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Variety

Show of Strength: Spain’s Mipcom Lineup From ‘The New Years’ to ‘The Head’ 3, ‘La Favorita 1922’

John Hopewell, Jamie Lang and Callum McLennan
7 min read
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“@love” Belle Films

Produced by Annabelle Mullen and Leah Aldarondo, this romcom turns on a Caribbean film producer navigating dating apps and self-discovery in Spain. “At its core, it’s a woman’s journey away from home to find not only romance but clarity,” say its creators.

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“Alone in the Night” Feel Sales

Produced by Summer Films and La Claqueta (“The Endless Trench”), this political drama starring Pablo Gómez-Pando (“Ama,”) follows labor lawyers hiding during Spain’s 1981 coup, blending humor with the drama.

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“The 39” Secuoya Studios

Presented at Iberseries, this series looks at the power struggles and ultimate fate of the 39 men Christopher Columbus left on Espa?ola — the present-day Dominican Republic — in 1492. The high-end, six-part historical thriller is created by David Martínez and Roberto Serrano.

“El 47” The Mediapro Studio Distribution

The highest-grossing Catalan-language movie in the last 15 years, this feel-good social issue hit inspired by true events stars Eduard Fernández as Manolo Vital, a bus driver whose simple act of rebellion in 1978 helped shape modern-day Barcelona.

“Baby Bot” (Lingokids)

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Produced by Lingokids, this animated series takes children aged 2-8 on fun learning adventures. In 13 five-minute episodes, the Lingokids characters teach Baby Bot, who knows nothing, about topics like dinosaurs and the digestive system.

“Baoverse” (Morgana Studios)

Produced by Morgana Studios, it’s described as “an expansive multiplatform narrative universe” designed for kids aged 7-9. Combining gaming, social media content, and collectible items, this animated adventure encourages children to embrace both strength and vulnerability while saving the Baoverse.

“Beguines” Atresmedia TV, Buendía Estudios

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Series set in the 16th century as Lucía de Avellaneda discovers a new semi-monastic life in a Beguinage while confronting the Inquisition and forbidden love.

“The Big Jump” Atresmedia Sales

“Jump” chronicles the crash and burn of Spanish gymnastic star Gervasio Deferr after winning Olympic gold medals at Sydney and Athens. Oscar Casas (“Instinct”) stars; Roger Gual (“Gangs of Galicia”) directs.

The Big Jump
The Big Jump

“Courtois, the Return of the Number 1,” (Wakai Media)

Four-part doc series chronicling the long return from injury over near all of the 2023-24 season of Real Madrid soccer club goalkeeper Diego Courtois

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“Detective  Romi” Mediterráneo

Romina Goitia, a hearing-impaired private detective, investigates the long-ago death of her father, which she suspects to be murder. Created by Iker Azkoitia, a writer on “Elite,” and directed by Inés París (“The Barrier”).

“Dating in Barcelona” (Season 2) Filmax, 3Cat

Produced by Filmax’s Pau Freixas, (“You Shall Not Lie”), the series is a hit on Catalonia pubcaster 3Cat and Prime Video.

“Ena — Queen Victoria Eugenia” RTVE

RTVE’s banner series at Mipcom will be showcased at Spain’s Country of Honor celebrations. Series spotlights a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Victoria Eugenia of Battenberg, who was married in 1906 to Spain’s Alfonso XIII, and soldiered on through his affairs, a bomb attack on her marriage day, six children, exile and two world wars.

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“Flowers Over the Inferno” Season 2 Onza Distribution

The series tracks criminologist Teresa Battaglia, played by Elena Sofia Ricci (“Loro,” “Loose Cannons”) as she solves mysteries in the Alps while battling Alzheimer’s, “blending art, history and forensic investigation,” says producer Cesare Bixio.

“La Favorita 1922” Mediterráneo

In 1922 Madrid, Seville’s Marquise Elena de Valmonte battles to turn an abandoned restaurant into the capital’s finest eating establishment. “Love, intrigue, humor and a touch of thriller come together in a carefully crafted production,” says Ramón Campos, head of Bambú Producciones (“Velvet,” “Cable Girls,” “The Vow”), which produces with Mediaset Espa?a.

La Favorita 1922
La Favorita 1922

“Freshwater Gardens” (Artico Distribution)

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Produced by Artico Distribution, this nature doc explores the seasonal transformations of water across continents, from Africa’s plains to the jungles of South America and Asia. The six-part series will reveal water’s impact on animal behavior worldwide.

“The Head” Season 3, The Mediapro Studio Distribution

Set in a no-man’s land of the Sahara Desert, the third and last part of the Mediapro Studio’s biggest English-language franchise stars John Lynch and Katharine O’Donnelly, with creator Ran Tellem and Jorge Dorado returning for a final showdown.

The Head
The Head

“Internal Affairs” RTVE

Next in line in RTVE’s push into social-issue drama, “Internal Affairs” is a cop drama, but set in 1979, and the cops are the first women admitted into Spain’s police force.

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“The Land of the Iberian Lynx” Canal Sur

This doc feature chronicles the remarkable recovery of the endangered Iberian lynx, once near extinction, emphasizing the ongoing conservation efforts crucial to preserving these majestic animals for future generations.

“The Lotus Flower Club” (Satisfaction Iberia)

Co-produced with ProQuoTV, this teen dramedy follows the lives of five young mothers as they navigate personal and professional challenges, while sharing their fears, joys, and youthful experiences.

“Matador” Se?or Mono, Omi, Filmax

Chronicling MMA champion Ilia Topuria’s rise from war-torn Georgia to UFC stardom, this is Spain’s highest-grossing doc feature of 2024. The film catches Topuria as he prepares to challenge undefeated champion Alexander Volkanovski.

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“Mediterranean Hunters II” (Wild Stories Distribution)

This 52-minute nature doc tracks the dramatic life-or-death struggle between hunters and prey in Europe. Featuring wild cats, eagle owls, bats, and goshawks, it reveals the impressive strategies these iconic predators adopt to survive.

“The New Years” Movistar Plus+ Internacional

Series follows Ana and Oscar, both turning 30, from meet cute on New Year’s Eve 2015 over the next New Year’s Eves. World premiering at Venice alongside series from Cuarón, Vinterberg and Wright, the latest from Rodrigo Sorogoyen, a 2023 Cesar best foreign film winner with  “The Beasts.”

“Plim Plim” (Krakatoa)

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The animated series for toddlers and preschoolers follows Plim Plim, a superhero powered by kindness. Through magical adventures, the show promotes positive behavior.

“Punto Nemo,” (Ficcion Producciones)

A sci-fi thriller seeing a team of marine biologists trapped at an old fort on Punto Nemo island

“Quiet” The Mediapro Studio/3Cat

A pandemic procedural set in COVID-lockdown Barcelona as police race against time to catch a serial killer preying on the homeless.

“Querer” Movistar Plus+ International

The first TV series from Alauda Ruiz de Azúa (“Lullaby”), which establishes her as one of the foremost women directors now working in Spain. This series is part family drama, part courtroom thriller and groundbreaking in its focus on sexual abuse in marriage.

Querer
Querer

“Rapa” (Portocabo, Movistar Plus+ International)

Produced by Portocabo, “Rapa” – one of Movistar Plus+’s most-watched originals – returns for its third and final season. Investigator Maite (Monica Lopez) delves into a high-profile kidnapping case, while Tomás (Javier Camara,) facing terminal illness, contemplates euthanasia.

“Stories” (Feel Sales)

11 tales that highlight the universal emotions connecting us all—love, fear, happiness, and hope—regardless of our origins or backgrounds.

“Tippi T-Rex” Anima Kitchent

Produced by Madrid’s ánima Kitchent and animated for preschoolers, this 2D series has already racked up over 25,000 YouTube subscribers and 8 million views in its first year on YouTube.

“Traffic Jam” Onza Distribution

Produced by Onza honchos José María Irisarri and Gonzalo Sagardía, “Jam’s” all-star comic cast series captures the chaos, conflicts and relationships struck up during a massive traffic jam.

Traffic Jam
Traffic Jam

“Weiss & Morales” RTVE, ZDF

Produced by Portocabo and Nadcon and public broadcasters RTVE and ZDF, this crime drama shot in the Canary Islands is also a text-book case of how companies can still make high-quality shows without losing their shirts.

“Where the Wind Takes Me” (Anafilms Productions)

Produced by Anafilms Productions, this feature doc tells the stories of four women who have overcome adversities, embodying the elements of water, air, earth, and fire.

“Zenon’s Farm” Leader Entertainment

From the hugely popular animated YouTube kids content network the Children’s Kingdom, the ad- venture series follows Zenon, Bartolito and friends as they tackle farm challenges with fun and country music.

Zenon’s Farm
Zenon’s Farm

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