, Gravitas will launch the film across multiple VOD platforms, including Amazon Prime, Apple iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Vimeo, Gravitas Movies, and release on SVOD platforms to follow later this year.

Spiked is a dramatic story rooted in the injustices that immigrant workers experience along the U.S./Mexico border. Principal photography on the indie feature was completed in 2019 on location in and around southern Arizona.

“Anchored by an outstanding performance by Aidan Quinn, Juan’s film integrates issues around immigration, law enforcement, and...

Eric Roberts and Dr. Rico Simonini will topline My Dinner With Eric Roberts (Julia’s brother), a platonic rom-com bromance that will be shooting this month in Los Angeles. Described as along the lines of Louie Malle’s My Dinner With Andre, the film follows Roberts having dinner with his cardiologist and friend, Dr. Rico and evolves into their deep passionate friendship and how their lives are intertwined. The pic was written by Roberts, Simonini, Eliza Roberts and Darryl Marshak. Eliza Roberts and Marshak are directing and producing the project with Sarbori Bhattacharya, Joe Levy, and Sambhu Choifhury serving as executive producers.

Wendy Makkena (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) and Walter Belenky have been added to the cast of Spiked, and indie drama based on Arizona newspaper publisher Joseph Soldwedel. The film hails from Juan Martinez Vera, who wrote the screenplay and is directing.