Silvina Schnicer’s debut solo feature, “The Cottage,” screens in competition this week at Morocco’s Marrakech Film Festival. The film follows an upper-middle-class family in Argentina as they visit their vacation home in a rural neighborhood, only to find that squatters have been using the building and left it in an unpleasant state. The family patriarch, […]

Upstart production house Catalyst Studios will digitally release its first feature, Colombian auteur Ana Maria Hermida’s all-star-laden magical realist drama “Alix,” on Dec. 25. A U.S. theatrical premiere for “Alix” will be held at the historic TCL Chinese Theater on Dec. 5, with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of the Art of Living, […]

U.K. genre specialist distributor has sold “The Witch Game,” an Argentine “Harry Potter” inspired horror feature from director Fabian Forte, to Miracle Media in North America and the U.K. The supernatural thriller will be released in the territories in the first quarter of 2025. Originally shot in Spanish, the film also has an English-language dubbed […]

Barcelona’s Animation BCN wrapped this afternoon after three days of working groups, roundtables and networking events focused on ways that the region’s animation industry can weather a “global animation crisis.” This year’s third edition gathered 90 delegates from 60 European industry organizations in 24 countries to address the key themes and topics faced by the […]

Big Hollywood and international film and TV shoots have been held in Spain for decades, from “El Cid,” “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” to more recent standouts such as “The Crown,” “Game of Thrones,” “Venom: The Last Dance” and “Kaos.” While filmmakers often have the final say in where […]

Ignacio Lasierra Pinto’s debut feature “Perseidas,” set to pitch at Ventana Sur’s upcoming Proyecta sidebar for feature projects, has nailed down an all-star Spanish cast, led by Spanish Academy Goya-winning actor Macarena García (“Blancanieves,” “La mesías”). Joining García are Feroz and Forqué best actress winner Elena Irureta (“Patria”), Feroz award winner Itziar Aizpuru (“Flowers”) and […]

French production company Srab Films will co-produce “Name and Surname,” the upcoming drama feature from Colombian director Duván Duque Vargas, produced by Evidencia Films and Continente Pictures. In the film, 16-year-old Fer tries everything he can to escape his father and stepmother’s house, a home in crisis that compares unfavorably to those of his upper-class […]

Spanish producers Batiak Films and Elora Posthouse have boarded Maria Paz Barragán’s immigration horror feature “Tenants” as co-producers. The Madrid-set feature will be pitched at this year’s Ventana Sur Proyecta sidebar by its Peruvian lead producer, Final Abierto. An example of Latin America’s maturing and constantly diversifying genre scene and the region’s increasingly strong industry […]

Say goodbye to the old ways of doing TV business and hello to new ones. “We need to rethink everything. The business model we used to have, that’s gone,” said Silver Reel’s Claudia Bluemhuber, a panelist at this year’s TV Beats Forum at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. “We’re going to see fewer shows. […]

Paris-based Moon a Deal Films has boarded Talal Selhami’s upcoming feature, “The Shelter,” set to pitch at this year’s Atlas Workshops, part of the Marrakech Intl. Film Festival. Moon a Deal will be the film’s development co-producer, joining Moroccan lead producer La Prod. Both companies were founded and are led by Moroccan indie superproducer Lamia […]

Powerhouse indie producer Khadija Alami’s K Films has boarded “Bardi,” Tala Hadid’s follow-up to the 2017 Berlin-selected documentary “House in the Fields.” The new feature, currently being edited, is participating in this year’s Atlas Workshops at the Marrakech Film Festival. “I’m thrilled to come on board ‘Bardi,'” Alami told Variety. “Tala is a great filmmaker […]

Netflix’s documentary “It’s All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football” hit the platform on Nov. 1 and has changed the conversation around women’s soccer in Spain in the weeks since. In the film, key figures from the women’s Spanish national team are brought together for the first time to revisit the turbulent years leading […]

Global IP powerhouse Superprod Group and international media group and rights owner Coolabi Group are teaming to develop and produce a trans-media universe based on the best-selling children’s high fantasy book series “Beast Quest” that will include video games and an animated series. There aren’t many IPs the size of “Beast Quest” that haven’t already […]

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has unveiled the winners of its TV Beats Co-Financing Market, intended to foster creative collaborations in series co-production and empower independent producers. Finnish drama “The Women I Think About at Night” took the event’s top honor, the Series Co-Production Development Award and its €50,000 ($52,780) purse, part of the Pilot […]

Ventana Sur’s Blood Window long ago established itself as one of the most important platforms for genre cinema in Latin America. This year, the sidebar returns with a seven-title lineup for its Blood Window Screenings program. The diverse lineup includes classic slashers, sci-fi flicks, supernatural tales and psychological thrillers that emphasize the range of stories […]

A star-studded edition of the Seville European Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend, with Ludovich and Zoran Boukherma’s French coming-of-age drama “And Their Children After Them” taking home the Giraldillo de Oro, the Festival’s top honor. Its lead, Paul Kircher, also scored a best actor win. This year’s Official Selection jury included legendary British […]

Paris-based sales company Loco Films has picked up world rights to Sebastian Parra R’s Colombian low-fi sci-fi thriller “Seed of the Desert” (“Semilla del Desierto”), premiering in competition at this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Variety has been given exclusive access to the film’s trailer, seen below. The feature debuts on Monday, Nov. 18, […]

Boris Guts’ “Deaf Lovers,” an Istanbul-set romantic drama, has been acquired by Antipode Sales International for global sales. Already a noteworthy title in this year’s Tallinn Black Nights competition lineup, the film garnered extra attention last week when the State Film Agency of Ukraine called on the fest to pull the film from its lineup. […]

Emilios Avraam’s debut feature, “Smaragda – I Got Thick Skin and I Can’t Jump,” a coming-of-middle-age story set in Cyprus, is world premiering in competition tonight at this year’s Tallinn Dark Nights Film Festival. The film’s titular protagonist suffers from environmental sensitivities, failed relationships and a stagnant career as a TV entertainer. Not content with her […]