South International Series Festival presented its slate of content for its first edition in Madrid's Sala Berlanga. This festival was created to bring together in Cádiz the series fans and the audiovisual industry from the 6th to the 12th October. The program includes around 100 activities for audiovisual industry professionals and 62 screenings of series in different formats.
The presentation was hosted by the festival director, Joan Álvarez, and included the participation of the Andalusian Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Arturo Bernal, and the mayor of Cadiz, Bruno García. This launch was also attended by institutional representatives of the festival collaborators, whom Álvarez thanked for their commitment and support to the audiovisual industry. Figures such as Emilia Garrido, Director of Cultural Activities of the Unicaja Foundation; Carlos Rosado, President of the Spanish Film Commission; and Elizabeth López, Audiovisual Director of the SGAE, participated in this event.
From a selection of half a thousand titles from various countries, South's Selection Committee has chosen 45 series that will be the protagonists of the Official Section and will be distributed in five different sections. In addition, there will be presentations in various formats, such as previews and screenings, adding up to more than 60 titles, including both fiction and non-fiction productions.
The official fiction selection includes "La Ley del Mar" from Spain, produced by Studio60, RTVE and A punt. Based on a true story, this series portrays the story of a boat from Santa Pola called 'Francisco y Catalina': the first European fishing boat that in 2006 rescued 51 sub-Saharan immigrants adrift in international waters in the Mediterranean, a hundred miles from Malta. Starring Luis Tosar and Blanca Portillo, the series is directed by Alberto Ruiz Rojo and written by Tatiana Rodríguez and Víctor Pedreira.
The catalog also includes "Nolly" from the UK, produced by Quay Street Productions, PBS Masterpiece in association with ITV Studios. Created by Russell T. Davies, Nolly explores the rise and fall of Noele Gordon, an actress and presenter who became one of Britain's most famous women, played by Helena Bonham-Carter. It is directed by Peter Hoar, who was nominated for an Emmy for directing The Last of Us.
The selection also includes "Entrevías" from Spain, produced by Mediaset España and Alea Media, "Carthago from Israel, produced by 24 Draft Studios, "Galgos" from Spain, Movistar Plus+ original series produced by Buendia Studios. Fictional series directed by Félix Viscarret and Nelly Reguera that narrates the business and family drama of the Somarriba family and the Galgo Group, the food giant run by three generations. The series features an ensemble cast that includes Adriana Ozores, Oscar Martínez, Marcel Borràs, Patricia López Arnaiz and María Pedraza. The slate also includes "Of Money and Blood" from France, produced by Curiosa Films for Canal + France, based on the book of the same name by Fabrice Arfi, 'D'argent et de sang', about one of the biggest scandals in recent French history: the millionaire carbon tax fraud, and "Serrines, madera de actor" from Spain, produced by Mediaset España and Producciones Mandarina.
"Power Play" from Norway, produced by Motlys, Novemberfilm - a Fremantle Label, "Beguinas" from Spain, produced by Atresmedia TV in collaboration with Buendía Studios," "Anima Gemella" from Italy, produced by Endemol Shine Italy and RTI, "Monstrous" from South Korea, produced by Studio Dragon, Climax Studio and TV ING, a story inspired by a traditional Korean legend, with an original screenplay by Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Peninsula) and Yong-Jae Ryoo and directed by Jang Kun-jae. This series will be screened for the first time in Spain, in response to growing public interest in Korean fiction.
The official non-fiction selection includes "Malaya. Operación secreta" from Spain, produced by RTVE in collaboration with Atlantia Media, "Bretón, La mirada del diablo" from Spain, produced by Cibeles productions in co-production with RTVA, "Macarena" from Spain, produced by Movistar Plus+ and Producciones del Barrio," "The Murdochs: Empire of Influence" from the United States, produced by CNN Original Series, "Los Galindos," from Spain, produced by Mediaset España and Fénix Media, "En guardia: mujeres contra el crimen" from Spain, produced by Mediaset España and En Cero Coma, A Freemantle Label.
"El enigma Nadiuska" from Spain, produced by Atresmedia TV in collaboration with Lavinia Audiovisual, "The Chevaline Killings: Finding the Missing Piece" from France, produced by Upside Television, "The Man Who Stole the Scream" from the UK, produced by Curve Story.
The end of the South Series coincides with the next big event to be held in Cadiz: Sail GP. The festival will create synergies with the sailing competition, which will take place the following week and will premiere a new episode of its Sail GP series. Los gallos despegan (UK, produced by SailGP and P1 Entertainment). The series follows the Spanish team in the fourth season of the championship, showing the ins and outs of the competition and its protagonists on and off the water.
South Series will give a second chance to series that are unknown to the general public, that have already been released and that deserve to be watched. With television audiences in mind, the Palacio de Congresos in Cádiz will be showing an episode of Halt and Catch Fire (United States), a technological drama that tells the story of the birth of the computer and Internet era in the 1980s, an era of cultural, social and economic change. Lola (Spain), the "definitive portrait of the life of an unforgettable artist", will also be screened. The Spanish documentary examines the career and life of Lola Flores through 44 interviews with family members, friends, journalists, researchers and contemporary artists.
"Peace peace now now" from Chile and "Estreno notte" from Italy, as well as "Sul" from Portugal and "The Bear" from United States, a comedy-drama that was nominated for 13 Emmy Awards in its first season and has just finished its second season.
In addition to offering a varied natural and cultural backdrop that is increasingly attracting major international blockbusters, the Andalusian audiovisual sector has experienced exponential growth in recent years, both in terms of its professionals and its industrial fabric. For this reason, the region will play a special role in this first edition, both in terms of its programming and the spaces reserved for industry professionals. There will be more than twenty activities showcasing the talent and industry of the Andalusian audiovisual sector, with a special focus on the new coming series that are still in the pipeline and the jewels of the audiovisual sector, which will be brought together in the 'In the South' section.
The selection of series to be screened in Cádiz includes: the documentary series "548 días, Captada por una secta," produced by Olmo Figueredo and José Ortuño; the animation series Pobre diablo, directed by Manuel Sicilia; the fiction production Grasa, by David Saiz; and Canal Sur will present 13 días, directed and written by Hernán Zin. Cádiz will also show 'Mazey Day', the episode of the acclaimed international series Black Mirror, filmed in Andalusia with the services of Fresco Films; as well as the web series Desde el fondo by Joaquín Perles.
Cñadiz is the venue chosen by the distributors of Atlantica, The Discovery of Atlantis, a co-production between the United States and the United Kingdom that follows seven years of research to find the exact location of Atlantis. Meticulous scientific work, more than forty dives and a series of comprehensive underwater scans led to the discovery of the city mentioned by Plato in his stories. Produced by Ingenio Films and Merlin Burrows.
This year, South Series is paying special attention to Africa. Among the special screenings programmed in the Panorama section is Ololade (Nigeria), a drama filmed in Yoruba language that tells the story of two friends, a high school teacher at his worst and a bon-vivant car mechanic, who make money in a mysterious way. Cádiz audiences will be able to discover a new window on the African continent, while the industry professionals will have the opportunity to do business with a thriving audiovisual industry, with which they will be able to interact during the Industry Activities.
Two Spanish series complete this section: La red púrpura, the new Atresmedia original series directed by Paco Cabezas and adapted from the second novel of the same name in the Carmen Mola saga. It is produced by Paramount Televisión International Studios, with the participation of Atresmedia Televisión and in collaboration with Diagonal (Banijay Iberia). And the second season of Ser o no ser, which continues with its bright and naturalistic approach to portraying the different realities of young teenagers. In its first season, the series won the Prix Italia 2022, the ODA for the best Spanish fiction of the year and was nominated for the GLAAD. It is a Playz original production in collaboration with BING BANG MEDIA (The Mediapro Studios), starring Ander Puig.
In addition to all these premieres and previews of series that will be available on the main channels and platforms in the 2023-24 season, South Series will host previews of series that are currently being shot, such as the second season of El inmortal, En busca de Cortés and El Marqués, a new fiction from Mediaset España. There will also be screenings of projects in the early stages of production.
Related News
